My name is Kevin Thelen, and I’m an engineer, bicyclist, nonprofit leader, business owner, woodworker, husband, father, and grandfather.
I grew up on a dairy farm in central Michigan, where I learned the value of hard work early in life. Milking cows before sunrise, baling hay in the summer heat, and caring for the farm taught me perseverance, and the satisfaction that comes from a job well done.
But alongside that work was an endless curiosity. I was always eager to learn, explore, and challenge myself. Whether it was taking apart the family electric typewriter to see how it worked (sorry, Mom—it never quite worked the same afterward!) or planning my first overnight bicycle trip from mid-Michigan to Lake Michigan, I was driven by a desire to discover what was possible.
Looking back, it’s no surprise that my journey led me to engineering, where I spent my career working with amazing teams to develop the next generation of vehicles. That path took me from working for one of the world’s largest companies to a Japanese-owned company that broadened my perspective even further. Later, I along with my wife and son we embraced entrepreneurship by opening and operating a dog boarding and daycare business. Eventually I was fortunate to work with my former colleagues to found a nonprofit dedicated to helping refugees rebuild their lives through safe, reliable transportation.
Each chapter has been a new adventure, and each has taught me lessons that shaped who I am today. Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to work with incredible people—colleagues, mentors, volunteers, customers, friends, and clients—who challenged me, encouraged me, and opened my eyes to experiences I never would have imagined.
For all of that, I am deeply grateful!
The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that life isn’t defined by the titles we hold. It’s defined by our willingness to keep learning, to embrace new challenges, and to invest in the lives of others. Every new experience has expanded my view of the world, and every person I’ve met has left me a little wiser than before.
So with that, I embark on the simple but I trust to be another amazing RAGBRAI. Think about it. It starts with a very basic concept of a bicycle and a route across a state many would consider the least exciting in the union – (sorry Joe but that is a view many have). You throw in 10000 other diverse biking folks, many small towns super excited to see some newcomers, and a challenge to get everyone down the road and you have an experience that can’t be described. Although I will try…. So lets see what happens this year as we turn Iowa’s corn fields, small towns, hills and the overwhelming smell of a pig farms into something special.
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