Carl Gaede
Carl Gaede is Tutapona’s CEO and has dedicated 15 years of his life to providing mental health services for people affected by war and conflict. This is his first Race Across America, although he has made the trip several times before, including Tutapona’s innaugral Ride 4 Refugees in 2021.
He co-founded the organization with his wife Julie, and has lived and worked in both Uganda and Iraq.
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steve weldon
Steve is a follower of Jesus who is continually amazed by God’s love for him! He is the founding pastor of Hope Community Church in Andover, Kansas where he has served for 34 years. He has been cycling since the age of 17, when he made his very first cross-country trip – he then caught the bug and has been riding to one degree or another ever since. He has been married for 41 years, has two amazing daughters, loves the mountains, traveling, cheeseburgers and ice cream… which, he says, is why it’s important that he keep riding.
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Jon Hailey
Jon is from New Richmond, Wisconsin and has always maintained a strong involvement in his community. He serves on multiple boards and societies, and spends countless hours volunteering for the Big Ring Flyers cycling club and the Fat Bike World championships. In 2018, he earned 1st place in his category at the Winter Triathlon National Championships. When not enjoying the outdoors, or finding fun in life by surprising fellow riders by showing up for a group ride in a blonde wig, he’s spending time with his wonderful wife Mary, three children, and six fantastic grandchildren.
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Patrick Hailey
Patrick and his wife live in San Diego County, where he works in software. He has always been a competitive athlete, and won his weight class at the Mr. Teen USA bodybuilding contest in 2012. He began cycling after supporting his dad in several double century races, and in 2022 he competed at the 24 Hour World Time Trial Championships, was the World Champion for his age group, and earned 3rd place in men’s overall. Patrick is Racing Across America to share two of his passions; cycling and advocating for mental health, as he has personally seen the benefits of what these services provide for those who are struggling.
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Peter Williams
Peter, Tammy, and Brooke are from New Zealand, now living in Washington, D.C. where he leads International Justice Mission’s Programs Center for Excellence and serves as their principal advisor on modern slavery. He has lived and worked on the front lines of modern slavery in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and with migrant and refugee populations. This is why he is excited to be a part of Tutapona’s RAAM team - he knows that God has a special love for the vulnerable and suffering, and fully believes in the work Tutapona does to help those coming from violent conflict recover from the trauma they’ve faced. To him, this journey across the US joins us with the many millions whose journeys are far longer and harder.
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Rod Hawkins
Rod and his wife live in Wisconsin where he works as an accountant and has been an avid cyclist for over 20 years. He is very involved with the Big Ring Flyers/Apex cycling clubs, and serves on two different cycling related non-profits. His passion is riding his bike outdoors, and can be found doing so right up to the first big snowfall. Although his first love is road cycling, he also enjoys gravel, fat tire and mountain bike riding. Rod is always in search of his next adventure, and was part of the inaugural Ride for Refugees in 2021. He’s excited to be part Tutapona’s 2023 RAAM team. His favorite quote is, “I don’t ride my bike to win races, nor do I ride my bike to get places. I ride my bike to escape this world to find peace within myself – I ride to feel free and I ride to feel strong.”
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josh Bailey
Josh, his wife, and two kids live in Colombia, where he works for a human rights consulting agency, and specializes in addressing issues of child labor, forced labor, modern slavery, and migrant and refugee rights. As an American, Josh has lived in Southeast Asia, the US, and South America. During the pandemic he returned to school to study law, to be able to apply the law to human rights issues. He began cycling in 2015 when the UCI championship was hosted in Richmond, Virginia - it quickly became an obsession. He primarily rides on the road and loves to get off the beaten path and into the seclusion of quiet roads. Colombia has been an amazing place to ride, he plans to get into gravel endurance across the Andes. Josh's professional life is a big driver behind joining the Tutapona RAAM - he wants to combine his passion for refugees and displaced persons with cycling.
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Jeff Seal
My wife and 3 kiddos live here in Wichita, KS. I am the Director of Originations for a startup called GROUNDFLOOR, Inc. Growing up, I was a speed skater on traditional skates, and later, inlines. I competed in the National Inline Racing Association, as well as the Professional Inline Racing Series where I spent time at the Olympic training center. Cycling was used as a training tool, but soon became a passion of mine. Now, if it has two wheels and is in need of a power source, I'm in! As a man of faith, sometimes cycling can feel like a selfish act. This is why I've looked for ways to align cycling and faith through charity initiatives like Tutapona’s RAAM. There are few things more exciting to me than aligning these passions along side a group with the same desire for adventure and push to do a beautiful thing for a beautiful cause!
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Doug Nevitt - Support Crew
Doug lives in Grand Ledge, Michigan. He is employed as an Athletic Trainer, currently treating recruits and staff of the Michigan State Police Training Academy. He is an avid bicyclist, and enjoys road, gravel, and Mountain Biking. He also loves hiking backpacking, bike packing, and being in the woods. As a follower of Jesus, he has a strong desire to reach out to help those hurting, hopeless, vulnerable, and helpless He is excited to support the RAAM riders in achieving the goals of Tutapona.
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Greg Lighty - Support Crew
Greg grew up as a preacher’s kid in Wichita, Kansas and has been married to his wonderful wife for 30 years, with one son. He worked for Pepsi for 34 years in sales, and driving the semi trucks to deliver to the stores. He helped drive and support Hope Church in Wichita’s Ride4Refugees in September 2022, and loved supporting the team in this way. He feels blessed to do it again!
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KEVIN SMOKOROWSKI - SUPPORT CREW
Kevin lives in Andover, Kansas with his beloved wife of 25 years. They have one adult son, Paul, who resides in Florida. He is a Master Engine Rebuild Technician with a local Caterpillar Dealership, and found a new love for cycling during the pandemic as a way to stay active with others. In his spare time, he enjoys working on cars, bicycles and spending time with his wife. He has felt God guiding him to become active in his church, Hope Community Church, and to help others in need. Kevin is excited to be able to fellowship with other Christians and help support Tutapona as a crew member for the Race Across America.
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SAVANAH CAWLEY - SUPPORT CREW
Savanah, Sean and their Rottweiler, Howie, live in Wisconsin, where they look forward to growing their family. She has a love for the outdoors and for serving others as a Trainer, Health Coach, and Outreach Coordinator for The Village Church. Currently, Savanah is HOTWORX general manager, and is growing her knowledge to become a human movement specialist and an integrative health practitioner for overall health and well-being. In 2015, she found she had a joy for triathlons and competed in Ironman, WI in 2016 & 2017. She knows God has a special kind of love to share with the world, and is honored to be a part of the Tutapona RAAM Team & Support Crew and to be able to share hope, healing and love in this way!
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TONY REID - SUPPORT CREW
I currently call Andover Kansas home; I work for a local aircraft manufacturer as an Avionics/Electrical engineer and have three grown children and an eight-year-old grandson nearby. I have gone to Hope Community Church for many years, and have always found satisfaction in serving others. I am currently on the board for our “Hands 2 Serve” local missions team that strives to show God’s love and kindness to the less fortunate around us by teaming with other churches for repairs, painting, and general cleanup for the elderly and widows. I have always loved the outdoors and have been a rock climber for many years, including instructing, and several 24-hour climbing competitions. Recently, I provided driving and logistical support for a bike ride from Syria, VA to Lebanon KS. While I own a bicycle and enjoy riding it, just pedaling around the local rails to trails is enough for me!
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Linda Hawkins - Support Crew
Linda lives in New Richmond, Wisconsin with her husband Rod, where she works at the School of District of New Richmond as a paraprofessional. They have two adult children, Tyler and Emily.
Linda can often be found supporting Rod on one of his cycling adventures, including this exciting fundraising effort for Tutapona. She also enjoys her early morning cycling around the city of New Richmond, and going on walks and hikes with her husband.
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TOM CHEGWIDDEN - SUPPORT CREW
Tom lives in Rose Hill Kansas with his wife Michelle. Together they share four adult children. He started cycling with his father at the age of 10 and has never stopped. He has been part of multiple cycling events for fundraising and charities.
He has been an advocate for cycling and has introduced many friends to the sport. As an active member of his church he has been involved in music ministry and mission work. He is excited to support the RAAM riders to help them achieve the goals of Tutapona.
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Dan Logan - Support Crew
Dan Logan lives in Osceola, Wisconsin and works at Isometric Micro Molding. He has been involved in armature bicycle racing for nearly 20 years, focusing on time trials and mountain bike racing. Dan also enjoys running as a form of cross training. Other interests are playing guitar and reading.
Dan is very excited to be a part of Tutapona’s 2023 RAAM support crew. The mixture of an amazing cause and cycling is truly a thrill for him. He feels honored to be a part of the support crew!