About mitch
I was born and raised in Durango, Colorado 1979. Growing up in Durango was great for me. I was always into hiking and exploring the mountains as a kid. At age 10, I watched Ned Overend win the 1990 World Mountain Bike Championships at Purgatory Ski Area. Ever since then, I knew I wanted to be a pro biker and started mountain biking at age 12. My friend and I bought a trail map of the San Juan Mountains. We rode and explored every trail in the area.
I was on the Purgatory Freestyle Ski Team all through middle school. I started mountain bike racing at 16 and participated in all the junior races in the area. In high school I joined the cross-country running team and swim team to cross-train for biking and also joined the Durango Nordic Ski Team.
Tuesday nights are the local club ride and I have the opportunity to ride with all the great athletes. The club rides helped me improve greatly, having that kind of competition in my home town.
I’ve had three exceptional coaches: Marshall Whitfield, Craig Campbell and my current coach, Dave Harris. They all have great knowledge of the sport and each has helped bring me to a new level of racing. I also volunteer for Dr. Frank Jarrell, SRA (Spinal Reflex Analysis), a new study of reflexive contraction of isolated muscle fibers up along the spine. His therapy helps me to recover from training rides and has completely straightened me out on the bike so I can ride more efficient.
I am very excited about 2006, and this is my second year with Dave Harris as my coach. In the past year Dave has learned a lot about what I can handle to not over-train or under-train using the TSS program. My training is down to a science and my power and endurance is getting stronger all the time.
I became a pro mountain biker and Category 1 road racer at 22 years old. My best results are 2nd place in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, 4th place at the Mount Evans Hill Climb, 11th place at Estes Classic, and Colorado Cycling State Champion in 2004. In 2005 I joined a Durango road team sponsored by Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Specialized road bikes, and I ride with the Health-FX mountain bike team.