Mike McKeand, Head Coach
Mike grew up just west of Mound riding hand cut trails through the woods and racing BMX at the Maple Plain track. During his college years, he worked as a mechanic at a bike shop, rode his bike to class every day regardless of the weather, and raced at Buck Hill. After graduating, he spent 12 years in Milwaukee, part of that working as bike mechanic. Once back in Minnesota, he developed an interest in coaching as a way to enjoy sports with his kids. He coached hockey for 3 years, biking at Loppet for 3 years, and the Orono MTB team last year. He has a son currently on the team. When he’s not biking, he is traveling the U.S. planning to see all 50 states before his kids graduate.
Kelly Jeremiason, Team Director
Kelly grew up on a farm in southwest Minnesota where his bike was the best way to get around quickly. In the early 90’s, he discovered urban mountain biking while studying Music Education at NDSU in Fargo. Kelly has been teaching Music for 28 years with 24 of them being at Orono's Schumann Elementary. He rediscovered biking when his son Riley joined the Orono MTB Team in 2020. Kelly has been obsessed ever since, and while most of his miles are put in locally at Lake Rebecca and Monarch, Bentonville, AR is hands down his current favorite destination riding.
Clifford Owen, Core Coach
Clifford’s racing career began on a BMX bike in 2nd grade, and he’s been racing bikes in one form or another – road, triathlon, and mountain – ever since. Clifford has completed an Ironman Triathlon and has raced the Duathlon World Championship several times. He has been a staple on the coaching crew and excels at teaching the team the finer points of the technical aspect of mountain biking. Clifford is currently serving as the Head Coach of the Orono High School Mountain Biking Team.
Jody Stegemann, Core Coach
Jody is a lifelong biker - first riding on the family farm in Wisconsin and later, urban commuting at UW-Madison and to her work. In 2018, a friend’s post of a ride at Monarch inspired Jody to check out the sport of mountain biking, an activity to enjoy with her son Charlie. They spent the next few years riding roads and dabbling in local singletrack riding, on bikes not designed for trails! In 2023, the pair worked on their MTB skills via YouTube tutorials and they joined the Orono team as coach and rider. Jody is passionate about teaching young riders the skills to be successful MTB’ers and humans. The Stegemanns are avid campers, and now instead of looking for the best mountain hikes, Jody and Charlie find the best singletracks to ride!
John Withrow, Core Coach
Until 10 years ago, John was more at home on a wrestling mat than on a bike saddle. John wrestled for the University of Pittsburgh and coached at the collegiate level for both Pitt and Duke University. He began competing in triathlons in 2010, and has since completed 11 Ironman races, including two finishes at the Ironman World Championship, most recently in 2019. John considers himself “retired” from Ironman racing and is focused on competing in the Lutsen 99er and Leadville 100. He enjoys working with the more experienced kids on the team, helping them find that “extra gear” they might not realize they have. John also helps coach the youth wrestling team at Orono.
