By James Knight — Westminster University’s hiring of new Mountain Biking Coach Nic Sims is seen as an important step in the future of collegiate cycling in the West.
“I think he’s going to end up being the one who is really breaking trail for a lot of other schools. I think a lot of people over the next couple of years are going to see what Nic accomplishes, because I know he’s going to succeed here and do really well, and they’re going to try to emulate it,” said Jackson Carlson, a potential prospect for the team.
Collegiate Cycling is overseen by USA Cycling, which is the national governing body for competitive cycling, which also includes Olympic Cycling. Collegiate Cycling consists of 11 conferences, each from different regions. They are divided between club teams and varsity teams. Club teams are self-funded and don’t receive financial assistance from their schools, while varsity teams like Westminster will receive funding from their schools and have paid coaches. Different schools feature different types of teams. For instance, Utah State University has a club team in Logan and a varsity team in Price, while Weber State and the University of Utah just have club teams.
Westminster’s new varsity cycling team is a member of the IMCCC (Intermountain Collegiate Cycling Conference), which also features Utah schools such as Utah Valley University and Weber State University, as well as other regional schools like the University of Wyoming. Racing season is from the third week of August to the MTB nationals in Powderhorn, Colorado from October 9-12, 2025. There are generally a minimum of four races per season.
Westminster’s former coach, Sage Martin, also shared excitement over Nic’s hiring.
“The thing that struck me the most was his enthusiasm. He’s got a background; he’s got a great recruitment pipeline from his NICA experience. I feel like he should be able to bring in a good initial roster. And, you know, numbers grow, people want to be part of a team and see what that team is like,” Martin said.
Even though the hiring of Sims is viewed as a key step toward mountain biking success at Westminster and beyond, Martin sees some challenges ahead for Sims with recruiting and actually putting the team together.
“I think the first year for any program is always the most difficult, because you’re selling a vision more than you’re selling the team. So, I think that he’s kind of got a good head start with his experience there, and the enthusiasm is pretty contagious. He’s also very well connected in the industry, and I think that’s going to be great for, you know, him finding resources for his riders so that they feel like they’re supported,” said Martin.
Even Sims himself is aware of the challenges that lie ahead, saying his short-term goal is just to have riders. Sims also emphasizes that the riders’ attitude is essential for building a positive culture.
“At this point, I just need riders. So that’s kind of the goal. And to go and you know, the main feature for me initially, is build the culture and the environment. I can make you stronger, I can make you faster, but you’ve got to have the right attitude. And so, the goal is to set that up, obviously, and then, okay, you need to recruit riders. Okay, you don’t have to do that in high school. They just sign up. But now it’s collegiate. You’ve got to kind of recruit. And that’s a tough part,” said Sims.
In addition to recruiting, Sims also said that the lack of financial aid and outreach toward the sport of Mountain Biking is a challenge.
“Cycling is a non-NCAA sport. It’s not a big, big money earner for the school. So, we don’t have budgets to have scouts that can go to races around the country. We don’t have that. It’s me. And what I’ve found is high schools can’t share contact info for parents and kids. Mountain Bike teams can’t share contact info, and nor can the national leagues. So, I’m like, well, how do I reach these people?”
Despite all these challenges. Sims is optimistic and sees a direction for the new program.
“I think we’ve got a good program going. We’re not a big money sport, like football or anything. Yeah, I’ve got a free sticker for you, you know, that sort of thing. So that’s the challenge. Will cycling ever be a big thing? I doubt it, because we don’t have the culture here like Europe, where you grow up riding bikes at an early age and you keep riding bikes forever. We don’t have that here, so that’s a bit of a challenge to sort of battle. But I think we’re seeing more schools adding in cycling programs, which is a good thing,” Sims said.
Despite the obstacles that lay ahead for Westminster, Sims has the tools to build a culture and the experience to manage a team. Tom Carlson, who is the father of Westminster Cycling prospect Jackson Carlson and a NICA coach of four years, discussed what he saw from Simms during his tenure as the Park City High School Mountain Biking Coach.
“His depth of knowledge, both in just the function of cycling and being a cyclist and being a racer has been instrumental in the growth of the Park City Mountain Bike Team. Everything from mechanics to process preparation, he’s just been a really great asset, and he’s an incredible motivator, really, of everyone, I was going to say the kids, but it’s really everyone. I mean, he is, you know, there’s a reason why he’s a level three NICA coach. He just brings a lot to the table,” Carlson said.
As of right now, Sims says he has some good prospects but no committed riders. He said ideally, he would like to have 10 for the upcoming year but he can start out with less, stating that “if it’s less than that, I’m fine with it; it takes time to build a team.”
For more information on Collegiate Cycling and Westminster’s Mountain Biking team, visit the IMCC’s website https://imcccycling.wordpress.com/
