| President's Message - September 2002
 It was the best of times. It was the worst of times, and I’m talking about Long Beach in the1990’s.
Not that I can recall very many sunny, hot and dry mornings in the last 6 months or so, but as I write this, it’s almost September and in a scant 3 weeks, summer will officially be over. Where the heck did those last 8 months go? It’s all becoming such a blur anymore. I remember my folks saying when I was a teenager that I had better enjoy the long days, because as I got older, they would go by faster. What do parents know? Which also just happens to be what my wife and I hear every now and then, from our 15-year old daughter. It’s a scary thought, but things do come full circle.
Not that it is "officially" over, but for all intents and purposes, the race season is kind of over too. Time to click out of that big ring and do some different things. There will be a nice slate of cyclo-cross races around the corner. There is always mountain biking at Whiting Ranch or Chino Hills. There will be organized century rides happening, like the AMTRAK Century put on the OC Wheelmen and our own little club sojourns to San Diego starting up pretty soon as well. There are other rides as well and one in particular is in our hometown here, the LB Marathon bike ride. Thanks to Jenn Stevens for making such a great effort to get members to be part of the event. So what if it isn’t the usual Sunday of climbing PV East or Spyglass. It will still be a lot of fun and a great opportunity for Long Beach’s #1 bike club, to be part of a very positive Long Beach event.
Look around in this newsletter here too for information on the Helmet Safety Program, Pat Henry and Jenn have put together as well. Aside from helping youngsters realize the positives of wearing a helmet while riding, we could get some new riders out of this. Wouldn’t it be great to have kids in the pace line to mentor about how to go about riding bikes safely and racing even? Think of the possibilities! And volunteer to help with this program!
It’s that time of year also, when we start to put the proposal stuff together to bring in more and new sponsors to be part of our bike club scene. If anyone out there has an employer, friend, relative, whatever, with some extra cash to spend, have we got a bike club for them! Contact any officer and let’s get these folks, and their camera-ready artwork, onboard.
On August 24th, 1998, I got an e-mail from Steve Robertson asking if I wanted to hook up with Larry Hilbert, Gary Lape and him, for their morning ride. They had taken about 3 weeks off for vacation and family time. At about 6:05 AM the next morning, I was at the bike path and Westminster, debating whether to try to hook up with them at PCH and SB Blvd. at 6:15, or head to work. I have no idea what made me choose to go to work. Luck? Fate? Guardian Angel? To this day, I still can’t figure it out. If you think about it, we are all on the edge when we are out there riding because people in cars just do not care about us! Show that you care. On this Monday, Labor Day, do all that you can to be part of the memorial ride for riders that have lost their lives in our cycling community. Appreciate what we have the ability to do here, and when you get home all safe and sound with your loved ones, be thankful for it.
One last thing for this September message. Club members need to think about being candidates for officers for 2003. I cannot do this next year in any way, as my family and school commitments will be too much to handle. While I can’t speak for Samantha, Wayne or Don and if they want to run again, I believe I can say that it’s been a bit of work for them to juggle their lives and club responsibilities as well. And believe me, it can be a lot of work, but by the same token, it is a really great feeling to know that you are doing this for the club! So please, anyone and everyone, consider running for a club officer position. Being at the front and seeing the club progress, grow and mature is worth it!
-posted 20 September 2002 |
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