Each month we feature a member or members of our community that work to push Trailnet’s vision of Streets for All. Jay-Marie Hill is an incredible example of building community through biking, and they are our April Champion of the Month!
For Jay-Marie Hill (they/them), bikes are more than a way to get around; they’re a way to build community.
Whether they’re leading a ride, teaching a class, or volunteering at one of Trailnet’s Bike Rodeos, Jay-Marie creates spaces where people feel welcome to show up exactly as they are, whether they’ve been riding for years or are just getting started. Through their work with Black Trans Bike Experience (BTBE) and Fly By Bike Ride Skool & Culture Club, they’re helping more people access not just the mechanics of riding, but the joy, confidence, and connection that come with it.
Jay-Marie’s mother is an active cyclist, and passed on a love of traveling on two wheels. “I was given it as a gift,” Jay-Marie shared, reflecting on how biking first became part of their life. “And it’s something I can continue to pass on… to people who have not felt welcome or who just haven’t had the on-ramp that I’ve had.”
The idea of passing something along is at the heart of everything they do.
“I’m going to channel the people that have poured into me: my mom, other Black women riders, other Black queer and trans folks, leaders around the country,” Jay-Marie said.
In their work, Jay-Marie sees bikes as a way to help people reconnect — with their bodies, with their surroundings, and with each other.
“The through line is how you occupy space in your body. And sometimes that’s a terminology thing. It’s a gender thing. It’s a sexuality thing. It’s an identity thing. But the thing about bikes that I think I appreciate is that it’s really like a self-test, and it makes you get better when you have people. You sharpen each other, but ultimately you have to be the one to commit to your improvement, your forward motion.”
That philosophy comes to life through Black Trans Bike Experience.
Black Trans Bike Experience began as a bold idea: a multi-day ride from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. for the Trans March in 2019, rooted in building connections and celebrating the fullness of Black trans life. Since then, it has evolved into a series of rides, pop-ups, and collaborations that bring people together around bikes, community, and care.
But Black Trans Bike Experience is about more than that; it’s about creating space for Black trans and queer riders to exist fully and visibly, beyond the limited narratives that too often define them. Jay-Marie’s work centers life, joy, and growth, building a community where showing up as yourself is just the beginning.
As a League Certified Instructor (LCI) through the League of American Bicyclists, Jay-Marie brings both expertise and care to their teaching, helping riders build skills in a supportive, judgment-free environment. Fly By Bike, their new club, builds on that foundation, offering accessible, welcoming classes and group rides designed to help people feel more confident on a bike and more comfortable riding in community. Though classes have been in St. Louis, Jay-Marie also brought a Fly By Bike class to Washington, D.C. for the League’s most recent Bike Summit.
“It’s hard to learn in public,” Jay-Marie said. “So the goal is to hold a high standard so that it doesn’t take forever to teach you, so we can get to the rest of the work.”
That balance of high standards with deep encouragement is what makes their approach so impactful. Jay-Marie understands that learning something new, especially in a public space, can feel intimidating. So they lead with care, creating environments where people are not only allowed to try, but encouraged to.
That same spirit showed up when Jay-Marie volunteered with Trailnet at one of our recent bike rodeos, helping kids adjust their helmets and making sure their bikes were safe and ready to ride.
“I love kids,” Jay-Marie said. “I was a 4th grade and kindergarten teacher, so I have a natural knack for young folks and enjoying space and time. I just knew that I could offer something — both from my expertise as a BTBE group ride leader and just making people who have never done a task like a bike ride or a group ride feel safe enough to come outside a couple times. It’s really powerful to give people the gift of bikes, and I was grateful to join y’all that day.”
As a teacher at heart, Jay-Marie meets people where they are, creating space for new riders to build confidence and feel comfortable coming back again.
In a city where community runs deep, that perspective matters. Jay-Marie’s work helps fill gaps, creating more entry points for people to get involved, to build confidence, and to experience the freedom and possibility that biking can offer.
At Trailnet, we know that safer streets aren’t just about infrastructure; they’re about people. People who share what they’ve learned, who make space for others, and who help build a culture where everyone feels like they belong.
Jay-Marie is doing exactly that.
We’re grateful for the ways they continue to show up for this community, and for the care, intention, and connection they bring to every ride.
In each of our monthly newsletters, Trailnet features a member of our community who is working toward Trailnet’s vision of Streets for All. Bill Coppel is our February 2025 Trailnet Champion!
A member of our Board of Directors from 2018 to 2024, Bill Coppel has been an incredible advocate for Trailnet, and St. Louis in general. During his time on Trailnet’s board, he served as the head of the nominations committee — a fitting position for a people-person and connector like Bill. He also served as board mentor to Cindy Mense, Trailnet’s CEO. He’s served as the Chief Client Growth Officer at TradePMP for the past two years, and earned his MBA from Washington University. An east coast native, he’s lived in St. Louis for 17 years, raising two children with his wife, Kathy. He’s always kept a busy professional schedule, but has made time for causes and organizations he believes in, such as KidSmart and the Missouri History Museum, and of course, Trailnet.
An avid cyclist, Bill has biked all over St. Louis and beyond with his family. In listening to him to talk about his adventures, his love of the area is evident. “We have cycled every inch of St. Louis from the north, farthest north side, all the way to the deepest south side of the city, to the western border, and, of course, to the river,” said Bill. “So we know every one of those neighborhoods, each one of them. And that’s another remarkable thing about St. Louis, is every neighborhood is very distinctive, and has its own personality.”
It was through the cycling community that Bill first heard of Trailnet. He joined the board not just because he wants safe streets for everyone, but also because of how safe streets can elevate a city. “Cities should be safe for non-vehicular transportation, whether you’re walking, cycling, or running — all of those things I think are incredibly important — but just as important is the fact that a city has to be inviting,” Bill said. “It has to be a safe city. It’s got to have opportunity, and what we’re doing with streets is helping to revitalize this city, and making it an attractive destination for companies, businesses, and people wanting to move here.”
Trailnet has benefited greatly from Bill’s wisdom as he helped shape and guide many of our campaigns. “I think a lot of the work we’ve done on calming streets, in the neighborhoods within the city for traffic calming, putting in bike lanes, putting in pedestrian crosswalks, and particularly in school areas — it’s great. We’ve been involved with doing all of that and more. I’m really proud of the work Trailnet has done.”
We’re deeply grateful for Bill’s time on our board, and are inspired by his advocacy for safer streets, and St. Louis overall.
In each of our monthly newsletters, Trailnet features a member of our community who is working toward Trailnet’s vision of Streets for All. In November 2024, we featured Ryan Hanlon.
Ryan Hanlon is our Trailnet Champion of November! If you haven’t met Ryan before, he is the owner and creative director at Route 3 Films. Route 3 Films has been in business since 2013 and creates content for schools, nonprofits, and small businesses. In his free time, he enjoys tinkering with vintage race cars with his son and father. They are currently restoring a 1980 Jeep CJ5 most of which he plans to use for ice cream runs with his daughter. He loves to mountain bike and climb, camp, and hike with his family and friends.
Ryan is an avid lover of the outdoors and began his volunteering journey with the Ozark Trail Association as a trail crew leader, donor and consultant in 2008. He now serves many groups including the Infrastructure Committee of the Holly Hills Small Business District as chairman and The Friends of Carondelet Park as a board member. He recently created a coalition to spearhead the first and only mountain bike trail in the city of St. Louis which was completed on November 9th in Carondelet Park. The trail will be a hub for practices and racing events for the South City Otters. Ryan believes the trail to be perfect for entry level or intermediate riders and that it is also a great place to walk in the woods for a “city” hike. The trail measures about 1 mile.
Ryan began working with Trailnet when the Holly Hills Infrastructure sub-committee began its work to calm the traffic in their Small Business District. He has been working closely with Trailnet planners Bryce Monser and Erich Hellmer on the project to examine each street, determine its challenges, and seek solutions. “St. Louis is blessed to have Trailnet right here to help us make smart, modern, and safe choices as we work to make our city the best place it can be,” said Ryan. This project is entering its final stages and the team plans to begin implementing their solutions in 2025.
Trailnet’s work is important to Ryan as he has seen, while traveling, what other cities have done to create safe spaces for pedestrians and cyclists, while still helping motorists. His goal in working with Trailnet is “to keep traffic flowing safely and slightly slower in Holly Hills but make sure the pedestrian and the cyclist are safe and welcomed”. Ryan loves St. Louis and its architecture and wants to maintain that. He believes we can come up with creative ideas to maintain that but making our streets safer for everyone. “I believe that Trailnet has not only safety top of mind but creating solutions that flow with the sense of place in the neighborhoods and streets they serve”, said Ryan. We have loved working with Ryan, and are excited to see what the future holds!
Two Lifetime Advocates Making St. Louis Better for People Who Bike, Walk and Roll
Q&A with Bill and Carla Sauerwein, owners of Pedego St. Louis
Conducted by Trailnet Marketing & Communications Coordinator Justin Seaton
Justin: Hi Bill! I understand you and Carla have long histories as bike/walk advocates. Tell me about how you got involved in this world.
Bill: Both Carla and I have been cyclists all of our lives. Carla is a pediatric RN and for years ran the St. Louis SAFE KIDS Coalition. She led education and advocacy to prevent childhood injury, including supplying and promoting bike helmets and car seats. I served as Mayor of the City of Oakland form 1997 – 2001 and with the idea of providing safe streets and walkways for residents, constructed almost all of the sidewalks you see in the city of Oakland and redesigned many of the streets. As Mayor, our city-wide capitol improvements plan was nominated for a state-wide landscape architect design award.
J: How did you first become involved with Trailnet? Tell me about your partnership with us over the years.
B: I suppose my first connection to Trailnet came when I attempted to acquire a small strip of abandoned railroad property within the City of Oakland in order to construct a park. In that process, I met Ted Curtis, then the Director of Trailnet, who introduced me to Trailnet and its mission. Trailnet ended up completing the northern leg of the Grant’s Trail with the property and the City constructed a park around the trail. Our store is adjacent to the park. Thereafter, Carla and I became supporters of Trailnet, participating in Trailnet rides and learning about the many projects undertaken by Trailnet.
More recently, as we met the dedicated staff of Trailnet—Cindy, Corrine, Kevin and others—and witnessed firsthand their hard work and dedication, we knew that Trailnet was an important organization to support. We share its mission…. and over the years we have helped raise funds so that they can continue to make streets and trails safer and available to all.
J: When/How did you open Pedego St. Louis, and how has your business connected you to the St. Louis cycling community?
B: We opened Pedego St. Louis in June, 2019 by rehabilitating an old, run-down building adjacent to Grant’s Trail in Oakland. From our location, we meet and talk to cyclists and trail users every day. We have greatly expanded the cycling community by putting people back on bikes that had for one reason or another gotten away from cycling. We have gently introduced the St Louis cycling community to electric bikes which are now widely used for commuting, leisure riding, trail riding and for the all around enjoyment of bicycling.
J: Speak briefly about the E-Bike that you are contributing to Trailnet’s upcoming raffle (winner to be announced at the 2023 Paving the Way Soiree)
B: The bike we have donated to Trailnet this year is a Pedego Avenue. Since this model was introduced a year ago, it has become the number one selling Pedego Electric bike. The Avenue utilizes a “hybrid style” frame that is familiar to everyone and is a great bike for riding and commuting on streets and paved trails. It is quality-designed, lightweight and balanced. Like all Pedego Electric Bikes, it comes with a 5 year warranty that includes the electrical components. Everyone loves this bike.
