December 2021 Top Talk

At the end of a calendar year, it is customary to reflect on where we have come as a club during the past twelve months. In December 2020, we had not been active for nine months. There was no ride calendar, no income from the STP, no club picnic, and no awards banquet. Our financial reserves had decreased by a few thousand dollars on account of the 2019 awards banquet, and our membership had dropped to about half of what it was in 2019.

Despite the persistence of CoVid-19, the Portland Bicycling Club has made a remarkable rebound. With the knowledge that CoVid is highly unlikely to spread with outdoor activities, our first rides returned to the calendar in January 2021. Before long, we were back to having daily scheduled rides. We started having monthly board and club meetings via Zoom conferences; we’ve watched our budget so that our financial reserves are equal to December 2019’s; and through the heroic efforts of our membership secretaries, Cindy and Christi, our membership numbers have returned to, and inched past, their 2019 level. We had a well-attended picnic in August; and a 2021 banquet and a 2022 Pioneer event ride are in the works.

Most importantly, people are enjoying riding and sharing coffee stops together again and, through it all, we have not experienced any cases of CoVid from our club activities. We have weathered the storm and look forward to a better year ahead! Thank you all for your membership…YOU are the club; without your interest and participation, the Portland Bicycling Club would be just three empty words!

Have a very happy Holiday Season!!!

Doug Myers, President