AWARDEES

2025 AWARDEES

Jenae Ellig

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

Yes! I plan to start my own business, teaching ALL who want to learn the foundational movements of mountain biking. Currently, I work at a gym and just got hired as a personal trainer in a local physical therapist office. I plan to incorporate professional bike fittings, one-on-one coaching, group rides, and mountain-biking skills clinics through my own LLC, Alpine Athletics, LLC.

Describe your vision for how you will use this certification to impact your community. Include any specific projects, events, or activities you plan to lead or participate in upon completing your certification.

I plan to offer one-on-one coaching to individuals and host youth/adult skills clinics. I will also promote private group lessons and trail ride guides. I plan to race in the Montana Enduro Series in Helena on June 28th, 2025. I also plan to lead a biking-specific training program through my gym to build strength in fellow mountain biking athletes.

Kristin Litz

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

I have volunteered as a coach for MT Alpha Jr. (a mountain bike group that empowers girls) for the past few summers. It is amazing to watch these young gals gain confidence, strength, and a love for our public lands throughout the summer. Although I am a passionate mountain biker, I do not have the technical training to help these young ladies improve effectively. A BICP certification would help me develop these skills, enabling me to be an effective coach for the junior program and for some of MT Alpha’s other programs that empower women and non-binary people. Outdoor passions have always improved my personal self-worth, and I would love to help others discover the same joy and resiliency on the bike.

Describe your vision for how you will use this certification to impact your community. Include any specific projects, events, or activities you plan to lead or participate in upon completing your certification.

I will be a volunteer coach at MT Alpha’s summer program that focuses on giving “girls the confidence to push themselves and have fun doing it.” This certification will teach me concrete ways to teach basic-to-advanced technical skills on mountain bikes, teach basic bike mechanics and care, and trail etiquette. Perhaps most importantly, I will be better equipped not only to teach technical skills but also to help girls build community and friendships and to deepen their self-worth and self-esteem. I will also continue working with Mountain Bike Missoula – our vision is for the youth committee to continue to grow, which will hopefully include rides and instruction for our aspiring mountain bikers

Brianne Marshall

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

As a current coach for Durango Devo, Dirty Wheels Mountainbike Coaching and Guiding, and Every Pedal Mtb, I hope to enhance my skills in the MTB coaching world. I have been interested in obtaining my BICP Level 1 cert since before my daughter was born in 2019. I’ve just now been able to find time to further my skills, juggling work, family, and finding free time. I’ve been coaching kids, young adults, and women for over 5+ years, and I’m not planning to stop anytime soon! I am so lucky to live in such a bike-centric community of Durango, CO, where I’ve lived and have been racing/riding MTBs for almost 15 years! I want to continue to give back to my community by furthering my coaching skills and getting more girls and women on bikes in our community and beyond!

Describe your vision for how you will use this certification to impact your community. Include any specific projects, events, or activities you plan to lead or participate in upon completing your certification.

As an MTB coach in my community, I coach for 8 weeks in the spring and fall for 2 different non-profit groups. There are multiple events that run throughout the 8 weeks and after, which include an end of the season Devo fun race for the kids to celebrate their seasons, Halloween kids parade to volunteer at also. The other group I coach for is doing multiple clinics to help women learn how to work on their bikes and also a full weekend of coaching at the Zuma Bike Ranch that I will be attending and encouraging the community to take part in. Once I have my BICP level 1, I’ll be more confident and able to lead groups on my own in my community and beyond into New Mexico.

Paxton Johnson

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

I have a passion for mountain biking. I hope to inspire others to ride and help with group activities.

How have you demonstrated leadership in cycling or other community activities in the past?

Taking the time to help new riders find lines on trails and improve their skills to ride safely.

How will this scholarship support your goals of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within cycling? Or support youth in cycling?

As one of the oldest riders on my team, I encourage younger riders to ride safely and have fun.

Kimberly Massey

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

I hope to obtain a BICP certification in order to support access to MTB by continuing to provide free youth girl and girl-identifying MTB programming in Santa Fe, NM, and creating and supporting LGBTQIA group MTB rides for adults in the community.

How have you demonstrated leadership in cycling or other community activities in the past?

I have demonstrated leadership in the biking community by starting and developing a ride series for young girls ages 12-17 and, recently, school-based MTB 101 events for girls with limited access to biking opportunities. We partnered with the school to spearhead a bike maintenance day to get the school’s bike fleet back on the road; it had been out of service due to deferred maintenance. We now have bikes to offer interested participants in the trail ride series and are offering a free skills workshop to introduce mountain biking and teach basic skills and safety to increase participation in the weekly rides. Our rides emphasize safety, community, fun, health, confidence, and biking skills.

How will this scholarship support your goals of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within cycling? Or support youth in cycling?

This scholarship will provide me with the skills and credentials to continue and expand the current programming that supports youth, girls, and LGBTQIA adults in safer, higher-quality biking experiences.

Marlena Garcia

Describe your vision for how you will use this certification to impact your community. Include any specific projects, events, or activities you plan to lead or participate in upon completion of your certification.

After completing the BICP certification, my vision for this year is to coach a group of Navajo girls from my reservation while also facilitating three rides with off-reservation participants from Durango and Fruita. These rides will help break down barriers, create opportunities for all groups to ride together, and build a sense of community across different areas. It will also provide a platform for sharing experiences and connecting through the sport of cycling. In addition to coaching, I am collaborating with local organizations to host races on the reservation, and I plan to involve the girls I’m coaching in these events, encouraging them to race and further develop their skills. Finally, I am part of a grassroots group of mountain bikers working to organize the first-ever mountain bike festival on the Navajo Nation, featuring clinics and group rides. I’m particularly excited about leading a group ride focused on non-binary, women’s, and queer riders, as I believe it’s important to create spaces for underrepresented groups in cycling to feel welcomed and supported.

Lucy Dirnberger

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

I am interested in obtaining a BICP certification because I love mountain biking with my friends and helping others. I hope to use this certification in my community while working at mountain bike summer camps, which I have been doing for the past 3 summers.

How have you demonstrated leadership in cycling or other community activities in the past?

I demonstrated leadership as the captain of my NICA team, South City Composite, this year, teaching my peers bike maintenance skills like fixing flats and planning group rides outside of practice. I am also the founding athlete of the South City Otters, and I was a Missouri League Student Ambassador in the 2023 and 2024 seasons and a GRiT ambassador in 2020 and 2021.

How will this scholarship support your goals of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within cycling? Or support youth in cycling?

This scholarship will support my goals of supporting youth cycling by giving me skills to lead effectively and teach skills while being a counselor at mountain bike summer camps and leading weekly women’s road rides at my local bike shop, South Side Cyclery.

Olga Ivanova

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

As a Ride leader with Hardcore Cycling Club; volunteer with the Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance; Edmonton Mountain Bike Fest volunteer. Even though I’ve been riding bikes for as long as I can remember, my mountain biking journey didn’t truly begin until I took an MTB skills course with She Shreds, an Edmonton-based bike school for women. I was able to build my confidence and learn the skills to ride the amazing singletrack in the city and across Western Canada. Fast forward four years, I am now leading rides with a local bike club, Hardcore, and volunteer at trail building and maintenance days. I want to get certified to give back to the community that welcomed me, an immigrant to Canada and a woman, to the sport and inspired me grow my skills. I will use this certification to coach women and young girls in the sport, share my knowledge and skills at any potential free clinics in the city (and at the Edmonton bike park that has been approved), and to act as a role model for all immigrants in Canada who might face barriers and limitations when trying to stay active.

Nicolette Jones

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

Are you currently involved in any cycling groups, teams, or communities?: Roaring Fork Cycling, Aspen Cycling Club. I started coaching mountain biking last year and am excited to have discovered a passion for this work. I hope to use a MTB level 1 certification to become a more effective coach and help establish myself as a committed professional in the mountain bike community so that I can continue to work with a variety of ages and ability levels.

How have you demonstrated leadership in cycling or other community activities in the past?

Because I work for a small non-profit (Roaring Fork Cycling), there are lots of opportunities for leadership. This past summer I was responsible for facilitating mountain bike programming for a variety of groups including elementary age rides, girls rides, women’s clinics, and high school rec and competitive practices.

How will this scholarship support your goals of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within cycling? Or support youth in cycling?

By becoming a BICP certified coach, I am showing up for the community and committing myself to being an effective female representative. When I got involved with the high school race team this last year, I was surprised to see the gap between the number of male and female riders. While I knew that cycling as a whole is still a largely male-dominated sport, I expected the high school platform to be a more level playing field, but female representation is an issue at every level of the sport. I hope that through this scholarship and my work with a variety of age groups, I can foster a lifelong love of cycling for a new generation of young ladies.

David Meissner

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

I want to do the BICP Level 1 course to learn how to correctly and safely teach youth riders all the skills they need to begin their mountain bike journey. I also want to learn the best ways to lead group rides.

How have you demonstrated leadership in cycling or other community activities in the past?

Cross Country Ski Coach, Youth Football Coach, STEM coordinator at elementary school, Cub Scout Den Leader, Girls on the Run Coach

How will this scholarship support your goals of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within cycling? Or support youth in cycling?

Starting a youth cycling club with Shifting Gears on the west side of the twin cities where there is currently no group options.

Describe your vision for how you will use this certification to impact your community. Include any specific projects, events, or activities you plan to lead or participate in upon completion of your certification.

Coaching for the new Shifting Gears West youth MTB team. Teaching the kids at the level of ‘Gear 1’ the basic bike skills they need to safely enjoy mountain biking, and encouraging them to keep going and learning at higher levels.

Gaby Evans

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

I would like to obtain a BICP certification because, as a Latina, Spanish-speaking woman who loves bikes, I feel passionate about bringing more Latina women into the mountain biking community. I feel a spark in my heart whenever I meet someone who speaks Spanish on the trails. Recently, I was invited to support the COMBA Women Latina Program and their Spanish-language clinics for the 2025 season. This certification would help me confidently assist new riders in developing their skills. COMBA has been a strong support network for me, and I want other women to experience that while feeling welcomed in their own language.

Sarah Kassem

Why are you interested in obtaining a BICP certification? How do you hope to use this certification in your community?

My interests are to obtain the skills needed to guide and lead MTB rides. I will use this certification to lead group rides for MT Alpha, an organization in Missoula, MT dedicated to getting more identifying women, girls, and non-binary people on bikes.

How have you demonstrated leadership in cycling or other community activities in the past?

Yes, I’ve lead a handful or group rides for MT Alpha, volunteer coached at skills clinics. I am also on the organization committee of The Dusty Bandita, which is the country’s first and only women’s only gravel bike race.

How will this scholarship support your goals of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within cycling? Or support youth in cycling?

This will help me in obtaining the ride leader cert which I will then use to lead safe and inclusive rides for MT Alpha. The rides are for women + folks of any skill level and we create a safe and welcoming environment for riders to get more experience and confidence on a mtb bike. Rides are also open non club members and we see a diverse group and people and skill levels.

Describe your vision for how you will use this certification to impact your community. Include any specific projects, events, or activities you plan to lead or participate in upon completion of your certification.

As mentioned above, I will be leading several group rides for MT Alpha. In addition to that, I am signed up for the level 1 coaching certification and will be using that to coach several skills clinics over the summer.