OUR NICA COACHES

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Coach Phillips has been riding and racing MTB for 25 years. Most of his experience is racing in the cross country (XC) discipline where he has completed 100+ races across Ohio and surrounding states. He won the OMBC series multiple times before deciding to compete in 100k and 100mi races across the country. Most recently he completed the Leadville Trail 100 in the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains! His day job is Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Asset and Wealth Management where he manages a team of risk and control professionals located in the US, Europe and Asia. He is also a proud veteran of the United States Army. 

Coach Phillips loves the sport of MTB because it provides an opportunity to spend quality time with friends and family, enjoying nature while also providing a great physical and mental challenge. He loves the opportunity NICA provides our youth community in this amazing sport and jumped at the opportunity to get engaged in the first season of the Ohio league. His wife, Jessica, also coaches on the team and his son and daughter, Ryan and Lindsey, both race on the team. Coach Phillips along with his family and fellow volunteer coaches formed the LITW non-profit youth team in March 2021 and couldn't be more excited about the future of this team and this league! 

Coach K grew up racing BMX bikes in northern New Mexico in the 1970s. Bike riding opened up a world of adventure, allowing exploration of the rugged southwest for entire days with little parental supervision!  Coach K stopped biking for many years but continued with other competitive activities, including 4 years of NCAA swimming and water polo competitions as well as 20 years of remote control airplane competitions. He is an eight-time U.S. national and one-time World RC aerobatic airplane champion. 

Coach K returned to cycling when Kaden, his son, showed a strong interest in mountain biking at the age of 12.  Mountain biking became an ideal activity to pursue together, allowing for the exploration of nature, exercise, and side by side competition. The two of them have enjoyed training for and racing in MTB events throughout Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia for the past 3 years.  Coach K’s profession as a chemical engineering professor at OSU with 30 years of teaching experience makes the transition to coaching a natural step.  He is currently coaching two mountain bike teams including the LITW NICA team and the Gators Bike Park Race team.  He loves working with youth to develop strong minds and strong bodies through the adventures of mountain biking.

Coach Erik grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania in the 1970s and didn’t learn how to ride a bike until age 9. As soon as he learned to ride, he and his friends started building bike jumps out of anything they could find, rock, wood, dirt, concrete – you name it. When he broke his Huffy banana frame bike in half on a jump, his dad agreed to buy him a Mongoose BMX bike and it was heaven. Coach Erik has had a passion for bikes ever since, racing BMX in his youth and racing road bikes in college to stay in shape for football. He began mountain biking in 1996 and competed in his first race within a few years. He’s been riding on the trails ever since.   

Coach Erik started competing again when his son, Ethan, decided to race in the OMBC series several years ago; this is also where he met Coach K and Coach Reeves. In addition to coaching mountain biking, Erik also coached youth soccer for his son and daughter until they moved on from recreational to club teams. He loves working with youth and helping them to grow and mature. Coach Erik believes that being a member of a team teaches important life lessons that last forever. Though his day job is running the Venture Capital and M&A teams at Nationwide, Coach Erik loves to be outside on the trails with his family, whether hiking or biking.

Coach Jimmy Jam has been competing in XC & endurance mountain bike races for over a decade, focusing on the Ohio Mountain Bike Championship Series (OMBC), National Ultra Endurance Series (NUE) & the 6-hour racing format. He started out as a novice and over time built his skills and fitness level, advancing through the sport & expert ranks.

Some of his favorite races - Mohican 100, Shenandoah 100, anything at Lake Hope or Chestnut Ridge. He lives near Alum Creek State Park, so you can find him riding there a lot, but some of his favorite Ohio trails are Mohican State Park, Horns Hill, Dillon State Park, Great Seal State Park & Vulture's Knob. Some of his favorite destination trails are in Pisgah National Forest and Utah.

Coach Jimmy Jam is happy just getting out in nature on his bike. Despite being competitive on the state level for several years, racing is mainly just a vehicle for staying fit, seeing new trails, and being part of a fun community of amazing riders. His motto: Ride your bike. Have fun.

Coach Ken (often seen with the crew in the picture) has been riding MTB across the USA for 10 yrs +. Formerly a D1 soccer player and coach, with a decade of trail/obstacle course running afterwards before finding a love of MTB. His day job is supporting customer supply chains for CH Robinson as VP of their beer vertical.

Coach Ken’s family travels extensively enjoying the outdoors in their travel trailer. His wife has spent most of her adult life as a professional coach in figure skating and more recently in yoga, with son Desmond competing for LITW and younger twin sisters coming on fast. The community and family nature of NICA paired with fueling competitive fires and lessons learned has made LITW a destination home here in Ohio. 

Coach John had his first mountain bike in college, and after a decades long break, has re-engaged in MTB riding based on his son Evan’s love of the sport. John and his sons Jack and Evan have been riding the local park trails for several years now, and when Evan joined the Lost in the Woods team for the inaugural season, they were hooked. John and Evan also ride road bikes in the Pelotonia fundraiser, and went on a week long riding adventure to Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Forest in North Carolina last Spring.  Coach John and Evan enjoy flying drones together, so you may see them taking drone videos and photos on race day.    

Coach John’s day job is the Indirects Procurement Director for Hexion Specialty Chemicals, where he works with an international team to negotiate contracts for the purchase of global services and indirect materials for manufacturing sites located throughout the world.  

Coach Rob has been mountain biking for over 25 years. He enjoys all types of biking but mostly splits his time between road biking and trail riding. For the last 20 years Coach Rob has enjoyed competing in triathlons in the Ohio area. When Coach Rob is not on the bike or spending time with his family, he is working at JP Morgan as an Operations Manager. 

Like others, Coach Rob enjoys riding, but his favorite time is spent riding his mountain bike on the various local trails. He feels it's the best way to disconnect from phones and computers and spend time with friends and family while appreciating nature. Joining the team as a coach has been a great experience for the first year of NICA in Ohio. His daughter, Annabelle, rode and raced for the first time this year (and even if she won't admit it), loved every minute of it. Coach Rob enjoys working with new riders focusing on fundamentals and watching members of the team improve skills and confidence on the trail while making new friends. 

Hello from Coach Angie

Coach Angie has a long history of coaching and instructing. For over ten years she was a ski and snowboard instructor in Vail, Co. In her early 20’s she found the love for all things mountain related and a passion for mountain biking and adventures. For a few years she raced downhill and XC on the NORBA circuit. After spending her 20's in the mountains she became a flight instructor. She spent over 20 years flying jets all over the world and is now back to teaching jets and coaching kids! She is so happy to back to her first love of mountain biking and coaching kids!

Coach Angie really loves the long rides and getting lost in the woods! A few years back she raced across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for over 24 hours and 225 miles. She excels in rough and tough technical races and had a blast racing in the Breck Epic 6 day stage race 2 years ago. She has finished every race she’s started and won a few too.

Coach Angie has three daughters who race on the LITW team! This past summer she loved coaching the Novice kids. Her daughter Zetta said “she loved seeing her trail sisters every week! Everyone cheered and supported the whole team. We really felt like a big family!" Some of her favorite memories were at Chestnut Ridge running around and cheering the team on. She loved talking technical and race lines with the advanced racers. Coach Angie can’t wait to get back on the bike with the kids!

 Coach R has been riding mountain bikes since 1998 and he has enjoyed watching the sport grow in Ohio. Racing has been a fun way to set goals and in 2000 he started participating in team 24hr events. Some of the best races were at Mohican, Canaan WV, NC, and Moab UT. Coach R still races occasionally, enduro's are a new favorite. His out-of-state ride destinations include Pisgah and Snowshoe. Great Seal and Mohican are his Ohio go-to favorite places.

Coach R joined the COMBO board in 2019 and helped launch OMBL NICA in 2021. He's proud to be an OMBL board and Core Staff member working to get more kids on bikes. His family of 6 all ride and his youngest son Miles also races in the OMBL. Recently he helped organize and unite all the bike clubs in Ohio under OMBA in 2021. The Ohio Mtn Bike Alliance focuses on trail advocacy, sharing best practices, networking with other trail users, and land managers. Their goal is to get more trail access in Ohio for everyone to enjoy.  Coach R looks forward to seeing you on the trails!  

Coach Sill has been riding MTB for over 25 years. He has enjoyed riding around the country in the Leadville Race Series over the last 6 years. Coach Sill finished the Leadville 100MTB race in 2017.  He enjoys the sport as an opportunity to get away and ride with friends. 

Coach Sill's day job is Chief Operating Officer for Inno-Pak LLC in Delaware, OH. Inno-Pak provides packaging to the grocery and food service industries. He was one of our advanced ride group leaders in 2021 and loves the challenge of trying to keep up with our advanced riders!  

Coach Kirby grew up cycling and his passion caught fire in 2009 when his three-year-old daughter Mia was diagnosed with leukemia and he participated in Pelotonia, a 200-mile ride to raise money for cancer research. Mia is now a cancer survivor and Kirby has participated in Pelotonia each year and will continue until researchers find a cure. 

Coach Kirby is a sales leader for Henry Schein Medical and he is an avid outdoorsman and loves the sport of MTB because it is an opportunity to connect with nature, relieve stress, and stay healthy while riding with friends and family. Cycling is part of his regular schedule and brings him joy regardless if it’s on the road, single-track, or even on a Peloton when the weather doesn’t cooperate. His favorite MTB partner is his son Carter who races on the team and the two of them enjoy spending time together in the woods whenever possible. Coach Kirby also coaches basketball and finds his impact on the development and character growth of young athletes extremely rewarding.

Coach Liu has been riding and racing MTB for over 25 years. He started MTB as a hobby during middle school in China. During the mid 90s in China, mountain biking was just barely getting started. Coach Liu coached and learned all skills by himself and with other ardent riders. Coach Liu interned and worked at Shimano (Shanghai) Bicycle Components Co., Ltd as mechanical engineer during and after college. He systematically learned how to maintain, repair and upgrade bikes. He provided onsite technical support to Shimano sponsored races and events in China, such as the National Road Championship and Shimano Biker’s Festivals.     

Coach Liu is a XC focused rider. He enjoys racing in the Ohio Mountain Bike Championship series, the DINO series in Indiana, and anything like Alum Creek, Chestnut Ridge and Camp Tuscazoar. He has 2 kids that love bike riding. Alex, his older son showed a strong interest in mountain biking and is also joining Lost in the Woods in 2022. Mountain biking is such a great activity helping the two of them build a strong relationship, during races and training. Coach Liu enjoys working with young riders, from bike repairs and maintenance, to helping them build confidence on more technical trails. Coach Liu can’t wait to see kids on the trail again with their bikes, and most importantly, having FUN!

Coach Steph has been a fan of mountain biking since her college years when introduced to it on a hilly trail in Tempe, Arizona. Originally, from Florida, she didn’t have the opportunity to ride trails on a regular basis, but always had fun when she did. Last year her son Graham took up the sport and always being one up for a new adventure, stepped up to help out with Team Lost in the Woods in a bigger way. 

Coach Steph, loves to be outdoors and create amazing memories with those experiences. In her free time she CrossFits, cooks, and cuddles up with a good book.

Professionally, after retiring from procurement to be a stay at home mom, she helps out as an aide in Olentangy Schools for special needs kids.  

Coach Tony has been a MTB rider since a young age, and while never racing he's always up for an adventure along with his other interests of CrossFit, Skiing, Fishing, Golf, Parenting and being active in his church. 

Coach Tony’s day job is with DHL Supply Chain as a Leader and Engineer. His son Graham took up the sport and their family loved the team and leadership so much they decided to be a part of the coaching staff. They are looking forward to watching this team grow and these athletes succeed in whatever they have a passion for in life.

Coach Holmes’ love of outdoor sports started at the young age of 8. His interest in the more extreme sports started with riding dirt trails on his uncle’s motorcycle paths, BMX freestyle, snowboarding and competitive skateboarding up through the early 90’s.

Coach Holmes started trail riding again in 2004 after a slight hiatus and has recently taken a bigger interest in mountain biking since meeting the Lost in the Woods crew. He has 3 children that all love riding bikes with 2 that are currently competing with the Lost In The Woods team (hopefully the third competing soon).

During the day Coach Holmes runs a Graphic Design/Printing company Fireballpress.com. He has been doing graphic design since 2001 and loves to create designs as extreme as the sports he loves. Coach Holmes is always looking for an excuse to get out of the office and enjoy nature. After hours he likes to take his kids out to ride the local trails and get away from the stress of the day. Coach Holmes is looking forward to having a greater involvement with the development of the young riders and hopefully learn some new tricks himself in the years to come!

Coach James has been riding mountain bikes for almost 30 years. He completed many XC and road races as a Junior. He also participated in the 24 Hours of Snowshoe but now rides just for fun and to be with friends and family.  His current day job is Head of Global Financial Planning and Analysis at Mettler Toledo coordinating the company’s budgeting and forecasting processes.  Earlier in life he also worked at a local bike shop in the Dayton area in a variety of positions for 10 years.  

Coach James is excited to be part of the team and support the development of young riders in order to help them build confidence on and off the trail.  He has two daughters (Bella-16 and Audri-14) and son Everett (12) who will be a rider on the team.  Keeping up with their activities including cross country, track, swimming and Boy Scouts keeps James busy but he also enjoys being outdoors with his family and friends whenever possible.

Coach Chandra has always thought a day outside is a million times better than any other day. She majored in Adventure Recreation at Ohio University. Rock climbing was a favorite sport for a while and she worked at rock walls and taught clinics. 

In 2021 her son decided to start mountain biking so she did too! Though not an expert by anyone’s definition- she has the stoke to learn and also encourage other riders.

Coach Ames started MTB at age 11 following the interest of his older brother. He has raced competitively on and off since in cross country, 24 hour, 100k, road and cyclocross events. In recent years he has enjoyed recreational MTB with friends and family as well as running. 

Before starting his career at JPMC in Home Lending, he worked and enjoyed 10 years at the local bike shop in a variety of positions. 

Coach Ames is excited to support the team and help interested youth learn and enjoy the sport! 

Coach Lisa’s son, Jack, developed a passion for mountain biking in 2020, which fueled her desire to learn about the sport and support his passion! When Coach Lisa learned that NICA teams were forming in Ohio for their inaugural season in 2021, it was truly an answer to her prayers. Having zero mountain bike experience, but eager to ensure the success of an Ohio team, Coach Lisa committed to supporting the team in whatever capacity she could as a non-rider. She is so impressed with the strides each athlete made in just one season, and loves working at “Base Camp” during practices and races.

Coach Lisa is a retired CPA, who founded PANDEY Environmental, LLC with her husband Atul in 2002, and she has served as CFO since the firms inception. Their most recent notable project was the assessment, design, and remediation of the site which is the new home to The Crew’s downtown stadium, Lower.com Field. PANDEY Environmental, LLC  is also a LITW corporate sponsor.

Lisa enjoys (usually, ok…sometimes) homeschooling Jack, traveling, walking trails with friends, reading, and trying new recipes. During their travels in 2021, Jack had the opportunity to ride Dupont, in Ashville, NC, and several trails in Utah including WOW, Wasatch including “Puke Hill”, while Lisa froze, sweated, got rained on, endured gross outhouses, and drove up and down treacherous mountains in blinding rain (yeah, both NC and Utah).  Suffice it to say, “its all about the kids”.

Coach Robinson has been riding MTB for more than 20 years in central Ohio. By day, he designs software and leads development teams. Besides biking, he loves teaching and spends some of his spare time as a part-time college instructor.  

Coach Robinson loves all things outdoors but especially activities that provide the opportunity to "go fast," which is why mountain biking and skiing are two of his favorite pastimes. He especially loves the community aspect of mountain biking and the intersection of important life lessons.

Coach Michael has been riding mountain bikes recreationally for eight years. He enjoys the exercise, thrill, and challenge mountain biking brings to time well spent in the outdoors. Some of his favorite Ohio trails include Baileys, Hampton Hills, Horns Hill, and local Columbus trails. Coach Michael also races enduro dirt bikes with his two sons and frequently rides the motocross track.   

Michael serves as the AVP of GoRail, a national non-profit focused on freight rail issues, where he oversees staff and field advocacy operations in thirty states. He brings two decades of political experience to his position, having served as a congressional staffer, political consultant, and public relations director to a national non-profit.  

Coach Michael is looking forward to the season ahead and helping the team to grow in confidence and skills. His sons Nathan (14) and Collin (12) have been riding Alum Creek since moving up to sixteen-inch wheels and have competed in OMBC races over the last few years. 

Coach Brandon and his son Aiden got into mountain biking in 2020 and the passion grew quickly as they found themselves trying to get out and ride every moment they could in Ohio, Michigan and North Carolina. While relatively new to MTB, Brandon is not new to coaching, having coached sports for 7 years and has remained active in sports himself; skiing, lacrosse and soccer for 25+ years.

Mountain biking has proven a great opportunity to pair his love of adventure, being outdoors in the woods and spending time with family. His other passions include travel and exploring new cultures where he has had the opportunity to visit 44 countries.     

Coach Brandon’s day job is a director of IT Program Management. He is excited to be a part of this team with his son and grow more with the sport and the MTB community. 

Coach Jess was introduced to mountain biking when she met her husband, Coach Phillips, and has enjoyed the sport for nearly 15 years! Coach Jess also road bikes and has participated in the 100-mile Pelotonia to raise funds for innovative cancer research. She has biked around Ohio and Michigan and has also ventured out west with her family to explore the trails in Colorado, Utah, Idaho and California.

Coach Jess’ day job is at JPMorgan Chase where her team is responsbile for the global learning programs for early career technologists. Outside of work, she prefers to spend time outdoors with family! Coach Jess helped form the Lost in the Woods team with her husband and the other volunteer coaches and was eager to help make the inaugural season of NICA a success! Coach Jess is excited to continue supporting the team and the league this year and can’t wait to welcome new riders to our fun team!