Board Members
LIANNE LEBLOND
Lianne is an environmental scientist and avid traveler who has always liked to stay active. She started cycling in 2017 as a way to maintain fitness outdoors and was immediately hooked.
She started racing in 2017 when she joined the Gastown team.
Lianne has competed in several provincial road and cyclocross races and placed second at the 2018 Canadian Masters Road Championships, and first at the 2022 BC Provincial Master's Criterium Championships.
She was a qualifier for the 2020 World UCI Gran Fondo Championships in 2019 and has taken a few Provincial titles since then.
As a member of the Board, she is committed to implementing administrative systems to help increase Club sustainability.
PETE FRIEDEL
As a child, Pete's bike meant the freedom to explore. Whether riding to a friend's house, the corner store, or just aimless loops around the neighbourhood, cycling allowed Pete to get there faster than by foot, but slow enough to enjoy the journey.
After a brief love affair with cars in his teens, Pete rediscovered cycling as an adult and quickly rekindled his love of exploration
Pete's a huge fan of long rides (including the Everesting challenge). He's not the fastest, but he enjoys the journey far more than the destination.
Pete joined Gastown in 2021, and quickly found an amazing group of ride companions, learning resources, and friends. As a board member, he's committed to helping the club grow and welcoming new members.
NATHAN TESSIER
Nathan has been a passionate cyclist since age five, when his grandfather gave him his first bike for Christmas - a cherry red BMX. Since then, he’s mastered riding without training wheels or parental supervision. Nathan enjoys riding in places far from home, discovering new and exciting routes, participating in Gran Fondos, charity rides and local events, or simply climbing mountains until his legs fall off.
A winter-time practicing Zwift rider, Nathan currently can be found training hard in his underground parkade, in order to keep up with his new friends at Gastown Cycling.
ELISE MURRAY
Elise got her first road bike in 2016 after years of commuting and has been hooked on cycling ever since! After a few years riding solo, she discovered bikes are more fun with friends and quickly joined a club to race and train with. She enjoys all types of road cycling, gravel cycling, and has recently discovered the track.
Elise races on the road, plans to race at the velodrome, and does the occasional zwift race on rainy days/in the winter months. She is looking forward to many more years with Gastown CC as a racer and new board member.
DEREK SCHICK
Derek grew up cycling for fun, then commuting, and eventually discovered road cycling for fitness. He quickly realized it is way more fun to ride and train with a team. After joining Gastown Cycling, he discovered the awesomeness of cyclocross as well as gravel adventures with the club.
Being part of the club accelerated both his enthusiasm for the sport as well as his fitness and confidence.
Derek is eager to continue building the club community and sharing the love of cycling.
SHAWN WALSH
Shawn is a life long exercise enthusiast and cycling super fan! Shawn grew up playing tons of hockey and jumping ditches on a BMX bike before discovering his true athletic calling as a rower while at The University of British Columbia. Much sporting toil ensued resulting in Shawn spending some time representing Canada rowing internationally. Shawn’s second love athletically during this formative time was mountain bikes which he rode and raced with a careless abandon following his years in a rowing shell.
A cycling tour of France, Spain and Ireland in 2001 turned him on to the purity of road cycling machines and sparked a passion for 700c drop bar bikes that remains to this day. Shawn’s current interests are Master’s B Cyclocross racing, gravel riding and dreaming up new excuses to string together yet another cool road riding route for the club.
Shawn’s focus for the 2024 season will be on enhancing the rider experience through a schedule of great rides of all kinds throughout the year.