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Meet Your Guide
Ben Thompson
| | Ben Thompson started mountain biking during college in Eugene, OR, vacationing routinely to the sweet trails snaking around Bend. After a stint in Seattle to give the 9-5'er a shot, he moved to Bend or take advantage of the great trails and outdoor lifestyle. Ben has been involved in the local cycling scene since arriving and is looking forward to sharing his local trail knowledge and dedication to singletrack. He prefers the long epic XC rides around Metolius-Windigo, Oakridge and McKenzie River to train for mountain bike stage racing. Having raced TransAlp and La Ruta de Los Conquistadors, he's constantly looking for the next epic race to test mind, body and bike! |  | | Chris Bowman | Chris has been involved in the bicycle industry for almost 20 years, having worked for a few of the top bicycle dealers in Colorado, Utah, and Oregon. He spent a few years as a sales representative for a regional bicycle parts distributor, and was the NW territory manager for GT Bicycles. He has finally found his niche in guiding bike tours all over the continent, spending each season following the good riding conditions from Bend, Oregon to Moab, Utah, to Baja California Sur, Mexico. He specializes in organizing and guiding our multi-day backcountry trips. When he's not out riding the mountain or road bike Chris enjoys windsurfing, kiteboarding, telemark skiing, and spending time with his faithful, four-legged companion Ginger.
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| | Erika Schmid | | Erika Schmid rode her first mountain bike in 1989 and she has been a self-described "extremely enthusiastic recreational rider" ever since. Erika first hit Central Oregon dirt, both figuratively and literally, in 1994. She has over 10 years of experience guiding mountain bike tours in the high deserts and mountains in and around the greater Bend area. As a high school science school teacher, Erika brags that she has been riding longer than her students have been multicellular life-forms. Not to outdone by the young whipper-snappers she teaches, Erika has embraced the new wave of free-riding mountain biking. Ms. Schmid enjoys the billing, "Most Extreme Teacher" at her school. This doesn’t mean, however, that she isn’t up tp a whole day epic on her cross-country bike. |  | J Johansen
| | J is not afraid to admit it, he likes to ride bikes. Growing up near the local BMX track, riding bikes was a big part of his life. He started coming to play in Central Oregon in 1989, and moved here in 1999. In addition to mountain bike guiding and working at the Mt Bachelor, a life long fascination with craftsmanship and searching for the ever elusive "perfection" has led him to being a bootmaker. Sharing his enthusiasm for outdoor sports and pouring his energy into handmade boots, he enjoys an ideal balance. www.rideherd.com
|  | Jason Meyer
| | Jason wins the prize for Cog Wilds tallest guide. At 6’6” he is easy to spot on or off the trail. Jason has had a passion for bicycles for the past thirty years. He purchased his first mountain bike in 1990, and he has been searching for new singletrack every since. As an Oregon native he takes pride in learning trail systems all over the state. From Ashland to Hood River Jason is learning new singletrack so he can show other people the beauty that Oregon has to offer. | 
| | Kirin Styker | Kirin is a middle school science teacher who loves to guide tours during her summers off from school. She gets all excited about the natural history of Oregon and is always game to stop and check out the critters or scenic overlooks. Her favorite rides are those that end at a good swimming hole.
|  | | Lindsey Voreis | | Lindsey Voreis grew up in Portland, Oregon where outdoor activities were just part of the daily routine. For most of her life her family spent Summer and Winter vacations in beautiful Bend, Oregon where she spent her time riding horses, skiing, snowboarding and riding her bike. Currently Lindsey does all the marketing and PR for her husband, pro mountain bike legend Kirt Voreis, and his Santa Cruz Syndicate Allride Tour. Lindsey is very enthusiastic about sharing her love of the sport with anyone who wants to ride, especially when they want to ride around her now hometown of Bend. | 
| Patrick Ramirez
| Patrick got his first mountain bike in 1992 when he was living and going to school in Chicago; Mountain Biking quickly became his favorite activity. Soon it was clear that a change of address was in order to more completely explore this new obsession. Patrick decided to move to Boulder, Colorado where the  riding is plentiful and the weather is fine. After watching the traffic increase on the trails as well as on the roads over the course of his five year residency, Patrick packed up and moved to beautiful Bend, Oregon where the trails are endless and the people are friendly. He has been riding & residing here for the last 9 1/2 years. When he is not riding one of his bikes, Patrick also enjoys spending time with his fiancee', Kathryn, hiking with the dogs, gardening and doing projects around the house. | | | | Seth Graham | Seth is a single-track junkie. Originally from Pennsylvania, his first love was classic east coast rides that were wet, rocky, and root-filled. His riding adventures have traversed seventeen states, all while he pursued his other love, teaching. Skinny, fast trails landed him in Oregon in 2002. Seth teaches third grade and is involved with youth bike education and community awareness programs in Central Oregon. He is also an avid snowboarder and cross-country skier. Seth has been guiding a wide range of bike riders, with various ability levels for five seasons.
|  | Steph Uetrecht
| Steph started seeking out mountain bike trails around the Purdue campus back in Indiana in 1989. Racing in Indiana peaked her interest too.The mountain biking fun hasn’t stopped since moving to Bend, Oregon in 1995. Mountain bike racing has tapered a bit but the love of dirt has thrived and so has the love of cyclocross. Also, Steph has been a member of the local Commute Options Working Group for over 12 years. Through this group Steph helps teach local bicycle safety education during the school year for local 5th and 6th graders teaching them proper bike handling skills on the road as well as off road. | 
| | Woody Starr | Woody Starr has been biking in Bend since 1991 when Phil's canyon was a narrow ribbon of single track nobody knew about. Since then, the Bend cycling scene has grown world-famous but Woody still appreciates and knows how to find the lesser-known trails. Woody is now Chairman of the Board of the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) and maintains a strong connection to the cycling community as a whole. Balancing time between family, COTA and Cog Wild is a trick but Woody loves showing newcomers and visitors all the goods Central Oregon has to offer!
|  | | More guides to follow... |
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