February 2025 President's Letter

Greetings to the HBC Community,

The HBC Board of Directors met on February 26, 2025. The board meeting minutes for this, and for all previous meetings, are posted at this link as they are approved. 

Kudos to Alan and Rita, who sponsored Smart Cycling on February 21st about Bike Fitting. It was a really big turnout.  This was clearly an important topic given all the questions from attendees.

The next Smart Cycling event is scheduled for March 12th. Hosted by Ann Bodensteiner, the topic is learning more about e-bikes. Further details will be coming soon.

The date for Spring Kick-off is being determined shortly, and will likely be in early May. Contact Mary Buss to volunteer. And get your bikes tuned up, with air in the tires now, because May will be here before you know it!

Ride Hiawatha, the club’s signature ride, is tentatively being planned for July 6th. Nancy Ellis has agreed to lead the planning team again this year. She, and last year's volunteers, can attest to the hard work it took to pull off such a successful first year. Some interesting stats from last year: there were 40 club volunteers, 97 non-member riders, and 50 member riders. There was approximately a $2000 profit, which is exceptional for a first-year event. From this, HBC was able to provide a charitable donation to Free Bikes 4 Kidz.

In my opinion, the most important benefit of a ride such as Ride Hiawatha (and its predecessor, TDA) is the community-building and camaraderie it fosters amongst our members. It is also an opportunity to showcase HBC to the general biking community. HBC volunteers are critical in demonstrating that HBC is a friendly, sociable bunch of people. Thanks to all past, and future, volunteers in helping make this event continue to be a success. 

The next board meeting is scheduled for March 26th, 2025.

Respectfully,

Lisa Soldat

President, HBC Board