From the President

We Have Events! Ride of Silence and Club Christmas Party

November 12, 2021 No Comments

We’re very happy to advise you that we will hold our Ride of Silence, the ride in which we pay our respects to past members we have lost in road incidents, on Saturday November 27th.  We will ride at an easy pace from Zube Park to the ghost bike, placed in memory of Frank Stafford Campbell, which is at the crossroads of Stokes Road and Waller Spring Creek Road at 8.10 am.  We will ride in silence, apart from the usual vocal warnings, after which we will pause for a minute for remembrance for our friends and colleagues.  We will then disperse in the normal groups.  All members and non-members are welcome to join us.  If you prefer to roll on your usual ride, we will be happy to see your ride start at 8 as usual.

We are also able to announce that we WILL be having our 2021 Christmas party! We finally get to have a big get-together!
This year, we will be doing it a little differently than prior years. Don’t worry, there’s still free beer!
Here are the details in a nutshell:
When: 12/5/21 – 5pm to 8pm
Where: Eureka Heights Brewing at 941 W 18th St, Houston, TX 77008
What’s happening: Catered dinner from Zoe’s Kitchen, vegetarian (but not vegan) friendly. Cake for dessert. Four beverage tickets per person for anything at the bar like beer, wine, seltzers, and including non alcoholic beverages. Our traditional bingo after dinner with prizes!
Who: All NWCC Members are invited!
We do have a hard cap on attendance this year. We are capping attendance at 150 members. You will need to sign up on our website, you can find the event here: https://nwcc.bike/members-only-events/#!event/2021/12/5/nwcc-christmas-party
Each individual member is allowed to bring one guest; family members can bring the whole family, of course!  We hope to see you there!
Be safe, everyone!
Geoff

From the President 07Nov21

November 7, 2021 No Comments

On Saturday, November 6th, there was a crash in the 17-19 mph group returning to Zube along Business 290.  One of our members, who had just finished a pull on the front and had returned to the back of the double pace line, went down hard and was unconscious for a time.

He was subsequently picked up by an ambulance which, in an abundance of caution and as our friend had drifted in and out of consciousness, pulled over at a helicopter rendezvous point so that the injured party could be airlifted to hospital.

After being checked over, he was discharged later that day.  I’m pleased to say that he is now recovering well and, having seen him myself late afternoon of the 6th and spoken to him today, he’s fine, although somewhat bruised; he’s also mystified as to the cause of the crash.  The only reason we can give is that there might have been a brief touch of wheels to cause him to fall.

I’m happy to tell you all, though, that human kindness was on full display after the incident.  Our friend received immediate assistance from many of us in the group, not the least from the doctor we didn’t know we had in the group.  A passing motorist who witnessed the crash pulled over and blocked the lane with his vehicle so that no other vehicles could pass too close to us while we moved the casualty off the road.  A wrecker truck arrived very shortly after the incident and the driver offered his EMT skills.  Waller PD had two vehicles on scene very quickly and, after establishing what was needed, blocked both east bound lanes, then handled the queues of traffic professionally so that we were given a wide berth.  An ambulance arrived very shortly after Waller PD and lifted our friend into the vehicle with the care and concern they give every casualty.  There was not one horn hooted or comment shouted by the motorists who were inconvenienced.

Once we had contacted the injured person’s family, we resumed the ride after the ambulance departed, with concerns on how to get his bike back to Zube, and his car back to his home.  One member volunteered to wait with his own bike and the casualty’s (undamaged) bike until we were able to return to collect him and both bikes. However, two ladies in a truck collected him and the bikes and delivered him to Zube; one of the ladies later confided that she was the mother of the driver who had killed a NWCC member by blowing through a stop sign on Stokes Road in November 2009. 

This message serves three purposes: (a) thanks to all our club members and non-members who offered assistance, (b) there are kind people all over the world and (c) PROTECT YOUR FRONT WHEEL!

Ride safely, all!

Geoff

From the President 31Oct21

October 31, 2021 No Comments

It’s that time of the year again!  The part of the year when we can ride in perfect conditions without losing pounds of perspiration and the time before we dress in our winter clothing.  Let’s make the most of the month or so of fantastic weather. 

It’s also NWCC officer election time. Our slate will be President Geoff Donnelly, VP David Harman, Secretary Sabrina Strawn, and Treasurer Troy Ottmer.

To vote, follow these steps:

  • Go to https://nwcc.bike/board-elections/
  • Sign in, requesting a password if you have forgotten yours or if you have not yet logged into the membership side of NWCC.bike.
  • Vote for each office.
  • If you have a family membership, a second member of the family can log in to use that second vote.

Voting ends at noon on Friday, November 5.  We’ll explain and demonstrate the electronic voting at the next general meeting Tuesday, November 2nd at 7 pm. Register for Zoom meeting details (access instructions provided instantly and via email) at this link. Results will be announced before the new board gets underway on December 1.

In other news, the incident involving the teenager and the six injured cyclists is still gaining media attention.  There is a cycling summit in Waller County in a couple of weeks, after which the club’s representatives will report to you all as soon as we can.

In the meantime, please be safe and enjoy your rides!

Geoff