Volume 48, Issue #12, December 1, 2016
Contents
president
President's Message
By Will Benedict
Thank You
I would like to thank everyone for allowing me to serve as your president for the past three years. It has been a pleasure working and riding with so many great people. I treasure the friendships I have developed and look forward to riding with you for years to come.
news
News, Notes & Events
2017 Budget
Please review the Proposed Budget and Contributions for 2017 below. These proposals reflect the work of the Budget Committee that met and hammered out a tentative budget proposal on October 10 of this year. After further analysis by committee members and input from the Board, a final proposed budget was agreed upon and approved by the Board on November 1.

This year the development of a budget was not an easy process because we anticipated a reduction of income of approximately $23,000 in 2017.  As many of you know, 2016 saw a significant reduction in registrations for the Wildflower Ride.  Ridership decreased from 1400 to 1100 riders-a decrease of 21 percent. Whether this is an anomaly or not, we do not know, but the Budget Committee decided to be prudent and only budget for 1100 riders for the 2017 Wildflower Ride, which accounts for a major portions of the projected reduced income.

With this reality as a backdrop, the Board has been committed throughout 2016 to increase the fun, vitality and participation at SLOBC membership events. As a start toward this objective, we upgraded the Potluck events and hosted a Chili Cook-off event and a fun Apple Harvest ride in 2016. We are committed to expanding these types of activities in 2017.

So, what to do?  Dilemma:  How to have more fun club events with less money coming in? The Proposed Budget and Contributions below reflect our attempt to reach a reasonable compromise. Here's a summary:
  1. Contributions have been reduced 22 percent from $99,000 in 2016 to $77,700 for 2017.
  2. Lighthouse Ride expenses have been reduced 7 percent.
  3. Newsletter mailings have gone 100 percent email, eliminating over $2,000 of  printing and snail mail expense.
  4. In an attempt to enhance the Wildflower Ride experience, expenses for that ride were increased 6 percent.
  5. To continue and expand programming and ride fun for members, the programming budget was increased 64 percent from $5,000 to $8,200 and funds for fun rides has been increased from $2,000 to $4,000.
If you have any questions about budget details please contact me,  Bill Martin, SLOBC Treasurer at treasurer@slobc.org . I look forward to hearing from you.

Proposed Budget Contributions 2017



General Contributions

Atascadero High School Bicycle Club
200
Bike SLO County
35,000
Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club
2,000
Cal Poly Cycling
4,000
CCCMB
3,800
Estero Radio Club
500
Gene Cerise Country Classic
1,500
REC Foundation, Paso Robles
250
SLO Regional Rideshare
1,500
SLO Sheriff's Advisory Foundation
1,000
Sub Total
49,750


Wildflower Related Contributions

Creston 4H
300
Creston Classic Rodeo
1,500
Creston Community Church
150
Creston Elementary School
1,000
Creston Elementary School--Science Camp
200
Creston Volunteer Firefighters Association
6,600
Shandon Pool Fund
500
Shandon Unified School District
4,000
Sub Total
14,250


Lighthouse Related Contributions

Cayucos Elementary School District
 500 
Morro Bay Community Volunteers
 200 
Morro Bay High School
 1,000 
Morro Bay High School Boosters
 10,000 
Sub Total
 11,700 


Unspecified
 2,000 


Total Contributions
 77,700 

Budget Proposal 2017









Income


$


Rides:





Lighthouse Ride
138,500 



Wildflower Ride
104,000 


Membership Dues

6,000 

Total Income


248,500 






Expenses





Advocacy

280 


Fees and Licenses

60 


Meetings and Events

8,200 


Contributions

77,700 


Membership  & Directory

1,030 


Operations

18,545 


Public Relations

800 


Ride Coordinator

2,500 


Rides:





Lighthouse Ride
67,411 



Wildflower Ride
64,940 



Club Sponsored Rides
3,000 


Safety

100 


Sunshine Fund

100 






Funding





Capital Projects Funding

3,834 






Total Expenses:


248,500 






Surplus








Ride Summary:


Budget








Wildflower Income
104,000 



Wildflower Expense
64,940 



Wildflower Surplus
39,060 
38%







Lighthouse Income
138,500 



Lighthouse Expense
67,411 



Lighthouse Surplus
71,089 
51%
Heads Up! 
2017 Will Bring  Some 
Changes to the SLOBC 

2017 is just around the corner and the SLOBC will be undergoing a minor "make-over".
  • fewer general meetings
  • more member social events
  • more club-sponsored rides. 
Start the new year by joining Ride Coordinator Elaine McElmury, members and friends for our annual New Year's Day Ride, starting at  9 AM  at Shamel Park in Cambria.  Please see details elsewhere in this newsletter. 

  

The Tortoise Ride group is also planning a New Year's Day Ride.  Please contact Stu Goldenberg, sgoldenb@calpoly.edu for information and details. 

 

There WILL NOT be a general meeting in January.


 
The well-received Club Cook-Off will make an encore appearance on Friday, February 3 at the Ludwick Center in San Luis Obispo.  More details elsewhere in this newsletter.


 
Please check the January 2017 edition of the SLO Coaster and the club website for more information about upcoming meetings and events.

 

Questions or concerns?  I encourage you to e-mail me at vice-president@slobc.org.
December Potluck 

     Italian Night
     Date : Friday, December 2, 2016
     LocationThe Monday Club
                     1815 Monterey St., SLO
     Time : 5:30 for socializing
               6:00 dinner

It's time to whip up a batch of your favorite lasagna, minestrone, risotto, antipasto, tiramisu, biscotti...you get the idea. Please bring a dish to share based on your last name. Also bring a place setting (plate, silverware, glass) and a list of the ingredients in your dish.  You may bring beer or wine.

A - H        Dessert
I - R         Main Dish
S - Z        Salad, Soup or side dish

We will be raffling off this beautiful set of wheels for a buck a ticket.

Annual New Year's Day Ride

We're making a couple of changes to the 2017 New Year's Day ride to encourage more club members to start the year in the saddle!

The ride starts at 9:00 am at Shamel Park in Cambria and goes up our beautiful Highway 1 coastline. Most riders will turn around at Ragged Point, a 44-mile ride.   The Ragged Point Inn will be ready for those in our group wishing to stop there for a coffee break. However, if you're not inclined to do such a long ride, you can turn around anywhere that's comfortable for you.  We are not providing rest stops, but we are hoping to get a volunteer or two to drive SAG.

Back in Cambria, you are invited to join us for a no-host lunch at the Main Street Grill, located at 603 Main St.

For more information, call or email Elaine McElmury at 805-369-2273 or emcelmury@att.net.
Veterans Day Ride
by Stu Goldenberg

The Tortoises were looking for an appropriate ride to honor Veterans Day.  Dee McKelvie stepped up and suggested a very appropriate ride which included a visit to the Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles.  She then coordinated the event, which included arranging for tour guides, setting up a route for our ride, and arranging for lunch afterwards.

Eighteen Tortoises participated in the ride, and five of them were Veterans.  Fred Cummings, John MacKeen, Greg Pfaus, Clint Whitney, and Bob Young shared their personal Military experiences with our group.  It was interesting, and a nice way to honor our veterans. This museum is a historical jewel in our backyard.  The museum has a building with models of military equipment and clothing.  It has a nice collection of military aircraft, mostly from the last half century, including a drone which is manufactured in San Luis Obispo.  There is another building dedicated to military transport vehicles.   The last building we visited contains classic automobiles (a couple of bicycles) that are in excellent condition.  The spectrum of vehicles in this building includes a reproduction of the original Benz, but primarily concentrates on racing vehicles.  

More details are available at their webpage http://www.ewarbirds.org/
Calling All Foodies!
Second Annual SLOBC Cook-Off
Soups and Stews 

Whip up a pot of your tastiest, heartiest soup or stew and join us for a fun-filled evening of camaraderie and friendly competition.

 

When :  Friday, Feb. 3, 2017
Where :  Ludwick Center, SLO

Get your team together (a team is at least one cook and any helpful assistants) and sign up now for the chance to win prizes and bragging rights.  RSVP to Debbie Abrecht at dlabrecht@icloud.com if you are interested in cooking.  Additional information will be provided to cooking teams.  
Riding out Happy Canyon Rd. near Solvang. Pictured L to R are Dale Sutliff, Cindee Varni, Chuck Waldrop, Maureen Griswold, Bruce Smith, Susan McTaggart, Will Benedict. Photo by Ann Smith.

A small group of Tortoises at the Vintage Cowboy Winery in Pozo. 

Please send pictures of your ride group to newsletter-editor@slocbc.org.

a-century
Century News
2017 Wildflower Volunteering

Don't be left out!  It is not even December and most of our 2017 Wildflower volunteer jobs are filled.

That said, we still need Captains for Logistics (SAG), Response and the Shell Creek Rest Stop. 

We also need volunteers for a variety of jobs, including: SAGs, Rest Stops, Truck Loaders, Course Marshals, Course Marking, Clean-up and Waste Management.

How to Volunteer
  • Go to our Century Jobs webpage for information about jobs and the volunteer process.
  • LogIn to the Member page
  • Click on the Volunteer tab
  • Select from the open jobs
  • Select your clothing option
  • Select a Volunteer Banquet option (Sunday, April 9th)
  • Select a Volunteer Pre-Ride option (Saturday, April 1st)
  • Captains, be sure to select your additional "Captain's Reward".
  • Be sure to click on "Save" to finalize your choices.
Questions?
E-mail Dave Abrecht at  wildflower-volunteer-coord@slobc.org
a-advocate
Advocate's Report
By Dale Sutliff
Advocacy Is As Important As Ever 

November is now behind us.  Election results may, or may not, have been everything you hoped for.  For the cycling community, it was not good news.  So, let's have a happy coming year by being proactive for fulfilling bicycling needs.

Measure J on the San Luis Obispo County ballot narrowly failed.  As a tax measure, it required two-thirds (over 66%) voter approval and received 65%.  Very close!  SLOBC supported this measure to improve transportation infrastructure in our county. Ten percent of funding would have gone towards bike and pedestrian improvements.  It will now be more difficult to get needed bicycling improvement projects funded.  State and Federal allocations for such projects have practically disappeared.  We, all of us, will need to work directly with our cities and SLO County to try to accomplish funding for vital bicycle friendly projects, and work to get private development to contribute toward these needs.

SLOCOG (San Luis Obispo Council of Governments) continues its efforts to aid in meeting the growing bicycle needs of our area.  We need all of the help this agency can provide.  While all SLO County cities, and the County, have approved Bicycle Plans, they cannot be accomplished without political will and financial support.  During alternate years, SLOCOG seeks the id entification of local bicycle and pedestrian needs in order to pursue any available grant funding. 

If you know of a need you may send it directly to Tim Gillham at unmet_needs@slocog.org (please copy to me), or you can send it to me at dalesutliff@me.com, and I will compile a needs list for Tim on behalf of the SLOBC.  Please submit any bicycle needs by February 1.  Here is the information request:   



a-membership
Membership Coordinator's Report
By Larry Rutter
It's time to renew your membership in the San Luis Obispo Bicycle Club for the coming year.

It's easy:  Just pay your dues AND sign the "Release and Waiver of Liability" form. (Those with Family Memberships need to have every family member sign the form.)

Both dues payment and waiver signing can be done online or through the mail.

Renew online at www.membership.slobc.net. Log in with the same user name and password you use for www.slobc.org.

You will see that there are two ways to pay and to sign your waiver.
  • One way to pay is to use your PayPal account and sign the waiver electronically.  
  • The other way is to send a check to me at 642 Stoneridge Dr, SLO, 93401.  If you pay by check you can still sign the waiver electronically.  Or you can print out a copy of the waiver form, sign it and send it with your check to the above address.
Note that prepaid Life Members need to sign a waiver each year as well.


We look forward to your joining us for another enjoyable and rewarding year of bicycling with the San Luis Obispo Bicycle Club. 

a-weekly-rides
Changing Weekly Rides
The  Ride Calendar provides t he full weekly ride schedule.
Flyers (9:00 AM, D3)
Wednesdays
Coordinator: Russ Robinson
Phone: 805-781-0903

Date: December 7
StartFrench Park, San Luis Obispo
Leader: Russ Robinson
Phone: 805-781-0903

Date: December 14
Start: Bob Jones Bike Trail, Ontario Road
Leader: Steve Vines
Phone: 805-202 8114

Date: December 21
Start: Heritage Square Park, Arroyo Grande
Leader: Russ Robinson
Phone: 805-781-0903

Date: December 28
Start: French Park, San Luis Obispo
Leader: Russ Robinson
Phone: 805-781-0903
Frequent Feeders (9:00 AM, B2)
Wednesdays
Coordinator: Frank Mullin
Phone: 805-602-2058

Date: December 7
Start: Laguna Lake Park, San Luis Obispo
Destination: French Bakery, Morro Bay
Comment: We will honor the US Navy WWII Amphibious training station at Morro Bay.
Leader: Dale Sutliff
Phone: 805-440-2412

Date: December 14
Start: Morro Bay State Park Marina 
Destination: Cayucos
Route: Canyons
Leader: Joan Petersen
Email: jpbike@charter.net

Date: December 21
Start: French Park, San Luis Obispo
Destination: Andreini's (AG)
Leader: Sandi Heller
Email: sandih5@sbcglobal.net

Date: December 28
Start: Hardie Park, Cayucos
Destination: Moonstone Beach and Cambria,
Coffee at Linn's Easy as Pie Cafe
Route: Highway 1
Leader: Dave Abrecht
Phone: 805-801-9211
Email daveabrecht@me.com

SLO Pokes (9:00 AM, A2)
Wednesdays
Coordinator : June Kramer
Email junekramer1@gmail.com
Phone : 425-239-8692 

Date: December 7
Start: Hardie Park, Cayucos
Destination: Linn's, Cambria
Leaders: Hans & Patricia Boerst
Phone: 805-534-9660

Date: December14
Start: Fin's Parking, Grover Beach
Destination: Hula Hut, Avila Beach
Note: 5th Annual Monarch Butterfly ride
Leader: Peggy Coon
Phone: 818-259-8940

Date: December 21
Start: French Park, San Luis Obispo
Destination: Coffee in Arroyo Grande
Note: via Orcutt, with shorter option via Broad
Leader: Randall Husk
Phone: 408-858-1880

Date: December 28
Start: Throop Park, San Luis Obispo
Destination: Coffee at Lassen's, Foothill Blvd.
Note: Figure 8 Around the Cerros
Leader: Kate Murray
Phone: 858-395-3001
 
Tortoises (9:00 AM, A1)
Fridays
Coordinators: Stu & Janie Goldenberg
Phone: 805-544-4720

Date: December 2
StartFin's Parking, Grover Beach
Destination: Tour of Voler
Note:  Snack at Station Grill, possible visit to                Voler Outlet (bring money)
Leader: Bob Young
Phone: 805-489-4755

Date: December 9
Start: Bob Jones Bike Trail, Ontario Road 
Destination: San Luis Obispo
Note: Coffee at Coastal Peaks
Leader: Kathy Steele
Phone: 805-709-0323

Date: December 16
Start: Lila Keiser Park, Morro Bay
Destination: Cayucos
Leader: Cil Boughton
Phone: 805-544-4844

Date: December 23
Start: Nazarene El Morro, Los Osos
Destination: Tour of the Center of the                                   Universe
Leaders: Hans & Patricia Boerst
Phone: 805-534-9660

Date: December 30
Start: Food 4 Less, San Luis Obispo
Destination: Hula Hut, Avila Beach
Leader: Bob Tuman
Phone: 805-545-5976

Date: January 1
Start: Goldenberg home
Destination: Tour decorated cows of SLO
Note: Potluck afterwards - watch for details
Leaders: Stu & Janie Goldenberg
Phone: 805-544-4720
Wandering With Will (9:00 AM, B3)
One Saturday Each Month
Coordinator : Will Benedict
Email : willbenedict@me.com
Phone : 805-441-4105 

Date: December 3
Start: Golden Hills Plaza, Paso Robles
Route: Estrella Loop Plus
Notes: Break at Villa San Juliette Winery, Lunch After 

a-upcoming-program
Upcoming Program
By Barry Rands, Programs Coordinator

December Potluck

Join us for an evening of delicious food and great friends. Please see the notice above in this newsletter for details on what to bring.

  

Date: Friday, Dec. 2, 2016
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: The Monday Club
1815 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo

The Date, Time and Location of 
SLOBC meetings can be found
on our 
Events Calendar  webpage.  
a-board-minutes
SLOBC Board Meeting Minutes
By Gary Havas, Secretary
Air Pollution Control District Auditorium
3433 Roberto Court, San Luis Obispo CA
November 1, 2016, 5:00 PM

Meeting was called to order at 5:00:00 pm.

Board Members Present: Will Benedict, Gary Havas, Susan McTaggart, Ken Price, Barry Rands, Dave Abrecht, Larry Rutter, Dale Sutliff, and Bill Martin. Absent: Harvey Cohon.

Minutes from the September Board Meeting were approved (MSC Rutter/Price).
Minutes from the October Board Meeting were approved (MSC Rutter/Price).

Announcement: Dale Sutliff stated that all local alternative transportation made to Caltrans were denied, and that the 40 of 456 applications that were accepted went to urban areas in California.

Treasurer's Report. Bill Martin presented the budget proposal as developed by the Budget Committee in October.  He said that no request for matching funds had been made from Bike SLO County, and that consensus had been reached on the budget proposal.  He stated that the theme of the committee had been to formulate an "expect the worst/hope for the best" budget, and that the income shortfall from the Wildflower Century had been the largest factor affecting the budget. 

Discussion followed including that if the calculations for Wildflower ridership surpassed the planned 1100, more could be admitted.  Will Benedict provided more information about how wait lists would be used to support any surplus in ridership. Much of the early discussion centered on the Contributions category where significant changes occur due to reduced Wildflower Century income, and on the one most significant $15,000 reduction. Bill Martin summarized the arrival at the new budget as necessitating reexamination of the previously agreed 60% to 40% (ride expense to ride income) budget guidance figure. Gary Havas requested a modification of the budget presentation to include actual changes in budget categories and a percentage change for each category such that the significance of this larger than usual budget adjustment might be clearer.  The Board decided that such modifications in presentation were not proper accounting, and that a written explanation accompanying the numerical presentation would be best. Further detailed discussion followed Dave Abrecht's request for attention to the Meetings & Programs budget such that the Potluck events could be covered, and agreement followed that $3200 should be added to cover the Potluck events.

Motion to approve the  2017 SLOBC Budget was approved as modified to include a written explanation and an additional $3200 moved to the Programs category (MSC Abrecht/Rutter.  All in favor: Will Benedict, Susan McTaggart, Ken Price, Barry Rands, Dave Abrecht, Larry Rutter, Dale Sutliff, and Bill Martin. Opposed: Gary Havas.)

There followed a brief discussion of the $1000 contribution toward the AMGEN Tour.  
Motion: Execute the contribution immediately and forward the check to Robert Davis for presentation at the AMGEN Tour meeting Wednesday morning.  (MSC Sutliff/Abrecht)

Finally, the Board agreed to retain the use of the SLO APDC offices for board meetings in 2017.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 6:36:01 pm.

SLO Coaster

The SLO Coaster is the monthly newsletter of the San Luis Obispo Bicycle Club that is automatically sent to all members. Everyone is welcome to view and subscribe to the digital edition of the SLO Coaster. To subscribe, use the Newsletter Signup Form.

 

All articles, letters, stories of bicycling experiences, appropriate classified ads, artwork etc, are welcome. Each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily represent the opinion or endorsement of the SLOBC or editor.

Submittal Guidelines

All materials are due no later than 

8:00 a.m. on the 15th of each month. Nothing will be accepted verbally. 

The editor reserves the right to edit or reject material.

 

All materials should be emailed to newsletter-editor@slobc.org.

  

Complete submittal guidelines are found at: Newsletter Guidelines.

  San Luis Obispo Bicycle Club, Inc.

  Website: www.slobc.org        

  Email: info@slobc.org

  Phone: 805.543.5973