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Coach Spotlight: Ben Kiel

Meet The Coach

Ben Kiel, Head Coach of St. Louis City East

What inspired you to become a NICA coach?

Seeing my daughter fall in love with the sport and wanting to be present for that.

How did you get started mountain biking and what happened on your first mountain bike ride?

I started back in middle/high school (I read Bike magazine in the back of Geometry class). Not sure it was the first ride, but my friend Gary and I did a ride after it rained and had a blast getting covered in mud; from there the nickname Mud Puppies was born.

What do you like to do when you’re not coaching or riding bikes?

My day job is running XYZ Type: a type foundry (we make fonts and wordmarks for brands), which I do greatly enjoy. A fun mix of language, culture, technology, and design.

What is your favorite place to ride and why?

My favorite local trail is Chubb: a great skills test and descent. Really love going to Bentonville and exploring also; there you turn a corner and a whole new trail network has sprung up that wasn’t there before.

Tell us about your bucket list! Where would you like to ride someday and with whom?

I really want to go ride all the trail in Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest. That network wasn’t there when I grew up in Indiana, we just rode fire roads and questionable trail. Would also love to go ride some things in California, that’s a place I haven’t ridden yet. Would love to do Indiana with my daughter, a nice full circle moment.

What is your favorite ride snack?

Belgian waffles 🧇

What is your favorite MICL memory?

The thing I love most is seeing kids in pit zone having the time of their lives with friends across their hometown and the league. Giving kids the chance to have those connections outside of their school peer groups is really special, and I love seeing it happen. 💖

What is your favorite game or activity to lead at practice?

Zombie Tag: love to pretend to be a zombie and mumble braaaaiiiinnnnnssssss! 🧠

What are the most essential items in your coach pack? What is the weirdest thing you carry when coaching?

Snacks, first aid, and a multitool in that order. Weirdest thing carried is a set of bar plugs (one can never be sure!). Then there’s the six tubes and water making sure it’s good and heavy! 🏋️

Thanks for being a great coach and sharing your story with us, Ben!

Mike Higgins

Coach Trainer

Favorite Ride Snack: Oreos

Mike Burden

Coach Trainer

My ideal ride: Anywhere with friends!

Favorite Ride Snack: Honey Stinger Waffles

Favorite Trail: Forest City in St. James, MO because it has something for everyone!

Matthew Yates

Coach Trainer

My ideal ride: The “ideal mountain bike ride” is a tough one to describe, because so many types of rides can be ideal on any given day. A fun ride with lots of friends on a new trail with plenty of photo ops – ideal. Turning fast laps at the dirt crits while hanging on for dear life, wondering if you can get enough oxygen in to hold the pace – ideal. Going out by yourself on a long ride and riding at just the right pace to find the flow of the trail, taking in every aspect of the ride and the nature around you – ideal. Bottom line, just ride, and make that ride the ideal ride for that day. Mountain bikes, road bikes, gravel bikes, beach cruisers…it doesn’t matter as long as you get to ride. To quote my buddy and fellow NICA coach Jason Hurt, “Better on a bike!”

Favorite Ride Snack: Mini Belgian Waffles from Walmart bakery or Nature’s Bakery double chocolate brownie bars

Favorite Trail: Greensfelder County Park for the variety of terrain

Matthew Hartman

Race Operations Manager

My ideal ride: A long adventurous gravel ride with singletrack, pavement, gravel, dirt, technical descents and lots of sketchy corners

Favorite Ride Snack: Rice crispy treats

Favorite Trail: Anywhere in the Ozark and Appalachian Mountains

Kerri Mileski

Race Announcer, Chief Course Marshal, Coach Trainer

My ideal ride: I’m all smiles on a breezy fall day with the trees in full color, love a moderately technical climb that keeps me both focused on what’s in front and allows me to check out of the daily grind. Top it off with a nice long section of flowing descent through the pine trees. Add in my family and friends and that wraps up a perfect ride!

Favorite Ride Snack: Skratch energy chews and bars

Favorite Trail: Double Zombie trail (MO), Berryman trail (MO), and Devil’s Den (AR)

Jeanette Piromsuk

Chief Course Marshal

My ideal ride: It’s a cool autumn morning at a campground, wake up and make coffee & pancakes. All my bike gear is ready to go the night before. Christine and I hop on our tandem mountain bike and head out into the woods with lots of friends. We ride all day, stopping at a great cafe for a late morning coffee and donut, and stumble upon a small town square filled with food trucks for lunch. We finish out the afternoon with amazing trails that ride like being on a rollercoaster and roll back into camp for a BBQ dinner that a friend has prepared. We sit around the campfire and tell inflated stories about the features we rode during the day.

Favorite Ride Snack: Peanut butter energy bars

Favorite Trail: Beulah trail at Greensfelder County Park

Jeanette Piromsuk

Chief Course Marshal

My ideal ride: During a crisp autumn morning when colors are changing and vibrant and of course with all the friends. It’s the friends, the ideal ride is always with friends!

Favorite Ride Snack: PayDay, the peanut caramel bar

Favorite Trail: This is a hard one as all the local trails have their own personality. My favorite right now is Indian Camp Creek. My default is Bluffview/Zombie because it’s close, but I love them all! My favs in NWA are the Blowing Springs Loop, Tristan’s, Angus Chute, Hobbs & Devil’s Den. There a just too many 🙂

Eric Frazier

Coach Trainer

My ideal ride: No drop racing with friends: we all race to the top of hills, then regroup before the downs. Then repeat. Fast, yet casual!

Favorite Ride Snack: Chocolate Gu

Favorite Trail: Zombie trail in Glencoe, MO

David Beattie

Registration Manager

My ideal ride: Anything that is overcast and 68 degrees so that I don’t have to remember sunscreen.

Favorite Ride Snack: Peanut M&Ms

Favorite Trail: The Middle Fork of the Ozark Trail. It always kicks my butt!

Dana Morris

GRiT Coordinator, Coach Trainer

My ideal ride: Is one free of data and time constraints! Give me red rocks, mountain vistas, and towering aspens or cedars and you’ll give me heaven on earth. I’m happy with gentle rollers, long climbs, and fast, technical downhill, but flowy is my favorite. Add my fellow MTB loving friends and you’ll have the perfect day!

Favorite Ride Snack: Apple Cinnamon Go-go Squeeze

Favorite Trail: Chuck wagon, mezcal, aerie loop in Sedona, AZ

Christine Huebbe

Chief Course Setter, Timing Assistant

My ideal ride: Technical Climbing leading to stunning vistas, beautiful forests, and fun downhills; then repeat on the tandem mountain bike

Favorite Ride Snack: Bonk breaker chews or peanut butter on raisin bread

Favorite Trail: Local: Greensfelder Park, Pacific, MO; Away: Versailles State Park, IN

Brittania Phillips

Medical Coordinator

My ideal ride: Riding with my girl when it’s sunny and 75. We don’t have a care in the world, and there are no chores waiting on us at home. We play leap frog back and forth until our bellies grumble and we stop to munch on our favorite ride snacks. It’s always better when our NICA family is there!

Favorite Ride Snack: Bacon, fruit snacks, and apple sauce pouches

Favorite Trail: Indian Camp Creek Park

Beth Kelly

Chief Course Setter, Race Official

My ideal ride: Starts as early as possible to fit in as much riding as I can. I dressed exactly right for the weather and remembered all my pre-ride bike maintenance the night before. After some climbs and a ridgeline ride, I circle back to my house to pick up my daughter to finish the ride on the bike path.

Favorite Ride Snack: Is coffee a snack?

Favorite Trail: Tsali Recreation Trail in the Smoky Mountains

Barbara Rowland

Volunteer Coordinator

My ideal ride: Somewhere that challenges me mentally and technically. With 70 degree weather and a breeze!

Favorite Ride Snack: Starburst jellybeans and nerds

Favorite Trail: Lost Valley trail

Andy Schuette

Chief of Scoring

Favorite Ride Snack: Buc ee’s Beaver Nuggets

Annie Schwartz

Co-League Director, Co-Race Director, Coach Trainer

My ideal ride: A long day in the mountains, preferably without cell phone service! It starts with a long gradual doubletrack climb with a few friends to chat with followed by a bit of tech climbing and then a long rocky descent and high-fives at the bottom!

Favorite Ride Snack: Leftover pancakes

Favorite Trail: Pilot Mountain in Pisgah National Forest (NC) or Matson Hill Park (MO)

Chris Mileski

Co-League Director, Co-Race Director, League Founder

My ideal ride: Is a long day in the mountains spent riding with my family or good friends. The ride would include a majestic switchback climb through Aspen and pine trees until we summit along a picturesque ridgeline with sweeping vistas. Of course the ride wouldn’t be complete without a fast and flowy singletrack descent back into town and celebrating with multiple high 5s and endless smiles!

Favorite Ride Snack: GoGo Squeez Apple/Strawberry Applesauce

Favorite Trail: So hard to choose just one! My favorites would include: Dead Horse Point in Moab, UT; the Brush Creek Trails in Crested Butte, CO; or just about any trail in North Vancouver, BC!