The Pedaler Newsletter
Did Santa bring you any cycling goodies? I didn't get any this year. Clearly, I need to be better in 2012...
If you've had any free time this week, maybe you were able to get on your bike. The weather has been great and I've enjoyed getting in a few 2-hour rides this week.
Please try to join us for tomorrow's New Year's Eve ride. We'll be doing our regular
Woman Hollering Creek Ride. On New Year's Day, there will be a leaderless ride from
Bullis County Park at 9 AM. Be sure to download and print the map prior to leaving for the ride! If you want to sleep in a little longer, you can participate in
Britton's New Year's Day Ride from the 281 Life Time Fitness at 10 AM. You can download the maps for that ride
here.
I hope 2012 brings you good health and many pleasurable miles on your bike. Happy New Year!
President’s Column
SAW Goals for 2012
The SAW Board members are developing Club goals for 2012. Every organization needs well-defined goals with a plan to implement the goals and capability to measure success in achieving the goals. We need input from the club members to make the goals meaningful. I’m sure many of you have ideas on how we can improve the club and make it a better organization for our members. Send me an email (president@sawheelmen.com) with your ideas so we can incorporate them in the goals for the year. Areas where we would particularly appreciate your inputs include: retaining our current members while expanding the membership; improving the bicycle education program to meet the needs of new riders and experienced riders; increasing the number of club members who do the club rides on a regular basis; and maintaining a dynamic ride schedule that provides good rides for all skill levels from beginners through “expert” riders. Put on your thinking cap and send me your ideas.
One of my goals is to get more club members involved in helping with club activities. Those of you who start rides, lead stay-together rides, and help with activities such as the Easter Hill Country Tour (EHCT) realize how important it is to have a substantial number of people to help with those activities. We need more ride starters to keep up the current ride schedule. If you are going to do the ride, it does not take much effort to hand out maps, have people sign up, and give the pre-ride briefing. Please give us a hand. The majority of RES instructors are graduates of the program with several years of riding experience. It would be great to have some of the more experienced riders in the club help with the classes. We will need a lot of help with the 2013 EHCT. While all of us would like to ride the EHCT, about 80 club members will be needed to develop and mark routes, supervise rest stops, drive SAG, run registration, and perform the other critical functions required to make the ride a success. We will start working in 2012 to assure success with the 2013 EHCT. Our goal is to attract over 800 riders and give them an excellent Hill Country riding experience. Remember, this is the Club’s main source of income for a 4-year period. When contacted to help with club activities please step up to help the club succeed. Even better, volunteer to help with the Club’s activities. You will provide a valuable service to the Club and will find it to be a very rewarding experience.
New Board Members and Committee Chairs:
We have several new Board members and Committee Chairs for 2012. Jose Rojas joins the Board as Executive vice President and Michael Garcia moves to Past President as I move into President. George Curtis was an interim appointment as VP Newsletter in 2011 and agreed to run for the 2012 Board. The remaining Board members are all serving an additional year and we greatly appreciate their help. Your 2012 Board members are:
|
President |
Cliff Hickel |
|
Past President |
Michael Garcia |
|
Executive Vice President |
Jose Rojas |
|
Vice President Membership |
Tony Beauford |
|
Vice President Newsletter |
George Curtis |
|
Secretary |
Maricela Guerra |
|
Treasurer |
Jeanette Burris |
|
Ride Committee Chair |
Tom Manning |
The Committee Chairs are another group that provides invaluable services to the club. They assist the Board in running many of the day-to-day activities necessary to help the Club function effectively. The major change here is Bob Marroquin taking over Bicycle Education with Lynn Blanco as the Administrative Assistant, and Tom Manning taking EHCT for 2013. Your 2012 Committee Chairs are:
|
Merchandise |
Vicki Smith |
|
Social Events |
Erica Garcia |
|
EHCT Director |
Tom Manning |
|
Bicycle Education |
Bob Marroquin |
|
Admin. Assistant |
Lynn Blanco |
|
BMAC |
John Cox |
|
Backup |
Cliff Hickel |
The “New” Club Website
There have been significant changes to our
website over the past year. Information on the site is updated frequently to keep the membership informed on items pertaining to club activities and items of general interest to bicyclists. Tony Beauford sends out “blast” email when there is timely information and sends the Pedaler early each month. Take time to read the information Tony sends and check the web site several times a month for timely updates, particularly to sections in the
Pedaler component. We are always looking for news items and articles, so put on your author’s cap and write something to share with the other members. Send your item to
George Curtis.
2012 Tour de Cure
The 2012 Tour de Cure ride will be a one day event on May 19
th. The Wheelmen will have a team this year led by Russell Voyles. Watch for registration information on the web site in the
Pedaler section and join the Wheelmen team to support the American Diabetes Association.
Cliff Hickel
2012 Rider Education Series
For 2012, the Wheelmen will offer three Road Riding 101/201 series of classes. The Road Riding 101 class is for new riders or riders who have been off their bike for some time. This class covers basic cycling information (including how to change a flat) plus three rides with gradual increases in distance. Road Riding 201 has four rides in the 35 – 50 mile range and prepares students for longer distances. Course dates are:
Series #1:
· RR 101 – February 11 through March 3
· RR 201 – March 24 through April 14
Series #2:
· RR 101 – May; 5 through June 2
· RR 201 =- June 23 – July 14
Series #3:
· RR 101 – September 15 through October 6
· RR 201 – October 27 through November 17
Former RES students are reminded they can retake the RR 101 or 201 classes within a year of completing the class at no additional charge. The first 101/201 series will be completed in time to join the Wheelmen team for the Tour de Cure on May 19, 2012. For further information or to sign up for one of the classes contact
info@sawheelmen.com.
New Wheelmen Jersey
The latest Wheelmen jersey has the same great design, but more lightweight material and a reduced price--$55! Please contact
Vicki Smith.
Ride Starters
As you know, SAW rides would not go off as well as they do without members who step up and volunteer to be ride leaders. If you have considered being a ride leader, now is the ideal time to volunteer. Don’t be concerned about what’s involved in being a ride leader. The responsibility is relatively painless and primarily involves showing up early at rides to post the maps, setting out the sign-up sheets, and conducting a pre-ride briefing. We also offer ride leader training. If you lead four rides during the year, your annual SAW membership is free! To join this group of volunteers critical to the success of our club, contact our Ride Committee Chair,
Tom Manning via e-mail or phone at 210-496-2351.
Your Opinion Matters!
We are always looking for feedback on how we can improve the club. Please feel free to e-mail your suggestions to
Tony Beauford. Do you have a new route that you would like to share? Please contact
Tom Manning.
Additional Information
President's Column
Upcoming Rides
New Members
Member of the Month
BMAC Minutes
SAW Board Minutes
Tony Beauford
VP, Membership
www.sawheelmen.com
