Photo credit: Gabriel Tiller

Jump ahead to learn more about . . .

Our Staff
Board of Directors
Policy and Cultural Advisors
Regional Advisors

 

Executive Director and Staff

Kurt Refsnider, Ph.D. (Prescott, Arizona) has been riding and racing bikes since his early teenage years and began bikepacking more than a decade ago. Since then, he has bikepacked throughout the world and co-developed Prescott College's Geology through Bikepacking course. But he's most at ease when immersed on the wild public lands of the American West. Kurt has now chosen to direct his energy toward co-founding and developing Bikepacking Roots to grow and advocate for the bikepacking community. He has a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences and is particularly fascinated by the evolution of Arctic, alpine, and glaciated landscapes. Beyond Bikepacking Roots, Kurt is an endurance cycling coach, one of the winningest ultraendurance mountain bikers, and was a college professor for 6 years before moving beyond academia.

Kaitlyn Boyle, M.A. (Program Coordinator & Co-founder; Victor, Idaho) loves wild places and believes the opportunity to travel in, experience, and  connect to landscapes is critical in inspiring a conservation ethos. She has been a professional adventurer and educator for a decade, teaching Adventure Education for Prescott College, NOLS and Outward Bound. Since adding the mountain bike to her repertoire of avenues for exploration, Kaitlyn has bikepacked extensively in the western U.S. and abroad. She co-developed Prescott College’s Geology through Bikepacking and co-authored the first instructional book on bikepacking, The Bikepacker’s Guide. Kaitlyn has a M.A. in Environmental Education and brings expertise to Bikepacking Roots in adventure-inspired conservation education efforts.

 

Board of Directors

Behind every non-profit is a Board of Directors responsible for ensuring that the organization is fulfilling its mission, using funds responsibly and efficiently, and continually in compliance with all internal policies and procedures. Our Board brings a broad range of expertise, deep passion, and creativity to Bikepacking Roots.

Andy Williamson (President; Asheville, NC) is a Midwestern native who found his way to the mountains.  He serves as the Executive Director of the Outdoor Gear Builders of Western North Carolina, the first regional outdoor industry trade association East of the Rockies. Whether it was leading trips across the country for outdoor programs, as a dedicated volunteer and advocate, or as Principal of his consulting company, Active Strategies, he has spent his career working to educate and inspire people to get out and live.  His interests are founded on a willingness and opportunity to share his passion and commitment to conservation and outdoor recreation efforts that better the communities he lives and works in.  When not working to cultivate, create, and support the outdoor industry in his home region, he enjoys traveling with his family in their Sprinter van, exploring new routes and rides with friends and spending some quality time in the mountains with his fly rod.

Nan Pugh (Treasurer; Driggs, ID) may be called by some a lost Cajun. She grew up in south Louisiana on the bayous. Once in college, she discovered a huge love for both wild places and bikes. She has since worked in outdoor education for 15 years and the non-profit sector for 9 years. She enjoys any form of off-road biking, but her favorite is winter ultra fat biking.  "Don’t worry, I know my screws are loose," she says. The simplicy of bikepacking is what has drawn her in - eat when hungry, sleep when tired, enjoy the ride, the rest of the world goes away for a while so that she can escape into "Nanland."

Andres Esparza (Mancos, CO) is the Grassroots Engagement Director for the Conservation Lands Foundation and an avid climber, backcountry skier, and cyclist. Originally from El Paso, TX, his work in the field of environmental education and guiding, along with personal adventures and travel, has allowed him to travel the world and truly fall in love with our country's vast public lands. His current work seeks to empower local grassroots organizations to act as stewards and advocates for our nation's Bureau of Land Management public lands, many of which are home to some of the best bikepacking adventures in the West! When's he's not out supporting grassroots organizations or advocating for public lands, you can find him outside enjoying whatever opportunities the place and season allows. He brings to Bikepacking Roots his knowledge of the outdoor and conservation community, particularly in the world of philanthropy and capacity-building, a deep and passionate knowledge of Equity and Inclusion work and an endless passion and stoke for all things wild and fun. He's generally a fan of Type II fun and believes that anything worth experiencing is also worth fighting for.

Darryl Ramsey (Portland, OR) is an R&D engineer at CDK Global and an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys camping, mountain biking, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and golf. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, he discovered his love for the outdoors while living in Anchorage, Alaska. He was introduced to downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and fishing. The experiences inspired him to accept the Outdoor Afro Leadership position for the Portland network a few years after he relocated. He is responsible for membership, coordinating/leading events, and classes for BIPOC groups with the goal of inspiring connections and leadership in nature.

Katherine Fuller (Summit County, CO) is a proud Texas native who grew up exploring the suburban wild and living for family trips to Big Bend National Park. Katherine first grasped the power of two-wheeled travel after crossing the U.S. by bicycle in 2008. It was a transformative experience that introduced her to new cultures, communities and landscapes at a pace of appreciation and learning. It inspired her to abandon political journalism in Washington, D.C., and turn to nonprofits and the outdoor industry. Katherine has worked for the International Mountain Bicycling Association, Bicycle Colorado, and Dirt Rag Magazine, and previously served on the parks and recreation advisory board for the city of Golden, CO. She has a master's degree in marketing and public relations and is currently the communications manager for Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. She lives steps from the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and welcomes anyone riding it to contact her for a hot shower and a home-cooked meal.

Kristen Legan (Nederland, CO) is an unabashed bike nerd who lives for long adventure rides and
bikepacking excursions throughout the Southwest desert and high alpine trails of the Rocky
Mountains. She’s a former racer who still needs to scratch the competitive itch every once in a
while but would rather stop and enjoy a sunset and eat too many snacks along the way. When
not dreaming and scheming about quiet dirt roads and trails, she heads up communications for
Shimano North America and works with endurance athletes of all kinds through her coaching
company Rambleur.

Eric Din (Seattle, WA) grew up in the Chicago suburbs and first discovered hills during college in New Hampshire where he fell in love with mountain biking. Historically an adamant hardtail supporter, Eric recently surrendered to a full suspension after the harsh realization he is no longer more frequently rewarded for riding the right line but rather punished for riding the wrong one. Eric is CEO at Hive Battery Labs, a small startup developing Li-ion battery diagnostics.

Erick Cedeño (Santa Monica, CA) is a bicycling advocate, cyclo-tourist, the one-person-show behind Bicycle Nomad, and Blackburn brand ambassador. Several years ago, Erick embarked on a bicycle tour from New Orleans to Canada which followed the historic path of the Underground Railroad. Though cautioned numerous times that he was bound to encounter hate, racism, and potentially danger as he rode through the Deep South, Erick recalls a trip that was full of love and the generosity of strangers. Erick was determined to share the spiritual lessons he took from that tour with others. This led him to found Bicycle Nomad. He resides in Santa Monica with his wife and black cat Freddie.

Jonathan Houck (Gunnison, CO) has been bikepacking SW Colorado and Northern New Mexico for the last 10 years. He is a Gunnison County Commissioner and actually bikepacked to the far corners of his geographically large county as part of his last campaign. He brings extensive experience working with public lands managers and is currently working with the local tourism association to create and promote a network of countywide bikepacking routes in and around Gunnison and Crested Butte. Jonathan sees bikepacking as a way to build community and protect our public lands.

Gabriel Amadeus Tiller (Portland, OR) is exploring the world one serendipitous misadventure at a time. He was born in a canoe in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; learned what good beer was in Duluth, Minnesota; and fell in love with the grandeur of Oregon 13 years ago. As the founder of Limberlost in 2014, he has developed several of the nation’s highest-quality off-road bikepacking routes. His passion for creating and sharing outdoor experiences has lent itself well to his leadership role in honing the narrative and thoroughly collaborative development process of his most recent project—the Oregon Timber Trail.

Frank Maguire (State College, PA) fell in love with bikes while living in Washington DC, spending 4 years swearing at motorists as a messenger and earning a history degree.  His path to advocacy began when someone told him he wasn’t allowed to ride the trail he was on (as it turns out, they were right). Since moving to Central Pennsylvania in 1998, he has been involved mountain bike and public lands advocacy, first as a volunteer trail builder, then as IMBA’s Regional Director for the Mid-Atlantic and currently as the Trails and Outdoor Recreation Program Director for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. His current goal is to ride in all 50 states before his rapidly approaching 50th birthday.

 

Policy and Cultural Advisors

As Bikepacking Roots steadily expands our advocacy capacity and reach, we are excited to engage this team of Policy and Cultural Advisors to help guide our efforts, hone our effectiveness, and increase our depth of understand of a broad range of topics.

Kat Holoch (Orinda, CA) has 20 years of environmental consulting and project management experience. She leads and directs multi-disciplinary teams conducting environmental review and analysis for a variety of California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act projects. Her project experience includes a wide variety of projects, but of late has focused on urban infill. She has a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning with an emphasis in Environmental Planning from Portland State University (Oregon) and a Bachelor of University Studies with an emphasis in Physical Geography from the University of New Mexico. She is also a certified planner and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Theo Shaheen-McConnell has been a passionate biker and advocate for the outdoors for the last 20 years. By trade, he is a cultural resources specialist and has worked throughout western North America, from the Yukon to California. His time spent in the wilderness instilled passion to expand an awareness of the depth of time and variety of human experience within these landscapes. He enjoys finding new ways to interact with the people and world around him, a direction which provides endless opportunities for advocacy. Bicycles provide a unique and immersive experience in all environments, opening up even greater opportunities for personal engagement and building stronger connections with cultural and natural landscapes, both past and present.

Renee Hutchens (Fort Collins, CO) - Renee is from the Diné (Navajo) Tribe and is an advocate for public lands, public health and environmental issues, and land conservation. She holds a BA degree in Native American Studies from Dartmouth College and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the Colorado School of Public Health. She advocates for these issues by combining her culture's rich oral tradition of storytelling with photography, film, writing, social media, and mixed media artwork. At the heart of her storytelling is her relationship with the sacred land because it is inseparable from the Diné way of life, culture, and identity. This is why mountain biking is more than a sport she’s passionate about, it is one of the ways she maintains this necessary connection. By sharing her stories she wants to encourage others to (re)connect with the land we all love to explore, and change the narratives surrounding land issues in ways that can lead to policy and cultural shifts across society.

Joe Trudeau (Prescott, AZ) started racing mountain bikes in 1992 in New England, and soon learned that it was more fun to push your bike uphill on chunky jeep roads with a backpack full of candy and sleep out under the stars. He took his first official bikepacking trip around 1995, but had no idea that the word “bikepacking” existed. Many years later, he still loves the chunky jeep roads, but eats less candy. Joe is an expert on public lands management and policy and has worked in the natural resources management field since the late 1990s as an educator, guide, trail builder, forester, ecologist, wilderness advocate, and is now Southwest Advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Corey Biggers (Bozeman, MT) bought his first bike in the mid 1980s - a Shogun Prairie Breaker. He grew up in a logging family in Idaho and got into cycling because asthma kept him from riding horses. Later in life, Corey ventured into advocacy in the early 2000s as he saw groups successfully convincing land managers to ban mountain bikes from some backcountry trails. Since then, he has helped found the Montana Mountain Bike Alliance and has been heavily engaged in mountain bike access issues throughout the northern Rockies. He's also spent countless hours clearing and maintaining trails in the Caribou Targhee National Forest.

Tom Flynn (Secretary; Anchorage, AK) is an attorney and long-time mountain biker and backcountry skier with a passion for enjoying and protecting our public lands. He previously lived in Boise, ID where he worked for Outdoor Alliance, a national coalition advocating for public land conservation and access for mountain biking, climbing, paddling, and backcountry skiing, and he's now working in Alaska as a law clerk. At Bikepacking Roots, he brings his direct experience advocating for outdoor recreation with the Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service, state governments, and the federal government.

Matthew Nelson (Tucson, AZ) works as the Executive Director of the Arizona Trail Association, the nonprofit organization responsible for the protection and maintenance of the Arizona Trail – the only completed National Scenic Trail that welcomes mountain bikes. He has worked in the fields of natural and cultural resource management, environmental education, journalism and outdoor adventure. He lives in a remote off-the-grid homestead in the Sierrita Mountains southwest of Tucson, where hundreds of miles of roads and trails encourage bikepacking right out his front door.

Eric Melson (Missoula, MT) - Bio and photo coming soon!

Regional Advisors

 

Bikepacking Roots' Regional Advisors are a crew of experienced bikepackers and explorers with some combination passions for route development, working with land management agencies, mountain bike advocacy, and helping bring more riders into the bikepacking community. These folks are our eyes and ears on the ground in different parts of the country, helping with a wide range of projects and issues.

Whitney Ford-Terry (Santa Cruz, California) is a curator and organizer that sees bikepacking as an immersive platform for creating conversations and collaborative projects that explore our relationships with social and physical landscapes. As a trans and genderqueer adventure cyclist, they seek out the the landscapes of the in between -- finding trails and unpaved roads that connect the dots between people, places and ideas. A co-organizer with the WTF Bikexplorers and an ambassador with We Got Next, Whitney enjoys having the opportunity to advocate for and celebrate our relationship to the lands on which we live, travel, and connect with the more than human world.

Jan Bennett (Cerrillos, NM) developed a keen interest in the great outdoors at a young age, attending three wilderness trips with Outward Bound before the 10th grade. After a back injury sidelined her from road and crit racing she developed a deep appreciation for bikepacking. Her personal experiences while scouting the Pony Express route moved her so deeply that she decided to commit herself towards helping others to experience the route for themselves. You can find her outside of Cerrillos, New Mexico when she's not out exploring gravel roads across the country.

Spencer Harding (Tucson, AZ) was southern California raised and is currently nesting in Arizona's Sonoran Desert.  "Ever since someone informed me I could strap camping gear to a mountain bike I have never looked back on my backpacking days.  I just want to spread stoke and ride bikes with all the rad humans." 

Sarah Swallow (Durango, CO) is an adventure ambassador for Specialized Bicycles and Ride with GPS, the co-founder of WTF Bikexplorers, the founder and promoter of Ruta del Jefe. Sarah’s passion for bikepacking was solidified during her 5,000 mile crossing of the TAT (the dual-sport dirt road motorcycle route across the U.S.A) in 2015. As an adventure cyclist, organizer, writer, route maker, she uses her experiences exploring by bike to inspire and encourage others to use the bicycle as a tool to learn more about themselves and the world around them.

Jon Yazzie (Kayenta, AZ) is a full-blooded Navajo and aspiring adventure biker. He has been on two wheels since his toddler years and has been bike packing the last 6 years in and around Navajo land. He currently owns Dzil Ta'ah Adventures, a bikepacking company on Navajo and also runs trips as a tour guide with Four Corners Guides.

Steve (Doom) Fassbinder (Mancos, CO) is a lifelong cyclist prone to creative travels by bike, the weirder the better. He's a professional photographer and athlete ambassador for Specialized bikes, Revelate Designs, Alpacka Raft, and many more.   Southwest Colorado has been home for more than 20 years, and the desert Southwest has a tight but gentle grip on his soul. Head guide and co-owner of Four Corners Guides, Durango Devo coach . . . wait, stop reading this and go for a ride!!

Almer Casile (Coeur d’Alene, ID) is from northern Idaho and has a passion for those long rides in the backcountry and the preservation of that experience. He's active in local mountain bike trail advocacy and stewardship, and he shares the backcountry experience with his children, hoping they will get to have those same experiences when they are adults.

Matt Mason (Las Cruces, NM) has always sought out the wild and natural spaces in the world and encouraged others to do the same.  His passion for sharing the outdoors started by leading the neighborhood kids off the playground and into the creeks of southern Iowa.  After college, the kids and creeks got bigger as he lead volunteer groups into the Grand Canyon to remove invasive plant species.  Currently residing in southern New Mexico, he created the Monumental Loop and a series of group rides designed to connect locals to the newly established Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

Erin Carroll (Santa Barbara, CA) is an avid mountain biker and backpacker and got into bikepacking to blend the best of both worlds.  A landscape architect by profession, Erin's other passions include surfing, botany, volunteer trail work, dogs, studying maps, exploring new trails, and just getting outside in general.

Chris Tompkins (Danville, VA) lives in southern Virginia with my wife and 4 kids.  He has always longed for adventure and the peace he finds while pedaling through the communities and backroads of Appalachia.  He strongly believes that real adventure must be practiced and preserved, otherwise we might all end up lost in the end.

John Schilling (Phoenix, AZ) is originally from Allentown, PA and developed his love for bikes riding BMX Freestyle Flatland. He moved west to Arizona to attend college and never looked back. He took up mountain biking in 1994 as a way to stay in shape for alpine skiing, now it's his passion. His bikepacking adventures began about 5 years ago, and he loved the freedom it brought to explore new places I otherwise would not be able to get to. He also organizes multi-day rides to introduce newcomers to the realm of bikepacking. He also has a reputation for loving good hike-a-bike!

Karlos Bernart (DeLeon Springs, FL) is better known as the Singletrack Samurai and has spent nearly a decade, coordinating and developing bikepacking routes in Florida and the Southeast.  An avid bikepacker and rider, Karlos is constantly at work with new routes, advocacy for all trail users, and creating events to get riders out for single and multi-day adventures.

Troy Hopwood (Seattle, WA) has lived in the splendor of the Pacific Northwest most of his life. He has always loved how cycling introduces him to new people and places. Bikepacking has taken this form of discovery to new levels. He lives for new experiences and riding in new places, and bikepacking has also exposed the risks to our open spaces and the need to preserve the land for future generations.

Joe Riemensnider (Missoula, MT) was raised in Minnesota and followed his call to the mountains in his early 20s. The endless trails and forest roads in western Montana is where he found love and obsession for mountain biking and bikepacking. Joe is the founder of Spotted Dog Cycles, a dirt-minded, Missoula-based bicycle touring and outfitting company. By offering backcountry cycling tours Joe hopes to help others learn to appreciate and respect our wild lands and the opportunities they provide. When he is not on two wheels he is usually in the woods with his dogs or trying not to crash at the skatepark. 

Dana Ernst (Flagstaff, AZ) is a mathematics professor at Northern Arizona University. His obsession with cycling began after he was forced to take time off from trail running and rock climbing due to a series of injuries. Several years of dabbling with endurance mountain bike racing and a desire to spend more time in wild places eventually led him to bikepacking. Dana loves exploring new terrain on his bicycle, especially when he gets to share the experience with others.  As a Bikepacking Roots Regional Advisor, Dana assists with route development and upkeep, as well as lend a hand with public land advocacy issues.

Charly Aurelia (Asheville, NC)  is a passionate educator (loves to help create learning opportunities) with a background in wilderness/disaster emergency medicine, navigation, and healthy communication skills. He is also an advocate of minimal impact adventure as a Leave No Trace Master Educator and a Tread Lightly! Master Tread Trainer. He currently helps manage and maintain many miles of trails in western NC, including trails in Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests, and this includes developing sustainable relationships with land managers. For Charly, bikepacking is a way to experience the power, wonder, and joy of our wild places and varied cultures in a direct, unique, fun way.

Patrick Kyle Hendry (Park City, UT). Mountain biking the Wasatch Mountains as a child, Patrick’s love for bikepacking is really a love for solitude and long, isolated, dirt roads. After a self-supported cross-country bike tour, pavement turned to dirt and the bike setup followed suit. “I recall seeing two guys roll out of Glacier National Park on bikepacking rigs...after seeing that, conventional bike touring just wasn’t going to cut it anymore.” His main focus for the bikepacking community is route development and photography.

Jessica Kelley (Mazama, WA) is an endurance coach, writer, and photographer, and she's very excited to put these skills to use in her new role as a Route Advisor. She lives in the beautiful Methow Valley with her husband, daughter, and the two best dogs ever. Jessica loves traversing landscapes under her own power, and you can often find her exploring the Pacific Northwest by bike, packraft, or on foot.  Her favorite time of day is right after her first sip of coffee. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @jessi_goes.  

Greg Lessard (Minneapolis, MN) - photo and bio coming soon!