Consider running for a position on the ExCom!

There is plenty of space at the table. The 9 members of  Executive Committee are elected  in alternate years. This year 4 slots are open:

• Chair (1 year term)
• Chair-Elect (2 year term)
• 2 At-Large members (2 year terms)

After the first year, the Chair-Elect becomes the Chair. (Note:  the Chair position is open for 2014 due to the prior Chair-Elect taking on a different position.)

Any member can run for any position.  If you want to find out more about what being on the ExCom entails, please seek out current members and pick their brains.  Being on the ExCom is a great way to give back and to influence club policies and activities.

Nominations must be submitted by December 11, 2013 in order to be considered for voting by the membership at the Annual Meeting in January.  If you are interested in serving on the ExCom, contact current Chair Rich Tepel.

Potomac Pedalers presents a number of awards to members at the annual meeting. Each year we present the following awards -

• Good Shepherd Award
• Rookie Ride Leader Award
• Best Original Ride Award

The Neal D. Molloy Volunteer Award, and Linda Tischer Lifetime Award are only presented to exceptional candidates, so they will not always be given.  All awardees receive a plaque. The Potomac Pedalers Lifetime Award also comes with free lifetime membership in the club. 

Any member can nominate a PPTC member for any of these awards by emailing Rich Tepel or any other ExCom member with the name of the nominee and a brief statement about why the person deserves a particular award.  Click here for the Club Officers and Committees page on the website, or look on page 2 of Pedal Patter for contact information.

Awardees will be selected by the ExCom from those nominations received by 6 pm on January 2, 2013. Descriptions of the awards are as follows:

Peter LeGrand Good Shepherd Award
Some ride leaders go out of their way to ensure that everyone on a ride feels welcome. They keep an eye on stragglers, assist with mechanical problems and even SAG the weary if necessary. Such an outstanding ride leader receives special recognition in the form of the Peter LeGrand Good Shepherd Award.  Peter LeGrand (1989) was the first recipient of the Good Shepherd Award, which was later renamed in his memory.

Rookie Ride Leader of the Year Award
This award is presented to an individual who, in the past calendar year, has led his or her first ride for the club and has shown a subsequent dedication to continuing to lead rides and following the Ride Leader Guidelines.

Best Original Ride of the Year Award
An award will be given to the member or members who have developed the best original ride of the year. In order to qualify, the ride should be a route unique to the last calendar year and should feature roads and/or areas not usually used on PPTC rides.

Neal D. Malloy Volunteer Award
An award will be given to the member or members who go above and beyond the call of duty in volunteering for the Club.  This award honors Neal Malloy (2010), a beloved club member, who shared his enthusiasm and energy with every rider he met and was dedicated to cycling and to PPTC.

Linda Tischer PPTC Lifetime Award
The nominee must have demonstrated leadership, selfless dedication, effective contribution and personal commitment in support of PPTC interests, goals and ideals over a number of years. The nominee must have been a member for at least ten years and must be a current member to receive the award. The nomination should include evidence of personal involvement in the management, administration or financial affairs of PPTC measured by achievement while actively serving as a member, officer or committee chairperson, ride leader, coordinator or other Club position listed on page two of the Pedal Patter.

Eric Lengel:  Retired Teacher, Never Retired Cyclist!

One measure of a good cyclist is the degree to which one gives back to the community. I'm an avid cyclist and longtime member of PPTC since the 1980's and have led dozens of rides in the area. I appreciate the importance of increasing accessibility to the sport, such as helping people with disabilities who want to experience the joy of cycling but need support. I am currently working with a tandem group that includes blind cyclists - wonderful people who are often better cyclists then their sighted partners.  I have also been involved in the organizational end of cycling and have run "Bike Rodeos" in northern Virginia, one of which was sponsored by PPTC.  As a teacher, I've taught the importance of bike safety to hundreds of children over the years.  I would enjoy the opportunity to contribute more of my time to PPTC!

Sue Gunter

I first began biking as a kid, biking all over the neighborhood with my best friend.  Then in college, I used my bicycle to get from one end of the large campus to the other.  But, when I got my first job, moved to D.C., and got my first really nice bike - a Trek touring bike that felt like it was part of me - I began biking on a whole new level.  I first took my new bike on the area trails, and then around 1980, decided I would try commuting from Alexandria into D.C. on my bicycle.  Even though the only place for me to shower was in a janitor's locker room at the agency where I worked, I did it.  Sometime around this period I first joined Potomac Pedalers, and in celebration of my 30th birthday, I did a century ride with the club.
 
After my two sons were born, I took a leave of absence from bike commuting and serious biking and mostly rode with my sons.  When my younger son graduated from high school, I bought my next really nice bicycle, and started riding again - soon commuting again by bicycle - this time with access to a really nice locker room.  I also started riding a lot on weekends with Potomac Pedalers and became a life-time member.  Having lost my husband to leukemia, being able to bike with others through the club has been important to me.  The past two years, I have volunteered during the Backroads Century, first as a ride leader and then as part of the food and supply team and as a ride leader.  I am also a life-time member of the Washington Area Bicycle Association.  The bottom line is that I love biking.  If I didn't need to work for a living, I would bike all day.  I work as one of the too many attorneys in D.C., practicing labor and employment law.
 
As a member at large of Potomac Pedalers, I would be interested in working on promoting bicycle safety.  Commuting by bicycle pretty much daily, I see a lot of need for improvement of bicycle safety - both on the part of bikers and drivers.  I would also be interested in working on promoting membership in the club.

Susan Payne

Susan Payne feels that when it comes to bicycle riding she has a bit of a split personality. Half the time she can be found riding the Fairfax County Connector Trail in Fairfax, VA on her Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc 26 mountain bike. The other half of the time she is tooling around on her Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5 105 road bike with her Potomac Pedaler friends out of Wakefield Park (WKP) Annandale Training Works rides. She said that she and a small group of those riders ride year-round; bike lights and under-clothing galore. The group, she says, cheats Old Man Winter and Old Man Time with a one-two punch and have a blast doing it.
One of her fondest memories as a young girl was riding her bike to school each day. Some of the winters were particularly harsh in New Jersey, but it never deterred her from those moments of freedom from the house and the realization that you can go places on a bike, many places.  As one of four children, she shared a Gitane 10-speed with her other siblings; and that was precious little time. Gitane, a French manufacturer of bicycles based in Machecoul, France, means "gypsy woman." Ah, she thought, this was all starting to piece together well: freedom, long bike rides, and a free spirit equaled adventure.
Susan has volunteered for the past several years at the Fairview Church rest stop in the Back Roads Century. She admits that the home-baked sweets that the church ladies donate are one of the selling points to serving at that rest stop. She consistently learns best practices and other tricks of the trade from the riders, such as component performance, cycling shoes, climbing techniques, and new routes to try.
Potomac Pedalers is a very encouraging organization for riders of all levels. Some of Susan's friendships have gone well beyond riding bikes into triathlon training, having Chinese soup after a winter's ride, and even, more recently, being invited to take dips in a friend's brand new Jacuzzi. Membership has its privileges, and being a Potomac Pedaler is no exception, it just means that it goes well beyond the trail.

Once again, Potomac Pedalers will host and partner with Eastern Tandem Rally to show off the wonderful Eastern Shore cycling.  Spring Thaw is a regional cycling event and attacts many people from the east coast and mid-west.   Four days of riding, with no hills, sparse traffic, and wide shoulders are perfect for getting back into cycling after a long winter.

Routes will lead to the water with spectacular scenery among world-class environmental ecosystems. If the ferry opens by this date, we may add a ride to scenic Oxford via the ferry, and ride onward to St. Michaels. We'll return to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge again with an optional new add-on called the "Dirty Crab Leg" for the more adventurous.  We expect about one third single bikes and two-third tandems, but unicyclists are also welcome to join us.

The host hotel is the Holiday Inn (410) 221-9900 - you will need to make your own hotel reservations in Cambridge. The event registration will include food, entertainment, and routes.  Registration will open in January.  We are limiting the event to 150 to better fit the hotel facilities.  This is significantly fewer than last year, so make sure you register early.