Sydney Shimko

Sydney has extensive experience racing, coaching and mentoring in the disciplines of cycling and triathlon, both on and off the road. She earned her degree in Kinesiology and Applied Exercise Physiology from the University of Colorado – Boulder and is a Certified Level II USA Cycling Coach specializing in endurance training and skill development. Additionally, she is certified to train clients in TRX® Suspension Training® and offers classes and consultation in functional strength training for sport and life.

Sydney is co-Head Coach for the Shorewood Greyhounds Mountain Bike Team with over eighty 6th to 12th grade student athletes participating. The team is part of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Cycling League, founded in 2013 and the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), a self-funded non-profit youth development organization that governs high school mountain biking in the United States. Sydney is also a Coach Supporter  and Board Member for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Cycling League and former GRiT Program Director for the state of Wisconsin. The NICA Girls Riding Together (GRiT) Program is a national effort to recruit and retain more girls and female coaches in NICA programs.

From 2016-2019, Sydney acted as Board Member for the Wisconsin Women’s Fund. The Wisconsin Women’s Fund is a Wisconsin-based 501c3 Non-Profit organization with the mission of ‘Inspiring Girls and Women to make healthy choices, on and off their bikes.’ She was also a member of the Village of Shorewood Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Committee from 2017 -2020.

Hear Sydney talk about the high school mountain bike experience with other coaches and athletes on 105.7 FM The Fan, Youth Sports Radio in November, 2016.

Highlights

Sydney consults and coaches both recreational and competitive athletes with a focus on performance enhancement, nutrition optimization, and skill development. She has additional experience with overtraining and under-recovery issues. Throughout Wisconsin’s extensive ‘off-season’, she develops exclusive programming for Progressive Power Training at the Wheel & Sprocket Multi-Rider Training Center in Fox Point. As a personal coach, she creates customized training programs for cycling, triathlon and adventure racing.

A former collegiate cyclist and mountain bike athlete at the University of Colorado, she led the CU Buffs Off-Road Cycling Team to a National Championship win as Team Captain. She continued with involvement in road cycling, cyclocross, and mountain bike competition with significant emphasis on off-road cycling and triathlon where she competed at the Professional level.

She spent four seasons as coach for Dirt Camp, leading groups of ambitious mountain bike students throughout the Western US on popular instruction-based adventure vacations. She continues to teach camps, clinics and private lessons to help cyclists improve their technical ability on and off the road.

Her list of proudest moments as a competitive athlete includes completing the ‘24 Hours of Moab’ off-road bicycle race in Moab, UT with a 2nd place result in the Solo Division and finishing 16th in the Professional Off-Road Triathlon World Championship Race in Maui, HI after repairing a broken chain on the mountain bike. Upon retiring from competition, Sydney took her touring bike to New Zealand, where she spent a year riding and immersing herself in the Kiwi culture.