AJ grew up in the Midwest, in Wisconsin, and like a lot of kids, his first real introduction to bikes came through building dirt jumps, pushing limits, and occasionally breaking bones. From there, endurance sports became a major part of his life. He competed in cross country and track in college, then pursued elite-level road racing and marathons after graduation.
When he eventually “retired” from foot travel, AJ found his way back to bikes through mountain biking, mostly as a way to have fun with friends. It wasn’t long, though, before the competitive side came back and he signed up for his first marathon mountain bike race. Since then, two wheels have become his preferred mode for both recreation and competition.
AJ still loves the riding side of mountain biking and tends to judge the quality of a ride by the amount of accumulated air time. After racing events like Park City Point 2 Point, Moab Rocks, and earning a sub-9-hour finish at Leadville in 2025, he shifted more of his competitive focus toward gravel. What hooked him was the style of racing — the tactics, the endurance, the chaos, and the constant decision-making that define big gravel events.
While AJ is not at the front of the elite or pro peloton, he pursues the sport with a professional mindset and brings that same approach to coaching athletes of all levels. He has been targeting major domestic gravel races, including a top-5 age group finish at Unbound in 2026, and will be chasing similar results this year at SBT GRVL, Lauf Gravel Worlds, and Rebecca’s Private Idaho
