THE 2025 TERAVAIL TEAM
January 15, 2025

We’re proud to announce a new athlete team for 2025. Each of these ten riders brings something special to their riding communities (and ours). Take a moment to meet the crew below and stay tuned for their stories, tech tips, race reports, and more.

Hannah Simon
Location: Austin, TX
About: I'm a queer, femme, ultra-endurance cyclist who is happiest traveling the world by bike! I was a mechanic and bike shop manager for many years, and now I work part time at Chumba USA as a production assistant making bike frames and part time as a barista slinging espresso. Most of my cycling is long-distance racing in remote areas, though when I am back home it is one of my most social activities. Bikes have brought many of my favorite people into my life and taken me to places I never imagined I'd go. Two trends that I hope continue to be true as I continue to pursue riding bikes!
Memorable Ride (or Race): The 2024 Silk Road Mountain Race in Kyrgyzstan will stick with me for years to come. While being some of the most challenging terrain, the route is so stunning that it makes all of the struggle worth it. The Krygyz people are extremely welcoming despite the language barrier and their hospitality is unmatched. While I would typically hesitate when asked if I'd do a race again, I'm certain I'll go back to Kyrgyzstan someday.
Favorite Teravail Tire: Though I'm typically mountain biking, my OG favorite is the 700 x 47 Cannonball. Tried and true.

Jalen Bazile
Location: Denver, CO
About: Jalen is a facilitator, organizer, and outdoorsman who is dedicated to creating spaces that welcome and affirm Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. His background is in outdoor education and positive youth development and he supports and mentors young people for a number of youth organizations. Jalen organizes nature-based community events in Colorado and specializes in activities such as climbing, cycling, and overnight trips. In addition, Jalen is the founder of Travl Wide, a bikepacking outfitter that helps people develop their relationships with themselves, their community, and the land around them. He has a love for all things nature-based and is passionate about connecting people with the natural world.
Memorable Ride (or Race): Baja Divide (2018) - What happens in Baja, stays in Baja.
Favorite Teravail Tire: 47mm Washburn!

Steve Bate MBE
Location: West Yorkshire, England, Planet Earth
About: I’m 6’ 2” New Zealander based in the UK racing bikes for a living, whose interests are wild bike packing adventures in winter conditions and messing about in my workshop making thing from wood. And messing around with my dog Murphy!
Memorable Ride (or Race): I attempted the Highland Trail 550 a couple of years go in the worst winter in Scotland for 30 years! I ended up having to bail with frost bite, aside from that, it was an amazing time pushing myself to the absolute limit in a beautifully wild place.
Favorite Teravail Tire: Probably going against the grain here, but I’m a fan of the Telegraph.

Jill Martindale
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
About: Eternally optimistic, I find myself unable to pick my favorite type of riding. I love being able to mix up terrain between bike paths, alleyways, singletrack, and the occasional (okay, more often than occasional) bushwhack or water crossing. I enjoy running errands or commuting by bike when I can, squeezing in a ride whenever I can, and sharing snacks at bike events. I love living in Michigan where we get a variety of seasons and weather, so I can ride gravel, dirt, groomed winter trails, and bikepack all year round. If you're my friend, I'm most likely trying to drag you on some sort of adventure or encouraging you to sign up for a race.
Memorable Ride (or Race): The Fargo Sub-48 is one of my favorite events each year because it's a great big slumber party on bikes! The event organizers and volunteers figure out all the logistics for you, so all you have to do is bring yourself and your rolling suitcase (aka your bike + gear). It's perfect for any type of rider and I love the laid-back atmosphere of the weekend! My husband, Dan, and I have been to most of the Fargo Sub-48s and have hilarious memories of getting lost or going on night rides throughout the years. One year we constructed a trailer and brought our 65lb lab mix, Oso! I hadn't realized pulling a dog that hated riding in a trailer would be so hard up the hills, but it was exhausting! By the time we finally made it to camp, a food truck was slinging pizzas and Oso ate his weight in pie. I wouldn't do that again but I'm so glad we have that memory!
Favorite Teravail Tire: It really depends on which bike I am riding, but the Ehline is one of my favorites when it comes to mountain biking and bikepacking! The fast-rolling tread also grips and helps me to remain confident in all sorts of conditions. I've run this tire on a single-speed Timberjack, the Spearfish in a 200-mile mountain bike race, and on my Cutthroat loaded with gear, and it's performed great on all of them.

Brian Geshel
Location: Marquette, MI
About: I love riding and racing my bike no matter what time of year, although fat bike and cyclocross are probably my favorite racing disciplines. I also enjoy bikepacking and adventure riding with friends, and I'm always looking for new routes and places to explore on two wheels. With all the incredible trail systems and wilderness that Marquette and the rest of the U.P. have to offer, I definitely feel spoiled sometimes. When I'm not on my bike, I love spending time with my wonderful wife and son and playing guitar in a couple of different bands.
Memorable Ride (or Race): A winter overnight last year with teammates Matt Acker and Evan Simula. It was only 60 miles round trip, but the forecast called for up to three feet of snow overnight. We decided to test fate. We made it to camp, but high winds and a barrage of snowfall set in shortly after and continued until morning. All we could do was laugh as we tried pushing — then carrying — our loaded bikes through the deep snow. We struggled for a half-hour to go one hundred feet, then decided we would walk together for a while to make a path, then walk back to the bikes and push them through the trench we'd made. There were a few low points, but we spent most of the time laughing and recounting stories of past adventures. Eight hours and 2.5 miles later, we found a plowed road that got us to camp, where we devoured burgers, beers, and maybe a little too much bourbon as we recounted our ordeal.
Favorite Teravail Tire: Rutland. I've used those tires for almost every gravel and cyclocross race/ride I've done since they have been in existence. It's just a great all-around tire for that kind of stuff.

Chelsea Strate
Location: Minneapolis, MN
About: I love bikes. They meant freedom when I wanted to see my friends across town when I was a kid, they meant transportation, fresh air and exercise when I was in high school and college, and now they are also my livelihood and my community. I've been racing bikes for almost 20 years now in various capacities, with a special love of winter fat biking and MTBing. I'm a new mom as of March of 2024, and I am enjoying learning how to be a parent and watching my little nugget grow into her own person. Balancing work, riding, training, family, and breastfeeding has been hard, but very rewarding. In the very little spare time that I have, baking pastries and bread (and eating them) also brings me joy.
Memorable Ride (or Race): Polar Roll in 2018 in the U.P. of Michigan, deemed the "Polar Stroll" that year because of the tough conditions with the amount of snow and ice they got the weeks and days leading up to the race. They groomed it the best they could, but three feet was a lot to wrangle! There was a long line of us hiking our bikes on the trail that had fallen apart due to the sheer amount of snow. With my Flowbeist and Dunderbeist tires and 100mm rims set up paired with super low pressure, I was actually able to ride some of it, so folks let me pass. People were quitting left and right, but I was enjoying the challenging conditions and the beautiful scenery. I love it when it gets weird out there. Temps were perfect, the sky was blue, and everything was covered in a thick layer of snow. The second half of the course was mostly rideable because so many people had quit, and I wasn't mad that the hardy few of us that kept going got to experience that. I think about that day often!
Favorite Teravail Tire: Kessel! I've never felt more confident navigating techy MTB trails than I do on this tire.

Nico Deportago-Cabrera
Location: Kickapoo, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Potawatomi, Myaamia Lands (Chicago, IL)
About: I started cycling when I was about 21 or 22 and I had no driver's license and needed a way to get around the city. It quickly turned from utility to a hobby to a lifestyle. I started working as a bike messenger in Chicago in 2008 and while I am no longer working on in the streets, the 12 years I spent as a courier shaped me as a cyclist.
Memorable Ride (or Race): Take me back to Greece any time. Any part of Greece. Did I mention how much I love cycling in Greece?

Evan Simula
Location: Marquette MI
About: I live in Marquette with my wife Grace and two kids Calvin and Maya. I manage a Bike and nordic ski shop Sportsrack. Outside of riding and racing I play music in a few local bands.
Memorable Ride (or Race): Most memorable would have to be the Rovaniemi 150k in the Finland up in the Arctic Circle. My Wife and I spent about a month in January there only on bikes to prepare/train for the race. Got to really explore a whole new landscape and culture.
Favorite Teravail Tire: Kessel

Jamie Bestwick
Location: State College PA
About: Team USA National BMX Freestyle Coach - 13x X Games Gold Medalist - 10x Dew Tour Champion - Coach of Olympic Gold, Silver and Bronze medals - Laureus Action sports person of the year.
Memorable Ride (or Race): MidSouth 2023. This is truly my favorite race of the year and has the best community and atmosphere at any gravel race I have been to. The day could not have gone any better and rode my way to 2nd place in my age group. It was so special and I truly enjoyed every mile.
Favorite Teravail Tire: The Cannonball in a 42mm. It is such a great all conditions tire and I have had some memorable rides. Whether it be road, gravel, wet or dry, it is just a great performing tire and has withstood all types of gravel terrain.

Matt Acker
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
About: I scratch out a living doing all things bikes; professional athlete, event promoter, coach and route creator. I prefer to spend my time outside whether it's biking, hiking, trail building or just doing chores around the property. For downtime i enjoy having beers with friends, sitting around a campfire or just listening to music and petting the dog.
Memorable Ride (or Race): Bikepacking the Baja Divide with my wife Jenny. Doing nothing but pedaling, eating and sleeping for over a month was probably the best experience i've ever had on a bike!