BROOKS VAN HOLT
A notorious Sonoma county bicycle “tweaker”, Brooks started his mechanic career in 1989 at Pedal Pusher building bikes for Frank. Even though mountain bikes were all the rage, this fledgling “wrench” fell in love with the spirit possessed by the lugged steel road bike. He then spent several years working at North Valley Bikes in Chico doing bicycle assembly, repair, and sales for another guy named Frank. Kind of creepy, eh? He moved back to Santa Rosa in 1996 and was hired at ZAP to develop the “Electric Law Enforcement Bicycle Program”. After ZAP was taken over by the “dark forces” in late 1999, Brooks abandoned ship and took a job with Smith and Wesson selling Police bikes in Massachusetts. He discovered early on that the East Coast did not agree with him culturally or climatically, so he moved back to Santa Rosa, again, and started selling used bikes and related “schwag”. Bicycles are in his blood, and he has spilt many drops of blood via skinned knuckles putting bikes together and pulling them apart. Brooks receives orders directly from “The Czar” and believes strongly in the Czar’s vision of bringing order to the used bicycle world.
John “Woody” Woodward
Woody grew up in beautiful Palo Alto, CA in a time where parents didn’t drive kids to school. Kids rode their bikes. A pair of PF Flyers and a shiny Schwinn were all that Woody’s generation needed to get anywhere. Schwinns, Peugeots, Nishikis, Fujis, Centurions and endless other steel bikes are all part of his bicycle resume. A graduate of UC Davis and veteran of the Davis Double Century and the Coors Light Triathalon series, Woody found professional success in the wine industry for more than 20 years. Returning to an old passion (even though his accountant thinks he’s nuts) Woody teamed up with Brooks to help Bicycle Czar bloom into something bigger and more far reaching. Cycling to him is more than just an activity. Woody finds cycling to be a meditative pursuit that needs no destination, only an abundant supply of smooth pavement and fresh air.