Todd LoFrese
Todd LoFrese lives in Carrboro and is an avid cyclist. He currently serves on the Board of the Carolina Tarwheels and Triangle Velo. Professionally he was the former Assistant Superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and now drives Bus #157 for the district. Todd has biked the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway and has cycled throughout France and into Italy where he has climbed many of the iconic Tour de France mountains.
Todd has been married to Gretchen for 30 years. They have two grown children, Elizabeth (26) is a medical school student at George Washington University and an avid cyclist herself and Chris (21) is a Health Sciences major at Furman University who cycled up Mont Ventoux and Alpe d’Huez. The rest of the immediate family has fur, cats Roy and Libby, and retired thoroughbred Roulette.
Todd is looking forward to riding for Bike Loud!, seeing America’s natural beauty, and meeting people across great swaths of the country.
TJ Laughrey
In 2026, I’ll ride coast to coast across America on my bike, Béatrice, as part of XC26—turning a bold adventure into a living lesson for my second graders in North Carolina. As a teacher, I believe the best way to teach perseverance, courage, and heart is to model it. This journey isn’t just about mountain passes, headwinds, and long miles—it’s about showing my students what’s possible when purpose fuels the ride. I’m pedaling to support Be Loud! Sophie Foundation, which empowers adolescents and young adults facing cancer and strengthens the caregivers who stand beside them. Every mile becomes a classroom story about resilience, community, and using your gifts to lift others. XC26 is my way of proving—to my students and myself—that big challenges can create even bigger impact.
Jim Ray
I spent my high school and college years in Missouri—after early years in Michigan and Wisconsin—and have now spent the last four decades in the Chapel Hill area. My wife, Lisa, and I moved here right after we were married. Our grown kids, Alex (Bruna) and Sydney (Ryan), are now building their lives in Asheville and Austin.
I’m an optical networking engineer by trade, but I’ve always been drawn to long rides and open roads. I picked up bikepacking gear in 2019 thinking adventure was right around the corner… then COVID hit, and plans paused.
Starting in San Francisco (not far from my company’s East Bay headquarters), I’ll travel roughly 2,500 miles through mountains, desert, and plains. A long-time goal, riding the Katy Trail across Missouri will be a final highlight before finishing in St. Louis and crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois. Especially looking forward to the landscapes out West and then making meaningful stops—family roots in Kansas, friends in Kansas City, my alma mater Mizzou, and our former home in Fulton, Missouri.
I’m grateful to the Be-Loud! Sophie Foundation and Bike Loud! for giving this ride purpose. I hope you’ll follow along and consider supporting this effort to raise awareness and funds for a meaningful cause.
Andy Olson
My name is Andy. I began riding bikes at the age of 6. My first bike was built from spare parts by a small town bike man. As I grew older, I would ride farther away from home to trails, friend’s houses, or downtown to get a treat. As I grew older, I fell victim to the American obsession with the automobile, and it wasn’t until my early 20’s that I took cycling back up again. I discovered rock climbing about the same time and until I had kids in my 30’s the bike once again took a back seat. With two babies to take care of I all but retired from rock climbing and started taking short rides on my bike to relieve stress. I noticed that no matter what, I felt a little better while out pedaling. As my fitness caught up, I started to dream bigger. I wanted to go farther, climb higher. I started signing up for races. I joined the local cycling club. I bought more bikes!
I’m not sure when the idea to cross the Country by bicycle first entered my head. It was something I thought maybe I could do when I retired. When my good friend Todd told me he was interested, I knew it needed to be now. With the blessing of my wife, Juneko, and the nervous excitement of my two kids, Gabriel (13) and Olive (10) I excitedly joined this team.
As I watched the Bike Loud crew cross the Country last year, I felt a special connection with their experiences. I read their daily blog and devoured the pictures they’d share. At that time, just a year out from my own daughter’s victory over cancer, I had some perspective about the unique challenges a family can face while fighting this horrible disease. It occurred to me that I could maybe make a small difference in another family’s fight by sharing Sophie’s message.
The Be Loud Sophie foundation aims to provide age appropriate psychosocial and medical care for 13-39 year olds. Another goal is to fund more research and provide better outcomes for this age group (which lags behind others). I’m proud to ride in support of this foundation and I’ll hope you’ll consider supporting it as we BIKE LOUD across America.