dan coppola

ADVENTURE FIT COURSE COORDINATOR

Dan Coppola was born in the great state of Wisconsin. The second of seven kids, Dan learned at an early age that a bike was not only a fun toy, but could expand your horizons and take you much further than you could go on foot. Growing up in Madison, he was surrounded with hearty cyclists, surviving long and frigid winters with the thoughts of warm June days and endless quiet country road rides. After getting hooked on mountain biking when he was 13, he started working at a small local bike shop, gaining priceless experience from two seasoned mechanics. He attended the University of Wisconsin where he studied Recreation Resources Management, but his heart was always in the cycling industry. After racing for a couple of years with the University of Wisconsin cycling team, Dan decided to pursue his passion as a race mechanic, working with USA Cycling’s Junior Development Program.

In 2004, Dan joined Trek Travel. He knew it was a good fit for his passion for bikes and racing when his first assignment was as a guide and mechanic at the Tour de France. France was just the first of many incredible opportunities to ride in some of the world’s most beautiful cycling destinations, and he got to share those rides with the many great friends he made along the way. He moved quickly from guide and mechanic to Logistics Manager, maintaining and coordinating the movement of bikes and equipment around the world – in North and Central America, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. He also got the opportunity to use his passion for cycling and events to give back, coordinating support for cycling events supporting the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer). After experiencing some of the most amazing places in the world, including living in the cycling utopia of Holland, his favorite place to ride is still the rolling hills of southwest Wisconsin.

Recently Dan’s love for bicycles has inspired him to study and dabble in frame building. In a world full of flashy carbon frames, he still has a soft spot in his heart for finely crafted, traditionally built lugged steel bicycles. He has studied welding at a local technical school in New Mexico, but his pursuit of this new passion has taken him around the country, studying the work of the best bicycle artisans in the United States and taking frame building courses from coast to coast. He has built bikes and accessories in steel, and most recently finished a carbon fiber and bamboo commuter for his girlfriend, Kathryn.

Dan is excited to be part of the Adventure Fit team because it gives him the opportunity to hang out with people who enjoy spending time outside, riding bikes, running, and of course enjoying a good beer – and he likes seeing people doing foolish things in the name of good clean fun.