Creating the bicycle leaders of tomorrow

G&O Family Cyclery, a cargo bike shop in Greenwood, is warm, bright and might resemble some dinner tables or homes this holiday season – delightfully crowded.

Davey Oil is the co-owner of G&O, which is dedicated to the needs of families that bike. His ears perk to his customers’ conversations across the room and he speaks with confidence and a youthful enthusiasm.

While G&O is just over a year old, Davey has been advocating for bicycles in one form or another since 2005. He attributes his success, in part, to the previous opportunities he had with Bikery, Bike Works and here at Cascade Bicycle Club.

Davey was a bike ambassador at Cascade for the better part of four years in his late 20s. In his role, Davey attended all sorts of events, talked to people from all walks of life and so developed many essential bicycle advocacy skills.

The experience was “totally life-changing,” said Davey.

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Carrying tables and large loads to Cascade events honed Davey’s geographical understanding Seattle. He also became more experienced with cargo biking in the process.

Throughout his time at Cascade, Davey said there were many opportunities for leadership, giving him “practice stepping up and stepping back.”

Davey said the thing he loved most about the ambassador position was talking to people about bicycles and bicycling. He developed a rap of sorts; a personal response to the most common questions, while representing a professional organization much larger than himself.

All the while, Davey built confidence.

Now, with a wife, two kids and a successful cargo bicycle shop, Davey is changing the face of bicycling in our region. If you see a mom on a cargo bike hauling her kid around, it is likely that Davey and his colleagues gave her family the tools and confidence to bike.

By helping get more families on bicycles, Davey and G&O are helping to create a Seattle for everyone. We are so excited about Davey’s work and proud to have played a part in his success. With more families riding brings more advocates for family-friendly bike infrastructure and initiatives like Vision Zero, which establishes a goal of reaching zero traffic fatalities in the region.

Cascade is building on Davey’s work through initiatives such as training parents to lead bicycle trains to schools.

We are committed to building and bringing up the next generation of bicycle leaders through our Advocacy Leadership Institute, our AmeriCorps positions and numerous other volunteer opportunities.

Like Davey Oil of G&O Family Cyclery, tomorrow’s bicycle leaders will create a ripple effect in their community and improve even more lives through bicycling.

With your year-end gift today, we can create the bicycle leaders of tomorrow.