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.
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.
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.
I have 5+ years of route developing experience, mostly for customers of a bike shop, specifically for events like the Fitz-Barn, Around the Rock, Togwotee Winter Classic, Wydaho One Hundred, etc. I have worked with Kurt to help develop some routes Bikepacking Roots has already used, including the Maah Daah Hey and Intermountain Connectors from the WWR to GDMR. I’ve recently begun sharing more routes openly and publicly as a Ride With GPS Area Ambassador. These routes include Wydaho One Hundred, North Valley Agriramble, and the Great Rift Dirt Tour.
(he/him) A self-ascribed enigma of the bicycle industry, for almost two decades Aaron blends a passion for educating and promoting an active lifestyle on two wheels with a drive to see his community thrive and businesses creatively serve others. Nineteen of the last twenty years, Aaron has called the Flint Hills of Kansas home; owning and operating small brick and mortar bicycle shops with a flair for off-road adventure. As part of the entrepreneurial spirit from the get-go, Aaron found cultivating (designing and constructing natural surface trail, exploring roads, mapping and promoting road and gravel routes, partnering with land managers, running local recreation funding political campaigns, linking state parks and resupplies for multi-day trips) both relationships and resources helped others in enjoying immersive outdoor experiences.
Erin (he/him, 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 has always been fascinated by maps and trying new bikepacking and backpacking routes. Erin’s other passions include surfing, botany, volunteer trail work, dogs, studying maps, exploring new trails, and just getting outside in general. Erin is the creator of the Tour de Los Padres, which was first released in 2014 and is now the 2nd oldest annual bikepacking event in California.
Jan (they/them, 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 them from road and crit racing they developed a deep appreciation for bikepacking. Their personal experiences while scouting the Pony Express route moved them so deeply that they decided to commit themselves towards helping others to experience the route. You can find them outside of Cerrillos, New Mexico when they’re not out exploring gravel roads across the country.
