When tragedy struck Eric Freund on Jan. 31, 2024, he was in Mexico City. He lost his best friend and, shortly after that, decided he needed a change, which ultimately led him to Wrangell.

Freund recently relocated to Wrangell after initially visiting to buy a small sailboat. But after arriving on the island, “something just clicked,” and he realized this was where he needed to be.

Within one week of relocating, he rented commercial space in the Churchill Building, next to the carving shed on Front Street. There, he plans to establish Upcycle Network to repair bicycles and share his love of cycling with old and young alike.

He was enjoying a Pan-American bicycle journey that started in Reno, Nevada, and eventually found him in Mexico. His final destination was Chile, and he didn’t imagine returning to the United States anytime soon.

While in Mexico City, however, his bike’s front tire got wedged in trash on the road, causing the momentum to throw him over his handlebars. Tragically, the accident threw his travel companion and best friend, a dog named Ray Ray, into the road, where she was struck and killed by an 18-wheeler.

With a separated shoulder, he gathered Ray Ray’s body and soon had her cremated and returned to his home in Colorado.

While he healed from his physical injuries, Freund decided he needed to at least attempt some kind of lengthy bike ride again, just to see if he still could. In June 2024, he rode his bicycle from Denver to Salmon, Idaho.

“For several years, I have been fascinated by human-powered achievements,” he said. “If you had told me in my 20s that I would be doing things in my 40s like biking for thousands of miles and pushing myself beyond my limits, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

Eventually, he felt he needed a change and started looking at Alaska as an option due to his professional background in mineral surveying.

“That’s an occupation that pays well, and it pays by the job,” he said. “The first few months of 2025, I took jobs in the Southwest, mainly in Arizona.”

As he started to feel restless, he found the Haines business Sockeye Cycle online. He was intrigued and applied to be a bicycle tour guide. He moved to Haines in April 2025 and soon was the company’s bicycle mechanic and also worked as a guide.

Freund is not just excited about teaching residents how to repair their bicycles. He’s also excited about keeping discarded bicycles on the road.

“So many bicycles get thrown away or buried in someone’s garage. I want to keep that from happening,” he said.

His goal is to repair and refurbish bicycles that he plans to either sell at a very low cost or simply give to people in need.

“The goal isn’t to make money,” he said. “I have to be able to support myself, but I want to be able to provide my services for everyone, regardless of their income.”

Freund currently has no inventory in his shop space but plans to soon. He is also assembling a board of directors for his organization.

“I just got my first official board member: Martha Roskowski out of Boulder, Colorado,” he said. “She’s the director for the Green Lane Project,” an organization dedicated to making more bike lanes available in urban areas.

Freund said he’s excited about what the future may bring for him in Southeast, but specifically in Wrangell.

“The fact that Wrangell has 100-plus miles of Forest Service roads is amazing,” he said. “For such a small community to have such an abundance of riding terrain, which is perfect for biking enthusiasts, makes me excited about the possibilities.”

He is evaluating the possibility of attracting bicyclists to the island for guided tours, utilizing the natural terrain and Forest Service roads to feature the island.

“I’ve been a lot of places, but Wrangell is different,” Freund said. “There are amazing opportunities here, and I’m excited to get this started. Upcycle will be an open and welcoming place to everyone in the community, and I just hope to get more people out there and riding.”

To contact Freund with any questions regarding the business or anything bicycle-related, his email is info@upcyclenetwork.org.