Everett Ó Cillín (they/them, Eugene, OR) is a curator, organizer, and adventure cyclist that sees bikepacking as an immersive platform for creating conversations and collaborative projects that explore our relationships with social and physical landscapes. A co-founder of the Radical Adventure Riders, Board Member with the Oregon Timber Trail Alliance, and WeGotNext Ambassador, Everett seeks to foster community and connection through bike travel and stewardship. They seek out the narrative in the landscape, routing exhibitions and expeditions that connect people, places, and ideas. You can find their essays on art and cycling in Adventure Cyclist Magazine and The Bikepacking Journal.[
Emily Elliott (she/her) hails from Redlands, California. A community planning consultant by profession and a geographer by education, Emily has an affinity for route making, advocating for active transportation, and sharing the stoke of bikes. In partnership with community stakeholders, she established and stewards the Ranchita Rambler, a route and annual event for cyclists to cut their teeth on bikepacking and self-sufficiency while simultaneously promoting low-impact tourism and economic development in rural communities. Nestled at the foot of the San Bernardino mountains and within easy reach of the Mojave and Colorado deserts, Emily enjoys scouting and documenting routes from Sunday-funday rides to ‘more than you can chew’ adventures. Emily has dabbled in ultra-endurance, xc, and road racing, but has found the most joy and fulfillment in simply sharing the trail with friends (or her dog) and riding for the sake of fun. Having enjoyed the support of others in cycling, she’s excited to pay it forward by joining Bikepacking Roots to showcase inland southern California and welcome newcomers of all identities.
Don (he/him, Hailey, ID) started his bike adventures on a green Huffy Cheater Slick outfitted with a cotton sleeping bag, fishing pole and Green Hornet lunch box, Twinkies included. “I have been described as a little crazy, with an inordinate amount of exuberance. I’ve ridden and raced many places, guided many rivers, fought many fires, built many trails, crashed and burned many times and can’t wait to explore today. I hope to meet you out there somewhere.” Don is the creator of Dark Sky Bikepacking, a bike packing adventure hub based in Hailey, Idaho next to Central Idaho’s Dark Sky Reserve
I’ve been developing hiking and cycling routes for over 15 years, a passion and career path that I fell into while living in the Middle East after an extended period of international travel. After a decade overseas, I returned to my hometown in Virginia and began exploring the area by bicycle, seeking roads that stretched farther into the vast public lands and forests in the region. In 2017, I toured the Great Divide, which sparked the idea to start mapping a similar route across Virginia to highlight the great riding in my backyard and create an experience that would connect diverse communities across the state.
(he/him, Iowa City, IA) I am the leader/organizer of a local community cycling club called The Gravel Scouts. We go on a handful of overnight trips annually, and all of those routes are curated by me. In addition to overnights, we have shorter weekly rides and longer weekend rides. I have lived in Iowa City for 19 years and in Eastern Iowa for nearly 35 years. Most of my riding is out my back door. My brother Matt Mason gave me the encouragement to put Iowa on the Bikepacking map, and my good friend and photographer David Greedy is always willing to scout the route with me.
Ashley (she/her) originally hails from Pittsburgh, PA, but has proudly called Waterbury, VT home for over a decade, driven by her passion for snowboarding, photography, and the great outdoors. Cycling has been a lifelong love for Ashley, fueled by her curiosity about what lies beyond each corner or in the next town. It was in the endless trails and forest roads of New England that she discovered her deep affection and obsession for mountain biking and bikepacking. In 2019, Ashley took the initiative to organize and create the route for her inaugural multi-day bikepacking adventure, choosing the comfort of friends’ backyards as overnight stops. As an ambassador for Ranch Camp in Stowe, VT, she actively develops routes and coordinates group rides, both for the local community and her circle of friends seeking weekend adventures. Her biking escapades often begin right outside her doorstep, and she has successfully bikepacked across the entire state of Vermont in 2022, from Vermont to Portland, ME in the previous summer, and participated in the Super 8 bikepacking race in both 2021 and 2023. Beyond her personal pursuits, Ashley plays a vital role on the board of Vermont Bikepackers, where she manages the organization’s social media, showcasing her dedication to building a community around bikepacking. She is community-oriented and driven by a passion to introduce more individuals to the joys of bikepacking.
Andrea (she/her, San Antonio, TX) is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan and living in Texas nearly 10 years. A love of the outdoors, including riding a bike and camping, was fostered from a young age. In 2018, she organized and attended her first bikepacking trip. Andrea has learned a lot since that first trip. She is endlessly grateful for the community teachers along the way and is passionate about passing it forward. Andrea has organized and lead many local overnight trips. Over 95% of land in Texas is privately owned and shapes the type of trips in the south/ central Texas region. She is a co-leader of Mujeres Cycling and the unofficial #SABikePack group. Her other passion hobby is sewing! She often rides with bags she created packed with clothing she made.
Alyssa (she/they, Portland, OR) grew up in Maryland, just outside Washington, DC, but now calls Portland home. After moving to Portland in 2021, she found a sense of embodiment and community through riding with BIPOC cycling groups like BikePOC PNW and Friends on Bikes. She now organizes for both and finds deep joy in fostering community rides. Her favorites to facilitate are intro to gravel rides, as well as supporting BikePOC’s beginner cyclocross clinics and bikepacking bag library. She looks forward to learning and growing as a community steward in 2024!
(he/him Middlebury, VT) I grew up in the Adirondacks enjoying the plethora of public forested land available. My interest in Bikepacking didn’t start until 2018 when I moved to VT. The large network of dirt roads, class 4 roads, and trails available was wildly fascinating to me and soon led me down the rabbit hole of multi day bike trips with a goal of seeing as little pavement as possible. I am a strong believer that the outdoors is for everyone, and that open and supportive communities are essential to help remove barriers of entry for anyone interested in exploring. Additionally, I believe community building is important for the advocacy and education of proper stewardship of the land. I volunteer with the non-profit, VT Bikepackers, which hosts the VT Super 8, a 655-mile figured 8 shaped race through the state, and is actively planning other community bikepacking events.
Adam (he/him, Gonzales, LA) was raised showing horses and riding bikes, and has always been drawn to adventure, fitness, and the great outdoors. Time spent camping, stargazing, kayaking, going to Cardinal’s baseball games, and fun family vacations with his wife and daughters is important to him, as is biking. A proud ambassador for Pactimo, Picky Bars, and Bike Law, Adam is also the creator of @AdventurePacking on Instagram and Facebook, and the current Vice President of NOMAMBO, the New Orleans area mountain biking group that build and maintain the trails in the Mississippi River’s Bonnet Carré Spillway. He likes to work hard, play hard, and spread the joy of bikepacking by bringing fellow cyclists together.