Our Story

My name is Shawn Gentry and I've been in love with riding bikes my whole life. Since I was old enough to reach the pedals of a neighbor's “10 Speed” (but not while actually sitting on the seat) I've been riding everything on 2 wheels. In1993, I bought my first Mountain Bike, a Cannondale M500 from Bicycles East and hit the trails, mainly those at Poplar Tent Road and ones long-gone from UNC-Charlotte. I eventually rode every trail system in Charlotte, NC and have continued to explore further to: Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Uwharrie, Pisgah, Dupont, Arizona, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and many, many others...!

Fast forward over 30 years, I am the proud father of a very athletic 16 year old daughter, Matilda who I've been coaching since she was 6. She now races in Cat 1 Downhill and Enduro and many other local and regional races where she is often on the podium. Following Matilda’s first successful season with CYCL, I volunteered to become Assistant Director of the league, helping league Director, Jamie Conger with a multitude of tasks to help grow the league.

As part of CYCL, I organized Skills clinics for young riders and started collecting training and certifications which have now made me an accomplished, highly-knowledgable, safety-minded mountain biking skills instructor and guide, as you can see in my listed qualifications. This sparked a fire and made me realize I had found my calling. I am now one of the most-qualified mountain bike skills instructors in the region with a huge number of clients, including adults looking to advance their skills, 8 year old beginners, retirees looking for a new challenge, and everyone in-between.

Summer 2018 marked the beginning of a new chapter in my career, going "all-in" to turn my passion for mountain biking into a full-time job by launching CLTMTB. I look forward to meeting you, helping you become a better rider, and having a lot of fun. See you on the trail!