PEDAL PATTER
DECEMBER — 2019 

Potomac Pedalers Calendar of Events

Click below and visit our website for this month's full schedule


by Anne C. M. Hyman — President PPTC

Happy December, Pedalers!

We’re about to turn the calendar page in a big way, into the new year and into the last year of this decade. This also means we’re about to welcome in a new Executive Committee. A huge congratulations to our newly elected members for ExCom 2020-2022: Catherine Kitchell , Carol Linden , and Stephen Krill . Also, a grateful thank you to those who are still serving on the board: Warren Farb , Ed Hazelwood , and Deb Reynolds . And finally, a tremendous amount of gratitude goes out to our exiting secretary, David Whitaker . Personally, I’d like to thank all of these people for getting me up to speed in the last two years that I’ve served as VP of Special Events, and also setting me up for success as I transition into my new position as PPTC President.

For those who weren’t present at the Annual Member meeting, here are the Cliff Notes of my campaign “speech”, and I hope each of us who reads this can find some sense of agreement and inspiration to not just foster, but grow our amazing community of cyclists in the years to come…

Several years ago, I was a new cyclist in the area. I started off riding my bike primarily by myself, which I pretty quickly deemed unsafe and unfun, as I didn’t really know the best roads or routes around my home. As I was ramping up my cycling volume for Ironman Louisville, I asked my coach if there was a local group he thought I should ride with. He suggested I try out the Wootton Saturday ride, put on by Potomac Pedalers. It was clear when I arrived that I was very much the “new kid”, with my aero bars and triathlon kit I wore to the ride, but sticking out like a sore thumb ended up working to my advantage. I was welcomed so warmly by the ride leaders and some of the cyclists, and rode with strangers that became my friends some 60 miles later. This trend continued over the summer with the more rides I participated in, and soon enough I was a full-fledged PPTC member, attending the annual meeting. I knew that after trying to coordinate some extracurricular efforts for us cyclists on my own during the season, I wanted to do it in a more official manner, and ran for a member at-large position on the ExCom in 2017. I filled my plate with delicious food, as we all do each year at the annual meeting, and took a seat with people I’d never met. Little did I know at the time, the people I sat with were Joe Pixley, longtime member and contributor to PPTC, and former PPTC president Bob Bernstein.

After our introductions and my fleeting moment of shyness in front of these pillars of the club, I told them I was one of the candidates running for a seat on the board, and Joe asked me what my “platform” was. And reflecting on what I said then, in all honestly, my platform now is the same as it was sitting at that table, which boils down to something pretty simple:

I want to make Potomac Pedalers the most inclusive, welcoming cycling club that exists. There is no reason that a new person who joins us on any given day, on any given ride, shouldn’t feel completely welcome, and leave the parking lot of that first or second ride eager to join our club in an official manner because we have so much greatness to offer to them.

That seems pretty simple and obvious. But of course, the real work lies in the how . Our club is at a critical junction, after years of membership attrition, and consequentially shying away from being a visible force in the cycling world here in our region. We have to find ways to stabilize our current member body, and keep the things that work well working well. However, we also have to make a concerted effort to attract new members, and not just riders- eager cyclists who have a route in their back pocket they’re itching to use on a ride that they’d lead. Cyclists who want to volunteer at our club’s events, promoting our club that we all love so much. Cyclists who come with new, vibrant ideas for how to lead our club into the next decade. And cyclists who will step up and answer the call to lead the Executive Committee in years to come. The current ExCom has some ideas for all of this, but we’re a small group that is sacrificing some of our riding time to ensure the best for our beloved group. We will need help deploying and executing our ideas, and we’ll be looking to our stalwart veteran members to do so.

So this is my promise to all of you, as the Potomac Pedalers Club President for the transition into the next decade: I promise to lead by example. You’ll see me out on the front lines of member-public interaction. You’ll see me out there leading rides, including monthly, specific Ex-Com-member meetups. You’ll see me out there at the largest cycling events in our region, promoting our club. And you’ll see me out there in the fall, wishing our Century riders a great day as they leave Shepherd’s campus after a long year of planning that event. But, I can’t do it alone. So I hope you can promise this with me: If you love our club, after how much it has given to you in health, friendships, and a rich lifestyle on two wheels, this is the time you can do a little to give back to PPTC and our surrounding community.

Be safe, ride well, and see you in the New Year.


Election Notice 2019

 At the Annual meeting on Nov. 17, 2019 members in attendance elected a slate of officers to serve the club for coming years, 2020-2021. The election for President was a special election to begin immediately to fill a vacancy as well as the 2020-2021 slot.

Those voted in are:

Anne C. M. Hyman as club President;
Ed Hazelwood as member-at-large
Stephen Krill as member-at-large
Catherine Kitchell was written in as member-at-large
Carol D. Linden was written in as Secretary after a nomination from the floor.

The board members that were remaining will fulfill their term and serve
through calendar year 2020:

Deborah J. Reynolds continues to serve as Vice President, Operations
Warren Farb continues to serve as Treasurer

by David T. Whitaker

December 2019

It’s no secret, the speaker at the 2019 PPTC Annual Meeting is one of the most skilled bicycle spokesmen and advocates to have emerged in Annapolis in the past decade. Jon is a gifted change agent who has had a positive impact for Maryland bicyclists both in the Maryland General Assembly and in home in Anne Arundel County.

Watching Jon and the late Kim Lamphier testify before committees in the Maryland General Assembly was an eye opening experience. Jon and Kim combined facts with humor in such a way as to keep the attention of even the most bedraggled state legislator. Jon and Kim’s tag team approach to legislative testimony and their ability to develop rapport with even the most recalcitrant delegate or state senator is partially why Maryland has moved forward with bicycle funding and legislative victories in recent years, despite opposition from some key officials in the Maryland Department of Transportation. Much of this work was done through the auspices of Bike Maryland, which is the leading bicycle legislative advocacy organization in Maryland.

Jon Korin was the keynote speaker at the November 17, 2019 PPTC Annual Meeting. As an alternative to typical speakers on topics such as bicycle touring, training or industry growth, Jon’s talk focused on community-oriented change that is occurring in Anne Arundel County and throughout Maryland. Much happened to benefit bicyclists during the 2019 Maryland Legislative Session and even more bicycle advancements are planned for the 2020 Legislative Session which begins the second week of January. Fortunately, Jon has a great skill in combining facts and technical detail with self-effacing humor that is both engaging and effective. He discussed topics ranging from additional bicycle infrastructure to local investments to proposed Maryland legislation designed to protect vulnerable road users which impacts us directly.  

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Jon Korin serves as BikeAAA's chairman.

"Our mission is to promote safe cycling for transportation and recreation," Korin said. He encourages people to walk or cycle to work or school, and for exercise and fun.

"We're trying to serve all – from the elite 100-mile athlete to parents taking their kids out for ice cream. We're trying to make bike riding safe for everybody."

(Wendi Winters – Capital Gazette)
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A key focus of Jon Korin is building collaborative working relationships among diverse interest groups and administrative agencies to improve conditions for bicyclists. Jon is president and a founder of Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (www.bikeaaa.org), which is an all-volunteer 501c3 with more than 700 members that promotes safe cycling for transportation and recreation. By establishing collaborative working relationships with police, fire and local administrative officials, Jon has been able to increase communication between cyclists and local officials that has reaped benefits throughout Anne Arundel County.

In 2015, Jon was appointed by the County Executive to be the founding Chair of the Anne Arundel County Bicycle Advisory Commission, in 2017 a member of the Anne Arundel County Transportation Commission and also in 2017 was appointed by Governor Hogan to the Maryland Bicycle Safety Task Force.
These steps up the ladder have each led to significant advancements for bicycling at both the county and state levels. Jon’s expertise and grasp of issues culminated a host of advancements at the county level, but most importantly to the recent advancements that have occurred in Maryland legislation. In the parlance of bicyclists: this is where the rubber meets the road.

Significant Bike Maryland Legislative Achievements in 2019

Legislation was passed that Doubles funding in the Maryland Bikeways Program.

Maryland passed legislation that adopts a Vision Zero policy for the state.

Maryland passed expanded Complete Streets Policies for state agencies.

Maryland signed on to the Regional Transportation and Climate Initiative.

Legislative Goals for the 2020 Maryland General Assembly Session

Enactment of Safe Pass legislation;

Passing of Maryland Vulnerable Road User Act for Maryland.                                               

For more information on Bike Maryland and their 2020 Legislative Agenda: https://www.bikemaryland.org/     

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Q: Do you know what is the hardest part of learning to ride a bike?
A: The pavement.
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Jon Korin led the effort that earned Annapolis and Anne Arundel County the Bronze Bikefriendly Community designation.
 
In 2017, Jon was profiled by Wendi Winters of The Capital Gazette as a Hometown Hero for his work in local bike advocacy.
  

Jon and his wife Kathy live in Severna Park, MD.
Save the Date!
PPTC Lewes Weekend is April 24-26, 2020
Registration details coming .
By Leslie Tierstein
Cranksgiving is a “bike ride [that] combines [a] donation drive and scavenger hunt for a good cause.” Cranksgiving was started by bike messengers in New York City in 1999. It has since spread to many cities throughout the US.

Dates and suggested donations vary by location. Most rides seem to be held the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The first Cranksgiving ride in the DC area took place this year, sponsored by Bike Arlington . The donations on our “manifest” concentrated on clothing. The beneficiary of the collection was A-SPAN , the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network.

I had great fun during the ride – navigating between the six locations and visiting them. Some were old haunts – I had just been to   Phoenix Bikes   the night before, to participate in their Friendsgiving potluck; I was thrilled to go to  Casual Adventure , where I’ve been a customer for years; and I’m at the Crystal City Water Park  quite often. It was the first time I had been in the Target in Potomac Yards, and to  Hops ‘n Shine , although I’ve ridden by it countless times on my way to Delray. (Gotta get back there and actually buy something to eat and/or drink when there’s more time and when the weather is nicer – there’s a great outdoor patio.) And Los Tios is also definitely worth another visit.

My team (“the Schleppers”) carried our acquisitions from the shopping list –  both donations from the participating businesses and items we bought –  back to   Ireland’s Four Courts  on our bikes. Once there, the organizers toted up our score while we enjoyed the company and the food and drink. Oh – there are individual and team prizes – for most points (based on items collected, places visited, and bonus points – take a picture of a car blocking a bike lane or the new Quincy Street protected lane! Do a Thanksgiving dance! Play chess at the Water Park!) I think the prizes were pretty good, but I don’t know for sure – my team came in fourth! Drat. Next year!)

Two of the people on my team were from Virginia, two from DC, and one from Maryland. Between us, we knew the territory pretty well, so improvising routes was no problem. Two of the DC’ers commuted every day to Crystal City. One of them did most of his riding commuting and was looking for a recreational club. I recommended PPTC, but with a warning that many rides start out of town – he doesn’t have a car.

Next year PPTC could have a team. Or two. Or three. It’s a great opportunity to contribute to a worthy cause, while combining biking, shopping, eating, and making friends or talking with old friends. Sounds like a great bike ride to me!