A Letter from SDBC President Mike McLaughlin

May 7, 2020

“When will the Saturday rides start back up?”

That was THE BIG question riders asked me last Saturday. And the answer is, we’re working on it. Within the County’s guidelines, we hope sometime this month.

Since SDBC suspended Saturday rides beginning March 21st, I’ve been at UC Cyclery every Saturday morning to talk to the handful of riders who show up to make sure everyone understood these were NOT SDBC rides. On 3-21 we had 10 riders, and by 4-11 we had 0. Last three weeks it’s been building (4 -10 - 8 riders) with cyclists rolling out in ones and twos…mostly stopping/rolling by to say “Hi!”. Last Saturday four rolled out together, some wearing face coverings, all staying six-feet apart. I know many of you are ready to return. So am I.

When we restart our rides depends on when/how the County eases restrictions. SDBC will NOT violate those rules. Health issues aside, ignoring the rules would harm SDBC reputationally and financially, damage our sponsors and the relationships we have with them, and have repercussions with the shopping center that allows us to use its parking lot for our rollouts.

After discussions at its May 5th Board meeting, directors agreed that a return to normalcy would most likely be done in stages by the County, and that SDBC needed to have a list of solutions that could be mixed & matched to go with each stage. Training Director Charlie Sykes and the Executive Committee (Rene Robinson, Ed Leonard, Jerry Marino, and I) are working on those solutions. We expect to have them worked out within the next 7-10 days. We want to be ready when the County says small groups are okay.

What might those solutions look like? Some ideas: staggered rollouts; asking cyclists to remain at their cars with their bikes before rollout; smaller groups rolling out; face coverings, if required by the County; six feet between cyclists; taking temperatures; instructing sick riders and those with coughs to not ride; and limited access inside UC Cyclery. If you have ideas or comments please email Charlie at training@sdbc.org.

Communicating with you will be critical. Riding requirements might change from week to week. Watch your Weekly Update.

On a personal note, I know that some of you are ready to roll now. Others will not be ready for group rides until late into the summer and maybe then only with expanded social distancing. Each rider gets to decide how best to proceed. SDBC will decide the framework; you will weigh the risks and benefits and decide when to take part. There is no wrong answer. What is right for you may not be right for your neighbor. Let’s respect each other’s decisions.

And if you are already doing groups ride please do us a favor, do not congregate in the UCC parking lot, and please do not wear your SDBC jersey. Yes, they are yours and you have every right to wear them wherever and whenever you chose. Please chose NOT to wear them in this hyper-sensitive time when it could reflect poorly on the Club.

Thanks!

In the meantime, be of good cheer. Be strong — things will get better. The road awaits and we’ll be ready.

Mike McLaughlin
SDBC President
president@sdbc.org