Why I Really Started Mountain Bike Coaching

Hey there riding friend,

Today I want to let you in on why I started coaching mountain bike skills to adult women. 

You see, when I started mountain biking as an adult, I really struggled with my descending skills. 

My fitness carried me up the hills, but then I would inevitably get passed on the descents because I was grabbing my brakes out of fear. I thought if I would just stop using my brakes or be more brave, I would finally be able to keep up with my friends on the up hills AND the downhills.  

I was so embarrassed to have people ride behind me and see how fearful I was and how much I used my brakes.

I thought if I just rode more, I would eventually learn how to get faster. But I only made small improvements over time and frankly, I was still terrified. In fact, I was a professional mountain bike racer and I was still terrified on the descents.

Sound familiar?

I knew deep down I wanted to ride fluidly, enjoy the descents, and finally kick my nerves to the curb.

Staying stuck and scared was simply not an option.

So, I hired a skills coach, learned how to ride with the precise skills.

💥 Even more importantly, I hired a mindset and performance coach and learned to calm my brain down so I could utilize my skills to ride smoothly and confidently😎.

Today, I now…

  • Know how to ride nearly every trail in our local 450 mile trail network with absolute confidence

  • Keep up with my friends on the descents

  • But, foremost, I can do the above while feeling relaxed and with smile on my face:)

My own transformation is proof that a woman, who is extra nervous on the descents, can learn to ride like a total boss.

That’s why I’m now passionate about helping women stop hitting their brakes anytime there is a hint of fear and finally ride smoothly and confidently.

As you read this email, I’m not sure what your reality looks like right now.

But I know that there’s a reason why you’ve read up to this point.

If you’re finding yourself in a similar situation to where I was 12 years ago, struggling with fear while descending on your mountain bike , I want to let you know you have the power to learn handle all of it.

And I want to help you.

(Because let’s be real, it’s a lot faster when you get help from someone who’s overcome the same problems you have right now!)

That’s why this week, I’ll be hosting a free virtual training on how to master your mountain bike mindset, the same way I have.

The best part is that I’m sharing all the steps, free of charge.

So, if you’d like to join me online next week, make sure you CLICK HERE to register. 

I hope to see you there.

Your friend on the trails,

 

Voyage Utah Magazine

Coach Erica was recently interviewed by Voyage Utah. Find the entire article here.

Hi Erica, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
In 2016, I was still racing my mountain bike professionally and coaching mountain bike skills on the side. I created Women in the Mountains, expecting it to be a single 3-day event held in June of 2016. I decided that weekend needed a website, logo, and Instagram account. I didn’t realize I was actually laying the groundwork for a  business that would grow and expand to include so many women in so many beautiful ways!

The first event was so successful that each of the women that attended asked if I would hold a clinic for their friends. The clinics expanded from there and in 2018 I hired 2 coaches to help me. Fast forward to 2021 and we are a team of 11 women (coaches and support staff) and have now coached over 2,000 women.

I help female mountain bike riders take their riding skills from good to great, so they can take on any trail with absolute confidence and precision. We primarily focus our mountain bike skills clinics in Park City and St. George, Utah. I have hosted clinics in other locations such as New Zealand, Nevada, and California and have now chosen to focus my energy closest to home.  I live 5 minutes away from Trailside Bike Park in Park City and coach there 2-4 times each week from May-October. I also typically spend 2 weeks in St. George, Utah in March and November coaching desert riding skills.

I have been an athlete my entire life. From being a competitive swimmer to being a mountaineering guide on Mt. Rainier and in Alaska to road biking in a casual racing environment. I have ridden a mountain bike on and off since I was 14 but never dedicated the time to building skills or regularly train. Then, after the birth of my son, when I was 32, I fell in love with the modern mountain bikes and the gorgeous places my bike could take me.

In 2010, My husband encouraged me to sign up for a mountain bike race in St. George, Utah and I decided to go for it, not really knowing what I was getting into. In a matter of 5 months, my whole world had opened up and I was racing pro at the local level! I met a new community of great people and had a passion for racing that was unmatched by anything I had ever done previously. The next season, I secured my pro license from the national governing board (USAC). The national pro races were very humbling and a big step up from local pro racing.

I persevered, learned a lot about training and racing, and started to perform well at the national level.  At the end of 2012, I was invited to join the Jamis Factory Racing Team and have been on it ever since! I raced in the elite National and World Cup races for the next few years. In 2014, at the end of the mountain bike season, I spent a few weeks learning how to ride a Time Trial bike (a road bike where you are in a low aerodynamic position). I won the Master’s National Championship Time Trial and Road Race. I retired from racing in 2017 and haven’t looked back! However, all of those years of racing built a strong foundation for me to become an excellent mountain bike skills coach.

As a mountain bike athlete, I was always powerful and fitness came easily. However, the skills did not come naturally to me. I hired a skills coach after my first season of racing and worked with various coaches over the years to develop concise and confident skills. All of those years working on skills, thinking about skills and practicing skills made me into the coach I am now. I have thought so deeply about each movement and tried so many ways of riding them and communicating them, that I have a deep understanding of everything that a rider needs to do to ride a mountain bike successfully.

I started coaching in 2011 on a casual, irregular basis and really enjoyed the process of coaching.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a business was a fun challenge. It was a great way to parlay my drive, passion, and experience as a professional athlete into something so much more than what I could achieve by myself. It became more about what I could get my clients and the women around me to achieve. While there were obstacles to building the business, I was rewarded by what I was creating and that kept me going.

The real fun began when I went from being a solopreneur to an entrepreneur! Once again, when I started Women in the Mountains, I expected it to just be me coaching and didn’t have the long-term vision of it becoming an ongoing company. Then when I started to have other women join me as coaches than as staff, I expanded in so many ways. Every woman that has worked for me along the way has taught me valuable lessons and has contributed to empowering other women and the is the end goal in what I am doing.

In the past few years, I have taken a few courses on how to run a business and have learned how to grow in a sustainable way, while keeping the core vision intact. Every “bump” in the road along the way has taught me a lesson and I believe I am a stronger CEO because of them. I wouldn’t take away any of the experiences I’ve had since they all contributed to where I am today. And where I am today is a solid, confident business owner.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We help female mountain bike riders go from fearing the hills to excelling at every trail by mastering their riding skills.

Women in the Mountains was created to build mountain bike skills for women of all levels. Bring your love for bicycles, an avid appreciation for the outdoors, and a smile! Our clinics provide the opportunity to enhance your mountain biking skills in a comfortable and relaxed setting. While building physical skills, we also work on mindset. We foster an environment of personal growth and empowerment, both on and off the bike.

We take the development of skills from a safe and logical standpoint. We break down each skill and build it in ways that anyone can master. With safety as the number one goal, we work conservatively and thoughtfully and watch each client be sure they are ready to move on to the next skill. We have hundreds of students with success stories, and we are certain that we can help you take mountain biking to your next level.

We are different from other coaching organizations because we offer highly personalized coaching for adult women. We have worked for years to develop a curriculum that has an incredibly high success rate.

All of our coaches are PMBIA certified, excellent riders, and experienced teachers. They have extensive coaching certifications, are excellent riders, and are experienced teachers. Come work with the best mountain bike instructors in the country!

In 2021, we added an incredible online mountain bike coaching platform. It is called the Women in the Mountains “Signature Course” and is the first online coaching platform for women of its kind. Learn at your own pace with the support of over 45 skills videos. You will be supported by coach Erica with private and group virtual coaching. We help female mountain bike riders go from fearing the hills to excelling at every trail by mastering their riding skills.


5 LOCAL PICKS with Erica Tingey (from Stay Park City)

Read full interview here:

Erica Tingey is a former pro mountain biker who now owns Women in the Mountains, a Park City–based mountain biking business that offers clinics and personalized coaching for women. Whether you’re a brand new rider looking to learn the basics or an experienced cyclist ready to take your drops and cornering to the next level, Tingey and her team of coaches offer an approachable and friendly way to help improve your skills. Interested in learning more? Email info@womeninthemountains.com with any questions.

From (of course) mountain biking trails to post-ride food options, Tingey shares five of her favorite things about Park City below.

1. Main Street festivities

“Main Street has events nearly every weekend all summer long. We end up at Park Silly most Sunday afternoons and don’t miss the 4th of July parade or Miners Day Parade.”

Check out our Main Street guide for ideas on where to eat, drink, and browse for art.

Erica Tingey and her family on Main Street

2. The 9K trail

“We love riding the 9K Trail as a family. We can self-shuttle it by using the parking lot at Bonanza Flats or ride it as an out and back. There are truly stunning views of the Heber Valley, Guardsman Pass, and all of Park City as you make your way around the mountain. Make sure to check Mountain Trails Foundation for trail conditions on all higher elevation trails—they won’t be dry until mid- to late-June.”

Not sure what to do when you see muddy trails? Learn how to be a good dirt user with these Mud Season Trail Tips.

Park City’s 9K Trail

3. Utah Olympic Park trails

“The lower UOP trails have a nice variety of terrain. You can keep it mellow on the RTS loop or get spicier on the BYOB and OMH trails. These trails dry out much sooner than the higher elevation trails (such as 9K), so they are a springtime favorite.”

If hiking is more your speed, check out these Top 13 Park City Hikes instead.

4. Riverhorse Provisions

“When we are done riding (or skiing) we love to hit up Riverhorse Provisions for breakfast burritos, salads, sandwiches, pastries, and cold drinks. You can sit on the patio and soak up the sun on a nice day or find a cozy table downstairs.”

5. Pebble Beach at Deer Valley Resort

“To cool down mid-summer, we finish our rides at the ponds at Deer Valley. Park City SUP maintains a sandy beach all summer that makes getting in and out with your paddle board really easy and younger kids love playing in the sand.”

Pebble Beach is also just steps away from Deer Valley Grocery-Café where you’ll find coffee, soup, sandwiches, pastries, and packaged versions of Deer Valley’s famous turkey chili and chocolate chip cookies to make at home.

Pebble Beach at Deer Valley


Erica Tingey Juggles Motherhood

Her racing career began, essentially, on a dare…..

Her racing career began, essentially, on a dare.

After giving birth to her son, Kirkham, Erica Tingey hadn’t spent much time on a bike. She thought her fitness was pretty much a thing of the past and didn’t really give much thought to her entry in Sport category of the Red Rock Rampage a couple of years ago.

Then she won.

And everything changed.

“A year after my first bike race, I got my pro license,” Tingey said.

Tingey is a rarity on the professional mountain biking circuit. Not only is she, at just 34 years, one of the oldest racers everytime she lines up, she’s almost always the only mother.

Maybe it’s because of that distinction that she appreciates where she is as a cyclist. Though she had raced a little bit as a road cyclist before Kirkham was born – she’d completed LOTOJA a couple of times and was competing in a stage race when she pulled the plug on her season after finding out she was pregnant – racing was not a high priority in her life.

“After I delivered, I was heavier than I’d ever been,” Tingey, who rides for Rocky Mountain Bikes and Kuhl as her primary sponsors, said. “I really thought that biking and my athletic career was over.”

She was wrong – and couldn’t be happier about the premature assessment.

Tingey, who grew up in Salt Lake City and now calls Las Vegas her winter home while spending her racing season in Utah, was so excited about her finish in the Red Rock Rampage in 2010, she upgraded quickly and frequently with similar success rates.

“I found out there was definitely a fire in me,” she said.

With the encouragement and support of her husband, John, she has devoted her life to racing. While juggling motherhood and her training schedules places a constant demand on evaluation, cooperation and time management skills, the pro is handling it well.

“Every day revolves around biking,” Tingey said. “Everyday has a negotiation or what rides I can do and when I can do them.”

Growing up, Tingey was a competitive swimmer and had dreams of participating in the Olympics. An injury, marriage, motherhood, etc., all forced a change in her outlook but didn’t completely extinguish the competitive flame.

But she also still is in awe of how far and how fast she’s come.

“In my first pro race, I was sure I was going to get lapped,” Tingey said. “But, that never happened and now I know that it’s not going to happen.”

She’ll be joined in the pro races by fellow new mother Willow Koerber Rockwell at races this year so she won’t be quite so alone in that category. But Tingey still finds herself racing against World Cup veterans such as Georgia Gould, Kathy Sherwin and Heather Erminger.

That can be a little intimidating, she admits, but she’s excited for the opportunity to race and she has set her sites on a World Cup race in New York as her new ‘Olympics.’

“That’s my big goal,” Tingey said. “The World Cup is the top of the game. I just want to focus on that race and give it everything I have.”

Because the Las Vegas area has a fairly limited racing calendar, Tingey moves back to Utah during the spring and summer to take advantage of cooler temperatures, more races and grandparents that are willing to babysit as she trains.

She credits her coach, Lynda Wallenfels, with fine tuning her training schedule and providing a road map to success. She lined up as the only mother in the Mellow Johnny’s race in Texas a few weeks ago and finished 15th in a highly-competitive pro field. She placed 6th at the Bonelli Park U.S. Cup race in March.

She’s finding the mountain bike community across the country provides an incredible support network even though she’s not part of huge team. No matter where she races, she’s able to find support from friends and strangers.

“That’s what I love about bike racing,” Tingey said. “I have all these people that I know now that I wouldn’t know if I didn’t race bikes.”

With support from sponsors such as CarboRocket, Stan’s No Tubes sealant, ESI Grips, Julbo glasses, Mountain Velo and Lazer Helmets, Tingey said she feels well prepared to tackle the 2012 season as she focuses on key races such as the Mt. Ogden 50, the Park City Point to Point and others.

Her family life revolves around bike races. Family vacation must be planned around and including races. Family reunions, too.

“I don’t go anywhere now without there being a bike race to be in,” she said.

“I plan to race for as many years as I can foresee,” she said. “Right now, my focus is on cross country. But maybe in a couple of years as I get older and my body changes, I’ll switch over a little bit to endurance.”

Whatever she does, Tingey is going to do it with enthusiasm.

After all, this career as a professional mountain biker wasn’t something she planned. It just sort of happened after her husband challenged her to enter a race – a race she won.

“It’s tons of fun and beyond anything I could ever have dreamed,” she said. “I didn’t expect my biker career to explode the way it has. But I’m going to take advantage of it.”

By Jared Eborn

July 3rd, 2012

https://www.cyclingutah.com/racing/mountain-bike-racing/erica-tingey-juggles-motherhood-and-mountain-bike-racing/