The Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative could not exist without our dedicated and inspired Véloteers and board of directors to support our mission to build a stronger community through growing and empowering biking as sustainable transportation. The people of Vélocity are focused on instituting the foundational standards needed to ensure Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative is viable and will be here to support our area for many generations to come. If you would like to learn how you can get involved, please visit our Véloteer with Vélocity page.
Vélocity Board of Directors
Laura Berol
Acting Chairperson of the Board of Directors
Laura Berol started learning bicycle repair at Community Bikes in Charlottesville in 2004. That makes her the slowest bike-repair-learner ever, since she took 19 years off to raise kids before showing up at Vélocity in 2023. She’s so glad she did! Vélocity spreads the thrill of traveling under your own steam and fixing your own bike when it breaks. And more than anything, Vélocity brings together amazing people.
Joe Davison
Joe DavisonVélocity Programs Committee Chair
Joe Davison has been a Vélocity Coop Véloteer since 2015. Joe became the Vélocity Coop Events Coordinator in November 2017. In this role, Joe is responsible for making sure all of the Vélocity Community Programming Events are a success and that everyone had a great time.
Joe is recognized as one of Vélocity Coop’s most hardcore cyclists, commuting from his place in Northeast DC to Falls Church Skyline regularly in all weather — ranging from hot and muggy to snow and wind. Joe is also well known for his bike tech and gadgets, his love of catching live music with his wife, and traveling abroad several times a year.
John McClanahan
Vélocity Board Member
John is a long-time bike nut. He raced BMX as a (younger) kid and for more than 23 years now has biked to work from Alexandria to DC during all seasons. He first became familiar with Vélocity through Christian, Vélocity co-founder and neighbor, who has shared ideas and guidance for a number of John’s custom bike builds.
John has served on the Vélocity board since 2023. He focuses on our property management and financial matters and is often at our Warehouse sales (3rd Saturday of each month), where he enjoys helping people find vintage parts and bikes.
John Patterson
Vélocity Co-Founder
Along with Christian Myers, John Patterson co-founded Vélocity. In his other life, John was a UN staff member in New York through 2008, and continues as a consultant supporting UN agencies and non-profits engaged in international development. In 2014, John moved to California but continues to assist the Vélocity Coop as a Board member, and spends time riding his Vélocity shop nurtured 1987 Bianchi Brava along the streets and beaches of L.A.
Steve Walz
Vélocity Treasurer
Steve Walz has been biking since hauling newspapers in the front basket of his balloon tire Schwinn Tornado as a youth. He learned basic maintenance and repair during his college years from the owner of a one-person shop, Fuji Cycles of Worcester. Since then, Steve has seen the strength of community and came to volunteer at Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative to give back and both learn from, and spend time with, fellow bike people. When the Véloteer urge calls you, Steve looks forward to meeting you and seeing you around the Vélocity Coop shop and warehouse!
Marty DeVine
Marty DeVineVélocity Bike Scholarship Chair & Board Member
Marty DeVine joined the Board in 2015 because she is passionate about safe cycling and especially the importance of wearing a helmet. In addition, she believes that having a reliable bike can change lives as a result of the fitness benefits of cycling offers and the freedom cycling provides to go almost anywhere at no cost. Marty chairs the Vélocity bike scholarship venture which helps financially challenged individuals earn a bike, lock, light and helmet and learn how to perform basic maintenance on their bike. She is also involved in several other Alexandria and Washington, DC nonprofits, but Marty particularly enjoys the Vélocity Coop’s generosity, can-do attitude, infectious enthusiasm, diligence and compassion for enhancing the local bicycling community.
Bayley Vanderpoel
Vélocity Board Member
Bayley got involved in the Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative as a volunteer in 2012 when he grew tired of putting a hole in his wallet paying for tune-ups and felt it was time he learned to do it himself. Bayley continues to be inspired by all the work that the Vélocity Coop does in the greater Washington, DC community and truly enjoys his time shared with the tight knit Vélocity Véloteer family.
Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative Shop
Christian Myers
Vélocity Co-Founder and Vélocity Shop Manager
One of the Vélocity founding fathers, Christian Myers serves as the Vélocity Bike Shop Manager and Community Outreach Coordinator.
Other than bicycles, Christian is an expert in tattoos, muscle cars, AC/DC, fishing, and telling funny jokes. When he’s not at the shop or spending time with his family at home, he can often be found at Nationals Park catching a game.
Mike Pattisall
Vélocity Business Manager
Mike Pattisall is one of the original Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative Véloteers. Mike has been a valued member of the Vélocity Coop Board of Directors since 2012 and served as the Board Chairman from 2014-2016.
Mike loves collecting bikes and is well known for leaving silly stuff around the warehouse to liven it up.
Vélocity Véloteers
Kyle Goodwill
Vélocity Véloteer Coordinator
Kyle Goodwill has been our dedicated leader since 2015 and is responsible for organizing the Vélocity Community Programming and providing guidance to véloteers.
When he’s not véloteering, you can probably find Kyle engineering software, combing his long lush beard, drinking fine dark beers, or spending time with his wife and their cats.
Patti Armstrong
In early 2018 Patti decided after 38 years in television to work less with NBC news and more with bicycles. It became very clear to her that bicycles made people and herself a lot happier than the news did. Most Saturdays you’ll find her and her shop dog Zipper at Velocity trying to keep a zen atmosphere for Russell the bike whisperer, but also making Jim and Zach crazy by poorly singing Carpenters tunes.