As the founder of the Modern Elder Academy and former head of global hospitality and strategy at Airbnb, Chip Conley brings a rare perspective on leadership, renewal, and navigating disruption. At Airbnb, Conley helped transform the company from a fast-growing startup into one of the world’s most recognized brands, all while redefining what it means to lead with purpose in a rapidly changing marketplace.

With nearly two decades of leadership in brand strategy and global market expansion, Giant Group CEO Phoebe Liu shares actionable lessons from her forward-thinking approach to integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices across the group’s global operations. From the importance of responsible manufacturing to why a long-term commitment to ESG is good for business, learn how the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer continues to transform and collaborate with industry partners to build a greener supply chain and drive sustainable development across the entire cycling ecosystem.

For many children, bicycling is their first sport. Before leagues, tryouts, or scoreboards, the simple bicycle is the foundation for movement, confidence, and independence. Drawing on his own childhood, nearly 20 years at ESPN, and founding the Aspen Institute’s Sports and Society Program, Tom Farrey explores why biking is essential to expanding access to youth sports and fostering lifelong physical activity. From lessons the bike industry can take from other sports to emerging policy opportunities and best practices from Project Play's Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports and 63X30 initiative, Farrey lays out how we can engage schools, communities, and partners to ensure every child has a safe, joyful path to sports.

What happens when the bike industry puts competition aside to grow the next generation of riders? In Payson, Arizona, Trek, Giant, SRAM, Shimano, Specialized, and Outride partnered with local advocates to build a complete youth cycling ecosystem. Through the Peloton Project, trails, bikes, education, and programming are now producing new riders for decades to come. Join an inside look at this transformative project to discover why collaboration is our industry’s most powerful growth strategy and how your brand can support youth ridership in your own backyard.

Artificial intelligence is already changing how businesses plan, operate, and engage customers. Enterprise users report saving 40 to 60 minutes per day through AI implementation, equivalent to gaining back nearly a full workday every week. This moderated discussion brings together leaders from the bike industry and beyond who are applying AI across their organizations to share practical lessons on adoption, execution, and impact. Hear real-world insights on where AI delivers human value and where it falls short to make smarter strategic decisions and leverage competitive advantage at your own organization.

The bike industry spent the past few years absorbing whiplash: rapid growth, sharp contraction, and uneven recovery. The challenge for leaders today is not diagnosing pain, it’s deciding where to focus, what to fix, and what to let go. This session is designed to help leaders move past stale pessimism without ignoring hard realities by centering on what the data reveals about participation, demand, channels, inventory, and consumer behavior, and what those signals mean for decisions you can control in 2026.

Join us for the exclusive premiere of the No Hands documentary trailer, telling the story of the rise and fall of Schwinn Bicycle and its enduring influence on American culture and bicycling. Jim Packer, president of worldwide television distribution at Lionsgate, will share brief remarks on why this story resonates today and what it reveals about culture, innovation, and the future of the U.S. bike business.

Jon McNeill, former president of Tesla, former COO of Lyft, and a member of the board of directors at General Motors and LuluLemon, is an experienced executive known for leading organizations through rapid change and operational complexity. His work focuses on disciplined decision-making, simplifying complex systems, and building frameworks that help teams move faster and execute with clarity. Drawing on his experience leading large-scale operations, McNeill shares how leaders can apply structured approaches to problem solving, focus on what matters most, and sustain momentum through periods of change. Take away valuable lessons on challenging assumptions, streamlining processes, and accelerating cycle time as tools for long-term growth. BLC attendees will receive an advance copy of McNeill’s forthcoming book, The Algorithm, offering an early look at the ideas shaping his perspective on leadership, innovation, and decision-making ahead of its official public release.

When childhood friends Levi Conlow and Robby Deziel set out to build an affordable e-bike, they took a fresh look at how the industry traditionally operates. Drawing on Conlow’s background in business and Deziel’s experience in mechanical engineering, they challenged assumptions around pricing, distribution, marketing, and how brands connect with riders. The result was Lectric eBikes, a company built around accessibility and the simple enjoyment of riding. Hear from the co-founders as they share lessons from their approach, what worked, what they learned along the way, and how they continue to think thoughtfully about what, if anything, should be done differently next.

For decades, the bike industry — like many mature outdoor categories — optimized for its most dedicated enthusiasts. But today’s growth opportunity lies higher up the funnel and by broadening the tent. Drawing on insights from across the outdoor, travel, and media landscape, Heather Dietrick, chief media officer at Outside Interactive, shares how adjacent industries are successfully welcoming new people into their ecosystems without losing their core participants. From community and culture to first-party data and audience activation, this session explores how brands can better reach casual riders, deepen engagement over time, and build durable growth in a changing market. The conversation will challenge leaders to question long-held assumptions about today’s customers and rethink how to win the customer of the future.

REI’s Head of Merchandising Alicia Applegate shares concise, real-world profitability lessons from the retailer’s post-COVID merchandising strategy across cycle, snow, water, and climb equipment businesses. Drawing on cross-category insights, Applegate lays out what worked, what didn’t, and how shifting customer behavior reshaped assortment, planning, replenishment, and allocation strategies. Gain practical takeaways for leading change in merchandising efficiencies, margin profiles, and inventory turn, all while building assortment credibility in a still-evolving retail landscape. Designed as a fast, high-impact overview, this talk offers actionable lessons attendees can apply immediately to improve profitability.

This is a line-in-the-sand moment for the bicycle industry. We must align on definitions, risk, safety, and credibility before governments do it for us and to us. High-powered electric motorbikes — often called “e-motos” — are being misleadingly sold as legal e-bikes, creating confusion, safety concerns, and regulatory backlash nationwide. This session brings together industry leaders, policymakers, and safety experts to clarify the distinction between e-bikes and e-motos, examine how mislabeling negatively affects public trust and policy, and discuss strategies to protect access for legitimate e-bike riders, and the e-bike market, while advancing smarter, safer regulation.

Where is the bike industry headed in 2026 and beyond and what should leaders be paying attention to? In this data-driven session, Doug Baker, chief strategy officer at SHIFT Active Media, draws on new research to explore how casual riders evolve into committed enthusiasts alongside what brands and retailers can do to better support and accelerate that journey. Learn how customer search behavior and digital demand signals can serve as early indicators of product trends and category momentum. Plus, get a first look at findings from a global industry leadership survey highlighting senior executives’ outlook for 2026, shifting investment priorities, and the growing role of AI in shaping strategy and decision-making across the bike business.

Federal trade policy is shaping the bike industry in ways that are increasingly hard to outrun. Tariffs, enforcement actions, and regulatory requirements like Section 232 are now influencing everyday operating decisions, not just long-term planning. Industry experts examine how leaders are managing exposure, protecting margins, and rethinking sourcing and manufacturing models as uncertain trade conditions evolve. Come away with a better understanding of lessons learned, decisions already underway, and the practical moves companies are making to stay competitive in a more constrained global market.