Trailnet Champions – Joe and Ian Cawein

Joe and Ian Cawein pedaled their first Trailnet Strawberry Ride seven years ago when Ian, Joe’s son, was only seven years old. They’ve done the ride every year since. Ian is now 14 and he and his father now both share a passion for bicycling.

They live in O’Fallon, Missouri and regularly put their tires to the road to maintain both mental and physical health.

“I got back into riding in 2011, at the age of 37, after many years of hearing from my older brother in California about his adventures in cycling,” Joe said, adding that, to get rolling, he simply put hybrid tires on an old mountain bike and began riding around the neighborhood.

That was around the same time Joe and Ian started doing Trailnet’s group rides.

“I thought Trailnet rides would be a good way to so something outside and active with my son, who was then seven years old,” Joe said.

The duo has now gone on many of Trailnet’s group rides as well as other group rides that meet casually. Joe eventually built up to racing criteriums and is now more interested in long-distance, gravel, and road racing. He’s gearing up for is second Dirty Kanza 200-mile gravel race.

Asked about Trailnet’s vision for a network of protected bikeways and walkways, Joe said he sees many personal and broader community benefits.

“One [benefit] that comes to mind is how Trailnet seems to be helping better the relationship between non-cyclists and cyclists throughout the community,” Joe Said.

Trailnet is honored to have such an energetic duo on our team. We’ve even designed a ride specifically for those who bike as a pair. Check out our TüFer Tandem Ride to learn all about it!