April 2026

This month: Art Walk in St Pete, Ride Your City: Tarpon Springs, SPBC elections, and HELP WANTED for the St Anthony’s Triathlon. Plus our own 96 year old birthday boy bicyclist made TV news, and SPBC member Kevin Shutt writes about his ride along with two pro cycling legends.

Upcoming Events

The start time for the weekly Saturday morning club ride changes to 8a on April 25 (the last Saturday in April). It resets to 8:30a on Oct 31 (last Saturday in October).

• Art Walk in the St Pete Warehouse Arts District, April 11, 5-8p

• Forward Pinellas Bike Your City Tarpon Springs, April 25, 9a-11a

• Sharkeys On The Pier ride, April 26, Venice

• SPBC Board of Directors Election, May 2

• SPBC Board Meeting, May 9 at 1p, St Petersburg Barack Obama Library. Open to all members.

• Ride of Silence, May 20 at 5:30p, leaving from the North Shore Aquatic Center

Art, Conversation, and Great Company Walking the Warehouse Arts District
on Sat April 11

We’ll wrap up the art walk with a visit to the Five Deuces Galleria, before returning to 3 Daughters. Note: This is a social art walk — not a ride. No bikes needed (of course you can bike to the event, just remember to bring a lock for your bicycle).

Volunteer at the St. Anthony's Water
(and Gatorade) Stop

April 25, Bike Your City: Tarpon Springs
An #AltSatMornRide With Forward Pinellas and the SPBC

Event sponsor Forward Pinellas is offering free T-Shirts if you preregister for the Bike Your City tour. A limited number of free helmets will also be available before the ride, fitted by certified helmet fitters. Read more details and register for the event here. You do not have to be an SPBC member of the to join this ride, but registration is required for Bike Your City.

Riding with Legendary Pros – Or Sort Of

by Kevin Shutt

SPBC member Kevin Shutt wrote about his experience riding with Bob Roll and Christian Vande Velde when the club hosted these two cycling legends in February.

I joined about 90 riders to toe the line with former cycling pros, Bob Roll and Christian Vande Velde, (yes, that duo of Tour de France legend and now international cycling broadcast commentators).

I’m strong enough to hold my own with a peloton rolling at 23+ mph when I can hide in the draft.

The “Ride with the Legends” event, hosted by St. Petersburg Bicycle Club on Feb. 21, brought out several hundred star-struck cyclists for three events throughout the day, culminating with a members-only evening and “Stories from Two Legends.”

I tried my darnedest to stay with the group of the pros and did so for about 23 of the 28-mile ride, despite brief surges approaching 30 mph.

Then, our group was sustaining 30+mph. That’s when a small group of us were dropped, including Roll.

Looking over at Bobke, a nickname he’s had since he was a young pro, I yelled, “Let’s Go! Let’s Go!” as I passed him at 27 mph trying in vain to catch the Vande Velde group. However, I wouldn’t see Vande Velde again until the end of the ride.

READ MORE “Riding with Legendary Pros – Or Sort Of“ at Florida Cycling Newsletter.

SPBC May 2026 Board Election

by Julia Vasquez, SPBC Board President

The St. Petersburg Bicycling Club Annual Board of Directors Election will take place on Saturday, May 2, 2026.

Advance voting will open on April 26, 2026. All current members in good standing will receive an email with a secure link to the online ballot. This is the easiest and fastest way to cast your vote. For members who prefer to vote in person, paper ballots will be available at the Annex on election day May 2 after the Saturday morning ride.

Nine people have been nominated for the nine Board of Directors positions (*Denotes a current board member):

• Lauren Archer

• Tammy Himes

• Cathy Garvey

• Sandy Weiss

• Julia Vasquez*

• Jay Mulligan*

• Dave Zornow*

• Gordon Brown*

• Peter Wray*

Members are elected as general board members for a one-year term. The specific roles of each board member (president, vp, treasurer, membership, etc.) are determined by the elected board following the election.

If you are interested in serving on the board, email secretary@stpetebicycleclub.com by April 19, 2026. You don’t have to be a board member to get involved, either! Volunteers are always welcome.

Finally, the board would like to thank Kris Woodcock, Dan Bode, Rafy Rivera, and Tom Andry. Collectively, they represent decades of service to the club. Their tireless efforts and dedication are greatly appreciated.

Your participation helps shape the leadership and direction of SPBC, and we encourage all members to take part in the election.

If you have any questions about the voting process or your membership status, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Welcome New Members

Warren Carrasquillo
Thomas Crawford
Joe Fontana
Jeff Grzybowski
Katelyn Kubisiak
Jim Malloy
Bob McCann
John Profumo
Kenneth Scher

The St. Petersburg Bicycle Club Board of Directors

Julia Vasquez, President
Kris Woodcock, Vice President
Jay Mulligan, Secretary
Dan Bode, Treasurer
Rafy Rivera, Membership
Dave Zornow, Communications
Gordon Brown, Government Liaison
Peter Wray, Government Liaison
Tom Andry, Member at Large

Dave Joffe, John Sinibaldi — Past Presidents
Newletter Editor, Dave Zornow

StPeteBicycleClub.com • info@StPeteBicycleClub.com