Head Coach Ric Damm

Like most children, Ric Damm rode a bike. Fortunately, he never grew up. At least he never gave up his passion for the bicycle.

It wasn't until 1997, however, that Damm got the itch to compete. He entered his first mountain bike race: the Phillips Dirtfighter, an event of the Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS). In the citizen (or beginner) level race, Damm finished third in his age group. He was immediately hooked.

He has continued to race as an amateur cyclist, regularly competing in WORS events. He has moved up to the Comp level in the series — the second tier under the expert level. Damm has been on the podium many times in his age group and has had several top-10 overall finishes in WORS competition, including a fourth-place overall at Iola Winter Sports Park in May.

Damm has participated in the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40-mile mountain bike race — the largest mass start off-road bicycle race in the country — from Hayward to Cable, Wis., each of the last four years. In a field of more than 1,600, he has finished in the top 80 each year. He finished 40th in 2006 and 45th in 2007.

Damm also competes as a Category 4 road cyclist in Wisconsin Cycling Association (WCA) events and at the Category 3 level in WCA cyclocross races. He has also dabbled in triathlons, duathlons and running events.

Damm is a Certified Coach of USA Cycling and a member of the International Mountain Bicycling Association, the Wisconsin Off Road Bicycling Association, the League of American Bicyclists and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. He is also the director of publications and institutional image at the College. He lives in Ripon with his wife, Chrissy, and enjoys riding to the library and the park with their two children, Morgan and Sawyer.