Learn More ABOUT THE STAFF


  • Ron & Jan Brunk, Founders & Previous Owners

    It all started in 1982 with Ron and Jan Brunk.Though retired now and off living the dream adventuring by bike whenever they want, Ron and Jan are still members of the Glacier Cyclery family. Ron was once a potter, bakes a delicious scone, and rolls in a ’72 MGB which he restored. He has developed a propensity for bikes we used to refer to as “old ten-speeds”. Jan can ride a unicycle and can also play the accordion, two talents which seem best combined. The Brunks enjoy tandeming (conjoined cycling), XC skiing, growing amazing vegetables and living the Montana lifestyle. The Brunks are veterans of cycle touring and have pedaled many multiple-day rides. Their garage contains an Ibis Cousin It tandem, a Miyata unicycle, a Kona Process 134 CR, a Kona Jake the Snake, a Giant Defy Advanced carbon road machine, a Santa Cruz 5010, a Jamis Nova, and scores of ‘Cino’ bikes (which we used to refer to as “old ten-speeds”).


  • Michael Meador, Co-Owner

    Michael came to Glacier Cyclery in 1998 from Oregon in hopes of trading rain for snow. Mike enjoys cooking, riding slow, snowboarding, procrastination, weight fluctuations, controlled explosions and short bicycle tours. Mike dislikes telemarketers, politicians, and haircuts. Mike leads a contented life with his two boys and a couple of ill-behaved pets. When not riding or working, he is in a board meeting with the Whitefish Legacy Partners helping to further develop our local trail system. In his garage, Mike has a Burley Hudson touring bike on which he’s slayed a deer, an ’87 Fat Chance which he should sell but believes is worth more than it actually is, a Kona Wo fattie, a Surly Krampus, and a Pivot Firebird which he purchased based solely on color.


  • Tyler Tourville, Co-Owner

    Tyler hails from Wisconsin and has been a Glacier Cyclery fixture since 2001. Tyler, his wife Brandy, and son Tiptin live up near Canada which helps in explaining Tyler’s obsession with the procurement of firewood. Tyler’s other obsessions include the gathering of huckleberries, the storage of huckleberries, and cooking with huckleberries. Tyler also enjoys snow removal, Coca-Cola, ultra-violent video games, and cycle commuting 40 miles a day which he frequently does aboard either his steel Kona Rove gravel grinder or his Kona Big Kahuna depending on whether he craves tarmac/dirt road mix or soil on his ultra-endurance commute. When shredding singletrack, Tyler pilots a Kona Process X 29er with it’s HUGE 29″ wheels. Oh, and he owns a Kona Woo fat bike because why not?!


  • Vanessa Gailey, Co-Owner

    Vanessa Gailey came to Whitefish by way of Crested Butte, CO, where she learned to shred on the legendary singletrack. Vanessa worked in Glacier National Park in the 90s and, apparently, it made an impression on her. We’re quite glad she returned as she is a welcome, good-natured addition to Glacier Cyclery’s staff. Vanessa last worked at a local endurance nutrition company and has more than her fair share of gel, protein powder and electrolyte pills. She also has a rad husband named Chuck who happens to be the main reason that Vanessa will ride a road bike, being first and foremost a lover of dirt. Vanessa’s stable includes a Surly Krampus with 3″ tires (for bikepacking!), a Kona Process 134 29er mountain bike just to prove that short girls can love 29″ wheels, a Kona Wo fat bike, a Fairdale Weekender steel is real commuter and a 1970 Raleigh 3-speed.


  • Mark Ambre (Hombre)

    Growing up in what he calls “Babylon on the Potomac”, Mark discovered early on that bicycling was his favorite form of transportation – especially when the destination was a river to paddle, a cliff to climb, a mountain to ski, or a wave to surf. He mentions Jack Kerouac and Goran Kropp as influences. Mark has toured through 44 states, 5 provinces and a tiny bit of Mexico. He was the Izaak Walton Inn’s ski pro for 20 years and has spent a dozen summers surfing and working at bike shops in California. Currently Mark’s two-wheelers include a 1964 Schwinn Tiger, a Surly Cross Check that looks as old as the Schwinn, a folding Dahon that he thinks is cool because Amtrak counts it as carry-on baggage, and a Kona Unit single speed (soon to have gears and a Jones Bar) on which he embarks upon day long adventures of epic proportions.


  • Kim McNamer

    We begged Kim to work for us for a couple years and FINALLY she joined the team. She moved from Bend, OR  and quickly became a key member of our local cycling community. Kim and her husband Bryan are local mountain bike instructors (shout out to Singletrack Adventures!), assisted by their ridiculously adorable puppy Rupert. In the winter months you can go ride with Kim and Bryan in Moab, or Sedona, or Fruita…wherever they are instructing and working super fun mountain bike events. What does she do for fun? Ride. Beer. Sleep. Repeat.


  • Pete Siudara

    Pete’s been coming and going from the Glacier Cyclery mechanic team for years, and every time he offers to come back, we say YES! If you take a look at his workbench, you will know why: the dude is super organized and pretty particular. When he isn’t chasing his adorable daughter around or aligning the allen wrenches on his bench, he is riding in the rain, mud, cold…the worse the conditions, the better. Pete has many bike tours and bikepacking adventures on his resume, and has never been one to cancel plans because of the weather. It’s gonna rain? Great, throw bags on his Santa Cruz Highball bikepacking rig, or load up the Pivot Switchblade or steel frame Kona Unit for a day of sloppy trail adventure. 


  • Raser Powell

    Raser hails from the far away climes of Martin City which isn’t really a city and is only about 15 miles from Whitefish. Some say he is a dog whisperer but for some reason he has a punk cat. Raser prefers the outdoors to the indoors and seemingly enjoys almost every activity that our lovely valley has to offer. When he’s not in the shop at Glacier Cyclery, you might find Raser fishing or paddling rapids, or under his truck, or snowboarding, or skiing, or sitting on a peak contemplating his fine life, or maybe writing a beautiful verse of poetry concerning the beauty of a pine cone. Most likely though, you’ll find Raser enjoying the deep woods embracing the laws of gravity aboard his Kona Process 153 or Pivot Trail 429 Enduro or disappearing amongst his beloved lichen on his Kona Unit X. Go speed Raser, Go! Oh, and he has a Kona Wo fat bike too because he has a world of winter at his back door.


  • Aaron Roberts

    If you want a clean bike or a tasty kombucha, this is your man. Aaron and his partner Rebekah had a kombucha taproom in Whitefish previously, but we are glad he decided bikes were more fun because he is now a key member of the mechanic crew. Not sure how he can make a dirty 10-year-old bike look brand new, but he can. It’s like magic. He’s a Flathead Valley native (yes, they do exist!) who has recently gotten involved in a local housing advocacy group to try to help other locals remain in the Valley. Aaron loves riding his spotless Kona Process 134 CR DL on local trails with his young ripper son Brixton.


  • Jessie Kay

    Nickname Jessie Diggins, this former Nordic racer moved to Whitefish from Bozeman a few years ago and thank goodness she picked Glacier Cyclery as her local bike shop. You can learn a lot from Jessie; she is a PMBI certified mountain bike instructor and US Ski Association Nordic Coach. Her background as a Head Development Team Coach for Bridger Ski Foundation and current role coaching with the Glacier Nordic Club hopefully have given her the patience to deal with her Glacier Cyclery coworkers. During the winter months, she is our resident Nordic guru and wax tech. Not enough room to list all of her skis, but her bike quiver includes a Giant Revolt gravel bike, Juliana Roubion mountain bike and Kona Unit with a big front basket for her work commute.


  • Pete Ellsworth

    Loud heavy metal and random bike parts. That’s what Pete eats for breakfast. Then he jumps on his ebike/edirtbike and gets to work in 0.3 seconds. All of this while the rest of us are still asleep. So yea, we are more than psyched to have Pete on our service team (after a slight 17-year detour managing ski and bike departments at a local sporting goods institution). In his free time, he takes perfectly good bikes and adds motors to them. Not one to waste time sleeping, Pete also helps his lovely patient wife Heather remodel antique campers. His bike of choice: it’s electric, baby!


  • Erika Fitzgerald

    Tough enough for instructing 5am spin class, teaching swarms of 6th graders, running marathons, and living in a one-building town in Alaska – that’s what this woman is. After moving from Alaska to the busy metropolitan area of Flathead Valley, Erika quickly discovered that a Kona Libre CR DL drop bar gravel bike is a must-have. Nothing like a leisurely day of 70 dirt road miles to get out and get away from it all. Her other bikes are a 907 hardtail mountain bike (Alaska yo!) and a Kona carbon Hei Hei because she “loves to climb” but we are currently in the process of brainwashing her into buying a full-suspension, knee pads and platform shoes.

    •