Click Here for pictures from the Annual Meeting

As the room filled, folks caught up with friends they haven't seen in a while. In attendance at this year's meeting were Chris & Rosie Borkman and their son Kurt, Bob & Kathy Dollar, John Fauerby & Lynne Rosenbusch, John Gorham, Brian King, Dan & Pat Lufkin, Carrie Nangeroni, Regine Pacchiana, Peggy Parker, Bill Smith, Stephen Walter, and Joan Wicks and her son Liam.

As proposed by our fearless leader Bill Smith, the first order of business was to begin consuming pizza. No self-respecting cyclist would pass up the chance for delicious carbs, even if they weren't riding that day. Next on the agenda were a few reports on the condition and status of the club. Treasurer Bob Dollar reported that the club's financial health is good even though we spent a bit more than was taken in last year. President Bill Smith reported that due to increasing use of email, newsletter costs were down approximately 30% from 2003.

The next event of interest for the club in 2005 is a Bike Fair & Safety Rodeo to be held at Ballenger Creek ES on Friday May 6th. Club members are encouraged to come and help out with efforts to groom the next generation of cyclists. The annual Bike-To-Work Day event will likely be the same day as it is usually held on the first Friday in May. Last year’s Bike-to-Work day was a big success with great press coverage and participation by Frederick's pub mistress-in-chief Jennifer Dougherty.

The next order of business was the election of club officers for the coming year. Bill Smith and John Munns will continue serving as President and Vice-President. Bob Dollar will continue in his name-sake role as Treasurer. Joan Wicks has agreed to take over the role of Club Secretary for Martha Anderson whose recent move to distant Taylorsville has made it more difficult to continue serving in that capacity. Finally, Brian King has agreed to continue on as Touring Vice-President. This slate of officers was accepted by unanimous consent.

As the meeting progressed, folks enjoyed looking through photograph albums and old newspaper clippings of past club rides and events. Many thanks to Carrie Nangeroni for preserving these great memories and making them available to share with the entire membership.

We then moved on to the part of the meeting that everyone had come for – special guest speaker Dan Lufkin who previewed excerpts from his upcoming book "Back Before the Traffic Got So Bad". He started off by telling us of his days in Colorado Springs as the League of American Wheelmen (LAW) representative for the state of Colorado. After bulking up his aerobic capacity by cycling extensively at 6000 feet above sea level, he moved to the DC area in the 1970's to work for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Rockville. After scouting the local area, he settled in Frederick partially due to the success of a G.E.A.R. rally held there in the past. After the moving van left it didn’t take long (less than a week) for him to hook up with local riders, and he just kept going. Dan opines that cycling is a near perfect form of transportation as it's fast enough to actual get somewhere in a reasonable amount of time, but slow enough to enjoy the scenery along the way.

He then gave us some insight into why there are so many good cycling roads in the Frederick area. Even though we would like to think local officials were avid cyclists and built them all for our benefit, that’s not the case. Back in the day, more so than today, dairy farming was a large part of the Frederick economy and way of life. The one thing a dairy farmer absolutely must have is a good road for the milk truck to come and go once or twice a day. As Dan said, you won’t have much luck convincing a cow to 'hold it' until tomorrow if the road is closed! Luckily, most local officials were well aware of this if not directly involved in the industry themselves so many local arteries were built to much higher standards that could withstand the daily punishment of big milk trucks coming and going. Another fortunate happenstance leading to good roads in the county is an obscure provision in federal law that allowed funds to be used for improving roads within one mile of specially designated Interstate highways. As Route 15 is such a highway, improvements were made to many of the adjoining roads along its length, raising the quality of their surface beyond what would normally have existed.

Dan also helped out with the club newsletter for a time and mentioned how the mailing list extended all the way to folks in New York state. It was not uncommon for entire cycling clubs to visit the Frederick area for the sole purpose of riding the terrain we get to enjoy year 'round. He also expounded on one of the club's signature events – The Woodsboro Breakfast Ride - and that when starting from downtown Frederick on a Sunday morning, it would not be uncommon to only see two or three cars on the entire ride. Of course this was back when blue laws were still in effect on Sundays and youth sport leagues were limited to school sponsored schedules during the week. Even so, it's nice to know that in upper parts of Frederick County you can still come close to that type of riding even today.

Dan told us of a 1980 trip to GEAR in Rochester, NY where his son Dave Lufkin provided their own personal support wagon and they kept in touch by CB radio. Dave would drive ahead to scout road conditions and then park on the side of the road to wait for Dan and his team to catch up. Dave would then wait while the team forged ahead until they were just out of CB range, then he would head up the road again, passing the team and starting the leapfrog process over again. Dan didn't mention what kind of gas mileage resulted considering they did this all the way up to New York! One memorable event was a small miscommunication in routes along the way that was worked out with the help of a State Trooper, but no harm, no foul.

Dan then told us about some of his favorite and unusual routes in the area. He mentioned the unique rock outcropping appearing like a 'mini Mt. Fuji' that you can see from New Cut road as you look north and recommended that any road with 'mill' in the name was good for cycling as it was likely to follow a stream path and provide lovely scenery. He also noted that you could discern differences in the cultures of early settlers to the Frederick area by observing the architectural styles of older house and barn structures in the county. Dan also recommended Legore Bridge Road and Clyde Young Road as great places to spot hawks.

As his stories wound down Dan related memories of riding by Mennonite churches during service and seeing the black-painted bumpers on cars in the parking lot – a visible sign of people wanting to live a simpler way, free from the shiny excesses of a modern world. Consider this a fitting metaphor for those who enjoy the freedom cycling provides from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

After Dan's talk, Bill Smith presented Dan Lufkin and Carrie Nangeroni with framed plaques of appreciation denoting their years of dedication to the club and granting them lifetime membership in the Frederick Pedalers.

The Tour of Walkersville

Holy Bell Lap Batman - Genuine road racing in our own back yard !!

If you like to see skinny people with un-naturally large quads go fast, come on out for a day of racing from Walkersville's own Glade Elementary School. It's an 8 mile course out Devilbiss Bridge Road, right on Old Frederick, right on Ramsburg and then right on Dublin back to the start/finish. See http://www.teamsnowvalley.com for details.

Children's Health & Safety Fair and Bicycle Rodeo

The folks at State Farm are holding their annual Bike Safety fair in Frederick this year at Ballenger Creek Elementary School on Kingsbrook Drive on Friday May 6th. We need volunteers for all or part of the time period 4:30 - 8:00 pm. We will inspect kids' bikes, pump up tires, and generally point the way. Contact Bill Smith or clubmail@frederickpedalers.org to volunteer for this event.

Support MD Senate Bill 551

SB 551 would provide that bicycles and motor scooters can ride anywhere in a traffic lane if they are traveling at the "normal" speed of traffic. It also would add several other circumstances (the avoidance of pedestrians or road hazards, approaching locations where right turns are authorized, and operating in a lane that is too narrow to travel side by side with other traffic) under which these vehicles need not be ridden to the far right of the roadway, even when traveling slower than the normal speed of traffic.

View MD SB 551 and related information here.

Why this bill is important:

Safe and effective cycling requires cyclists to be visible and predictable. Too many cyclists interpret "as far to the right as practicable" to mean as far to the right as possible, and thereby put themselves into increased danger. Cyclists learn through experience that "riding as far right as practical and safe" does not mean "hugging the curb". There are often times when it is safer for a cyclist to move away from the far right side of the roadway. As a cyclist moves further from the curb, the cyclist becomes more visible to motorists, whether they are traveling in the same lane, oncoming, or in cross streets.

The bill makes it clear that a cyclist is permitted to move away from the rightmost side of the road when traveling at the same speed as traffic, when avoiding pedestrians and road hazards, when avoiding right-turning traffic, or when the lane is not wide enough to be safely shared with another vehicle.

In Frederick County, our senator is Alex X. Mooney. Below are the e-mail addresses of the Senators on the Judicial Proceedings Committee:

Brian E. Frosh, Chair (Montgomery County)
Brian_Frosh@senate.state.md.us

Leo E. Green, Vice-Chair (Prince Georges County)
Leo_Green@senate.state.md.us

Jennie M. Forehand (Montgomery County)
Jennie_Forehand@senate.state.md.us

Robert J. Garagiola (Montgomery County)
Rob_Garagiola@senate.state.md.us

John A. Giannetti, Jr. Prince Georges and Ann Arundel Counties
John_Giannetti@senate.state.md.us

Larry E. Haines Baltimore and Carroll Counties
Larry_Haines@senate.state.md.us

Ralph M. Hughes Baltimore City
Ralph_Hughes@senate.state.md.us

Nancy Jacobs Eastern Shore
Nancy_Jacobs@senate.state.md.us

Philip C. Jimeno Ann Arundel County
Philip_Jimeno@senate.state.md.us

Alex X. Mooney Frederick and Washington Counties
Alex_Mooney@senate.state.md.us

Norman R. Stone, Jr. Baltimore County
norman_stone@senate.state.md.us

Find out who your Senators are by going to:
http://mdelect.net/electedofficials/search.asp
and entering your address

For the latest information on bills of interest to bicyclists and pedestrians in Maryland, please visit: http://www.onelesscar.org

Cannondale Seatpost Recall

Cannondale wants back 1,480 improperly manufactured 1-X suspension seatposts that it put on various 2005 road bikes. The posts can crack, though no rider injuries have been reported.

The suspect posts have "1-X" etched on them. They came with a black-yellow-and-red instruction booklet.

If this seatpost is on your bike, you're urged to contact a Cannondale dealer for a free replacement. For info, call Cannondale at 800-245-3872.

2005 Kustom Bike Show & Competition

2nd Annual Bicycle Show April 3, 2005. Bicycles, family, food & fun ! The first show was a blast, this year will be better ! Indoors & Out, Vendors, a 3 foot tall Best of Show Trophy, 13 trophies total. See all the details at www.kustombicycle.com

Funny Foto of the Month

Where Bill makes her daughter ride when she doesn't
pedal fast enough on the back of the tandem...