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| 2009 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sherry Adams |
Sherry Adams Q. Why did you want to join the SCBC board? I’m really impressed by the cycling community in Sonoma County. There are so many folks doing great work and there is so much right here. But there is also untapped potential. “Be the change you want to see...” Q. What skill or skills do you bring to the SCBC board? For better or worse I spend a significant amount of my waking hours thinking about bike-related issues. I think that I can contribute new ideas. I’ve moved around a bit and based on what I’ve seen in other places have some ideas of things we might try in Sonoma County. Q. What type of bike rider are you? First and foremost a utilitarian rider (i.e., transportation) and with whatever energy I have left I like hilly road rides and I occasionally get in a mountain bike ride. I got into riding through long distance touring and I still think that spending several months riding a bike in a previously unknown place is one of the most excellent experiences in life. Q. How long have you been involved in bicycling advocacy? Since the mid-1990s Q. Tell us about your favorite bicycle. How dare you suggest I do not love all of my bicycles equally!? Q. Do you have a particular interest/ project that you want to pursue as an SCBC board member? One idea I have is for a road hazard elimination program. The idea is there would be a form which any bike riding member of the public can fill out with complaints about drainage grates hazardous to cyclists, traffic lights they can’t trip, gaping holes in the pavement along the shoulder, and the like. The SCBC would be a conduit, relaying these concerns to the appropriate public works department. It would provide a service to the riding public, reach out to potential new members, and strengthen our relationship with public works departments. I also think there is potential for us to reach out better to low income people. These are tough economic times and for people on a tight buget, the bicycle is a great option, since it can be so much cheaper than driving. There is an opportunity for the SCBC to help such people learn how to use their cars less. Q. Anything else you’d like to tell our members? I am a volunteer mechanic at Community Bikes. We are a volunteer-run shop where you can use our tools to fix your bike, learn how to fix bikes, buy refurbished bikes, earn a bike through volunteer service if you can’t afford one, buy hard-to-find parts for older bikes, and take classes. If you have an unwanted bike please consider donating it to Community Bikes. 4009 Sebastopol Ave, Santa Rosa 579-5811. Tom Bahning Q. Why did you want to be on the SCBC board? A. I’ve been helping out at valet parking and with setting up at various SCBC events. I ran for the board in order to ratchet up my level of participation. Q. What type of bike rider are you? A. I ride a road bike for fun and exercise and a commuter bike for errands around town and meeting my work carpool. Q. How long have you been involved in bicycling advocacy? A. Since about 2003. Q. Tell us about your favorite bicycle. A. It is a 64 cm road bike from Sycip. A well fitting bicycle makes all the difference. I jokingly refer to it as my “mid life crisis” bike – much cheaper (and healthier and more environmentally friendly) than a red sports car. Q. Do you have a particular interest/project that you would like to see SCBC conquer? A. I’d like to continue the push for more bike lanes and paths and increasing the level of ridership in the county. I’d also like to work on better signage for bike paths. Q. Anything else you’d like to tell our members? A. Use your bike for in town errands as much as possible using existing bike lanes and paths. Plan a route that fits your safety comfort level. Our cause is helped by having more cyclists visible on the public roadways. Scott Bowen Q. Why did you want to join the SCBC board? I can’t think of another invention, sport, or hobby that comes anywhere close in bringing people enjoyment, utility, efficiency, environmental stewardship, health, and wellbeing. I have been touched by how the diversity of cycling’s benefits brings happiness to so many people in such different ways, and I’d like to help share that with more people. Q. What skill or skills do you bring to the SCBC board? I have a sales and business background, I’ve worked as the membership and development director for Bikes Belong, a national bicycle advocacy group dedicated to getting more people on bikes more often, and I have an MBA in Public and Nonprofit Administration. I am also a very proud father of three young girls who also love cycling, and I share cycling with kids through a kid’s mountain bike class I organize with the City of Santa Rosa Rec & Parks. And lastly, I’m working with a dedicated group of people to bring an all encompassing, one of a kind bicycle recreation center to Sonoma County (Sonoma Velo Project). Q. What type of bike rider are you? I started mountain biking at age 13, raced for Team Nishiki at age 15, picked up the commuting bug during school at Cal Poly, and didn’t start road riding and racing until just after graduating. I still race a few times a year, but one of my favorite activities is going on a ride with the family. Q. How long have you been involved in bicycling advocacy? Four years now with most of that being at Bikes Belong. My primary responsibility there was to broaden the membership base, create new and innovative partnerships, and ultimately drive the organization’s mission and financial growth. I’d like to help do the same for SCBC. Q. Tell us about your favorite bicycle. It has to be my latest: a Specialized Enduro Pro. The bike, with its massive travel, is completely unlike me. My mountain bike passion has usually been centered around efficiency, not downhill and big air. But this bike has changed the way I ride. I feel like a kid again! The bike has made it more about enjoying the riding experience, which I love! Q. Do you have a particular interest/project that you want to pursue as an SCBC board member? I would say that there are 2 fronts I’m particularly interested in. The first relates mostly to getting more people to ride bikes more often, with a focus on kids. I believe that if we don’t ride bikes in our youth, then we are less likely to ride them for any reason as we get older. The second area relates to building the membership base, partnerships, and financial security of SCBC so that the organization can continue to find success in its mission. Q. Anything else you’d like to tell our members? We are incredibly fortunate to live in Sonoma County. For bicycling, it’s hard to imagine better scenery, terrain, weather, back roads, trails, and everything else that makes riding so wonderful here. SCBC, and Chris in particular, have made it an even better place to be a cyclist. As Levi has said, he can’t think of a nicer place to live and ride your bike (not a bad compliment from someone who’s traveled the world riding his bike). But there is always more we can do and more people that can share bicycling for whatever reasons appeal to them – be it recreation, transportation, the environment, competition, health and fitness, or for social reasons. Everything SCBC does; it’s lobbying for paths, trails, and bike lanes, its Safe Routes programs, bike rodeos, skills classes, events, and the list goes on, makes the SCBC the heart and sole of “change” for bicycling in our community. But as others more notable than myself have said, “change starts with you.” If you’re part of the SCBC, if you want to share cycling, if you want better road conditions, new class 1 paths and bike lanes, more mountain bike trails, and more people riding bikes, than take action. Volunteer, spread the word, get more people involved, take others riding with you, encourage people to join the SCBC, and most of all, be active and stay active. This is a beautiful and you’ll be glad you did. Vicki Duggan I wanted to be on the board because the SCBC is a great group of very committed cyclists. I appreciate that, besides having accomplished a great amount in a relatively short amount of time, the group has always stressed our successes and behaved positively and politely and been able to work well with the elected and the powers-that-be. I love to ride on the roads of Sonoma County. I’d love to see more people out for rides around town doing errands and just enjoying our community. One of my favorite rides is Duncans Mills to Cazadero, over Fort Ross Road to Meyers Grade and down to the coast; because that’s the ride where I met my husband Tom. I’ve ridden for almost 17 years and I have been a member of the SCBC since 2001. My favorite bicycle depends on the ride and the day. I love the Co-Motion tandem for rides like the Fall River Century - a fairly flat but very scenic 100 miles. I’d love for the SCBC to be successful county-wide on the Safe Routes to Schools project. It’s such a win-win: kids get freedom and responsibility and (hopefully) a lifelong habit of exercise with the associated health benefits of riding. Mike Eunice I find the board meetings exhilarating because of all the passion, commitment, and political will to get things done for cyclists. The board is where important cycling decisions are made for the county. My favorite ride is the Wine County Century, my favorite bicycle is my titanium road bike and my cycling passion is to ride over 6,500 miles this year. I got started in bicycle advocacy about seven years ago when Janice and I attended a League of American Wheelmen rally in Eugene, Oregon. I want to get the most comprehensive bike plan possible into the Santa Rosa Master Plan. When I commute on my bike, I am making a statement; I am voting with my wheels, so to speak. Tim Gonzales To me bicycling is a gift, bordering on a miracle. When I can help protect the rights of others who enjoy it or encourage others to start, the way the SCBC does, it feels good. My cycling passion is the connection with my surroundings. My favorite ride was in 1988, on a bike trip in France. We were riding around the largest nuclear cooling tower I ever saw. As we rounded to the back in the dusk of the evening, we saw a Gypsy caravan with wagons, horses, singing, and a fi re we could smell, and the cooling tower in the background. My Cannondale touring bike is my favorite. It’s stiff enough for my weight, and tracks slow and soft enough. I have been involved in bicycling advocacy for about 10 years. My particular interest is to implement a requirement that new schools and school remodels address alternate transportation modes in their plans. I would love to see a video made showing a typical congested street, with the loud traffic noise, then the same street with the same number of people on bikes and the relative quiet and greater through-put. Deanna McKenzie Q. Why did you want to be on the SCBC board? A. Because I appreciate the good work the SCBC does and I wanted to become more involved in their activities. The SCBC supports many of the issues I believe in so I wanted to support it in return. Q. What is your cycling passion? A. Personally, it’s getting out and enjoying the outdoors and getting some exercise while I’m at it. In a more community minded way, I believe activities like cycling and walking encourage people to get to know their fellow citizens better. Being out and about and being able to make eye contact with others helps one think of their fellow road users as people and not as “other cars on the road.” Q. Do you have a favorite ride? A. I love all the backroads in Sonoma Country, but I get a great amount of satisfaction when I zip past all the cars backed up on Fulton Road during my commute. Q. How long have you been involved in bicycling advocacy? A. This is my first adventure in formal advocacy, but I’ve always encouraged my friends and families to ride their bikes. (Since 2007) Q. Do you have a favorite bicycle and what type is it? A. I try not to play favorites. My bikes have different functions so my favorite is whichever one is best suited for the ride I’m doing. Q. Do you have a particular interest/ project that you would like to see SCBC conquer? A. I think the “Safe Routes to School” projects are particularly important because it will start children on the path to thinking of transportation that doesn’t include getting into a car. Lessons learned early will really take root. This is our best hope for a future with less dependence on automobiles. It’s too late for many adults to be “retrained” but for those considering riding bicycles, a complete network of safe bicycle routes, including the trail included in the SMART plan is essential. Misty Mesel In 2000 I became involved in bicycling advocacy when I moved to Sonoma County, and I wanted to be on the SCBC board because I felt it was a great opportunity to use my skills to contribute to a cause that has such an inspiring impact both locally and globally. I think one of the most important goals for the SCBC is to help motorists and cyclists see the big picture -- together. I’d like to help educate motorists so they appreciate that every cyclist they see is one less car. Additionally, I would like to see a greater understanding among cyclists about their responsibility as ambassadors of an important cause and their need to be predictable and respectable road users. Encouraging others to feel safe getting out of their cars and onto their bikes is my cycling passion. Any ride that gets me from point A to point B on my Breezer Villager without getting into my car is my favorite ride! Barbara Moulton Q. What skill or skills do you bring to theSCBC board? Q. What type of bike rider are you? Q. Tell us about your favorite bicycle. Richard Peacock Q. Why did you want to be on the SCBC board? A. To be actively involved in supporting and promoting the rights of cyclists and encourage the use of bicycles as a mode of transportation. Also, to help shape local, state and national transportation policies to include alternatives to the automobile. Q. What type of bike rider are you? A. I started riding bikes for sport and recreation when I was 14. I joined my local cycling club in London and loved the friendship and camaraderie. I also used my bike for getting around the city because it was the most efficient and quickest way. I also saved a lot of money as the tube and trains were expensive. I now race as a master 45+, ride a tandem with my wife Liz and continue to use a commute bike to get around Healdsburg. Q. How long have you been involved in bicycling advocacy? A. I’ve been thinking about getting involved for about three years. I have been a member of the Healdsburg Area Science Fair Committee for about 18 years, promoting science in the local school district. Having kids and being involved with the schools, I became aware that virtually no kids ride their bikes to school anymore. When I bought the shop last year I decided that it was time to do something about that. I am very excited about the Safe Routes to School Program. Q. Tell us about your favorite bicycle. A. A hand built, lugged steel frame built by Bernie Mikkelsen. My second favorite is my Bianchi Castro Valley commuter. Having said all that it’s hard to not include all the “fixe” bikes that I’ve built over the years (ALL equipped with brakes!) Q. Do you have a particular interest/project that you would like to see SCBC conquer? A. It’s hard for me to say at this point. Anything that encourages more people to get out on the road is a good thing. Motorists need to get used to the idea that bicycles really do belong on the road. The more bikes they see, the easier it will be for the drivers to accept them. Q. Anything else you’d like to tell our members? A. I’m looking forward to an exciting year. I know that the Coalition has come a long way in the last couple of years and I am looking forward to participating in continuing that growth and success. Ken Wells Q. Why did you want to be on the SCBC board? Ken: To use my skills and knowledge to help my community move towards sustainability and away from the car Q. What is your cycling passion? Ken: mountain biking with long, smooth single-track, and great, wild vistas Q. Do you have a favorite ride? Ken: North Umpqua Trail, 80 miles of sweeeeet single-track! Q. How long have you been involved in bicycling advocacy? Ken: Since 1987, when I became president of Responsible Organized Mountain Pedalers (ROMP) in the south Bay Area. Q. Do you have a favorite bicycle and what kind is it? Ken: I like all my bikes, each for their own use - a 1996 Litespeed Ocoee for mountain biking; a 2003 custom Curtlo singlespeed for riding w/ my dog, Buster, and shorter, off-road rides; a 1997 Merlin Extralight CX for road riding and touring; and my 1989 Ritchey Ultra that’s been set up for commuting. Q. Do you have a particular interest/ project that you would like to see SCBC conquer? Ken: The bike bridge over 101 at the JC, (which is almost accomplished), and next, I guess would be to see the bike trail along the SMART route get built from Cloverdale to Larkspur. Q. Anything else you you’d like to tell our members? Ken: Remember, we can succeed with patience, persistence and passion! |
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Q. Why did you want to join the SCBC board?
