OUR COACHES

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Coach Phillips has been riding and racing mountain bikes for over 25 years. Most of his experience is riding cross country (XC) but he has grown a passion for all riding disciplines. He jumped into the race scene after college and has now raced in well over 100 events, enjoying every one of them! He was a multiple time winner of the local Ohio Mountain Bike Championship series (OMBC) before venturing into 100k and 100mi endurance events. Most recently he completed the Leadville Trail 100 in the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains! 

Coach Phillips' day job is Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Asset and Wealth Management where he manages a team of risk and control professionals in 14 locations across 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 with the team and his son and daughter, Ryan and Lindsey, are both members of the team. Coach Phillips along with his family and fellow volunteer coaches formed Lost in the Woods MTB in March 2021 and he currently serves as the President and Chairman of the Board. He couldn't be more excited about the future of this team and MTB community! 

Coach J has been riding mountain bikes since the mid 90s. Growing up in the mountains of Central PA ensured that there were always plenty of trails to explore. Coach J loves being outdoors for any reason and the idea of helping to shape the next generation of cyclists while enjoying our local trail systems is what led him to becoming a NICA coach. 

Outside of a short love affair with triathlons, Coach J has preferred the dirt over the pavement, though Coach Megan keeps pushing him to love the road bike life too. 

Coach J moved not long ago from Pennsylvania and while he misses the mountains, he does still work for Penn State as a contracts manager. Coach J spent a few years in the Army and is always on the lookout for a new toy to add to his medical pack. 

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 Kurt Koelling grew up racing BMX bikes in New Mexico. He returned to cycling 35 years later when his son Kaden started racing mountain bikes. Mountain biking combines outdoor adventure with the thrill of competition and has been an ideal activity for Kurt and Kaden to pursue together. Kurt and Kaden have participated in mtb, cyclocross, and gravel races since 2019. Kurt is a Level 3 NICA MTB coach, has been the Assistant Head Coach of Lost in the Woods MTB Racing Team since the inception in 2021, and has also coached the Gators youth MTB team since 2020. 

Kurt swims competitively at U.S. Nationals and Senior Olympics swimming events and is a Level 2 certified U.S. Masters Swim Coach for Force Aquatics. He also loves to design, build, and fly r/c airplanes and is a ten-time national and one-time world champion of r/c airplane aerobatics.

Kurt retired in 2022 from OSU as a chemical engineering professor. His 30 years of experience working with students makes the transition to coaching a natural step. Kurt enjoys contributing to this amazingly dedicated group of student athletes, coaches, and parents!

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 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 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).

Coach Steph has been a fan of mountain biking since her college years when introduced to it on a flowy trail in Tempe, Arizona. 

Originally, from Florida, she didn’t have the opportunity to ride the trails on a regular basis, but always had fun when she did. When her son Graham decided to give mountain biking a try in 2021 and had so much fun with it, she decided to jump in and join the fun as a coach in 2022. 

It’s now a family affair with all 3 of her kids and husband a part of the team. This will be Coach Steph’s 3rd year as a coach and she couldn’t be more excited to get back on the trails and make some more amazing memories.

Coach Megan has been shredding dirt on mountain bikes since her teen years in Northern VA. She raced MTB around that same time. You can spot Coach Megan pretty easily by the full rigid, single speed, steel steed that is highlighted by its pink stars. She did break down and get a full suspension bike last season, but her true love will always be that single speed. 

Coach Megan's son Tyler rides with LITW and she is always looking for ways to get on any bike more often, so coaching came as an obvious choice. Coach Megan has both coached and officiated other youth sports prior to becoming a part of LITW. Coach Megan's main goal is to help the kids develop a lifelong love of cycling, whether it be recreational or competitive.

Coach Paul has been riding and racing since the mid 90’s. Starting with touring and completing century rides as young as 15, much of his experience is with hundreds of road racing events through high school and college.  He was road captain of the Purdue University cycling team with more than 20 racers and qualified and competed twice in the NCAA road national championships.  Of course, there were mountain bike races too, including a full season racing in the Oregon Cascades during an internship in college. Most important - he met his wife Laura on the team, and together to this day they share their passion for bikes. 

At a young age he realized the positive effects cycling had on mental and physical health.  Coach Paul values hard work, integrity, and continuous self-improvement. Through patient coaching he hopes to help racers find their limits and push beyond. Though never fully exiting the sport, he is so happy to have found NICA. His daughter Layla races for LITW and through the excitement of the NICA season, Coach Paul and Laura are once again competing in cycling events. 

Coach Paul has a horticulture degree from Purdue University and for several years traveled the world for a flower breeding company as research and development manager. Wanting to be home more for his young family, Coach Paul and Laura purchased a home services franchise in 2014. They love coaching and supporting their TEAM at work and are grateful for the central Ohio community support of their business. 

Coach Kris started mountain biking after he signed up his son Brady in '21 to the LITW team for the inaugural season of NICA Ohio when Brady was shorter than him.  That year was their first time mountain biking. Coach Kris became a L1 coach the following year and moved up to L2 in '23. He was part of the LITW coaching team that went to the first ever NICA Northeast Regional in Nov '23 when Brady qualified for the 9th grade age group. 

Coach Kris grew up in Upstate NY near Syracuse riding his ten-speed Schwinn on the rural hills to his friends' houses, little league games, high school football and lacrosse practices, and with his brother and friends to fishing creeks with their fishing poles, tackle boxes and bait in hand. Coach Kris competed in his first mountain bike race in Oct '23 completing the novice 8 mile trail at Mohican with 3 other LITW coaches. He finds no better way to clear his head and recharge than to ride his mountain bike on an exhilarating trail under a canopy of trees. Kris finances his mountain bike habit and his son's by working as a portfolio manager at JPMorgan where he has worked in various roles for 26 years. 

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 Gordon has been mountain biking since 1995, when he quit motocross for something “with a bit less speed.” He’s also active in CrossFit, gravel and road riding.

Coach Gordon introduced and taught his wife & three children to ride MTBs as they lived throughout the US with his career in the US Air Force. He also started a MTB racing team in Oklahoma City with his Air Force work buddies. His favorite place to ride so far has been in Moab, Utah. Coach Gordon also completed bicycle maintenance & repair school at the Barnett Bicycle Institute and worked as a mechanic the last 12 years for Trek in Albuquerque, NM and VeloScience Bike Works in New Albany, OH.

Coach Gordon loves being outdoor on his bikes and desires to share his cycling passion with younger, developing riders. NICA gives Coach Gordon the opportunity to contribute to the community through coaching kids to embrace a sport that they can participate in for the rest of their lives.

Coach Brandon discovered mountain biking in 2020 and quickly fell in love with the sport. He and his sons take every chance they get to hit the trails, making it a family passion.

While newer to MTB, Brandon is no stranger to coaching. With over a decade of coaching experience, he currently serves as a middle school lacrosse coach, bringing leadership and mentorship to the trail.

Mountain biking has been the perfect way for Brandon to combine his love of adventure, the outdoors, and family time. Outside of biking, he’s an avid traveler who has explored over 40 countries, always eager to experience new cultures.

By day, Brandon works as a program manager, and he’s excited to be part of this team—gaining experience, supporting his sons and other student athletes, and continuing to grow within the MTB community.

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 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!  

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!