Q&A with Todd Uva, head coach of the Woodstock Varsity Mountain Bike Team

How did you get into Mountain Biking? Do you remember your first  time  on a single track? What were you riding?

When I was in college in the early 1990s my childhood friend began riding and I was intrigued. Shortly after, I purchased my first mountain bike, a GT Tequesta. Modern mountain bike design was in its infancy but I was drawn to the Tequesta more because of the black paint job splattered with neon highlights rather than its hyped Triple Triangle frame design. Most of my riding was on rural dirt roads and logging roads around my home in New York’s Catskill Mountains.

My first singletrack experience was in college when we would (illegally) ride the hiking trails at Sleeping Giant State Park adjacent to Quinnipiac College. The bikes and purpose-built trails I ride now radically differ from what I rode then. The evolution of mountain biking is remarkable. While it is fun to be nostalgic, I don’t miss my fully rigid bike.

What do you think are the main lessons student riders are learning on the Woodstock Mountain Bike Team? What do you want them to take away from the experience?

I enjoy pushing myself to crest a hill and then reaping the reward of a well-earned descent. The real satisfaction is when I witness our athletes gain fitness and confidence from their collective effort. Climbing takes fitness, determination, and the ability to push when your body and mind want you to quit. The collective experience can motivate an athlete to push harder and further than they might do when riding alone. The culture on our team is built on encouragement and support and when you add a little healthy competition athletes respond by giving a little more, training a little harder, and gaining more respect for one another. This is how we integrate teamwork into a sport that is often perceived as individual. The takeaway is that with cooperation and a collective effort, challenges become more attainable and rewarding. This can be applied to all aspects of these athletes’ lives.

How has the team evolved over the years? Do you feel a difference in the atmosphere/attitudes now that it’s officially a Varsity Sport?

The evolution of the team began 11 years ago from the Mountain Views Supervisory Union’s Summer SOAK program.

The school district was looking for ways to keep youth engaged over the summer and asked educators to devise activities to meet this goal. With encouragement from my wife, I created a mountain bike program to introduce youth to basic riding skills, the history of the sport, and anything else mountain bike-related. This offering is known as Dirt Rascals. Within a few years, a girls’ program called Spin Sisters was developed increasing female participation on our team. The interest in these programs was high and almost all of the participants communicated that they would be motivated to ride more if given the opportunity. As an educator at Woodstock Union High School Middle School (WUHSMS), it seemed natural to start a club at school.

The club was approved by the school board in 2016 and met weekly for group rides. At first, participation was low but then a few club members asked for permission from the school administration to try a race. That was the impetus that allowed our club to take off. In our first race season in 2017, we had 13 racers including one girl. Today the team has 47 members including 9 girls and Woodstock Middle/High School is the first public school in Vermont to have a varsity mountain bike team.

Our team is thrilled to have earned varsity status. It took seven years but the growth and success the club experienced could not be ignored. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the support of countless volunteer coaches, parents, and community members. The athletes, particularly members of the senior class who have been with the team for many years, definitely feel that their hard work and dedication have finally been recognized with the team’s new status. There is a feeling of legitimacy.

Logistically we now have transportation to races, paid coaches, and a budget to help with race preparation and bike maintenance. The transportation benefit is a huge relief, as I spent a fair amount of time weekly figuring out how to transport 20-30 bikes and athletes to races.

The evolution of the team is closely tied to our community’s local bike organization, the Woodstock Area Mountain Bike Association (WAMBA). Also founded in 2016, WAMBA’s growth and partnerships with local landowners have secured access to amazing trail networks that have quickly become favorites of our athletes, locals, and regional visitors. This coevolution has contributed to a passionate group of youth riders who will likely become ambassadors for the sport of mountain biking.

How do you manage the mental aspect of mountain biking, especially when students face difficult courses or have to recover from falls or setbacks?  What is your favorite advice?

To have fun! Riding and racing bikes can be intense and we can get caught up in the moment and take it too seriously. I can frequently be heard at the start of race saying, “Remember, we ride bikes because it is fun!” or “Just think of this as a large group ride with people who share the same passion as you.”

What do you enjoy most about coaching middle/high school athletes, what is the most rewarding part of your job?

Coaching a high school mountain bike team is so much fun. The athletes motivate me to stay fit and get me moving on days when I might otherwise gravitate toward a comfortable couch. No matter how exhausted I may feel at the end of my work day, I look forward to riding with the team. They make me laugh and amaze me with their skill. Watching athletes progress is rewarding. For some, it can be reaching a new personal record on an ascent, and for others, it can be making a particularly challenging climb for the first time without walking their bike. Both of these accomplishments are monumental in their own right. It’s truly remarkable to watch these athletes grow as individuals and as a team. The most rewarding moment for me is seeing a rider that you’ve coached in the past sharing their passion in the role of a coach and mentor. That’s when you know you’ve made an impact.

How would you describe your coaching philosophy, and what values do you emphasize with your team?

I believe that bikes can create pathways for individuals to experience growth, connection, and community. As a coach, I want to facilitate this pathway by providing opportunities for youth to push their limits, learn from one another, and give back to something greater than themselves. I create avenues where athletes become mentors and share their expertise to empower their teammates and themselves. I’m fortunate to have so many athletes with a rich and diverse cycling background who are willing to contribute and offer their knowledge. This is a tremendous resource and asset for our team and I find that less experienced riders respond well to their seasoned teammates. Facilitating and reflection are powerful coaching strategies.

Can you share a memorable story about your experience working with kids on the team? Something you are proud of?

One of my most memorable moments was supporting an athlete with special needs to complete his first race. This young man’s developmental disabilities affected his motor skills and caused cognitive impairments but in no way did they deter his desire to finish. With encouragement and support, he tackled the first ascent amusing me along the way with his tremendous sense of humor. We pedaled, jogged, and laughed our way up that hill and then meticulously picked away over and around rocks and roots on the descent. As we departed the woods nearing the finish line he was greeted with raucous support from teammates and spectators. It was truly awe-inspiring and I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to shed a tear in that moment.

What does a team practice look like?

Mountain bike practices look different from traditional sports teams mainly because our playing field is made up of singletrack trails. Another unique aspect of our team is that it is coed and athletes range from grades 7-12. Due to our size and the locations where we practice, we rely on numerous volunteer coaches to help carry out and manage practices. Our captains also play a big role in leading workouts and skill sessions. It takes a group effort to have a successful and safe practice.

We are fortunate enough to have two local bike networks within a few miles pedal from campus [Mt. Peg and the Aqueduct Trails]. Our ride to these networks serves as a warm-up before we focus on skills and fitness. We typically warm up together as an entire team and then break into groups based on the categories the athletes’ race. Within these groups, coaches focus on building fitness such as doing intervals or other hard efforts, or focus on skills such as cornering and descending. On some days, we may open up with a skills game and then just go out and have fun on the trails.

This season we are focusing on more demanding fitness exercises to be as fit and strong as possible for the championship race we will host at the Mount Peg Trails on Oct. 26.

One of the biggest challenges I face as a coach is trying to structure practice to meet the needs of my diverse athletes. Our team is composed of athletes who have strong fitness and have ridden at highly competitive levels on the international and national stage, many who prioritize ripping laps at the bike park over ascending, and others who are simply new to the sport and eager to learn. There is a fine line between pushing too hard and not enough. This is why my focus is on having fun and inspiring our athletes to make cycling a lifelong sport with the hope that they too will share their passion for riding with others.