Hill Abell is a new member of the Salida trails community, but has been a passionate advocate for trails and trail users for over 30 years. Hill owned and operated a family of bike shops in Austin, TX, for 37 years before the mountain life and Salida’s abundant trail system compelled him and Laura, his wife, to make the move. Hill served 19 years on the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) board, was a member of the Texas Trails Advisory Committee for Texas Parks and Wildlife, and supported trail development and open space preservation as a member of the Austin Parks and Recreation Board.
John is a dedicated volunteer with a passion for making a positive impact. When he’s not behind the lens capturing the beauty of the outdoors as a photographer, you’ll find him exploring new cycling routes and soaking in the natural world. John’s commitment to volunteering and his love for outdoor adventures make him a great addition to the SMT team.
Rich joined SMT as Treasurer in 2022. He brings 15 years of professional experience in corporate and non-profit finance, passion for outdoor recreation, and love of the Salida community. He hopes to lend his skills to continue building a great organization and great, sustainable trails to be enjoyed by all.
Ruthie is a practicing attorney with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Her legal practice focuses on state regulatory and administrative law. Since moving to Salida in 2020 with her husband and son, she has enjoyed exploring the outstanding local trail system both on bike and foot.
Andrew Bascue is a Salida-based builder, project manager, and lifelong trail enthusiast who has called the Arkansas River Valley home for the past eight years. A dedicated user of the local trail system, he’s volunteered as a trail steward, and proudly guided visiting friends on his favorite loops. Andrew also coaches with the Salida Youth Cycling Program, where he’s watched his daughter grow from a strider bike to confidently tackling the skills park. With more than 15 years of leadership and project management experience in construction and business operations, he brings a collaborative, hands-on approach to supporting SMT’s mission of building, maintaining, and elevating Salida’s world-class trails for the entire community.
Brian Bergeler grew up riding rigid 26″ mountain bikes with toe clips on the rocky + rooty nightmare trails of Monte Sano Mountain in Huntsville, Alabama…and has the scars to prove it. His love of mountain bikes and trails (+ his wife) uprooted him from the East Coast and planted him in Colorado 15 years ago. He and his wife have called Salida home for the last six years. Brian’s background includes active transportation + trail planning, project management, nonprofit trail stewardship and a long history in the bicycle industry. Please don’t ask him about Toyota Land Cruisers, unless you have an hour or two to spare!
Austin is a thru-hiker turned business owner with a background in accounting and finance. He’s logged thousands of miles on trails around the world, including the AZT, Greater Patagonia Trail, Te Araroa and a yo-yo of the PCT. Now rooted in Salida with his wife Keely and their dog Murphy, Austin balances his time between trail running, mountain biking, and splitboarding while running Salida Mountain Sports and Steamboat Consulting, the financial services firm he founded.
Rachel Finkowski has been living and riding bikes in Salida for the last 5 years. Rachel is a social worker who is passionate about making our community better for everyone. She has worked in nonprofits for over a decade including as the director of a Chaffee County Nonprofit, The Alliance. Rachel’s day job is working in mental health, and she wholeheartedly believes that access to outdoors, movement and sunshine can help so many people in so many ways. It is an honor to steward this amazing trail system we have here in Salida. See you on the trail!
Maureen hails from Northern California and Carbondale and a career as a long distance trail planner. She currently provides consulting services to IMBA, Rails to Trails Conservancy and other bike/pedestrian/trail related organizations. For beer money she sometimes writes for Singletracks.com, Outside, Velo, Adventure Cyclist and The Cycling Independent. A long time ago she was a horse trainer but now she rides most things with two wheels. She’s still pretty sure gravel biking is dumb, but she’s giving it a go.
Jeff Howard joined the Poncha Springs community in 2023 after more than a decade spent on the Front Range. Jeff works in digital marketing and specializes in working in the disability space. A former nonprofit executive, DC politico, and education policy wonk, Jeff fell in love with Salida Mountain Trails and can be found with his yellow lab hiking the trails most days. Jeff holds a master’s in political management from GWU and is completing his MBA from WashU. Jeff rides a Pivot Trailcat SL from the best bike shop, Absolute Bikes in Salida, CO.
Michael has mountains and trails in her DNA. Born and raised in Telluride, CO, she thrives on outdoor adventures. An avid mountain biker and trail runner, the trails of Salida were a major draw for her and her husband, leading them to relocate here in 2022.
Together, they own a custom home building company, and Michael also practices real estate. Prior to her career in real estate, she spent years in executive leadership within behavioral health, concentrating on development, strategic planning, relationship building, and optimizing internal systems.
Brace yourself… meeting Michael is like a burst of sunshine—just try not to squint! Her infectious energy might just have you signing up for the next trail adventure on the spot!
Zach is the Parks, Trails and Open Space supervisor for the City of Salida. He likes running really long distances, sleeping in the dirt and eating ice cream. Zach has worked in the professional trails world for almost 15 years, and is passionate about public land and conservation management. See ya on the trails!
Jon is a fervent user of the Salida trail systems as a runner and mountain biker. Prior to moving to Salida, he had been a trail volunteer for over a decade with his local trail organization in Iowa. He has a love for trail maintenance which provides a real sense of connection to the trails. Additionally, Jon is enthusiastic about local development patterns, ecosystems, beavers, books and folding bikes. A recovering accountant, he now works as a substitute teacher in the Salida school district.
Tom was raised in the Denver suburbs of the Front Range, but could not be happier that he now lives in Salida with his family. He has ridden bikes for fun and transportation for nearly 40 years, including 25 years as a mountain, gravel, and road bike racer. He previously served on the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee for the City of Denver and has served on the SMT Board of Directors for more than two years. When he is not riding bikes, Tom is skiing Monarch or chasing his toddler around F Street.
