Tony Le

Thank you Judy for taking care of ACTC in 2024. I needed a sabbatical year, after serving 15 years on the Board and 9 years as President, to recharge before returning to guide ACTC once more. Our club is filled with talented members. The dedicated Academy staff, Tierra Bella Committee, Sierra to the Sea Committee, expanded Board, BBB Publisher and Editor, Webmasters, and every Volunteer staffing New Year party, Workers Ride, Pancake Breakfast, Ice Cream Social, Fall Picnic, and the Christmas Light Ride, take a bow. You are all great! I am excited to work with the 2025 Board to meet new challenges where century rides and paid tours are becoming less popular. Our membership number is stabilizing but we will promote additional club rides and events (with the new Events Coordinator) designed to attract new members, especially families. I am ready, let’s ride.

David Adler

I invented bicycling. Before me, people just rode around on one wheel. I said, "hey, what about putting a second wheel on it?", and the bike was born. I told this to my close friend, Oroville Wright, who ran with it.

Seriously, I have been a member of ACTC for nearly 30 years. I have done some of everything: done Sierra-to-the-Sea as both a customer and volunteer, worked Tierra Bella, and been on lots and lots of rides and overnights. I have not been on the board, and would be happy to do so as the vice president.

Melanie Clarke (Incumbent)

I have been a member of ACTC since 2007. I have enjoyed serving as Board Secretary for the past 2 years, so I am running to fill this position again in 2025. Since my retirement, cycling has become my primary pastime and source of entertainment. I consistently lead the "Our Favorite Kids Are Baa'ck" goat rides. I have OCD (Obsessive Cycling Disorder) which drives me to get all the ACTC goats in a calendar year. I leave no goat behind! This year, I have also included all our "Out of Area Goats" in this endeavor. ACTC is a great source of "friends, fitness, and fun," but I also benefit from the collective knowledge of the mechanical and technical aspects of cycling. Whenever I have a problem, there is always someone in the club who has the solution. I want to return the joys of my experiences by supporting ACTC in any way I can. I look forward to serving ACTC again as Secretary!

David Sausjord (Incumbent)

I’m in my 8th year as an ACTC member. I’ve enjoyed many club rides both in, around, and beyond our beautiful bay. I have served as Treasurer the last three years. Being Treasurer require an interest in finance, good communication, attention to details, and a willingness to work with others in relation to all the club’s activities. So it has been a great way to connect with and contribute to the club.

My goal as Treasurer is to maintain responsive control of club finances, while increasing Board and member understanding of our budget and expenses, so that ACTC can continue to provide “fitness, friendship, and fun” for club members and promote cycling in the broader community.

Do vote “YES” on the Proposed Revised BYLAWS for ACTC. A committee of club members worked very hard to rework these, and they will allow the club to get more done, more easily and efficiently, for YOU!

Jay Newman

I have been a member of the Almaden Cycle Touring Club since 2017 and an avid cyclist since my father took off the training wheels and gave me a push down the street when I was 6 years old.

I am hugely appreciative of ACTC and understand the importance it has both for its members and the cycling community as a whole in the South Bay Area. It is my hope to contribute to the club as your Membership Chair in 2025.

Jim Bialson (Incumbent)

Although I once agreed with Groucho that I would never wish to be a member of any organization that would accept me, I found myself joining ACTC over 25 years ago and have never regretted moving it to the center of my social and athletic life. Over those years I’ve staffed and participated in many aspects of the club, including Tierra Bella, Sierra to the Sea, Bicycle Academy, numerous weekend camp-outs and have led a few rides.

I’m excited about the new energy and remodeling undertaken by this past year’s leaders and I would like to continue into my third year as the club’s Communications Coordinator supporting those volunteers who have the skills to do the actual work of writing, editing and producing our monthly newsletter and those who mind the websites; monitor our e-mail forums; maintain online access to ride listings, ride statistics & membership directory; and keep all of the behind-the-scenes technology infrastructure functioning smoothly.

If elected, I will continue to fulfill my duties to the best of my abilities and will attempt to improve and implement whatever projects and ideas are desired by next year’s Board and, of course, our members.

Bryan Patterson

I am currently an At-Large Director on the ACTC Board and am running to be Ride Coordinator for 2025. I enjoy the variety of rides that the club offers, whether it be Billy Goat, Grizzly Bear, or Mountain Goat and I believe that there is a need for all of these types of rides to meet the interests of our membership. I would like to continue to encourage members to become ride leaders and lead a variety of rides, short and long, hilly and flat, near and, sometimes, far. At the same time, I want to consider how to make the tasks of being a ride leader easier, and carry forward on the streamlining that Diane has introduced this year.

Anna Huynh

I am an ACTC member for 10+ years. I enjoyed many ACTC rides and trips. I also attended and volunteered in many ACTC events. I was always intrigued by the event leaders and hoped that one day I would become an event helper to assist the event leaders.

I am excited to know that there are more fun, and engaging events for 2025. When the Event Coordinator position became available, I think it was meant for me because I am a good fit for the position. I have past relevant experience, and I will enjoy being an event coordinator tremendously.

If elected to be the newly created Events Coordinator, I will be responsible to help promote and organize great ACTC Events, old and new. At the same time, I will be relying on all the Event-Chairperson(s) to continue their leadership roles, and I will be their voice to the Board.

Lonn Fiance

I am Lonn Fiance, and I am running for an at-large board position. I have been riding my mountain bikes for over 23 years and my road bikes for 12 years. I joined ACTC in 2023 and really enjoy the camaraderie of group rides. (For more information about me, you can check out my GTKY article in the May 2024 B&BB). I ride multiple times a week, participating in many Grizzly Bear and Billy Goat rides and currently leading most of our Mountain Goat rides. Through these rides, I have met many, but far from all, club members with a wide range of interests, abilities and goals. All of us joined ACTC for “fitness, friendship and fun” and this certainly needs to continue to be our focus. However, I'd like to find ways to make tasks easier for our volunteer board members, ride leaders and ride participants, to encourage other riders to join ACTC, and to keep our club vibrant. If these goals align with your thoughts, I would appreciate your vote.

John Hughes

I have been a member of ACTC since 2009 and I am currently a co-administrator of the ACTC Strava club. I would like to further support the club as an at-large member of the ACTC board. I am a retired engineer, who bike commuted for over 30 years. I lead or co-lead many rides, including the Eastern Sierra Escape rides, and always look out for new riders. I have a good knowledge of cycling apps and have created many routes in the ACTC RideWithGPS library. ACTC is a wonderful group of people and I want to give back to ACTC in return. I would appreciate your vote.

Judy Kane

I have enjoyed being ACTC’s president, but I’d like to take on a more supporting role. With the Updated Bylaws, the position of Past President will no longer exist, so to remain on the Board, I’m running for the position of At-Large Director. My goal will be to continue working on the projects that we started in 2024, to focus on supporting our events, and to work to increase membership and involvement. We have a great club, and I look forward to continuing to support it.

And yes, please VOTE YES on the Updated Bylaws.

Michael MacDonald

Bio:

A native of the Bay Area, Michael was born in Santa Clara, and has lived most of his life in the South Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains. He is program manager by profession, as has worked in the semiconductor industry for over 20 years, and before that he worked in the game design field. He has ridden bikes for decades and enjoys cycling and efforts to bring the hobby safely to new riders of all skill levels. He has run a Masonic Lodge as Master, and served on the HOA board of directors in a large condominium complex.

Why I am running:

When I was in the Academy, I was unable to finish for reasons that many of you may know (yep, that was me). I am so grateful for the academy, and the work that the group continues to do to support cycling safety in the South Bay. I wanted to volunteer to make sure that the efforts of the group continue to grow over the coming years. I am a believer that if you see the value of something, throw in your hat to help out if needed. If I can help, I am happy to.

Lynn Repetsky (Incumbent)

As a member of ACTC since the 90's, I’ve enjoyed being involved with our club through numerous rides, activities, and events. As a member of the Board, I bring history and energy, and I'd like to continue as an At-Large Director in 2025. I look forward to continuing to work to increase outreach to potential members, improve communication within the club, support our successful traditions and maybe even create some new ones. I look forward to working with our new Events Chair by helping create a process for holding, managing, and notifying members about our events and increasing member involvement. 2024 was a great year, let's make 2025 even better.

Jaap Salm (Incumbent)

My name is Jaap Salm.

I am for the second time a candidate for the position of At-Large Director.

If I get your vote, I will participate in ACTC Board Meetings for the second time, in the same position.

Profile, History:

• I am 72 years old. I grew up in the Netherlands, where I biked a lot like everybody there.
• I moved to Silicon Valley in 1984. From 1984 until I retired, about 5 years ago, I used to commute every day by bike, wherever I worked.
• I ride about 14000 miles a year, some of it with the club.
• I participated as a volunteer in several Tierra Bella events in the past, initially as a worker, lately (the last 3 years) and currently as the Safety Captain for Tierra Bella.

• I want to help ACTC in bringing together people who like to ride bikes, since I like to ride bikes also.
• I met many people who are enthusiastically supporting the club in all its activities, and I believe by being there for the club they are doing something worthwhile for the community.
• Being Director at large will allow me to be more involved with the direction the club is taking in the future.