Our guides inspire us all the time. They are multi-talented, creative, and adventurous. They are busy, go-getters who follow their passions and pursue a wide range of activities. Learn a little bit about what three of our guides do in the off-season when they aren’t riding with Trek Travel!
Interior Design with Marquette Edwards
I’ve been guiding for Trek Travel since 2010, and I also worked as the East Coast dealer sales representative for four years during that time. I’ve been doing interior design informally for over 15 years but decided to get my certification in design and property staging in 2015. I have always been creative visually and have a passion for reinventing a space, seeing it from a different perspective and bringing it to life. I opened my own business, Design Remedy, in 2016 in Greenville, South Carolina. Since then, I have worked on both residential and commercial projects as well as provided property staging services for realtors. I love working as a designer along with guiding because it allows me to combine the things that make me happy and fulfilled. The cool thing about my design business is that I not only work with clients in person, but I can also work with people online from anywhere, providing a full range of design services including color consultations, room styling, sourcing furniture, decor suggestions, and property staging assessments to get your home ready for market.
Learn more about Design Remedy.
Cycling Races with Ioanna Yiasemi
I’ve always been active in the off season. In the off-season during my first few years of guiding, I would just pack up a backpack or my Trek 920 and get off the grid. But when I started to feel like settling down some, I had to funnel my energy elsewhere. I became a yoga instructor, learned Spanish, and got diving certifications. But the best endeavor out of all was getting involved in local cycling races in my home country, Cyprus. In the last two years, I have become part of a small team of individuals who are responsible for the biggest international races that happen on the island of Cyprus, including the Cyprus Sunshine Epic, a mountain bike stage race for professional and amateurs every February, and the UCI Cyprus Gran Fondo, which is one of the few qualifying events for the world championships of Gran Fondo. There’s additional smaller races including Ocean Lava Triathlons, the “Olympus Man,” and many more. Aside from that, we also organize community rides, mountain bike skills clinics, and events focused especially on women. I believe that putting more people on bikes is a great cause and Cyprus is a cycling paradise, especially in the winter!
Painting & Drawing with Jessie Walker
In my own time, I like to be creative, and I love trying out new arts and crafts. I always seem to question “can I make this?” when it comes to items I see on social media or things I need around the house. I just recently bought my first house, so I currently have a big canvas to play with, which is very exciting for me.
At school I studied art and design, but never at university. My first career was in professional road cycling, so that took up all my time. It wasn’t until I was sick and off the bike for a week that I started drawing. My first drawing was the tiger in the image below. After that, I realized how much I loved it and began drawing more often. I’ve now set up a social media account on Instagram called @yorki_rose for anyone to view my work or request commissions. I’ve even shown a few Trek Travel guests my work when they’ve asked about my hobbies, and I’ve had a few commissions now. The landscape below is of Tuscany and was requested by a guest that I guided on the luxury bike tour in Tuscany. It’s a great way to make amazing memories last forever!
Once I really got into the creative swing of things, I decided to mix it up a little and start custom painting cycling shoes. My practice run was painting my brother’s shoes to match the colors of his team, Team Wiggins. I’ve now done quite a lot of different shoes, and I even have the man himself, Sir Bradley Wiggins, on my current client to-do list.
Art and design for me is the perfect balance in my life. With my job as a Trek Travel guide being so active, it’s nice to have my weeks off in a tranquil environment doing something I love!
