Moving Mountains Team
Dirt Rock n Root Training is dedicated to promoting mountain biking among women and cultivating a supportive community through skill-building clinics and events. Scroll down and meet the DRRT Team for Moving Mountains Women’s Weekend.
Kathi Krause, founder of Dirt Rock n Root Training has been racing and coaching mountain bikes for over 30 years. Her achievements include three Masters World Downhill Championships and five Masters National Downhill Championships. Kathi's mission with DRRT is to empower women in mountain biking. Through training camps and local trail clinics, she fosters skill development and community connection. Her favorite trails at Mountain Creek are the more technical rocky trails that challenge her to use all her skills.
Tracey Spiritus is a mountain biking addict with over a decade of experience riding downhill and a certified PMBIA Level 1 Instructor. While she loves all types of riding, her heart truly belongs to technical trails, where she thrives on the precision, skill and line choice required to navigate rocky descents. She believes in fostering a supporting and encouraging environment and looks forward to inspiring riders of all levels. Monarch is her favorite trail at Mountain Creek, where she enjoys the challenge of the endless rock gardens.
Carly Chiarella started downhill mountain biking in 2019 after participating in a DRRT Women’s Camp at Mountain Creek. This quickly fostered an addiction for being on two wheels and now Carly participates in multiple disciplines of cycling, downhill still being her favorite. Being a coach with DRRT allows her to merge her love of teaching and expertise as a physical therapist to give back to the program that got her started. You can usually find Carly doing laps on Breakout to Domboo or creating a bike meme for her Instagram, Girls Pull Up Not Out.
Jamie Freese, a mountain bike coach from Florida's flatlands, brings nine years of riding experience and a diverse skill set to her instruction. Alongside her passion for mountain biking, Jamie is a rated paramotor instructor and a licensed occupational therapy assistant. With a focus on helping riders feel comfortable leaving the ground and emphasizing good body position with safe progression, Jamie's commitment to excitement and skill development is evident in every lesson she teaches. Her favorite trail at Mountain Creek, Lower Dominion, is where you can always find her sessioning the jumps.
Angelica Pietranton has been riding/racing bikes since 2014 with a focus on gravity disciplines. She has a passion for coaching and loves to empower women and kids in the sport. She coaches at the Wheel Mill Ride Like a Girl Weekend and a summer long kids program in the Pittsburgh area. You’ll find Angelica in the technical rock trails like Ripper, Monarch and Legion. Brace yourself for her contagious enthusiasm!
Erika Pilato is a licensed mental health therapist, a dedicated mother of two and a testament to the transformative power of mountain biking, having discovered her passion for the sport ten years ago. Combining her expertise in counseling with her love of cycling, Erika offers a unique form of emotional support tailored to women who seek empowerment through outdoor adventures. Erika seeks to inspire and empower women to embrace their inner strength, conquer their challenges, overcome obstacles and find joy in the journey both on and off the bike. A regular at MCBP for the past 4 years, she is unable to decide whether her favorite trail is Tempest or Deviant.
Victoria Zenoni is a 15-year-old downhill racer and a member of the newly formed ZFR team Coming into her 4th year racing, she has numerous victories to her name —first place at Mountain Creek National in 2022, second place at the National Championships in 2023, and first place at the 2023 Fox US Open. Victoria continues to her pursue her racing journey while balancing academics. She took DRRT's camp in 2021, a pivotal experience that bolstered her confidence and contributed to her development as a racer. She thrives on exploring new terrain and diverse trails, traveling with her brothers to compete internationally. Assisting with camps has deepened her understanding of the fine line between fear and overthinking when confronting new challenges or features on the track. Leveraging this insight, she guides others to overcome these obstacles, offering both enthusiasm and a wealth of knowledge and skills to the team.
Vicky Baumgartner started mountain biking six years ago. Biking has provided her new opportunities to overcome mental and physical speed bumps in her own life. She loves trail riding as well as downhill riding at Mountain Creek! You’ll mostly find Vicky on Bushwhack or Tempest while at Creek. Her main mission is to help YOU feel confident and comfortable on and off the bike. Remember, as long as you have fun, the rest will come.
Sage Weis is a college student and member of the MCBP Trail Crüe. She has been riding downhill for about five years and racing for four years. After two years of riding, winning a series championship and the Mountain Creek Spring National, she moved into the pro women’s class. She has always loved freeriding and trying new fun stuff on her bike. So with being a full time college student, and working trail crüe, she is now focusing her attention more on freeriding.