The Most Important Question
I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling much better than I was a year ago. Not that I ever felt terrible, but I feel energized, optimistic, and ready to ride my bike.
Organizations are loading up the calendar with event rides – by that I mean bicycle rides which have a registration fee. You pay to participate, and they have organized rest stops with snacks and bathroom facilities. They may have S.A.G. (support and gear) vehicles to help you if you break down. They have a marked course for you to follow and presumably have permission from the authorities for a few hundred cyclists to use the roadway. So you pay, but you get something in return. Additionally, profits from these events go to the bike club, charity, non-profit or whoever decided to organize the event. ✎
Portland Bicycling Club has put on their own events in the past and hopes to resume that tradition in 2022. As a non-profit ourselves, we have determined some rules that organizations must conform to in order for our club (the executive board) to approve their event for PBC mileage credit. Some of those rules include:
- The event is organized by a bike club or other non-profit promoting cycling.
- A PBC member must agree to act as a ride leader for the event.
- PBC members participating must register and pay for the event.
- PBC members are encouraged to wear CLUB cycling gear to promote our club.
The board usually selects a maximum of ten rides each February. This year, with Covid-19 safety guidelines changing rapidly at that time, we held off to allow organizations time to decide if and when they would put on their traditional rides.
Let me add, this little tradition goes way back in our club history. The club is proud of its daily rides. Many members clamor for club mileage. How to encourage members to venture out and join with other organizations, socialize, ride, mingle with others and still GET CLUB MILEAGE? Seriously, I attended board meetings at which this topic was discussed. How could we encourage our members to support other clubs, etc., as we want their members to do with our events? It was determined that members would need to be able to earn club mileage for non-club events. Simple. And so it began.
This year our list of non-club event rides that the board has approved to date for club mileage are as follows:
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- 05/15/2021 Reach the Beach (Modified) Ride Leader: Dick Weber
- 06/12/2021 Columbia Century Challenge Ride Leader: Scott Poindexter
- 06/12/2021 Strawberry Century Ride Leader: Ashley Reynolds
- 07/24/2021 Ride Around Clark County (RACC) Ride Leader: Dick Weber
- 08/08/2021 Covered Bridge Bicycle Tour Ride Leader: Corey Eng
- 08/28/2021 Gorge Ride Ride Leader: Dick Weber
- 08/29/2021 Monster Cookie Metric Century Ride Leader: Dave McQuery
- 09/05/2021 Vineyard Tour Ride Leader: Lynn Blanchard
- 09/11/2021 Harvest Century Ride Leader: Kathleen Hellem
09/18/2021 Ride the Rim Ride Leader: Andreas MantzkeCANCELED
Detailed information may be found on our ride calendar. Remember, you need to comply with any registration requirements that may be in place such as fees, signing waivers, etc. You may not ever see the ride leaders, so call or e-mail them after the event with your PBC member number and mileage.
So, the answer to the most important question (Do I get club mileage?) is: YES, you may receive CLUB MILEAGE for the above-referenced rides!
If you know of other rides you think should be included, please contact the board. As noted, certain criteria must be met.
Have a fun summer exploring and extending some support to the sponsoring organizations.
Ann Morrow, Vice President