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Leah Neaderthal founded the Chainlink in August 2008. Leah is an avid cyclist who at the time saw Chicagoland’s growing cycling culture as fragmented and in need of camaraderie. As savvy with the digital realm as she was with her titanium Seven road bike, Leah guided her fledgling online cycling community to 1,000 members in the first nine months, and to 7,500 members in four years.

During that time, Chainlink’s growing ranks of cycling enthusiasts organized bike camping trips, shared tips on gearing up for winter bike commuting, explored surreal cityscapes during “Midnight Marauders” social rides, found willing companions with whom to pedal to museums, botanic gardens and breweries far and wide, and most importantly, made countless lasting friendships.

In 2011, Leah was eager to start new business ventures and handed the reins over to her co-founder, Julie Hochstadter. With Julie at the helm, the Chainlink grew to more than 10,000 members, and began an initiative to expand The Chainlink’s capacity to serve its members. Eager to start a family with her new husband, Julie passed the torch to Yasmeen Schuller in January of 2015.

Yasmeen has more than 15 years of experience with digital marketing and development and has extensive experience launching websites. Career highlights include stints at Motorola and Oracle. Yasmeen rediscovered cycling in early 2012 and jumped in with both bike shoes. By the summer, she completed her first 100-mile “century” ride. By fall, she had entered her first bike race and the following year, she completed the 450 mile, week-long RAGBRAI biking event. She is a member of the Rapha Cycling Club and has competed in road, cyclocross and “gravel” road races. She races with The Chainlink team.

In 2015, we added articles and resources to enhance Chainlink members’ enjoyment of the site, and more importantly their enjoyment of cycling. We expanded ways to help promote, advocate for, and foster the ever-growing cycling community. In 2016, we launched The Chainlink Memphis, a racing and riding team, and The Chainlink ambassador program.

In 2017, we plan to expand to more cities and continue to support The Chainlink as our membership and reach grows.

P.S. What are you waiting for?

- Looking to do a distance ride this season? Click here to find a long ride in the Rides & Events section.
- Have a question, piece of news, or just looking to sell something? Post it in the Forum here.
- Know someone who might like this site? Invite them to the chainlink by clicking here.