Coaches

Paul Krawczyk

The Mountain bike entered my life in 1988 and I have been hooked since. Competitions, explorations and camaraderie with friends have created a lifelong passion for our sport. I have raced in many different settings and locations challenging my mind and body while pushing me further than I thought was possible. My objective for coaching the Hopkins Mountain Bike Team is to empower, inspire, and lift each student athlete into their highest possibility while cultivating a strong, fun, and connected community of riders.

Chris Polston

Chris has been riding bikes since Star Wars was only one movie. He loves getting outside and exploring, adventuring or simply having fun. Sharing the passion and joy of riding started with his own kids and has expanded as they grew to include anyone who wants to hop on 2 wheels and have fun.

Dan Tix

Dan has always loved riding bikes of all types including the tandem bike that he and his wife rode on a tour to the east coast in 1999. He re-discovered mountain biking after he and his son, Oscar, took a trip to Cuyuna in 2018. They both found that mountain bikes and trails were the best way to move around through the natural world and stay active. Now Dan really loves spending time with the rest of the team and hopes to get his youngest daughter to be on the team in a couple of years when she is old enough. Dan's main motivation for coaching is for his own mental and physical health but also to share that with other enthusiastic people (kids and other coaches).

Steve Yore

Steve rediscovered his love of riding bikes after a shoulder injury kept him out of a whitewater kayak for a year. Since then, he has raced all types of bikes on all types of trails and conditions, from fat bikes to tandems, from 24 hour solo races in the Sonoran desert of Arizona, to 135 mile races on the Arrowhead trail in Northern Minnesota in the dead of winter. He completed 10 Leadville 100’s, 5 DK200’s, and 3.75 Arrowhead 135’s (and yes, there is a good story behind the .75) :)

At age 51, he finally is able to (occasionally) ride a decent wheelie and is now working on his manuals. He prefers riding single track, gravel roads, and snow to pavement and is excited about the opportunity to share his experience with the Hopkins MTB team and ensure that kids get out and enjoy all that the trails have to offer.

Chris Haar

Chris, originally an Iowa native (don't hold it against him, Minnesotans) by way of Canada (long story) presently hails from scenic east Minnetonka, with his wife Gina, and three sons Nolan, Felix, and Calvin. Chris' passion for bikes started at a very young age when he was given a hand-me-down bike from a family friend, and his first "real" mountain bike when he was 14. Since then, he's grown up working in bike shops in Iowa and the Twin Cities, having rediscovered mountain biking after a 10 year hiatus from the sport in favor of kid-hauling and year-round commuting. Chris started with the Hopkins team in 2021 as a parent sweeper, but it quickly became evident that he would stay long term with the team. From the moment he became a parent, it has always been important to Chris that his kids grow up enjoying cycling. It's that wish that keeps Chris motivated to help other kids on the team build confidence to ride and to show them that bicycles equal freedom!

Andy Gruhn

Before moving to Minnesota, Andy grew up exploring the woods of North Carolina and Rhode Island. His love for mountain biking began out there, on long meandering afternoons finding and following trails out behind his neighborhood. Years later, he channeled that passion into mountain bike coaching, starting with the Loppet Foundation and eventually joining the Hopkins team as his sons transitioned into racers. Coaching has been a rewarding way to share his love of the sport, help young riders develop their skills, and enjoy the amazing community that surrounds mountain biking.

Jeff Mayer

Jeff bought his 1st mountain bike in 1991 although he didn’t do a lot of riding until his daughter was introduced to Theo Wirth trails in 2019. She was hooked and so naturally Jeff got hooked again. That lead them into the Hopkins Mountain Bike team family in 2020 (COVID season). Jeff became a ride along coach and then started to volunteer at the races as a course Marshall and or Rover (super fun and rewarding). Over the last 3 years, Jeff has been riding in Wirth races and Lusten 99ers races mostly just for the adventure of it. Its super fun because there is always somebody that is riding at or near your pace. Jeff's main goal is to just finish the race. His objective for coaching the Hopkins Mountain Bike Team is to help kids gain confidence in mountain biking. Mostly just be there For the Kids!!!

Laura Swartz

Laura's been racing for over 30 years, starting with marathons, moving into triathlons, and now, embracing the thrill of mountain biking. Throughout her journey, she's loved pushing herself both mentally and physically. Her triathlon experience has taken her across the globe, including a 12th place finish in her age group at the 2019 Age Group Sprint Triathlon World Championships in Switzerland. After Covid, Laura decided to set her sights on an even bigger challenge. She had always been drawn to the iconic Leadville race after watching the movie Race Across the Sky in 2009, and in 2021, she attempted the legendary course. Though she missed the official finish by just 11 minutes, Laura returned in 2022 for the Stage Race and completed it with an under-12-hour buckle. Since then, she's raced mountain bikes across Minnesota, Colorado, Utah, and Vermont. Laura met coach Paul on a road ride the summer of 2023 and he suggested Laura come coach HMBT. She loves sharing her passion for training, pushing limits and racing with the team. She especially enjoys coaching and mentoring the young women on the team and is looking forward to another great season with HMBT!

Kristen Schroeder

Shane Schroeder

Kristen's family started mountain biking during the pandemic and this sport has now become a big part of our lives. Being a part of this team has been very rewarding from learning new skills, to making new friends, and taking new adventures. There is a whole community around this sport. Kristen's favorite part is seeing kids improve throughout the season and cheering them on.

Shane spent his entire (pre-driving) childhood years on bmx bikes, racking up miles and racing friends through forests, trails and farms. It wouldn't be until 2021 when his daughters Josie and Amelia showed interest in mountain biking, that he would re-invest in some new wheels for the family and take up all the sport has to offer. Both of his girls joined the Hopkins team and they never looked back. Outside of mountain biking, their favorite activity is planning for their next mountain bike trip! Shane loves the physical and mental challenge of the sport, and coaching offers him more time on the trails with his kids, as well as being a part of an incredible team where everyone lifts each other up.

Dan Bernhard

Chris Nelson

Dan has been riding mountain bikes since the early 90’s when his cousin explained it could combine two of his favorite things: getting lost in the woods (which he got pretty good at through scouting) and exploring via bike (which he’s loved since he was a ten year old cruising the streets of his small South Dakota town). That unique combination ignited a passion that Dan enjoys sharing with anyone willing to come along for a ride. On a bike, Dan has raced in the summer, raced in the winter, ridden the Repack, pulled some accidental overnighters in the Rockies, and somehow found poison ivy every time. His mountain biking heart is in the beautiful Black Hills, where he’s biked almost every year since those early days. But these days he’s most happy going on rides with his wife and kids, and sharing what he’s learned along the way with all the awesome kids from Hopkins.

Chris's love for biking started when he was gifted his first bike at the age of eight. There wasn’t a hill or trail he didn’t want to explore. Riding the woods of the MN river bottoms, Chris loved the freedom to explore and the ability to go anywhere on his bike. Passion became an obsession, all he wanted to do was be on his bike.

The passion for biking has guided Chris to the opportunity to coach my favorite hobby. Seeing kids excel at learning new skills tackling new trails and pushing themselves is the best feeling a biker could have. Seeing the biking community grow right out our back door is a dream come true. The best part of coaching is riding the trails with an amazing group of kids and his son riding with him!

Joel Prevost

Mary Prevost

Born and raised on a farm/ranch in Montana, Joel developed his passion for mountain biking in college. The endless challenges of new trails and the positive culture of the mountain biking community drives his interest in coaching and bringing more people into the sport. This started with his family where his two children each were riding pedal bikes without training wheels at the age of two and were hitting the single tracks by five years old. This is how he created his favorite riding companions along with his wife (also a Hopkins coach). When they aren’t riding with the team, the Prevost family loves finding new trails to explore whenever they travel. Joel believes mountain biking is more than just a sport—it’s a way to build confidence, explore the outside world and conquer new challenges.

Despite growing up near the mountains in Wyoming and going to college in Grand Junction, Colorado, Mary never mountain biked until she moved to Minnesota many years later. When her husband and two small kids ripped their first trail and decided it was a lot of fun, she reluctantly tried it out and biking quickly became a family adventure. Now, she spends her summers planning family vacations anywhere they can try a new trail, and especially if it entails heading back to the mountains so she can take advantage of lift assist downhill fun (because who *really* likes to climb on a bike?).

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