Our Mission

Vanessa has directed the NorCal League since 2010 and has also served as a volunteer, board member and coach for the organization. A native Californian, she spent many years as a high school teacher before taking over as League Director, when the NorCal model burgeoned into a national movement. Vanessa is a proud cancer survivor, and Juliana Bicycles ambassador, and uses her role and life experience to support the growth and development of the sport eagerly. 

Email vanessa@norcalmtb.org to send her a message.

Storm first became involved with the NorCal League as a freshman at Casa Grande High School. Storm started working on the race crew in 2016 and is now a full-time administrator. 

“In all of the roles I’ve had with the league, managing the course on race day has been my favorite. The riders that come in near the end of the day have likely faced some serious challenges during their race. Being out on the course to support and encourage these riders has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Seeing the same riders come back for more has been extra special.” 

Email storm@norcalmtb.org to send him a message.

Hailey first joined the NorCal League with the Race Crew for the race season of 2019 and has since moved into the position of Program Production Assistant. As a Program Production Assistant she will be involved with camps, summits, Grit, and helping to create new programs for the league.

Hailey found a love for mountain biking after relocating to Sonoma County and discovering all of the beauty and adventure that Annadel State Park has to offer. Once discovering the sport of mountain biking, she quickly dove into it with full force and which in turn lead to the discovery of her passion and sharing that passion with others through several outlets such as local volunteering and the NorCal league. You’ll often hear her say, “Any day on a bike is a great day.” Hailey loves to share this sport with the people that surround her and beyond. “Mountain biking changed my life and if I can help someone else experience that positive change and the opportunities that this sport offers, then I feel I am helping to make a difference in this world. It’s amazing the things you’ll accomplish with two wheels on dirt powered by your own physical and mental strength.” 

Email hailey@norcalmtb.org to send her a message.

Matt grew up in Marin County, falling in love with mountain biking on the trails of Mt Tam. After graduating from San Rafael High in 1994, he attended Cal Poly SLO and discovered the joy and suffering of racing. That passion for bike racing led him to take racing more seriously after college. He took a job at Mike’s Bikes in Sausalito to further support his goals and it tuned out that he was better at selling bikes than racing them. After “retiring” from pursuing a racing career in 2001, he began his career at Mike’s. Today he is the President of the company and one of three owners. While running the business took priority over racing, he caught the bug again in 2010 with the formation of Team Mike’s Bikes. This time it was road racing that fueled his addiction and he achieved more success than he ever expected out of his “hobby”. As the President of Mike’s, he has lead the effort to support the NorCal league however he and his company could. With two girls at home in Fairfax, the NorCal league holds a special place in his heart and hopefully he’s raising two future racers for Drake. In 2018, he was asked to join the board and he gladly accepted and most recently has accepted the role of President of the Board.

Joe Floren was raised and went to college in San Diego County, and decided to stay in the Bay Area after moving to San Francisco for law school in 1990.  He grew up across the street from a hilly open space but had only a heavy “fake BMX bike” as a kid, which he never learned to ride well on dirt (this was the pre-MTB era).  During school he rode bikes regularly for commuting, then rediscovered cycling when his son began riding with a NorCal team.  Joe quickly realized that mountain biking is “as much fun as skiing,” refreshes the mind, and is a terrific way to get or stay in shape.  Before long Joe was racing at amateur events across Northern California.  He became an assistant coach on his son’s team and eventually helped organize its board of directors and leadership structure.  Joe believes mountain biking is one of the best ways for kids to build self-confidence and learn the power of hard work, to respect others, and to love the great outdoors.  He joined the League’s Board in  2017.  When not riding his bike or with his family, Joe can usually be found behind a desk or in court practicing securities litigation as a partner of the Morgan Lewis law firm.

Noreen was born and raised in Los Angeles, but moved to Berkeley for college and now has spent (way!) more than half her life as a NorCal, East Bay resident. Through rock climbing, she met her husband, Stewart, a former collegiate road racer — and decided to join him on two wheels with a foray into mountain biking. That turned into another shared sport as they participated in endurance MTB races (team relay format), where Noreen weirdly enjoyed the challenge of extended suffering as long as there was unlimited dessert between laps and after the finish line. Nowadays, she can be found in the feed zone at MTB races in support of her two sons (one alum and one current rider for Oakland Composite), and continues to serve as a Level 3 coach with OC, with a particular focus/interest in getting more girls and new riders across Oakland involved in the team. For her day job, Noreen is a consultant with a global HR consulting firm, specializing in employee communications. And for fun, besides riding her bike, she enjoys trail running with her best dog, Kiki. 

A San Francisco native, industrial designer by training, and mountain biker by interest. Jake found mountain biking during a brief and often unsuccessful racing career at Middlebury College in Vermont. After moving back to the Bay Area in 2011, Jake started coaching, first with Redwood High School and then San Francisco Composite, as a way of giving back to the cycling community, exploring new trail networks, and working with Bay Area teens. Jake values mountain biking as an activity through which anyone can find appropriate challenges and build the skills to overcome them. Off the bike, Jake works as an industrial designer developing furniture, medical devices, and affordable voting systems for American elections.