Dan Stranahan - Port Townsend, Washington
One of my earliest memories is of 5-year-old me, shrieking in my mother’s arms as she picked pebbles from my face. I was at the top of a gravel two-track looking at the road dip into the shadows of the trees, thinking, “I got this.” I didn’t.
Since then, bicycles have continued to be an avenue for me to try, succeed, fail and learn. In the past I’ve ridden BMX, commuted, and raced XC and enduro. Today I work in Wilderness Therapy, using the outdoors as a tool of self-discovery. I split my time between the desert Southwest and Pacific Northwest, bikepacking in the two regions and abroad.
My mission is for others to discover riding as a process of internal growth, as well as a sustainable way to get somewhere. Because the oil wells are running dry, and my mom told me to get back on the bike after the last pebble came out.
Riding is a catalyst for my own growth, and bikepacking a culmination of multiple passions: Solving unexpected mechanical problems, the vulnerability of practicing a new language, the freedom of pedaling with everything I need to live.
I’m inspired by the landscapes and cultures I haven’t yet experienced. I’m in love with the design of the bicycle, the reward of building one, and that work carrying me thousands of miles. I have faith in Bicycles as a more sustainable mode of transportation. I want to work toward making riding more accessible to a young, diverse generation, and breaking barriers between the inner circle of the bike industry and budding new riders.
At the end of the day I ride for my own health and wealth, and look for new ways to articulate that experience. There will always be another rock in the trail, new viewpoint, and kind stranger. The endless process of discovery is what keeps me moving.
To pedal along, find me on Instagram @danstranahan or dansecorstranahan.com.