Our Staff

Your hometown: Littlerock, Arkansas

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the team?
My favorite thing about being part of the team is the times we get to hang out either around the campfire or even at the end of the day at the office!

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
Everybody feels better when they get outside!

What’s the most fun you’ve had on two wheels?
So many things. I love the Bears Ears and the Foggy Dew ride on the Methow trip. Every Western Spirit trip. Really. It is just so fun to be out with the whole day to ride and a guaranteed opportunity to relax and see the sunset.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I beat Missy Giove in a dual Slalom and I saved the Slickrock Trail from oil and gas development.

What’s your guilty pleasure comfort food?
Popcorn!

Your hometown: Windsor, Connecticut

When did you start working at Western Spirit?
1997

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the team?
Meeting dirty but glowing guests after a week in Canyonlands is pretty special as we all know that feeling and how special it is to get that time outside.

What’s the most fun you’ve had on two wheels?
#breauxdureaux (check the hashtag on IG for deets)

What’s something most people don’t know about you?
After my paper route, my first real job was picking tobacco in CT to pay for my first mountain bike

What’s your guilty pleasure comfort food?
Wasabi Peas and a G&T on my deck

Your hometown: Los Alamitos, California

When did you start working at Western Spirit?
Are you kidding??? 1996

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the team?
The enthusiasm and inspiration I feel from everyone.

What’s the most fun you’ve had on two wheels?
When I trade them in for my backpack!

What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I worked at Disneyland when I was in college.

What’s your guilty pleasure comfort food?
Mmmm, hot chocolate, really thick and really chocolatey.

Your hometown: Born in Northern Utah, lived and loved in Fort Collins Colorado before Moab

When did you start working at Western Spirit? 
Started this 2022 season

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the team?
The camaraderie with our whole staff. Knowing most places in town, Western Spirit is the most fun.

What’s the most fun you’ve had on two wheels?
Contrary to most riders repeat list, I love Slickrock. I think it’s one of the best combos of cardio and challenging climbs. It’s my daily lunch ride. Gold Bar Rim is my next Moab stoke list of to-do’s.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I married an actual hot shot. Both in her profession and bike riding ability!

What’s your guilty pleasure comfort food?
I would eat an entire bag of party size peanut butter M&M’s if no one was looking.

Your hometown: Harleysville, Pennsylvania

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
Because everyone needs a bike vacation… even if you don’t you do.

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
13mo old cliff bar, orange peels, and a First Aid Kit.

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Shreddin’ the Red!

What is your claim to fame?
Time Magazine cover.

Your hometown: Vernal, Utah

When did you start working at Western Spirit?
2017

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the team?
Sommer’s determination to find a reason to party

What’s the most fun you’ve had on two wheels?
Watching the sun rise on an early morning ride.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I have an engineering degree.

What’s your guilty pleasure comfort food?
Cookie dough

Your hometown: Escondido, California

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the team?
I love working with people who are passionate about what they do. It’s a real honor to have the responsibility of Western Spirit’s bike mechanics bestowed upon me.

What inspires you to ride bikes?

I love the freedom and confidence you gain  from being self reliant on your body, bike and soul to travel across the land.  It feels like a bike is the perfect speed to travel.  When you’re on a bike you’re able to take in and feel the world around you that other means of transportation just fall short of.  It’s these feelings that have kept me pedaling over the years.

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:

Harmonica, my dog salty’s puffy jacket, a can of oysters, beer and bananas

What is your claim to fame?
I like to think I’m one of the nations best dog packers.

Your hometown: Bark River, Michigan (in da U.P., eh?)

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
Sharing a love of bikes and the experience of being in the backcountry.

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Water, Clif bars, lifetime supply of sunscreen, multitool, and many band-aids

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Discovering trails in Moab my first season in the desert.

What is your claim to fame?
I probably hold the world record for fastest double braids.

Your hometown: Prescott, Arizona

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
I think that riding bikes is the best experience on the planet and I love to sharing that with people.

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
SNACKS, sunscreen, tools, a mini coke, and my handy wind breaker

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Riding my bike from Portland to San Diego

Do you have a trailname?
Marge is the name and she loves to go bowling.

Your hometown: Athens, Georgia

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
For the opportunities to share remote experiences with people.

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Sunscreen, tools, all the snacks.

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Colorado or Idaho trips

Your hometown: Gull Lake, Michigan

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
Getting to experience these beautiful places with people who may have never otherwise seen them is pretty sweet. Getting to do so on two wheels is just a plus! 

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Snacks, snack wrappers, snack crumbs, half eaten snacks, and my inhaler 

What is the most fun you have had on 2 wheels?
Any time I get to bike in Marquette, MI with my friends is always gonna be a good time

What is your claim to fame?
I got to play a game of chess with GZA once!

Your hometown: Chico, CA

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
I love helping folks disconnect, slow down and get back to nature. Biking just happens to be the best way!

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Riding from Portugal to Germany on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. 6 weeks of non-stop views, beautiful people and delicious food!

What is your claim to fame?
I was on German national news in a story covering Oktoberfest. Lederhosen were involved. 

Your hometown: Ilion, New York

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
It’s great sharing what I enjoy most with other people, seeing peoples’ reactions to a stunning, remote piece of backcountry is incredibly rewarding.

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Water, first aid, duct tape, multi-tool and a rain coat.

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Road trips from CO to BC riding all the trails along the way.

Do you have a trail name?
The Sizzler. You’ll have to ask Tim or Sean for the story…

Your hometown: Guatemala City, Guatemala

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
Seeing people achieving their goals is a great joy.

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
A Chicago deep dish pizza, two 9v batteries, a forgotten PB & J, three packets of mustard, and a random assortment of 8-track tapes.

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Riding around dirt and sketchy curvy paved roads in north Vietnam.

What is your claim to fame?
My cooking.

Your hometown: Montpelier, Vermont

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
No matter your age or ability level, riding bikes makes you feel like a kid again. The nature of our job as bike guides is rewarding for many reasons, but exercising everyday in stunning backcountry settings says it all. I enjoy all sorts of outdoor sports such as fly fishing, skiing, climbing and I dabble in a few others, but mountain biking and camping are two that I have known since a young age. Sharing these skills with others and providing a safe backcountry experience is what inspires me to take people on bike vacations. 

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Snacks (specifically hi-chews), sunscreen, tools, wind/rain layer, small notebook.

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Build & ride days on the hometown trail networks. Riding bikes is always a blast, but building trails gives you the full experience and ultimately makes you a better rider and trail steward!

What is your claim to fame?
I was once on an afternoon walk with my aunt and uncle in Massachusetts when I met Tom Brady and Mark Wahlberg on the film set for Ted 2, the movie. Mark threw a perfect spiral, which I dropped, but Tom didn’t take the time of day to entertain my 7 year-old self.

Your hometown: Boise, Idaho (and Truckee, CA).

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
My guests inspire me! I absolutely love sharing rich and meaningful experiences with the folks that go on our bike trips. Every single person who comes on a Western Spirit trip has something valuable to bring to the group and to the experience. I can’t think of a better way to spend my time.

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Starbursts, my handy Buff, first aid kit, bike tools, more candy.

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Everything I’ve biked in Tahoe- always beautiful, always fun.

What is your claim to fame?
Chess enthusiast. My travel set goes with me everywhere and I’m always down for a game!

Your hometown: Detroit, Michigan

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
I love bringing people out into the backcountry and exposing people to our beautiful public lands.

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Med kit, pump, multi tool, water and pocket bacon

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Anytime on 2-wheels.

What is your claim to fame?
People like my hair.

Your hometown: Anchorage, AK

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
Traveling by bike takes you through the world at the optimal speed IMHO. I want to make that experience accessible for people from all different backgrounds!

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Gummi worms, chapstick, sunnies, bandaids, my iPhone with barely enough storage for more pictures

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Descending out from the redwoods and back to the ocean on Highway 101

What is your claim to fame?
I was born on the last day of winter!

Your hometown: Madison, WI.

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
Discovering trails and finding new ways of reflection through movement. 

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Rubber Band, Hi-Chew, 26” tube, Sunglasses, Moleskin.

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Anything fast, steep & loose!

What is your claim to fame?
Best in the West breakfast casserole.

Your hometown: Larchmont, NY.

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
I think biking is an incredible way to bond! We all ride for different reasons and in different ways, but a passion for two wheeled adventures and the great outdoors are what brings us together. I love being a part of people’s experiences out there on a bike and helping make it the best that it can be… plus the food is super yummy!  

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Sunscreen, snacks, hat, chapstick, and water.

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
I biked cross country last summer and it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had! But really, any time on a bike is a total blast!

What is your guilty pleasure comfort food?
Peanut M&Ms.

Your hometown: Forest, VA

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
I’ve never had more fun than riding bikes and want to share that fun with others

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Fruit snacks, tools, water, rain gear, and a travel chess set

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Riding the McKenzie river trail

What is your guilty pleasure comfort food?
White chocolate raspberry cheesecake

Your hometown: Portland, OR.

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
Getting to build connections and community with all the things; people, places, the outdoors, bikes, hard work, laughter, food, discovery… I love being out here in the middle of somewhere, experiencing people surprising themselves day in and day out. 

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Loads of water, my little silver pump, TP, chocolate that’s melted and resolidified, a small notebook.

What is the most fun you have had on 2-wheels?
Ripping down Togwotee Pass as the sun set.

What is your guilty pleasure comfort food?
NACHOS!

Your hometown: Cornish, NH.

What inspires you to take people on bike vacations?
Being able to ride bikes with so many people and have everyone be stoked on pedalin’.

You can always find these 5 things in my pack:
Copious amounts of snacks, Fix it Sticks, a ton of sunscreen, medical kit, a kazoo. 

What is your claim to fame?
Being a part of a team creating an Enduro park at Arrowhead Mountain in Claremont, New Hampshire, making rowdy riding available for all.

Trail Name?
Willber