Hello there! I’m David and I hail from the land of corn (Iowa). I’m a member of our community cycling squad, Ames Velo. So far in my cycling career I’ve done a full RAGBRAI + 3 days, a time trial, 2 road races, 3 crits, a gravel race, and just did my first CX race this year. I really like CX and gravel as it seems a lot safer with fewer cars.
My day job is in IT/Spatial Data Architecture for a large engineering firm in Pennsylvania. Previously I worked for the Iowa DOT helping manage spatial data and systems. Being in my current position allows me to collaborate with safety engineers and active transportation planners for projects that we’re involved with.
I believe that spatial data can help improve safety and save lives.
I was hit while riding on a trail and crossing a street in 2019 in a crosswalk. Luckily they only clipped my rear wheel and I only fractured my pelvis. A week later one of my teammates was hit from behind while warming up in a residential area. He literally impacted the windshield and flew over the car. He was just an inch away from having glass cut a major artery. In 2021 I had 2 near misses just blocks from my house that really made me ponder if it’s really worth riding. 1 of them was someone that was passing me as I had my hands out to turn left. Then as I was cooling down, a kid was stopped at a stop sign on his phone and didn’t look before going.
Then this past year my neighbor was walking across the street in a small town when he was fatally hit. In a town square. This was when things became real and really opened my eyes. Life is precious and you never know when your time will be up. I want to take my safety into my own hands using my job and my skills to better the world around me while advocating for all modes of active-transportation.