Anatol Poppe
President
Anatol is a full-time student studying to be an electrical engineer. He was 10 years old when his father was paralyzed in a bicycle accident. He helped his father convert his first handcycle to add electric assist, which completely changed his father’s life. So much so that they decided to share the technology with the disabled community and started the Able Bodied handcycle program under NorCal SCI. Anatol is the “able bodied” help for all the 1:1 lessons and helps make sure are the rides are safe and bikes are in good condition.
Wojtek Poppe
Treasurer / Test Dummy
Wojtek is a life long avid cyclist and outdoor enthusiast. He was an avid mountain biker, road biker, skier, windsurfer, hang gliding pilot, and adventurer before he became a T5 complete paraplegic (with no sensation or muscle control below his chest). Electric assist handcycling was the first activity he has done that has helped him feel “able bodied” again. He now goes on rides with the same friends and on the same routes he used to bike with before he was paralyzed.
Natalie Zhar
Secretary
Natalie is an Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. She has been an NIH funded academic researcher with a focus on translational neuroscience comprising of imaging and biomarkers for over two decades. Her background in writing grants and running human studies makes her a key asset for Able Bodied and the disabled community.
Sam Kolb
Board Member
Sam is an accomplished engineering leader with 25 years of experience building cutting-edge technology in Silicon Valley. He has a proven track record of success in both startup and established company environments, spending the last five years as a senior manager at Meta with extensive experience in large language models and AI. Sam was one of the first riders in the Able Bodied program and was the first “Able Bodied Ambassador” for the get 1 help 2 program. He will be expanding our Able Bodied handcycling program to his home in Sebastopol, which is very close to a beautiful bike path through vineyards and parks.