Yay Bikes! Board of Directors for 2024

Executive Board

President - Brian Estabrook

Vice President - Erin Synk

Treasurer - Joy Lanham

Secretary - Tobi Otulana

Learn more about our board members here. Just click on their photos for more details about each one.

Additional Board Members

Jennifer Anderson

Nichelle Harris

Hannah Higgins

West Kyle

Brenda Ribble

Chet Ridenour

Jim Silcott

and welcome to our new Board members...

Joachim Bean

Joachim currently serves as the Data Program Coordinator and the State Safety Oversight Coordinator at the Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Transit. Outside of ODOT, Joachim also serves as an Area Commissioner and Treasurer for the Fifth by Northwest Area Commission. He received a Master of City and Regional Planning from the Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University in 2017 and is a life-long Columbus resident.

Peggy Behrman

Peggy began riding bikes at an early age, continued through high school and college, and then life interrupted.

About 10 years ago, she was able to get back on the bike and she hasn't looked back. She lives near the TJ Evans trail which she rides two to three times a week. Her husband of 37 years encouraged her

to start riding again. Little did he realize the monster he created.

She wanted to ride in Pelotonia but was not comfortable riding on the road. She joined Yay Bikes! for the

experience of on road riding. "I have met so many wonderful people that are supportive and encouraging that I can call best friends. I look forward to giving that back."

Christopher Licameli

Christopher hails from New York, but has lived in Philadelphia, Missouri, and Columbus throughout his adult life. He is a dedicated cycling commuter and advocate for cycling as a mode of transportation, as it is the most popular form of transportation on the planet. In 2023, Christopher cycled over 2,000 miles in his daily commute to work downtown, Capital University Law School, and studying abroad in Europe. He is currently a law clerk at the Franklin County Public Defender’s Office. He plans to advocate for a safer Columbus and Central Ohio for cyclists and pedestrians through policy change and advocacy.

BJ Wardlow

BJ and his wife live in Clintonville and enjoy biking all over our great city. BJ works from home as a VDC Manager for a Virtual Construction Consultant company. He and his wife have lived in Columbus since 2016 and became very involved in cycling during the pandemic as a means to get out of the house safely and enjoy the many trails and bike friendly streets throughout the city. BJ has ridden RAGBRAI twice, and biked the Keys in Florida. He and his wife are currently planning for their first GOBA this upcoming spring! Of the many things BJ would like to help with during his YayBikes! board term, his two main interests include improving access to and acceptance of wearing helmets when biking, and enhancing the mixed use trail system in Columbus, particularly an east-west connector in the center of the city.

Bertie Fields Leaves Board

Special "thanks" to Bertie for being a valuable member of the Yay Bikes! Board since November 2017. Bertie has contributed in so many ways while also serving as a "Shero" for Black Girls Do Bike. Thank you, Bertie, for all you have done to increase the number of people cycling in Central Ohio and for your advocacy, education and outreach efforts.

We look forward to seeing Bertie at future Yay Bikes! rides and events.

Our new goal is 300 light sets!

Thanks to your generosity, we exceeded our initial goal of 200 light sets after Yay Bikes! donated 100 sets. Now our goal is 300 light sets!

If you have already donated, "Thank You!" If not, you still have time to donate a set of lights for just $14!

We expect to meet this new goal and hope to receive the lights in time begin distributing them in the spring.

Bike Lane Uprising was originally started in Chicago by a cyclist sick of watching other cyclists injured and killed by cars. They have since grown and now have bike light giveaways in multiple cities, merch, and a bike lane obstruction database with over 60,000 entries across the US.

These bike lights will be crowdfunded through mostly individual donations, through the Bike Lane Uprising website. Once 300 sets of lights are funded, they will be shipped to us for distribution. Distribution will be done on group rides, at community events, and by simply standing on the side of the street at dusk and picking out cyclists who don't have lights. We will focus on handing these lights out to the people in this city who need them most.

You can help get us to 300 lights by donating here. Light sets are $14 each.

Upcoming Rides!

Look for rides to start back up soon! We're taking some time in January to being planning rides for 2024. But here's a few you can put on your calendars now! Have an idea for a ride? Share it with us at Info@yaybikes.com.

Ride of Silence

May 15th

With this annual ride—a short, slow and silent processional —hundreds of Central Ohio cyclists join an international movement to honor cyclists killed or injured while riding on public roadways and raise awareness that cyclists have a legal right to the road. The ride is a short, slow and silent funeral-style processional that attracts hundreds of cyclists from all corners of our community.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS - REGISTRATION HAS NOT OPENED YET