About

FOUNDER + HEAD COACH

BRIAN'S STORY

My name is Brian Astell. I’m a professional mountain bike racer and off road triathlete. I compete professionally in many different disciplines including Xterra, cyclocross, endurance racing (100 mile mountain bike races), cross country, short track, enduro and even the occasional obstacle course.

I’m a huge believer in keeping whatever discipline you compete in fun. Having over 18 years of race experience, I’ve been fortunate enough to compete at the local, national and world level. I started out cross country running in high school and accepted a college scholarship to UNC Charlotte in North Carolina just before starting my career as a professional cyclist. I’m a NESTA certified coach as well as a NESTA certified fitness nutrition coach. Whether you’d like to build fitness, hone your nutrition or you’d like to substantially increase your skills on the bike, I have years of experience and knowledge to help you hone your passion.

IT WASN'T ALWAYS SO STREAMLINE

As a young athlete, I learned the hard way, trial and error cost me years of progress. That frustration pushed me to study, seek out better coaches, and eventually become one myself.

Coaching the NorCal MTB league, Point Arena High School Tri Team, and riders of all levels sparked the idea for TrailWorks. Today we partner with the NorCal and Oregon high school leagues, as well as many non-profits cycling organizations, bringing our progressive coaching style to both student athletes, their coaches, and the community. Along the way, I've had the honor of working with the Specialized Development team, serving as skills coach for the Bear Development team, and helping thousands of riders across all levels become faster, safer, smoother, and more confident on the bike.

Sharing the love of mountain biking, community and the outdoors is what drives me everyday!

MEET THE TEAM

HEAD OF DIGITAL OPERATIONS

MEET JULIANA

Juliana grew up in São Paulo, Brazil, where her MTB journey began over two decades ago, riding her first bike through the city's bumpy streets just to get to work. A passion for travel took her solo to Australia to study English, where she also fell in love with surfing. She then backpacked across Asia, lived in New Zealand, and spent six years in England earning a Bachelor's degree in Sustainable Development, landing a scholarship that brought her to San Francisco for the first time.

Drawn back to her roots, she returned to Brazil to complete a Master's in Environmental Management, taking her research deep into the Amazon jungle. Nature, community, and an active lifestyle aren't just hobbies, they're a way of life woven into everything she does.

When the pandemic hit, mountain biking came roaring back into her life for good. With 8 years in tech and a knack for making things run smoothly, she's the team's operations guru, handling logistics, assistant coaching, managing the website, and shooting/editing videos.

She and Brian share a love for each other and for MTB, leading clinics and adventure camps from Whistler to Spain and beyond. When she's not on the trails, you'll find her chasing waves, throwing down at CrossFit, exploring the outdoors, or cuddling her cats.

HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES

MEET SR. COVINHAS

Sr. Covinhas has 75 years of experience in talent acquisition, employee engagement, and working remotely from a van he insists is a "mobile office."

Armed with an ASMR certification, a Master's in Disorganizational Psychology, and dimples so disarming that no one has ever successfully negotiated a salary above his first offer, he brings warmth and strategic alignment to every touchpoint in the employee lifecycle.

Colleagues describe him as suspiciously ageless and unusually comfortable in the woods. When he's not facilitating team-building offsites, Sr. Covinhas enjoys pizza, riding bikes, and salsa dancing (badly).

CHIEF SNACK OFFICER

MEET JUJU

Juju has 9 years of experience in snack procurement, fridge diplomacy, and personally consuming 40% of the office snack stock before Monday. She knows where the good stuff is hidden and she will not tell HR.

When she's not conducting informal taste tests or negotiating the office popcorn situation, Juju enjoys keeping things clean — rice crackers, sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate brownies, and healthy options that she insists "you can't even tell the difference."

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT & STRATEGIC DISRUPTION DIVISION

MEET PANDI AND AÇAÍ

Pandi and Açaí have 11 combined years of experience in lap occupation, 6am motivational cuddles, and making sure you never sleep past your alarm.

Both are deeply committed to your professional success. Pandi supervises all video calls from your lap. Açaí conducts quality checks by walking across the keyboard at critical moments.

When not facilitating unsolicited team-building exercises at dawn, they enjoy patio naps, supervised snack acquisition, and sitting directly in front of whatever you're trying to read.