Buddies -
If you attended the last Club Meeting or read this month's edition of The Wheel Truth Newsletter you may have noticed that I'm your new President! I wanted to let you know about some important decisions that were made during the February Board meeting, but first...
I Need Your Help!
I need suggestions for things to do at Club meetings this year:
- Do you want to give a short talk about something bike-related?
- Do you want to give a longer talk about something bike-related?
- Is there a speaker you'd like to see? Do you have their contact info?
- Is there a cycling-related skill you'd like to learn?
- Is there a cycling-related skill you'd like to teach others?
- Do you have a cool new or cool old bike you'd be willing to show off?
Let me know!
Board Priorities for 2026
During the first Board meeting of 2026, I presented the three priorities I thought the Board should focus on this year. We'll continue to do all of the things we've been doing for years, but I believe these three things are particularly important:
1. Making RACC 2026 successful
2. Keeping our group ride calendar robust
3. Bootstrapping our advocacy efforts
The Board voted to accept these three priorities.
One priority that was discussed, but did not end up on our list was "Growing club membership". In looking at the data our current club membership (516 people) is close to the historical average (530 people) that we've seen over the last 9 years. While some board members felt strongly that we should try to grow membership, there wasn't an obvious owner for projects that would try to dramatically increase membership. As a result, we'll tackle a range of smaller projects (ex: making membership info easier to find, better articulating the benefits of membership) but membership won't be a major focus this year.
Code of Conduct
While Tom Eggers and I were looking to see what other local bicycle clubs were doing with respect to ride leader qualifications and ride leader training, we noticed that many clubs have an official Code of Conduct. Not every club, of course, but far more than I would have expected. This is especially important because last year a club member complained about being bullied and harassed by other club members.
The Board voted to approve the following Code of Conduct and it is now available on our website:
Please review the Code of Conduct as it applies to all club activities including group rides, meetings, social events, volunteer opportunities, online spaces, and communications. The Code of Conduct we've adopted tries to document the principles the club has always operated under so there shouldn't be any surprises!
Official E-bike Policy
Finally, we've gotten some requests for clarification on the Club's e-bike policy. The Board voted to approve the policy I suggested:
"Riders of e-bikes which meet the Consumer Product Safety Commission's definition of a Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3 e-bike are welcome to participate in VBC group rides. Riders on e-bikes are responsible for complying with all local regulations related to the legality and operation of their bicycle. All riders are expected to ride in a safe and courteous manner, regardless of bike type."
We'll get this posted prominently on the website in the near future!
Scott Storkel
VBC President