BOARD MEETING MINUTES FFBC Club Meeting Minutes–April 6 , 2006 Location: REI Time: 7:30 PM New Members and Guests New members and guests introduced themselves. Minutes March meeting minutes were accepted. Membership Dave Ransom reported that the club has 378 members. It was pointed out that non-members participating in club rides should fill in addresses on the back of the sign-in sheet. The club needs this information for contacting others in case of accident. Ride leaders need to make sure that non-members sign in on the back and provide complete information. Ride Coordinator Ron Mitchell advised that no ride leader has volunteered for the 100 mile route of the Primavera Workers Ride. Ron sent members an email asking prospective ride leaders to submit rides for the May calendar. Carrie Payne will host the May pizza rides, starting at Mission Pizza on Washington. The club needs pizza ride leaders for the rest of the summer. Ron also suggested that women lead more rides now that the Cinderella training rides are finished. It was suggested that Show N Go rides not start at the same locations as scheduled rides on the same day. Treasurer Sydney Friedenberg gave the treasurer’s report. The club has received a number of Primavera registrations. Clothing Sales/Member Outreach Molly Michelfelder reported that rain had negatively impacted sales of club clothing to Cinderella training riders. Molly sent five cards to members in March and April. East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) John Goeschl reported that there was no meeting this month. Race Team (updated April 26) Richard Brockie reported that Brian Ziegler finished third in the Brisbane Cat 2 only race. The jogger involved in an incident at a previous criterium has had his court date. The trial resulted in a hung jury with a 6-6 vote. The District Attorney is considering whether to retry the case. Some injured riders have sued the jogger. Palomares Road is one of the joys of East Bay cycling, and to hear of the fatal crash which occurred during our Primavera last weekend gives one great pause for thought. It is a climb the Race Team knows very well, both up and down, and it has to be noted that the technical descent towards Niles Canyon Road has claimed a few Team members as crash victims over the many years of the Team. However, there is one crumb of comfort I take from this terrible incident – regardless of the cause of the crash, Rich Fitzpatrick was doing something we all love up until the end – riding a bicycle. A couple of weeks prior to the Primavera, the Race Team made our contribution to the Primavera volunteer effort en masse by painting the markings of the various routes. Before setting out in our painting groups, we took the opportunity of most of us being assembled in one place to pose for our 2006 Team Photograph. FFBC Race Team 2006 photo by I. Tjioe The weekend of the Primavera, the Race Team were out in force riding our bicycles by competing at the second of our 2006 Season Targeted Events - the Wente weekend of races organized by the Valley Spokesmen Race Team. We obtained varied results, the best places being 12 th and 10 th in the road race and criterium respectively by Chris Coble in the cat 3 events. Our next Team Target Event will be the Cat’s Hill criterium in Los Gatos on May 13 th – a classic local race including the infamous 23% ascent of Nicholson Avenue. Celebrate Fremont/FFBC Criterium Saturday 10 th June will see FFBC hosting our annual criterium. We are likely to have a change of venue for 2006 – we are in detailed discussions with the City of Fremont and the Celebrate Fremont organization (weblink: http://www.celebratefremont.org/) to move our race into the proposed “downtown” area close to City Hall as part of the 50 th anniversary celebrations. All indications are good that the move will happen and we will soon be making our usual call for volunteers to help us run our race as successfully as previously in the new location. Cinderella Training Rides Joyce Tanaka reported that 45 women completed the series and a number of them completed the Cinderella. Primavera Shirley Syed asked for cookies and breads. Some bread may be available from an organization that provides it to non-profit organizations. Primavera Chair Sally Wilson reminded members that the event is the club’s primary fund raising event. The Race Team supports the Primavera and will need volunteers for the June Criterium. 432 riders have registered so far. Jamie Hyams has set up active.com for registration. To encourage riders to pre-register, the posting on active.com indicates that same day registration will be capped at 200. Total riders will be capped at 1000. Riders will have bib numbers instead of bracelets. Sally reviewed the Primavera timeline. Members met in small groups with their respective Captains. FFBC Board Meeting Location: REI Date: April 6, 2006 Attendees: Ron Mitchell, Karen White, Mike Northrup, Gary Smith, Richard Brockie, Kevin Mahanna, Sydney Friedenberg, Sally Wilson, Darryl Wilson Minutes The March 2006 Board Meeting minutes were approved. Future Meeting Programs The club needs programs for upcoming meetings in June as well as later months. Club Picnic/Holiday Party The club picnic will not be part of the Celebrate Fremont! festivities. Karen will contact Alum Rock Park about a space in September 2006. Tentative date is September 17. Committees are needed for both the picnic and the holiday party. Karen suggested that one of these events be organized by the Board. Celebrate Fremont! The club would like to do something in conjunction with Celebrate Fremont! There are logistical problems associated with leading rides. There is limited parking at Central Park. Rides would likely attract minors and riders with bicycles in poor condition. It would be difficult to lead such rides. The club needs to find an alternative such as a bicycle skills clinic, etc. Ride Coordinator Ron Mitchell will contact Gary Brustin about reviewing club documents. Gary is a former Race Team sponsor. Ron will clarify the fee before any work is done. Ron will send reminders to prospective ride leaders to submit rides for the May calendar. The Board discussed whether or not ride leaders should be allowed to put a link to a charitable foundation’s web site in the ride description. At least one member has also asked to put such a link on the club web site or in the newsletter. No conclusion was reached on this. A member has asked to list a century on the club ride calendar. The ride takes place out of the area and requires an entry fee. This request was refused. However, if a strong contingent of members wants such rides listed, the club should consider it. Race Team Richard Brockie reported that the Race Team has made a detailed proposal for this year’s criterium to Fremont’s Special Events Committee. The committee will convene and advise of the cost. The Race Team hopes to cover the cost with sponsorship. Brian Meiers will follow up with sponsors when costs are known. The city will provide help with setting up barriers, etc. and the Race Team will have to pay for that. The Special Events Committee will report back to the Race Team. Richard needs some time at the May membership meeting to talk about the criterium. Nominating Committee Karen recommended that a Nominating Committee begin working soon to identify candidates for the Board of Directors for next term. The Board will discuss this further at the next meeting. Friends of Coyote Anne Rice of Friends of Coyote visited the Board meeting. Friends of Coyote opposes the proposed development near the Creek Trail. Anne wanted to speak to the club and ask members to sign a petition. Karen advised her that FFBC is a non-political group. Friends of Coyote will have people with petitions at Trader Joe’s and the Brookvale Albertson’s store. Primavera Chair Sally Wilson advised that this year’s gift for Primavera volunteers will be a baseball cap instead of a coffee mug. Sally gave caps to the Board members and captains that attended the membership meeting. Gary Smith Secretary Close this article