Meet the Staff

Sockeye Cycle Staff

The administrative staff, managers, mechanics and guides at Sockeye Cycle are the most resourceful, knowledgable and enthusiastic people you will meet. We come from a variety of backgrounds; some work summers guiding our day trips and working in the shop, others are long time Alaskan residents that guide our extended tours and work in the office. We have three year round employees and twenty five seasonal employees.

Whether it is tours, rentals, sales or service; at Sockeye Cycle you can expect the highest level of customer service, professionalism and passion for bicycling in our northern environment. Come and meet our team!


    Administration
     
    Thom Ely - President - Thom first came to Alaska in 1981 to work for the Young Adult Conservation Corp at False Island near Sitka. He fell in love with the Southeast Alaska environment and returned summers to work as a deck hand on a salmon troller. He moved to Haines in 1987 and bought an existing bike shop in 1988. He continues to bike, hike, paraglide, ski and enjoy the environment of Alaska and the world.

    Becky Hunt - Office Manager - Becky's love for Southeast Alaska began on a backpacking trip in 1994.  A year later, she sold nearly everything she owned and left the DC area on a 5000 mile road trip to Alaska.  After exploring around the state for a while, she found her paradise in Haines.  Becky's biggest passions are cross country skiing and gardening.  After the summer garden is planted, then it's high time for biking, hiking and camping.  She lives "off the beaten path" with her husband and two daughters.
    Dustin Craney - Operations Manager - Riding, fixing, and building bikes has been a main part of Dustin's life for the last 10 years.  When the opportunity to work a season in Alaska came up in 2009, Dustin jumped at it.  Since then, the positive community, beautiful landscape, and endless adventure opportunities have made it feel like home.
     
     
     
    Shop
     
       
    Ryan Rice - Shop Manager Haines - Ryan sailed to Alaska in 2001 while in the US Coast Guard and vowed that he would make it back one day. It is a different journey by bike now, but he is always in search of the next adventure and Alaska doesn't disappoint. He graduated from Barnett's Bicycle Institute in the summer of 2007 with a certificate in advanced bicycle mechanics.
     
    		  
     
    Guides
     
    Patty Brown - Patty first came to Alaska from California as a park ranger and roamed from Glacier Bay to Hatcher Pass, Katmai, Lake Clark, and the Kenai River. Feeling a pull to stay in one place and work with kids, she became a science teacher, first in the Arctic, then back in Southeast, making a home in Haines since 1995. It's a perfect location, because she loves to bicycle, kayak, hike, ski and snowshoe to stay in shape and experience nature up close.

    Gina St. Clair - Gina has lived in Alaska for the past 25 years and has been a resident of Haines for the past 15 years. Besides being a summer bike guide for Sockeye Cycle, Gina fills her time with 3 children, commercial fishing, gardening, hiking, snowshoeing, and substitute teaching. Gina's most recent claim to fame was being dubbed 'Babe of the Woods' for winning the axe throwing contest at the Southeast Alaska State Fair.

     
    Michelle Pierce - Drama is in Michelle's blood, having worked as a successful actress in Los Angeles, New York City, and in Skagway, Alaska. However, her passion is for the outdoors, which took her to Alaska in 2008. She has also competed in bike races throughout Southern California and Mexico. When she is not guiding for Sockeye Cycle, Michelle can be founding working on graduate degrees in anthropology and archeology.
     
    Kyle Rosendale - Kyle recently left the fjords of Sweden with a Masters in entrepreneurship for the fjords of Alaska. Before coming up to Alaska he rode his bike across the United States to raise money for college scholarships. Go Bucknell!
     
    		 James Miska - A true adventurer, James has toured with his bicycle on both coasts and throughout Utah. He is an avid outdoorsman with a passion for guiding tours and bikes. James is also an accomplished musician, and can be seen playing in Skagway nearly every week, Bramble on!
    Holly Bracher - Holly recently moved from the Appalachian mountains of Virginia to wild Alaska.  With a history working in various facets of experiential education, she is passionate about inspiring a connection between people and the natural world.  She enjoys spending her days in the limitless outdoors, playing pickup frisbee games, and eating fresh vegetables from the garden.
       
    Knikki Cinocco -  Knikki is a fun loving free spirit cyclist who has lived in Haines for more than 20 years. She is a mother of two girls born on the same day thirteen years apart. She loves to bike, snowboard, wildcraft, study herbology and teach NIA dance.  She loves to travel whenever she can and show off her home to visitors.
     
     

     


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