CLASSES

Instructors

Ellen Aagaard
Jim Albers
Scott Kralik
Bob Miller
Davey Oil
Robin Randels
Tom Taaffe
Bret Torbeck
Mark Vohr
Sara Whitney
Dustin Wood

Ellen Aagaard, Mom, Pedestrian & Bike Advocate, Volunteer

Wheels: Co-motion Americano; Co-motion Periscope Tandem
Commute: Wherever the day's meetings take me.
Favorite ride: Recent cycle tour from Seattle to Whitefish, MT with Sylvie & Kirk.

I have 3 kids: Sylvie (7), Kirk (11) & Ben (15). My interest in bike & pedestrian advocacy began with a commitment to walking & cycling to school. Every day I feel reconnected to my kids, their schools, our neighborhood and neighbors because we share the walk or ride together. I love the independence and competence my kids have because they walk & cycle (and the independence I have because I don't have to drive them everywhere!)

I enjoy teaching folks to ride, whether balancing a bike for the first time, learning to negotiate a four-way-stop, or making a tricky left turn. Good cycling education is about decision making, communication, the interface between your body, the bike, the street....and those sharing the street with you.

Currently I'm also: working to become mechanically independent (with a dozen bikes in the family there are plenty of repairs to practice on), volunteering with several school reading programs, figuring out how to cycle tour through Jasper, Banff, Waterton and North Dakota next summer and still keep my garden going, married to a very understanding man with one of the coolest bikes in Seattle ( '92 Tamarack long & low on 26" wheels).

Jim Albers

When I was in second grade in Japan, a high-school Japanese kid had the first racing bike I'd ever seen, it had toe clips and drop bars and 10 speeds and it was SO COOL. He let me ride it. I was too short to reach the bottoms of the pedals, but I'd push off from a step on a slight downhill and kick the pedals as they came around to keep going. It's been love ever since.

When I moved to Redmond from Minnesota a few years ago, I ditched my beat up fixed gear cyclo-cross bike that I used in winter commuting and replaced it with my first mountain bike (Giant Rainier) that I love to ride in the Redmond area and up in the Cascades. The "Thrilla" route goes right by my house, on the Puget Sound power line trail so I ride that a lot up into the Redmond Watershed and loop back on the pipeline trail and Burke-Gilman.

I have my "truck": a heavy duty touring/commuting bike that I hope to do a transcontinental ride on in the next year or two. For now, the truck is for daily use, night riding, and bad weather. On nice days, I get out my "sports car", a Klein Quantum that I've had for years, but haven't worn out yet.

For my day job, I'm a consulting software engineer with expertise in embedded medical and robotics applications. I help companies re-engineer and improve R&D software so they can sell and support it as a profitable product.

I first found James Forester's Effective Cycling book when I was in college 30 years ago, and have ridden by its principles since then. Now I have a chance to teach what has helped me so much.

We all need to do something to help reduce global climate change. This is my small-mouse way to share something I love and try to get more folks to enjoy commuting on their bikes for health, for joy, and for saving the planet.

Hope to see you in class!

Scott Kralik

Not long ago, Scott sold his car and now gets around entirely by bike (a Brompton folder), public transit, and the occasional ride from friends, but he wasn't always a kook. Like a lot of folks, he mostly gave up biking at age 16, when he got his drivers' license. Bit by bit, he returned to biking, starting while he was working for a non-profit arts organization in DC; he became a year-round bike commuter because he couldn't afford a car. On summer Thursday nights, he went on a Potomac Pedalers social bike ride that, after he moved to Seattle, inspired him to start the Gas Works Thursday Social, which he and his friend Jack Tomkinson co-led for 10 years and which Scott has since led solo. In the mid 90s, someone with Cascade got the bright idea to assemble ride-leader guidelines more extensive than the one-page introduction that the club had been using, and after a few brainstorming sessions with several Cascade ride leaders, Scott wrote the guidelines (PDF) that the club still uses

Scott found biking religion while traveling for eleven weeks in China in the fall of 2007. He finally grasped that the billion or more Chinese who don't already drive have as much right to own a car as he does, and, in a hopeless effort to change the world's perception of what constitutes the American Dream, he all but stopped driving and went shopping for a folding bike like the ones he'd seen in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Hoping to encourage others to drive less by helping them become more comfortable riding in the city, he took the League of American Bicyclists instructor training, and started teaching Cascade classes in riding with confidence and urban cycling techniques. In his wildest dreams, biking becomes so common that entire lanes in downtown Seattle are given over to bike lanes.

Bob Miller

I am that strange person, a local. Born in Seattle, I attended elementary school here and junior high and high school on Mercer Island. I went to college in Los Angeles where I majored in history and German.

I was lucky in that during high school I got to spend a year in Germany as an exchange student. I went to Bremen, which is flat as a pancake and where a bicycle is the major form of transportation. I saw people dressed in office clothing ride to work; in other words, I saw a bike as transportation, not just a fun toy. The center of town was car-free: just pedestrians, bikes and street cars. It changed my attitude about quite a few things.

I have always been active. I was a runner for years. In the late eighties I had a surgery with a lengthy recuperation. At that time I also ran into an old friend who had just had his hips replaced after a lifetime of running. I gave up running, decided to get back in shape on my old college ten speed Raleigh, and hence became a cyclist. I was raising two kids then and the rides were all less than one hour, just in the neighborhood. Kids grow, and they needed a dad less and less, so I began to ride more and more. I got a new bike, then another new bike. Now I ride a Davidson, ride several thousands of miles a year, lead rides as a ride leader for Cascade, and, when I have the money, go bike touring. I have toured in New Zealand, and Canada, and the USA. One of my greatest joys today is when I can share the joy I find in cycling with a new rider.

Davey Oil

Wheels: “Ruby” the custom Raleigh Twenty folding cargo bike
Commute: 2.7 miles from home on Beacon Hill to work at Bike Works in Columbia City, 10.5 miles from Beacon Hill to Cascade Bicycle Club in Sand Point

Born and raised in car-friendly Long Island, New York Davey grew into a car-busing cyclist as a natural response to his environment. He took to the roads on his own power at age 4 on a black and yellow “He-Man, Master of the Universe” branded plastic three wheeler. It roared! Today, Davey is 30 years old and still doesn’t have a driver’s license. He is a proud participant in Seattle Critical Mass, a founding member of The Bikery’s collective steering committee, a rider with the Cargo Bikers, Point 83’s Slow Sundays and now works as Program Assistant at Columbia City, teaching cycling and bike repair.

In addition to being a friendly know-it-all on all matters Bike and Bike Politics, Davey is also a cartoonist and self-publisher, a video-collage artist and copyright activist, and a lover of animals and children.

Robin Randels

Wheels: 1960’s Pagnini Italian road bike, 1996 Gary Fisher hybrid commuter
Commute: 8 miles from Phinney Ridge on the scenic Burke-Gilman Trail
Favorite Rides: Discovery Park - Magnolia loop via Golden Gardens and the locks; Lincoln Park via Myrytle Edwards and Alki Beach; Seward Park through the arboretum with a stop at the Essential Bakery. All reminders of why we live in Seattle!
Most Memorable Rides: Piedmont, Italy, Loire Valley, France
Favorite things: All kinds of partner dance, cross-country skiing, gardening, food, wine and travel, preferably on a bike.

Robin is a Washington native. She attended Western Washington State College and later the University of Washington. She lives on Phinney Ridge with her husband and children, a cat and some fish.

During the 80s, she owned a restaurant called Guido’s Pizza, was married, bought a house (which she and her husband are still remodeling) and had two children (Mikaila and Nicola). In 2000, the pizzeria was sold and Robin went into “retirement”.

The travel years ensued, with a trip to Buenos Aires (in pursuit of her passion for the tango), a bicycle trip (her other passion) to the Loire valley and other trips to various world destinations.

In 2003, after mostly riding solo (or pulling small children on a trailing bike) and trying to (unsuccessfully) keep up with her racer- type friends, she joined all of the bike clubs in town for fun and the social scene (and to fix flats and find the way home). That was the riding year. She spent 4 or 5 days a week participating in recreational rides and events in order to train for the Seattle to Portland bike ride which she has now accomplished four times; twice as a one -day rider.

Robin came out of retirement in 2007 by answering an ad for “Bicycle Ambassador” on the Cascade website and was hired. It seemed like a perfect fit, as she had already been “ambassadoring” by encouraging her friends and neighbors to dust off their old bikes and get out riding on the weekends. Since then she can be found at various events around the area sporting the yellow ambassador t-shirt and chatting with people about all things “bike”. Robin is a full-time bike commuter and thoroughly enjoys her freedom from the automobile.

Tom Taaffe

Home town: White Plains New York,
Current home: Burien.
First bike: Sears J.C. Higgins complete with built in shock absorber, headlight and horn.
Favorite places to cycle: The Burien Loops - failing that the Colorado Rockies.
Why I do it: Just imagine crossing a 10,000'+ mountain pass on a bike. Even the less spectacular rides provide fantastic scenery and a great workout.
Why I teach: To share the above.

Bret Torbeck

Bret Torbeck cannot remember a time in his life when he wasn’t riding a bike for transportation or pleasure. His primary occupation is as a freelance theatrical stage manager, which affords him the opportunity to travel a great deal and live in a variety of cities. He used to travel with his Bridgestone RB-T, but now carries his Rodriguez UTB with him everywhere he goes. Favorite rides include the commute from Ballard to downtown (there are so many ways to do it, it never gets boring) and the 70-mile roundtrip from Boulder to Estes Park, CO. Highlights from 2008 include the RAW Tour of the Volcanoes, daily trips up the coast while working in San Diego this fall, and riding up the Sandia Crest above Albuquerque, NM. At Cascade, he has enjoyed volunteering for the Education Foundation fitting helmets and doing bicycle maintenance for the past five years. For the past two summers, he has also served as an ambassador.

Mark Vohr

Mark is from Massachusetts and been in Seattle since 1991. He has been a League Cycling Instructor since 2005. Mark raced as a Cat. III, taught skiing for 25 years and brings to cycling instruction a great deal of experience teaching sports to persons of all levels of ability. He loves to see people learn and have fun. Mark's favorite bike was a Raliegh three speed he got for Christmas in... well it was a long time ago, but his first real racing bike was a 1984 Trek 760, which he still has and you may get to see if you attend one of his classes. Like many cycling enthusiasts, Mark's collection of bikes does not stop at just one. He has a Serotta road bike, along with touring, commuting, and track bikes. When he’s not riding, Mark works as an attorney with a downtown lawfirm and cycles regularly to work from his home in Shoreline. He also enjoys cooking, ice skating, hiking, and plays a mean guitar.

Sara Whitney

Sara was born and raised in the Northwest and decided to stay around Olympia for college after returning from a year abroad in Hungary. Once she was done with school at Evergreen State College, she moved to Hawaii to race with the cars as a bike messenger. Although not her very first bike, her fondest memories are of a hand-me-down Redline BMX with gold rims and a #7 racing plate. Unfortunately, it was stolen and now Sara cruises around on a single speed Bianchi fully equipped with broomsticks for optimal efficiency. It is on her trusted broom-bicycle that she commutes to her job with at-risk youth as a counselor in Burien. She definitely has to thank her mom for being such a positive influence on a bike. She can only hope she pass on the inspiration she finds while riding to others. When she isn’t working, Sara enjoys her friends, family, games and all sorts of yummy beer.

Dustin Wood

Wheels: Easy Racers Tour Easy (recumbent), Soma Smoothie ES, Surly Big Dummy (cargo bike)
Commute: 5 miles each way
Pets: a tuxedo cat named Argon and a German Shorthaired Pointer named Baxter

Dusty grew up in Seattle bicycling as long as he can remember. He started commuting by bicycle while attending Garfield High School. He has been a mechanic in transportation for most of his career. Starting with BMW cars, then dabbling in buses for King County Metro, he is currently one of the first electro-mechanics on the new Link Light Rail system for Seattle. In addition, he maintains his own bikes. He got involved with teaching classes for CBC to share his knowledge of cycling as well as to improve the cycling experience for everyone. When his schedule allows, he enjoys long distance bicycling. Such events include Chilly Hilly, STP, RAMROD, and numerous events in the Randonneuring (self-supported) category. Fun fact, Dusty met his wife while teaching a CBC class! Other interests include music, hiking, home improvements, and collecting postage stamps.

HOME KIDS & TEENS HELMETS & SAFETY COMMUTING CLASSES MAPS & RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY
CLASSES Riding Classes Maintenance Classes Commuter Classes Free Classes Instructors Class Calendar	Instructors Ellen Aagaard Jim Albers Scott Kralik Bob Miller Davey Oil Robin Randels Tom Taaffe Bret Torbeck Mark Vohr Sara Whitney Dustin Wood Ellen Aagaard, Mom, Pedestrian & Bike Advocate, Volunteer Wheels: Co-motion Americano; Co-motion Periscope Tandem Commute: Wherever the day's meetings take me. Favorite ride: Recent cycle tour from Seattle to Whitefish, MT with Sylvie & Kirk. I have 3 kids: Sylvie (7), Kirk (11) & Ben (15). My interest in bike & pedestrian advocacy began with a commitment to walking & cycling to school. Every day I feel reconnected to my kids, their schools, our neighborhood and neighbors because we share the walk or ride together. I love the independence and competence my kids have because they walk & cycle (and the independence I have because I don't have to drive them everywhere!) I enjoy teaching folks to ride, whether balancing a bike for the first time, learning to negotiate a four-way-stop, or making a tricky left turn. Good cycling education is about decision making, communication, the interface between your body, the bike, the street....and those sharing the street with you. Currently I'm also: working to become mechanically independent (with a dozen bikes in the family there are plenty of repairs to practice on), volunteering with several school reading programs, figuring out how to cycle tour through Jasper, Banff, Waterton and North Dakota next summer and still keep my garden going, married to a very understanding man with one of the coolest bikes in Seattle ( '92 Tamarack long & low on 26" wheels). Jim Albers When I was in second grade in Japan, a high-school Japanese kid had the first racing bike I'd ever seen, it had toe clips and drop bars and 10 speeds and it was SO COOL. He let me ride it. I was too short to reach the bottoms of the pedals, but I'd push off from a step on a slight downhill and kick the pedals as they came around to keep going. It's been love ever since. When I moved to Redmond from Minnesota a few years ago, I ditched my beat up fixed gear cyclo-cross bike that I used in winter commuting and replaced it with my first mountain bike (Giant Rainier) that I love to ride in the Redmond area and up in the Cascades. The "Thrilla" route goes right by my house, on the Puget Sound power line trail so I ride that a lot up into the Redmond Watershed and loop back on the pipeline trail and Burke-Gilman. I have my "truck": a heavy duty touring/commuting bike that I hope to do a transcontinental ride on in the next year or two. For now, the truck is for daily use, night riding, and bad weather. On nice days, I get out my "sports car", a Klein Quantum that I've had for years, but haven't worn out yet. For my day job, I'm a consulting software engineer with expertise in embedded medical and robotics applications. I help companies re-engineer and improve R&D software so they can sell and support it as a profitable product. I first found James Forester's Effective Cycling book when I was in college 30 years ago, and have ridden by its principles since then. Now I have a chance to teach what has helped me so much. We all need to do something to help reduce global climate change. This is my small-mouse way to share something I love and try to get more folks to enjoy commuting on their bikes for health, for joy, and for saving the planet. Hope to see you in class! Scott Kralik Not long ago, Scott sold his car and now gets around entirely by bike (a Brompton folder), public transit, and the occasional ride from friends, but he wasn't always a kook. Like a lot of folks, he mostly gave up biking at age 16, when he got his drivers' license. Bit by bit, he returned to biking, starting while he was working for a non-profit arts organization in DC; he became a year-round bike commuter because he couldn't afford a car. On summer Thursday nights, he went on a Potomac Pedalers social bike ride that, after he moved to Seattle, inspired him to start the Gas Works Thursday Social, which he and his friend Jack Tomkinson co-led for 10 years and which Scott has since led solo. In the mid 90s, someone with Cascade got the bright idea to assemble ride-leader guidelines more extensive than the one-page introduction that the club had been using, and after a few brainstorming sessions with several Cascade ride leaders, Scott wrote the guidelines (PDF) that the club still uses Scott found biking religion while traveling for eleven weeks in China in the fall of 2007. He finally grasped that the billion or more Chinese who don't already drive have as much right to own a car as he does, and, in a hopeless effort to change the world's perception of what constitutes the American Dream, he all but stopped driving and went shopping for a folding bike like the ones he'd seen in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Hoping to encourage others to drive less by helping them become more comfortable riding in the city, he took the League of American Bicyclists instructor training, and started teaching Cascade classes in riding with confidence and urban cycling techniques. In his wildest dreams, biking becomes so common that entire lanes in downtown Seattle are given over to bike lanes. Bob Miller I am that strange person, a local. Born in Seattle, I attended elementary school here and junior high and high school on Mercer Island. I went to college in Los Angeles where I majored in history and German. I was lucky in that during high school I got to spend a year in Germany as an exchange student. I went to Bremen, which is flat as a pancake and where a bicycle is the major form of transportation. I saw people dressed in office clothing ride to work; in other words, I saw a bike as transportation, not just a fun toy. The center of town was car-free: just pedestrians, bikes and street cars. It changed my attitude about quite a few things. I have always been active. I was a runner for years. In the late eighties I had a surgery with a lengthy recuperation. At that time I also ran into an old friend who had just had his hips replaced after a lifetime of running. I gave up running, decided to get back in shape on my old college ten speed Raleigh, and hence became a cyclist. I was raising two kids then and the rides were all less than one hour, just in the neighborhood. Kids grow, and they needed a dad less and less, so I began to ride more and more. I got a new bike, then another new bike. Now I ride a Davidson, ride several thousands of miles a year, lead rides as a ride leader for Cascade, and, when I have the money, go bike touring. I have toured in New Zealand, and Canada, and the USA. One of my greatest joys today is when I can share the joy I find in cycling with a new rider. Davey Oil Wheels: “Ruby” the custom Raleigh Twenty folding cargo bike Commute: 2.7 miles from home on Beacon Hill to work at Bike Works in Columbia City, 10.5 miles from Beacon Hill to Cascade Bicycle Club in Sand Point Born and raised in car-friendly Long Island, New York Davey grew into a car-busing cyclist as a natural response to his environment. He took to the roads on his own power at age 4 on a black and yellow “He-Man, Master of the Universe” branded plastic three wheeler. It roared! Today, Davey is 30 years old and still doesn’t have a driver’s license. He is a proud participant in Seattle Critical Mass, a founding member of The Bikery’s collective steering committee, a rider with the Cargo Bikers, Point 83’s Slow Sundays and now works as Program Assistant at Columbia City, teaching cycling and bike repair. In addition to being a friendly know-it-all on all matters Bike and Bike Politics, Davey is also a cartoonist and self-publisher, a video-collage artist and copyright activist, and a lover of animals and children. Robin Randels Wheels: 1960’s Pagnini Italian road bike, 1996 Gary Fisher hybrid commuter Commute: 8 miles from Phinney Ridge on the scenic Burke-Gilman Trail Favorite Rides: Discovery Park - Magnolia loop via Golden Gardens and the locks; Lincoln Park via Myrytle Edwards and Alki Beach; Seward Park through the arboretum with a stop at the Essential Bakery. All reminders of why we live in Seattle! Most Memorable Rides: Piedmont, Italy, Loire Valley, France Favorite things: All kinds of partner dance, cross-country skiing, gardening, food, wine and travel, preferably on a bike. Robin is a Washington native. She attended Western Washington State College and later the University of Washington. She lives on Phinney Ridge with her husband and children, a cat and some fish. During the 80s, she owned a restaurant called Guido’s Pizza, was married, bought a house (which she and her husband are still remodeling) and had two children (Mikaila and Nicola). In 2000, the pizzeria was sold and Robin went into “retirement”. The travel years ensued, with a trip to Buenos Aires (in pursuit of her passion for the tango), a bicycle trip (her other passion) to the Loire valley and other trips to various world destinations. In 2003, after mostly riding solo (or pulling small children on a trailing bike) and trying to (unsuccessfully) keep up with her racer- type friends, she joined all of the bike clubs in town for fun and the social scene (and to fix flats and find the way home). That was the riding year. She spent 4 or 5 days a week participating in recreational rides and events in order to train for the Seattle to Portland bike ride which she has now accomplished four times; twice as a one -day rider. Robin came out of retirement in 2007 by answering an ad for “Bicycle Ambassador” on the Cascade website and was hired. It seemed like a perfect fit, as she had already been “ambassadoring” by encouraging her friends and neighbors to dust off their old bikes and get out riding on the weekends. Since then she can be found at various events around the area sporting the yellow ambassador t-shirt and chatting with people about all things “bike”. Robin is a full-time bike commuter and thoroughly enjoys her freedom from the automobile. Tom Taaffe Home town: White Plains New York, Current home: Burien. First bike: Sears J.C. Higgins complete with built in shock absorber, headlight and horn. Favorite places to cycle: The Burien Loops - failing that the Colorado Rockies. Why I do it: Just imagine crossing a 10,000'+ mountain pass on a bike. Even the less spectacular rides provide fantastic scenery and a great workout. Why I teach: To share the above. Bret Torbeck Bret Torbeck cannot remember a time in his life when he wasn’t riding a bike for transportation or pleasure. His primary occupation is as a freelance theatrical stage manager, which affords him the opportunity to travel a great deal and live in a variety of cities. He used to travel with his Bridgestone RB-T, but now carries his Rodriguez UTB with him everywhere he goes. Favorite rides include the commute from Ballard to downtown (there are so many ways to do it, it never gets boring) and the 70-mile roundtrip from Boulder to Estes Park, CO. Highlights from 2008 include the RAW Tour of the Volcanoes, daily trips up the coast while working in San Diego this fall, and riding up the Sandia Crest above Albuquerque, NM. At Cascade, he has enjoyed volunteering for the Education Foundation fitting helmets and doing bicycle maintenance for the past five years. For the past two summers, he has also served as an ambassador. Mark Vohr Mark is from Massachusetts and been in Seattle since 1991. He has been a League Cycling Instructor since 2005. Mark raced as a Cat. III, taught skiing for 25 years and brings to cycling instruction a great deal of experience teaching sports to persons of all levels of ability. He loves to see people learn and have fun. Mark's favorite bike was a Raliegh three speed he got for Christmas in... well it was a long time ago, but his first real racing bike was a 1984 Trek 760, which he still has and you may get to see if you attend one of his classes. Like many cycling enthusiasts, Mark's collection of bikes does not stop at just one. He has a Serotta road bike, along with touring, commuting, and track bikes. When he’s not riding, Mark works as an attorney with a downtown lawfirm and cycles regularly to work from his home in Shoreline. He also enjoys cooking, ice skating, hiking, and plays a mean guitar. Sara Whitney Sara was born and raised in the Northwest and decided to stay around Olympia for college after returning from a year abroad in Hungary. Once she was done with school at Evergreen State College, she moved to Hawaii to race with the cars as a bike messenger. Although not her very first bike, her fondest memories are of a hand-me-down Redline BMX with gold rims and a #7 racing plate. Unfortunately, it was stolen and now Sara cruises around on a single speed Bianchi fully equipped with broomsticks for optimal efficiency. It is on her trusted broom-bicycle that she commutes to her job with at-risk youth as a counselor in Burien. She definitely has to thank her mom for being such a positive influence on a bike. She can only hope she pass on the inspiration she finds while riding to others. When she isn’t working, Sara enjoys her friends, family, games and all sorts of yummy beer. Dustin Wood Wheels: Easy Racers Tour Easy (recumbent), Soma Smoothie ES, Surly Big Dummy (cargo bike) Commute: 5 miles each way Pets: a tuxedo cat named Argon and a German Shorthaired Pointer named Baxter Dusty grew up in Seattle bicycling as long as he can remember. He started commuting by bicycle while attending Garfield High School. He has been a mechanic in transportation for most of his career. Starting with BMW cars, then dabbling in buses for King County Metro, he is currently one of the first electro-mechanics on the new Link Light Rail system for Seattle. In addition, he maintains his own bikes. He got involved with teaching classes for CBC to share his knowledge of cycling as well as to improve the cycling experience for everyone. When his schedule allows, he enjoys long distance bicycling. Such events include Chilly Hilly, STP, RAMROD, and numerous events in the Randonneuring (self-supported) category. Fun fact, Dusty met his wife while teaching a CBC class! Other interests include music, hiking, home improvements, and collecting postage stamps.

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