BIO
Clayton Fenwick Mason
Age: 24
Hometown: Springfield, Missouri
Born into an Army family, Clay is no stranger to travel. Having moved across the United States, to Europe and back before the tender age of 10, it’s no wonder why he has trouble being stationary. After spending a great deal of time on top of the great Ozark Mountain Plateau, Clay headed westward to Boulder, CO, in pursuit of good snow and a change of scenery. It was there that he found both, as well the three young lads accompanying him on this journey. It was also in Colorado where he was first introduced to the cycling culture, and saw firsthand the symbiotic relationship that can take place between cyclist and motorist with proper city planning.
Clay moved back to Missouri in 2007 to complete his degree in Digital Film Production and currently resides in Kansas City. He sees this journey as an amazing opportunity to spend what is sure to be an unforgettable summer alongside three close friends, while helping to better the lives of determined entrepreneurs throughout the developing world.
Aidan McHenry Payson
Age: 24
Hometown: Freeport, ME
Born into the iron clutches of one frigid Maine December morning, Aidan has always had a passion for whining. As a child, he spent years throwing tantrums over simple household chores. Just getting to practice for various sports teams or out the door for a long walk would elicit a stream of the countless injustices being put against him. After graduating high school, Aidan followed a love for mountains westward to the Rockies and Boulder, Colorado. There his whining took a hit.
Plagued by wonderful friends, snow filled winters and the powerful high plain’s sun, his propensity for good old-fashioned complaining suffered tremendously. But upon graduating from the University of Colorado with a degree in Journalism ––yeah, newspapers, good one–– Aidan made the move to Portland, OR. It was there, along large amounts of coffee, rain, and a world headed down the crapper, he rediscovered his god given gift of grievance. So why then has he decided to embark on an arduous journey riddled with many physical and psychological difficulties? Because he’s gonna quit whining cold turkey. No training program. No reduced usage. Just off like a Band-Aid. Sorry team, you’re just going have to deal with the withdrawals.
BJ Kinsey
Age: 24
Hometown: The Village of Glen Ellyn, IL
Raised on steak, potatoes, and public pools, BJ was your quintessential product of the Midwest. While the suburbs of Chicago offered him a side yard and picket fence, the idea of varying topography and open space was all too alluring. After a couple trips out west, the University of Colorado was his obvious choice of relocation, due to two basic factors: a decent architecture program and mountains. Apparently some other people had a similar idea, and when they all found each other, the doors were kicked wide open.
Over the course of the next four years, this faction not only pursued the absolute best time ever, but the progression of thought and discovery as well. When it was time to move on, Brooklyn, New York came calling to him with a similar lure as Colorado, being the pursuit of architecture and the excitement of a foreign land. Now, with architecture on pause around the world, team “RIDE THE LIGHTNING!!!!” is really his only option to keep the dream alive.
Sam Woolf
Age: 23
Hometown: Westford, VT
In the small, rural town in of Westford, Vermont, young Samwise managed to escape the fate of his peers and grow to a whopping 5’10”. No one is terribly sure as to the actual cause of this midget-dom plaguing Westford, but speculation abounds. For lack of vehicular privileges, his rural town adolescence forced the youngster to ride his bicycle to friends’ houses, school, the general store, and anywhere else that he desired to be. This forced march left him with a rather salty taste for biking, so as soon as age 16 hit, it was 4 wheels or no wheels. Transplanting to the town of Boulder, Colorado (8 square miles surrounded by reality), the grown boy soon discovered a new found affinity for the two wheeled machine, and came to despise the around town drive. In this pedestrian friendly town biking was a blast – fast, fun, and exciting. Here, he met some fantastic folks who also loved the random adventure, simple pleasure, and a quest for experiences. Cue: Ride the Lightning 2009.
This tour shall be nothing out of the ordinary for the old fella, as he frequently finds himself in over his head, happily struggling to the surface in a figure-it-out-as-you-go approach. And most importantly, he hopes that his loathe for the bicycle will not recycle proceeding the tour…
“Inside all of us is fear
Inside all of us is adventure
Inside all of us is a wild thing”
