March 2022 HBC President’s Letter
Welcome Sweet Springtime, We Greet Thee . . .
It’s been a quiet biking month since the last president’s letter. Nonetheless, HBC remains quite active.
On March 4th about 25 HBCers and friends went for a Winter Walk before enjoying the March Birthday Bash at the Edina D’Amico. Due to the COVID surge, this had been the first in-person Bash in months. It was nice to gather as a group once again. We’ll repeat the monthly in-person Birthday Bash tradition on Friday, April 1.
During our March board meeting we reviewed plans for our Spring Kick-off event scheduled for May 21st at Burnes Park in Hopkins. The Spring Kick-off features coffee, pastry, biking, socializing and lunch (either bring or buy your own). Ride leaders are putting together routes for a variety of speeds and distances. Stay tuned as Jean Mangan continues to organize the event.
HBC has over 30 ride leaders who plan, map, lead and report ride participation. During the past operating year seven members completed their leadership training and together led over 50 rides. New leaders bring fresh perspectives, new rides, and new accents to existing routes.
The reasons our ride leaders lead rides vary. Many like to promote the fellowship brought by leading a group of like-minded people along a favorite route. Others like the opportunity to set the pace and the food stops. Other people like putting together a ride with a theme such as architecture, coffee shops, ice cream shops or area history. Being a leader is also a motivation to get out and go riding yourself. That’s a pretty good list. What reasons resonate with you?
If you are not a ride leader consider it. The steps to become a ride leader are well-defined and are not difficult. Step one is to find a current ride leader to mentor you. Your mentor will teach you lots including how to put together a map, how to post the ride on the event calendar, and how to conduct a pre-ride briefing. In addition to your mentor, other ride leaders will answer questions and help you succeed.
Planning for our annual ride leader refresher event is in the works. This year, members of the board who are ride leaders will conduct the refresher. Stay tuned for the announcement.
We need a ride leader to step forward and lead the ride leader team. The main responsibilities of this role are:
Ride leader, contact me or Dawn Wilson and we will get you moving forward.
In other news:
E-Bike Challenge Minneapolis – long time HBC member Russ Lowthian ( publisher of Have Fun Biking.com ) is one of the principals behind this event. The E-Bike Challenge runs on April 2nd and 3rd at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Click this link for more information: https://ebikechallenge.com/
30 Days of Biking – April 1 marks the beginning of this year’s 30 days of biking. Learn more here: https://30daysofbiking.com/
Thanks, be well and stay safe.
Alan Wichman, HBC President
