Tour Members
Story Graves - This Adventure Was Her Big Idea
Trip Co-Leader
Story joined Rivendell Academy 3 years ago as a special educator and brought her love of cycling with her. A veteran of three student bike tours from Bennington, VT to Montreal during her time at Mount Anthony Union HS, she thought that Rivendell students would jump at the chance to experience this life changing adventure.
Story’s favorite cycling memories are from her cross-country (yes, she rode across the United States) adventure after college and from taking students from Bennington to Montreal.
She is excited to watch students achieve things they never thought they could and is looking forward to tons of fun with colleagues and students.
First Bike: A Big Wheel. Story rode it down her neighbor’s driveway that was a huge hill. Her first real bike was a hand-me-down from her brothers. It was green with a white banana seat and she loved riding it to her friend’s house down the road.
Favorite Quote: “Story, downhills are actually worse than up hills! This is scary!” 16 year old who learned to ride a bike 2 months before riding on a 600-mile trip.
Story Collects: Happy memories.
Kirsten Surprenant - Trip Co-Leader and British Royal Family Historical Consultant
While this is her first cycling tour she has been cycling since 2005, has competed in over 24 triathlons, and is a 2014 finisher of Ironman Mont Tremblant. She has been teaching social studies at Rivendell Academy since the beginning of the district and loves teaching global studies.
Kirsten feels blessed with this opportunity to bring the love and power of endurance sports to high school students. She did skip the training ride on Saturday, May 19th to watch the Royal Wedding. Twice.
First Bike: A red, white, and blue Sears bike with a white banana seat, chopper handlebars, and a front basket with flowers on it that she received for her 7th birthday.
Favorite Quote: "It never gets easier, you just go faster." Greg Lemond
Kirsten Collects: Snow Globes from every place she traveled.
Gail Keefer - Canadian Cultural Attaché
Veteran French teacher Gail Keefer used her bike as her main means of transportation in college. She rode it in all seasons. During the summer between her junior and senior year, she spent the summer cycling around Britain and Ireland where it rained the first 29 days. It was so great!
Gail’s excitement for this trip stems from the fact that she hasn’t done an overnight bike trip since she was in her 20’s. It is high time to get back on the road.
First Bike: Schwinn One Speed
Favorite Quote: Plus ça change, plus c’est la même!
Gail Collects: Yarn
Rachel Sanders - Chef of Chez Campground
Rivendell’s Biology teacher Rachel loves being outside and watching the scenery go by. Her best riding memory is riding the Bristol Bike Path in Rhode Island with her dad. They made it all the way to Providence and back.
She likes adventures with friends, camping, being outside, finding ways to fit in a group, and working with students. Rachel likes a good physical challenge and this trip sounds like tons of fun. She can’t wait! Her favorite memories are from adventures she has had so adding to that just makes sense.
First Bike: Rusty garage sale bike with banana seat with streamers on the handles. Prior to that she was the proud rider of a fire engine red trike.
Favorite Quote: "Mmmm forbidden donut…” Homer Simpson
Rachel Collects: According to her dad, she used to collect junk as a kid. Now she is mostly a purger but continues to collect unfinished projects.
Kerry (Doc) Browne - Logistics & Gear Magician
Kerry loves teaching Physics, launching weather balloons into space, and teaching students to play the Ukulele. He started to love cycling and riding through the woods and neighborhoods around his home in Kentucky. He and his friends would struggle up steep dirt bike trails then fly down without a care. He loves the thrill of riding fast downhill after a long slog of a climb. He also loved riding to the closest market village 23 miles away when he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana. Beating the local bus home from the market was a triumph!
Kerry hasn’t ridden much lately because of wrist and back pain. He is excited to try long distance riding in his shiny new recumbent trike. He never thought he’d be able to ride this far but is excited to try with the support of this team
First Bike: A dirt brown Huffy cruiser with a banana seat and coaster brakes.
Favorite Quote: “It’s a dangerous business…going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” Bilbo Baggins
Kerry Collects: Ukuleles and experiences
Laszlo Bardos – Master of Everything
Biking is Freedom! When Calculus teacher Laszlo rides he feels like a kid again. About two years ago, he went on his first bicycle tour with his son from their Vermont home to the Atlantic Ocean. He has been hooked on touring ever since. Having everything he needs on his bike and a beautiful green state to explore is one of his passions.
Laszlo loves the idea of sharing his passion with students. He hopes they won’t have to wait until they are 55 years old to fall in love with cycle touring.
First Bike: A slightly too big hand-me-down bike.
Favorite Quote: “Learn as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.”
Laszlo Collects: Dad jokes.
Rachel McConnell – Captain of Chill
Rachel is one of Rivendell’s superstar math teachers. She loves that cycling is faster than walking and that it never forces her to parallel park.
She is excited about going on an adventure with a group of delightful humans.
Favorite Quote: “We can’t all and some of us don’t. That’s all there is to it.” Eeyore – A.A. Milne
Rachel Collects: Stationery
Emily Barbour – Graduating Senior, West Fairlee, VT
When she was younger she used to bike all the time and she wants to have that feeling back.
She is excited to on this trip for many reasons. First, she wants to lose weight. Second, she wants to go on an adventure and have lots of fun.
First Bike: a little pink bike with streamers and spoke decorations.
Zach Dexter – Junior, West Fairlee, VT
In addition to loving to play ice hockey, Zach loves biking because he can feel the wind in his hair.
This trip is exciting for him because it will be his first time traveling outside of the United States.
Favorite Quote: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretzky
Zach Collects: Hockey pucks. Hockey sticks. Hockey trading cards. In case you are wondering, Zach is a Boston Bruins fan.
Wyatt Guillette – Junior, Fairlee, VT
Muay Thai athlete Wyatt has loved to bike since he learned how to as a child. His best memory is biking in the Adirondacks with his father. This was one of his only times that he biked with his father.
He is very excited to bring his biking experience to the next level.
First Bike: Green Giant Mountain Bike
Favorite Quote: “Do one thing everyday that scares you.”
Wyatt Collects: He admits to being a recovering Pokemon Card Collector
Nolan Yvon - Junior, West Fairlee, VT
Nolan proudly sported a rocket ship bike when he was three or four. He learned how to ride on his lawn by coasting down a hill and pedaling at the end.
Going down hills as fast as possible and seeing how long it takes to stop is something he really likes about cycling. One of his best memories is riding a mountain bike through the woods.
He is excited about the trip because he gets to be away from home and gets to experience new places. He made the decision to join the trip after a friend convinced him.
First Bike: A rocket ship bike.
Nolan Collects: Good memories.
Maddie Weeks – Sophomore, Warren, NH
Maddie loves cycling through puddles not caring how dirty she gets.
She is really looking forward to the adventure that this trip will bring.
First Bike: Black and pink. All of the kids thought it looked like a motorcycle.
Favorite Quote: “Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” Lilo & Stitch
Maddie Collects: Nightmare Before Christmas stuff.
Sammie Beaupre - Freshman, Orford, NH
When Sammie was younger riding back from Indian Pond, her brakes would get so hot going down hills that she and her friend would have to pour water on them to cool them off. When she would hear the sizzling sound she said, “Where’s the bacon?”
Trying something new and her love of biking is what Sammie is looking forward to with this trip.
First Bike: Black and blue, maybe a princess bike?
Favorite Quote: “Treat people how you want to be treated.”
Sammie Collects: Rocks and stuffed animals.
Shannon Fleming - Graduating Senior, Orford, NH
Shannon started riding at a very young age and took off her training wheels by age 4. She remembers riding down River Road in Orford and her dad told her that a moth had hitched a ride on her shoulder! She was terribly frightened...
Shannon is excited to ride and camp with everyone as well as explore Quebec City.
First Bike: Little blue bike with a blue and pink basket featuring a butterfly.
Favorite Quote: "You pile up enough tomorrows and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays."
Shannon Collects: Ticks.
Sarah Parenti - Graduating Senior, Orford, NH
Sarah's best bike ride ever was a last minute outing with her best friends. They rode the Orford/Lyme/Thetford/Fairlee/Orford loop taking their time with little races in between. None of them were very experienced cyclists but they had a great time.
This trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity! How many people can say they've ridden 600+ miles on a bike in two weeks? Sarah is so excited to make new connections with students and teachers before going off to college.
First Bike: Purple with white tires, rainbow streamers, and a white basket with pink and purple ribbons.
Favorite Quote: "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes." Walt Whitman
Sarah Collects: Sarah has recently started collecting baseball caps.
Pic still to come!
Owen Mansur - Freshman, West Fairlee, VT
Owen's first bike was a space-ship themed blue bike. There were flowing streamers from the handle bars until Owen's dog ate the streamers on the right hand grip.
Riding with Nolan through the woods over Robinson Hill and getting caked in mud was one of Owen's best rides ever. He was so dirty that his mom sent him to one of their rental properties nearby to clean up.
Owen is excited about the Quebec City trip because he wants to be able to look back on this adventure as a really cool experience.
First Bike: The aforementioned "space ship" bike.
Owen Collects: Pictures