Team,
As we are well into autumn I want to get this message out to you before the holidays and before winter—and the winter riding season—comes to our riding area. As you’ve no doubt seen, we’ve had lots of perfect fall riding days since autumn began and I hope you are finding time to take advantage of these days—by riding your bike!
The 2025 edition of Cycle Sequatchie, which took place on October 4 under ideal weather conditions, was the most successful edition of that ride since it began in 2019. We had more than 600 riders from 30 states and 2 foreign countries. This included a team of riders from all around the country riding for Crohn’s disease and Colitis, a group of 12+ from Oklahoma, and an entire PE class + others from the University of the South, as well as strong contingents from the CBC, the Bubba’s and Southern Velo.
Co-sponsored by Tennessee Gravel (Shannon Burke) and the Chattanooga Bicycle Club, Cycle Sequatchie has become widely known for its fantastic riding, its signature farm-to-table post-ride lunch, and otherwise great atmosphere. If you weren’t able to volunteer for or to otherwise ride in Cycle Sequatchie in 2025, save the date for 2026 on your calendar now: October 3, 2026.
On October 11, we had a very nice and well-attended Fall Social at Gordon & Lee Mills. Many thanks to everyone who came out and participated, to the ride leaders without whom the Fall Social couldn’t have been a cycling event; and to Sam Beck and his daughter + Athena Moundalexis for their indispensable help setting-up and preparing the food, and to Debbie Beck and Tom Jamison for clean up.
Annual Meeting, Dinner & Cycling Hall of Fame
The Annual Membership meeting, dinner, and Cycling Hall of Fame will take place on Saturday, January 31, 2026 at Finley Stadium’s Ultra Club (same as last year). The evening will begin with the Annual Meeting (including awards ceremony and raffle), followed by a Happy Hour, and then the Dinner and Cycling Hall of Fame Ceremony. Look for a separate email with more details, including the bios for the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees.
As for the Annual Membership Meeting, we will elect the Executive Board for 2026. First, however, many thanks to the 2025 Board, who have served the CBC will distinction, dedication, and motivation The CBC Board is a volunteer board and is one of the main things that make the CBC’s world go around. The election of the 2026 Board—and your participation—are particularly important because a couple of our long-standing Board members will be stepping down after almost a decade (Sharon) and more (Peggy) on the Board.
Not only do we want the CBC to function, we want it to thrive—and that requires member-volunteers! Please consider supporting the Chattanooga Bicycle Club by running for a position on the Executive Board. The Board positions follow below (please note that candidates for Pres, VP and Treasurer require at least two years of prior membership). We also need Social and Advocacy Directors for 2026.
| Board Position | Incumbent | Running for Re-election |
| President | Tom Hand | Yes |
| Vice President | Sharon Russell | No |
| Treasurer | Jennifer Kreafle | Yes |
| Secretary | Kevin Whiteside | Yes |
| Ride Coordinator | Peggy Olson | No |
| Communications Director | Donna Killian | Yes |
| Social Media Director | VACANT | |
| Membership Director | Bill Jennings | Yes |
| Event Coordinator | Debbie Beck | Yes |
| Board Member at Large | Rich Rudner | Yes |
| Board Member at Large | Mark Ponticelli | Yes |
| Social Dir (appointed) | VACANT | |
| Advocacy Dir (appointed) | Ben Richards |
The positions in bold font are those for which we do not have candidates. If you’re interested in running for and serving in these or any Board position, please send Sharon Russell (sharon.russell@chattanoogabicycleclub.com) or me (tom.hand@chattanoogabicycleclub.com) an email with your expression of interest and/or any related questions you may have. Serving on the Board is truly a rewarding way to support the club and the sport of cycling. Thank you.
See you on the road,
Tom