Bluegrass Cycling Club
Annual Report for 2010
January 21, 2011

Mission Statement:
To encourage bicycling for health, recreation, and transportation; to promote bicycle safety; to improve bicycling facilities; and to further all phases of bicycling.

Officer/Administrative Reports

President’s message -(Peggy Littrell)
The Bluegrass Cycling Club, incorporated in 1972 as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership organization, made great strides in fulfilling its mission statement in 2010. The board held a strategic planning retreat before the cycling season began to discuss the purpose and function of the organization, and to identify goals and objectives for 2010. The top priority for 2010 was improving member benefits. Other goals were to continue offering excellent cycling events and to continue our commitment to philanthropic endeavors.  The new administrative structure implemented last year, which includes a twelve member board of directors with officers elected by the board, has been very effective. The board established a committee system and is still in the process of moving toward fully functioning and operational committees in all significant areas. The club was also recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as club of the year for our region during 2010.  
The following reports summarize our accomplishments and activities.

Vice President-(Dwayne Edwards)

Treasurer -(Terio Sutherland) See the attached 2011 budget, which was adopted by the Board in December. The BCC currently enjoys financial security.

Secretary-(Pam Thomas) Draft minutes from board meetings are usually posted on the website within two days of the meeting, and final approved minutes within a week of approval. Guidelines and operating procedures are also available on the website, usually within a week of approval by the Board.  As part of our enhanced member outreach, we started sending an e-newsletter to members on our list serve every two weeks during the riding season, and every month during the off season. The newsletter contains information on upcoming events, including rides, social events, and volunteer opportunities.

Website- (Nedim Slijepcevic)/Social Media (Griff Baute) An improved rides calendar system was implemented and support was created for multiple mobile devices. We started using our Facebook page to announce more events and happenings, and winter ride miles now have a place on the website.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Ride/Race –(Mike Bagley)
Committee members: Patrick Wesolosky, Bill Cole, Terio Sutherland, Mike Wirth, Sheila & Keith Tolley, Gayle Tomkinson

Highlights of the year include:

• Implementation of a successful time trial series;

• Having our Monday night Masterson Station ride featured in Bicycling Magazine;

• Offering club rides every day of the week during the touring season with at least two beginner rides every week;

• Providing more support and recognition for our the ride leaders including safety/tool kits, BBQ, & jerseys;

• A joint fourth of July ride with Louisville Bike Club; and

• Purchase of a new mapping program.

Our total mileage for the year was 164,998 miles, which is an increase of 7,773 miles from last year.
Plans for next year include providing more ride opportunities, growing our time trial series and beginner program, providing a leadership workshop and additional support for ride leaders, and improving our map library.


Membership/Social/Recruitment -(Jamie Bagley)
Committee members: Christian Erickson, Chuck Ellinger, Anna Edwards, & Griff Baute

The BCC ended 2010 with 626 members, 100 more than last year. The club has been very visible in the community with informational booths at many local events and health fairs. We had a full offering of social events this year with a higher attendance than in the past. Our season started with a kickoff ride in Midway in March, followed by a Fourth of July picnic, Tour de Breakfast ride, Brunch and Labor Day rides, as well as,  a pasta dinner ride, Equus Run ride, and Halloween rides.

Plans for next year include continuing to support and offer fun cycling opportunities and offering some "no bike" socials. Our goals are to have something for everyone and be warm and welcoming to grow cycling in Central KY.

Merchandising-(Bill Cole)
Committee members: Mark Cornelison, Griff Baute, Peggy Littrell, Marc Roth, Christine Cole, & Cheri Stiff

This ad hoc committee was formed in late summer and started its work by developing standardized procedures for operation of the BCC store and controlling BCC merchandise inventory.  This committee has introduced new merchandise (arm warmers) and was also responsible for the redesign of the club jersey.  In addition, the merchandising committee is providing support to the Horsey Hundred committee by assisting with the newly designed Horsey Hundred t-shirts, jerseys, and gym sacks.

Plans for next year include surveying the membership for product interest, marketing current merchandise, managing the stock, and creating more BCC logo items.

Events:

Horsey Hundred -(Dwayne Edwards)
Committee Members: Many, many BCC members including Dwayne Edwards (coordinator) Pam Thomas (volunteers), Rick Fern (registration), Mike Bagley (food), Terio Sutherland (rest stops), Tom Walters (SAG), Peggy Littrell (BCC Store), Griff Baute (marketing). In addition to the planning committee, the Horsey Hundred involves over 200 volunteers over the course of the weekend

This year's event had 1850 registered riders representing 31 states and the Commonwealth of Canada. It is interesting to note that we had more registrants from Ohio than from Kentucky. The ride resulted in a net profit of approximately $40,000 for the club, an increase of $15,000 over the net profit in 2009l. The planning committee held monthly meetings throughout the year to plan and implement the event. Specialized Bicycle's Demo Van and most of the areas bicycle shops were involved in the event this year. Our partnership with Georgetown College continued to be strong and positive as we worked together to provide an excellent opportunity for our participants to enjoy the attractions in the area.

Plans for next year's HH are well under way with Don Leach as the coordinator and many new volunteers serving on the committee. Opportunities are being pursued for more "after ride" entertainment, including enhanced offerings in Georgetown on Friday evening, and a fun-filled event in Midway on Saturday evening.  We are also working on general sponsorships for the ride as well as sponsorship of our rest stops.

Red River Rally- (Patrick Wesolosky)
Committee Members: Pam Thomas (volunteers), Cliff Cantrell (road markings), Jerrell Goodpaster (routes & maps), Rand Cimino (food), Tom Walters (SAG), Marika Wesolosky (BCC store).

The Red River Rally, Kentucky's oldest continually annual bicycle event, experienced growth in both attendance and  net profits this year. The ride was held on October 2 &3 in Stanton and Slade Kentucky. Close to 90 riders enjoyed temperatures in the 70's on Saturday's ride. This was a huge increase over the 33 attending the Saturday ride last year. Cooler temperatures on Sunday did not stop over 140 riders from enjoying the classic fall ride. Cyclists were treated to an endless amount of delicious food thanks to our own Rand Cimino. The increase in attendance and change in purchasing strategy helped the 2010 RRR net over $1,000 as compared to about $150 in '09.

Plans for 2011 event include adding lights to Nada Tunnel, entertainment on Saturday evening, and greater marketing of the ride. Natural Bridge State Park has been reserved for the first weekend in October for the next three years allowing participants to plan their ride calendar with more information on dates.


Philanthropy/Education (Pam Thomas)
Committee Members: Malcolm Barrett (chair through September 2010), Griff Baute, Dwayne Edwards, Peggy Littrell, Mike Wood, & Keith Batchelor

The committee met 5 times during the calendar year developing guidelines and an application process to implement the new twice a year funding cycle for philanthropic endeavors and member requests for charity ride support. Entities and amounts funded by the BCC  in 2010 are as follows:

Rides
Markey Cancer Tri                            $2,500.00 (Decision made prior to new policy)
-Fayette Alliance                               $   750.00

Support of Members Participating in Charity Rides
-MS 150                                   $  850.00
-Am Lung Assn                        $  300.00

Community Philanthropy
-Bike Give Away                      $5,700.00
-Bike Lexington                       $   500.00
-Broke Spoke                           $1,000.00
-Folkbike Recyclery                 $1,250.00

TOTAL                                    $12,850.00

The Committee also established educational reimbursement standards for members who obtain LCI certification or USA cycling certification during 2011. A total of $30 of the $1,500.00 allocated was expended from the education budget for the purchase of a video to be used as part of the bike give away.

Goals for philanthropy for next year include refining and improving the funding application, review, and reporting processes, providing more publicity about the availability of funds and monitoring the use of grant funds.
Goals for Education include offering an educational workshop in February and assisting with providing an LCI certification class in April.

Financial Oversight-(Jeff Pearson)
Committee Members: Billianne Withers, Ed Jennings, George Pierce, Terio Sutherland

This committee conducts quarterly reviews of the club’s financial condition, inventory, hardware, and equipment. Reimbursement forms have been developed and are now in use for disbursement of funds for Club activities and expenses.

Plans involve continuing to oversee the club financial and inventory control records, and to offer recommendations on spending issues and coordination of materials owned by the Club.

Other Items

We offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to our outgoing BCC Board of Directors members. Thank you Malcolm Barrett, Sandy Duff, Patrick Wesolosky, and Nedim Slijepcevic.

There will be a Board of Directors Retreat February 18-19, 2011 for the purpose of strategic planning, officer elections, committee development/refinement, and chair recommendations. The Saturday session will be open to all interested members. We will meet from 9-1 pm at 476 East High Street. If you have topics you would like discussed at the retreat relating to the items and areas outlined above please e-mail your ideas to Peggy by February 4. ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).  Materials and background information, including agenda topics and identification of decision points will be e-mailed to interested participants prior to the meeting so that participants will be prepared.

It has been a busy year! We have experienced a large growth in membership, gaining not only new members, but new, actively involved and engaged members.  It is only through the increased participation and involvement of our members that we’ve been able to grow and improve as we have... Thanks to all of you for your contributions, and thanks to a wonderful Board who made this all possible. I have enjoyed working alongside each of you and look forward to cycling in beautiful Central Kentucky with the BCC for many years.  

Respectfully submitted,
Peggy Littrell
President