The Yellow Bike Story

The Trek 2300

Forward, Never Straight

May 2020 - An absolutely crazy time for everyone living on Planet Earth, right? Not only was the end of the world as we knew it happening, but I was going through a number of enormous life changes. Unsure of what my future held, my cousin, long into cycling and knowing the transformative power it can bring, simply gave me an old, yellow Trek 2300 (with a ton of history of its own to our family, having been ridden to Ground Zero from Richmond, VA in the wake of 9/11) saying, "I think this will be good for you."

Fast forward four years, thousands of miles, thousands of smiles, meeting my future wife, Ashley, and countless new friends, experiences, and locations and here we are, being in a career I never imagined myself in back in May of 2020. That's what we aim to do - help transform your life, no matter which path you choose, and find your yellow bike story.

Meet The Team

Kyle Lippiatt

Owner/Manager

I was born and raised in Portsmouth, with a long time spent in Suffolk along the way. My first life was as an events decorator/florist, where I had the opportunity to decorate the White House in 2013 for Halloween, with my second life being a High School Economics teacher before I settled on my third life - bicycles. Coming from the world of competitive swimming for over 20 years, I fell into cycling naturally as I started working in the industry in 2021 under Norfolk's legendary Michael Shipp & Steve Gregerson; I never looked back (to steal a line from Walt's paragraph next to me, "only when I'm passing people"). In my down time I enjoy riding my bikes, whether it be with friends or solo suffer rides, professional wrestling (I'll talk to you about it for hours), and going on coffee and sushi dates, as well as numerous trips to bike races and Ironman events (Kansas, Oregon, Finland, and France, to name a few) with my wonderful fiancée, Ashley.

001 - Peake Endurance Mar 2021 photoshoot - full resolution-11 (2).jpg

Walter Gonzales

Service Manager & Bike Fit Expert

I started as a teenager riding BMX before eventually transitioning to mountain biking. Moving to Southeast Virginia forced me to enjoy the fast flat road riding and cycling & eventually triathlon. With the resurgence of off road riding, gravel has been a very welcomed new discipline! I was raised as a military brat, predominantly overseas then settling in the US in Seattle at the University of Washington. I joined the Navy which moved me around & brought me to Virginia Beach. Post military service I entered the cycling industry and never looked back, unless I'm passing on your left or getting passed! Since then I have had the pleasure of building a resume to include 17 years as a bike fitter, 15 year USA Triathlon Coach, 12 year USA Cycling Coach, and 4 year USA Race Director. In addition to cycling, I enjoy running, surfing, kayaking, SUPin, and camping. I love the tempo of a city, but I also love being out in the country.

Rob Lee

Shop B#$!%

My favorite bicycle memory is riding a yellow Huffy 10 speed with brown bar tape around the neighborhood in Georgetown Colony in Chesapeake with no worries in the world, leaving our bikes in the driveway waiting for everyone to arrive. I retired in 2020 as a Fire Captain of 25 years serving the Navy Region Mid Atlantic Fire & Emergency Services. After retiring from there I worked five years for Amazon, traveling from Nashville to Colorado Springs as Onsite Medical Representative, then finishing my tenure as Safety Manager in Norfolk, VA. I am forever grateful to Kyle for taking a chance on me with the opportunity to learn and grow in this rewarding industry! I've also been married for 33 years to my loving wife, Sharon, and we've raised two great kids, Jordan and Madison. In my downtime I've done everything possible from surfing, golfing, and kayak fishing, to adult softball leagues and paintball.