Like so many of us, I have been riding anything with two wheels since I was a kid--from BMX, to moto hare scrambles to mountain bikes. However, in 2011, despite many years of experience, I suffered a major mountain bike accident that damaged my neck and blew out my knee. This opened my eyes to the need to improve safety and control in my riding. I have since then invested myself in developing techniques to ride skillfully and safely without sacrificing any of the joy of the sport. I believe that good riding should be accomplished with technique, confidence and skill, not luck. Having an earned doctorate, I have served as an instructor in both youth athletics and adult academics. I have applied my instruction skills to a sport that I am passionate about--mountain biking. I am now certified as a professional mountain bike instructor (PMBIA), a certification earned on the beautiful cross country trails of Whistler, British Columbia. Before and since earning this certification, I have been riding the classic mountain bike trails from the old growth forests in Oregon to the deserts of Nevada and Arizona, to the ski lift trails in Tahoe, Utah, Colorado, and West Virginia to the Adirondacks Mountains in New York to the coffee plantations in Costa Rica and the hundreds, no, thousands of miles between. I have studied with numerous instructors over the years and have applied their combined wisdom to my own riding and teaching. I am eager to share what I have had to learn the hard way--the thrill of riding both safely and skillfully. -- Lon Cullen