Coaches & Staff

Just like any other sport, a great coach lays the foundation for each athlete’s success. Our coaches will help riders learn the necessary skills to be a safe, confident and successful. Whether a rider is new to mountain biking, or looking to perfect their super sweet SMBA skills, we have the perfect coach.

 

SMBA coaches get to know each riders strengths, and weaknesses, and cheer each rider on through their individual successes. Because of the low (1:6) coach to rider ratio at SMBA, each rider will receive specific feedback in regard to their form and technique. In addition to skills, SMBA coaches will help riders build confidence, become a team player, learn bike/trail etiquette, learn bike mechanics and more.

 

The SMBA progression focuses on climbing, descending, cornering and balance.  SMBA is a leader in skill development because each coach focuses on breaking down skills, building on the current level of each rider and teaching to all learning types. SMBA takes the time to build base skills that last a lifetime!

 

For our SMBA coaches, rider safety is paramount. While the coaches strive to make the ride as safe and fun as possible, spills, crashes, and accidents are inevitable. Due to this, and taking into consideration the locations we ride, all of our coaches at a minimum are Wilderness First Aid and CPR trained, and some of our coaches have additional training to the Wilderness EMT level.

 

 

Read more about some of our current coaches below: 

Program Director: Heather Williams

 

Hometown: Born in South Park, CO (Currently lives in Nederland, CO)

 

Why do you love mountain biking, and why are you a SMBA coach?

Heather loves mountain biking because it connects her to nature and creates some really great memories through an amazing variety of trails and experiences.

Also, the mountain bike community is amazing! Heather has met many interesting people and made a lot of friends through mountain biking.

Heather loves coaching with SMBA because she gets to share her love of the sport with the future generation of mountain biking!

 

Cycling Experience:

Heather fell in love with mountain biking in 1994 when she got her first real mountain bike and her best friend took her out for a ride on Dakota Ridge trail in Jeffco. Since then, mountain biking has taken her on many memorable adventures and epic rides with friends and family!

A few years ago, she even caught a little racing bug and got hooked on pedaling her bike all day and night at a few 24-hour races around the country and in Canada.

 

Coaching & Volunteer Experience:

Heather has worked with SMBA athletes in team, camp, and specialty programs since 2015. Before she came to SMBA, Heather was a mentor with the Little Bellas program in Boulder, a volunteer ride guide with Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance, a race team coordinator for a women’s mountain bike club, and years ago, worked as a coach and ride guide through Denver Bike Tours.

Heather has also been a volunteer bike patroller for Jeffco Open Space and Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol, and served as the Director for the Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol 2015 – 2016. Heather sat on the  Boulder County Open Space Advisory Committee (POSAC) from 2016 -2022.

 

Academic Accomplishments:

Heather completed her BS in Forensic Anthropology at Metropolitan State University in Denver and then went on to complete her MA and PhD in Department of Anthropology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

 

Heather’s research specialization is in Biological Anthropology and focuses on contemporary human biology and adaptation, specifically human nutrition and energetics.

 

Heather’s most recent research examined biocultural aspects of food habits and physical activity patterns among elementary aged school children and rural families in the San Luis Valley, Colorado.

 

Coaching for SMBA has provided a close connection between her love of mountain biking and her research!

 

Heather currently teaches Biological Anthropology courses in the Global Studies Residential Academic Program (G-RAP) at the University of Colorado and is an Affiliate Faculty member in the Sociology and Anthropology Department at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

 

Favorite Volunteer Project:

Fat Tire Classic Bike Event – Courtesy patrol and course marshal. Was so much fun riding and volunteering with friends and family in Winter Park every June!

 

Favorite Trail:

This one is tough because there are so many trails I love! Teocali Ridge in Crested Butte is probably at the top of the list.

 

Fun Fact: The last time Heather had a real haircut was the year SMBA started in 1993.

Assistant Director & Epic Team Coordinator: Jim Millette

 

Hometown: Middletown, Maryland (Currently Nederland, Colorado!)

 

Why do you love mountain biking, and why are you a SMBA coach?

Jim loves being outside in nature and learning about the local ecology wherever he is; mountain biking is a way for Jim to get out in nature! Jim loves being a SMBA coach because it allows him to share his knowledge with kids and enjoys getting new riders stoked about the sport.

 

Cycling Experience:

Jim has been mountain biking since the early 1990s, when he started riding singletrack in the hills of western Maryland. Jim is primarily interested in long-distance riding and all-day backcountry epics. His favorite rides are those where he gets to go to new places and where the snow drifts last long into the summer. Although Jim primarily likes to ride for the sake of riding, he does occasionally catch the racing bug. He particularly likes long-distance 12 and 24-hour races but would like to race an enduro or two in the future. While Jim loves all forms of mountain biking, he holds a special place in his heart for hardtails – especially single speeds.

 

Coaching experience:

This will be Jim’s fourth year with SMBA! He has coached for both the Nederland and Boulder SMBA team programs and has been the coordinator for the Epic Team program since 2021. Jim is also SMBA’s Assistant Director and all around operations guy. 

In addition, Jim has been a member of the Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol and has also led many rides for the Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance. Jim has also taught kayaking to individuals both young and old.

 

Academic Accomplishments:

Jim completed his BS in Anthropology and Human Biology at Emory University and completed a PhD focusing on wild ring-tailed lemurs while a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Colorado Boulder.

 

He has also served as the field director for the South African Galago Ecology Project at Lajuma, South Africa, and has taught Anthropology at the University of Colorado.

 

Favorite Volunteer Project: Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol

 

Favorite Trail:

Teocalli Ridge (or possibly Kenosha Pass to Breckinridge via West Ridge)

 

Fun Fact: Jim has studied wild nonhuman primates in Indonesia, Vietnam, Madagascar, and South Africa. He has also conducted archaeological fieldwork in the southwestern US and Mexico.

Coach: Arthur Nelsen

 

Hometown: Boulder, CO

 

Why do love mountain biking, and why are you a SMBA coach? 

Arthur enjoys all types of riding and loves sharing the sport with others.

 

Cycling  Experience:

Arthur  grew up in Boulder and started riding with SMBA at the age of 7. He raced xc and ended up racing professionally for a couple years.

 

Coaching Experience:

Athur coaches mountain biking in the summer and after school programs in Nederland in the fall and spring. He has been coaching with SMBA for 20 years now!

In the winter Arthur is a ski coach for SMBA’s sister program EMSC, currently helping the u14 race group. He also coaches the Nederland high school ski race team.

 

At home he has a son Wesley with his wife Kira.

2023 Fall Coaching Team: 

 

Julie Benoit (K-1 Dirt Riders)

 

Xander Bigelow (Boulder Team)

 

Oscar Crimaldi (Boulder Team)

 

Izzy Crimaldi (Boulder Team)

 

David Duke (Boulder, Nederland, & EMSC Freeride & Freestyle Director)

 

Hayden Lanzilotta (Boulder Team/ EMSC Big Mtn. Coach)