Management Team

LEAGUE DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER:

Sam Schultz

Sam grew up in Missoula, MT, and fell in love with mountain biking at an early age. He entered his first race in Big Sky, MT at the age of 13, and was hooked. In High School, he worked his way from racing around the state, to regional, and onto international events before jumping into the pro ranks. The highlight of his 11-year professional career was representing the US at the 2012 London Olympics. Sam is still active in the sport as an ambassador for Rocky Mountain bikes and 7mesh clothing. He loves helping with junior development programs, running kids mountain bike camps, and skills clinics. Growing up in Montana, and discovering the sport that has given him so many incredible experiences is great motivation to make interscholastic mountain biking a reality in the state. He is well plugged-in with the cycling industry and the Montana riding community, and is excited to do anything he can to make this happen.

CO-FOUNDERS

Nate and Amy Madsen

Nate grew up in the Wasatch mountains in Salt Lake and bought his first mountain bike, a hardtail Stumpjumper with a rigid fork, in 1993. Amy’s first foray into mountain biking was at age 14 on Slick Rock in Moab, before helmets were in vogue. They met in college in a mountain biking class, and have been passionate about bikes and biking ever since. Nate is a cardiologist by day (and sometimes by night), and Amy works harder than he does corralling their four children. They are both passionate about raising active children, and helping kids in their community enjoy getting outdoors on bikes. Nate is on the board of directors of Bozeman Youth Cycling, a thriving program in Bozeman. They have been, and will continue to work closely with Sam Schultz to keep the Montana League thriving.

RACE DIRECTOR

Eric Bowman

Eric is a Bozeman native and fourth generation business owner of Owenhouse Ace Hardware and Owenhouse Cycling. Eric spends his free-time enjoying all the outdoor adventures that Bozeman has to offer with his wife Molly, and two children Rylie and Ross. Eric and Molly are ardent supporters of riding bikes and trying to open up cycling opportunities to others. They’ve helped to found the Bozeman Youth Cycling program, and volunteer time and resources to the Bozeman Pedal Project, Team Rockford/Owenhouse Cycling, the Mystic MTB Race, The Bozeman Grand Prix CX, and the Bozeman Wednesday night fall CX race series with the hopes of building a sustainable bike culture in Bozeman. Eric is eager and deeply committed to the growth of NICA in Montana and ensuring fun, challenging, and safe races.

TEAM/COACH OUTREACH COMMITTEE

Doug Simpson

I started riding about 2012 and entered my first race at age 48. I did a few local races and hosted group rides at our local trails. During these group rides I realized that I was not taught to mountain bike and I was giving instructions to new riders as we rode. I took classes so I could learn how to coach and instruct riders. I am a level 2 ICP coach and a coach trainer for the Montana NICA mountain
bike  league. I am passionate about coaching and seeing new riders enjoy the sport we all love.

BRANDING/COMMUNICATION/SOCIAL MEDIA

Seth Neilson

Raised in the beauty of both Wyoming and Washington State, Seth Neilson was exposed to the outdoors at an early age and hasn’t wanted come inside since. Pairing a passion for the outdoors with his creative talents has enabled him to work with agencies across the country as well as run his own successful design studio. He enjoys climbing, cycling, and backpacking and is excited to apply his skills in an effort to bring the NICA platform and cycling culture to Montana’s communities and youth. We’re grateful for his talents in bringing this bid to life!

FINANCE

Riley Siddoway

With over a decade of experience as a corporate finance and accounting director, Riley has shifted his focus to lean on his lifelong experience in the mountains to pursue his new passion project, a Bozeman based ski, run, and climbing shop called Uphill Pursuits.  Formerly a professional mountain guide on peaks in North and South America, Riley also founded, ran, and sold the Park City MidWeek MTB Race Series.

RACE OPERATIONS

Bill Schultz

A resident since 1974, Bill has deep roots in Montana’s numerous outdoor recreation opportunities, including many mountain bike adventures and races. Having raised two sons who raced professionally, he is committed to making cycling available to more Montana kids. Retired after 36 years with Montana Department of Natural Resources, Bill has the time and energy to help make our race set-ups safe, fun, and consistent with NICA’s high standards. Bill has volunteered for numerous cycling events and has experience with course set-up and course marshaling.

CORE RACE STAFF