Originally from the Pacific Northwest, my life has taken me all over the country and across the globe, and throughout my moving and travels, I’ve found bicycling to be a major part of my life in so many ways from recreation and competition to just getting around and getting to know people. I’ve experienced the beauty of what bicycling can be and I’ve slogged through what it absolutely shouldn’t be (and seen most of what’s in between).
While my career brought me to Virginia, riding in and around Harrisonburg pulled me to the Shenandoah Valley. We’ve got it all here: world-class mountain biking on well-maintained trails; fantastic road biking through the gorgeous countryside; and communities that either are already put together with or have the potential to develop bike and pedestrian-friendly ways for getting to and from school, work, and life in general in a comfortable manner.It was apparent when I was a visitor and has been even clearer to me since I moved here in 2016 that it’s no accident that the Valley is such a great place to ride: the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) has very effectively put in the time and legwork to make this such a great place for bikes. And while it’s fantastic here in the Bike Capital, there is plenty we can do to make it even better, to bring in new riders and get more people out walking and riding and enjoying this wonderful place we have. I’m excited to be on the Coalition board and be a part of these efforts to bring the Shenandoah Valley to its full potential as a place where people can live, work, and play comfortably in the fresh air. Bikes are just a ton of fun and I want to share that with everyone. Let’s get to work!