As we approach the middle of the year, I’d like to provide a few brief updates about what is going on at DSSF:
1) MEMBERSHIP: Thanks to all of you, paid membership in our club just reached 97 yesterday. With just 3 more to go to reach that magic 3-digit number, I’m thinking you must have some awesome cycling buddies who can help us hit the century mark before PRIDE. As an added incentive, membership dues have been reduced to half price ($10 single, $15 family) for the remainder of 2014. So now is a great time for your friends to join us on a trial basis if they have been considering it. Remember, all memberships expire on Dec 31 each year.
2) IS THERE LIFE AFTER ALC? Congratulations to all of our members who participated in ALC this year! You all did an amazing job and have a lot to be proud of. So many inspiring stories came out of that ride. So what’s next? Are you suffering from PALCLBD (Post ALC Love Bubble Disorder)? Do you still have an uncontrollable urge to hop on your bicycle and ride long distances with some of your favorite people on the planet? Do you need more pictures of yourself in spandex? Do you miss shouting out directions to all the cyclists around you: “On your left!”, “Stopping!”, “Rolling!”? Fortunately, DSSF is here to help. Check out the Ride Calendar on our Web page at least once per week and sign up for some of our rides. Bring your friends and a camera along. Or better yet, post your favorite ride and invite your friends to join you. It’s all just a few clicks away. And don’t forget to join us for the monthly Jersey Ride this Saturday (June 14th) and the second Saturday of every month.
3) JUNE BOARD MEETING: The next DSSF Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 18th at 6:30 pm. If there are items or issues you would like us to discuss, please send an email to: president@dssf.org OR talk to me about it at the Jersey Ride on June 14th.
4) EVENTS CALENDAR: The 2014 DSSF Special Events Calendar is now posted on our Web site at:
http://www.dssf.org/dssf_html/pdf_documents/events2014.pdf
5) PRIDE FESTIVAL, Sunday, June 29th: Once again, DSSF will have a booth at the Pride Festival to sign up new members and get people excited about riding. This is a great opportunity for outreach and to make DSSF known in the wider community. We need your help to make this happen! We’ll be looking for volunteers to work 2 hour shifts from 10am to 4 pm. More details to come.
6) CLUB PICNIC AND BIKE RIDE: The annual club picnic is scheduled for Saturday, July 26th. We’ll be choosing a location at the Board meeting on June 18th. Here is a brief description of some possibilities. Mileage refers to the shortest possible distance for a bike ride from the starting point to the picnic location and back. Of course, it would be possible to configure longer bike rides for any of these locations.
a) China Camp in Marin County – Tried and true. Beautiful location right next to the Bay. Privacy, quiet, and flush toilets. Probably best chance for ideal weather. Main drawback are the aggressive bees that go after the food. About 45 miles round trip from MacLaren Lodge in SF.
b) Samuel P Taylor Park in Marin County – Untested. Beautiful redwood forest. Maybe all shade. It can sometimes be cool and foggy. Don’t know about mosquitoes. About 65 miles round trip from MacLaren Lodge in SF.
c) Junipero Serra Park in San Mateo County – Untested. High up on the ridge of the Coastal Range with sweeping views of the Bay. Web site says, “Expect cold windy weather in summer.” About 35 miles round trip from MacLaren Lodge in SF.
d) Huddart Park in San Mateo County – Untested. Located close to the town of Woodside. Area extremely dry due to the drought. Possibility of no running water or flush toilets. Opportunity for bike ride along the crest of the coastal range. If you ride down to the Pacific coast, it’s likely to be cold and foggy. About 75 miles round trip from MacLaren Lodge in SF.
e) Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County – We tried this in 2011 and people seemed to like it. Multiple options for bike rides in the East Bay. It can be very hot here in July. More people would probably have to drive or take public transport to the start point. Pool party and ride will be in the East Bay in August. About 25 miles round trip from Orinda BART station.
All of these locations currently have at least 1 site available, but could fill up before we make a reservation. I have set up a poll where you can list your preferences and suggest other options as well. To have your opinion count, you’ll have to respond before Tues, June 17th. I am trying Survey Monkey for this poll so that all members can participate, even if they haven’t signed up for the DSSF Yahoo! Group. Just use the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XCJSLM8
7) OTHER ORGANIZATIONS – I often get emails from other organizations asking me to promote their events. Here are a few that you might be interested in:
a) Big Gay 10K (run and walk to fight AIDS): http://www.biggay10k.com/
b) JDC Bike-a-thon (fundraiser for Justice and Diversity Center): www.sfbar.org/bike
c) AIDS Walk San Francisco (fundraiser): http://www.aidswalk.net/sanfran
8) VACANT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS – Membership Coordinator, Events Coordinator, Female Outreach, and Male Outreach positions are all still vacant. Please consider volunteering for one of these positions.
Thanks for your time and your participation in DSSF.
Cycle Safely,
Sal
President, DSSF
The Chain Letter 