Jacob's Introduction to Singletrack came at an early age - riding trails on his BMX bike in the early 80s while growing up in Celo, NC. However, his passion for cycling was sparked in the 90s when introduced to mountain biking in the Pisgah National Forest. A move to the cycling hotbed of Santa Cruz CA in the summer of '94 fueled the flames and was followed by his first cycling-related job that winter - wrenching at Liberty Bicycles in Asheville. During this time, he caught the bug for racing and has competed in almost 1,000 MTB, Road, Gravel, Cyclocross, or Track races over the years. After completing his bachelor's degree then teaching for a year, Jacob went on to work for Trek Bicycles from '05 to '08 before starting his job at I9 in 2010. At the heart of it, Jacob lives bikes. Whether commuting to work, riding with his wife and two sons, doing epic night rides, or helping develop the latest Industry Nine product, Jacob loves all things two wheeled. When not at I9 or on his bike he can be found traveling around the globe for work or pleasure, backpacking and adventuring with his family, or sipping a craft beer or homemade cocktail while hanging out with friends.