BOARD MEMBERS ARE NEEDED

Message from the President

Hello Team Alameda,

We are presently short staffed and would like to find volunteers willing to take on some additional responsibilities, designed to make our club operate smoothly.  You may have benefited from the group rides, made new friends on and off the bike, and gained in road riding knowledge and ability.  You may even have become a Ride Leader.  Now comes the time to give back a little.

We have achieved many things recently:

• More members, at last count 118, more rides posted to the ride calendar and often larger groups assembling in front of the Kaiser clinic
• An errant group of C-pace riders were brought back into the fold and are now posting rides
• A very successful Ride for the Parks event, with 18 members taking part in the team entry and 4 members as route volunteers
• Lifetime Membership extended to Gene Oh of Alameda Bicycle, our largest and most important sponsor
• Enhanced marketing efforts and new sponsors for the club, resulting in more inquiries from businesses and the general public

Since my last appeal in the summer Newsletter and elsewhere on our revamped website, we have been able to fill the Secretary and Membership positions on the Board.  The current makeup is as follows:

Board Position	Contact	Our Need
President Newsletter	Bruni, Ralph president@teamalameda.com
Vice President Ride Leader Coordinator/Calendar	Elias, Steve vicepresident@teamalameda.com ridecoordinator@teamalameda.com	Eventually Steve will relinquish his duties as Ride Leader/Calendar Coordinator or Vice President
Treasurer	Pigott, Jack treasurer@teamalameda.com
Membership	Michael Castro membership@teamalameda.com
Secretary	McNulty, Zoraida secretary@teamalameda.com
Sponsors and Publicity	Shaver, Janet sponsorship@teamalameda.com
Webmaster	Schniedergers, Klaus webmaster@teamalameda.com
Process Ride Sheets Assistant Webmaster	Woo, Norman ridesheets@teamalameda.com webmaster@teamalameda.com
Member at Large Annual Picnic	deMatos, Isabella	This position entails special projects and general assistance to the Board and Isabella has resigned as Member at Large

Please consider your past experience and skills for any of these positions as officer on the Board.  Your ideas and suggestions will be welcome and may make a huge difference.  Every Board member, even the individual for the Newsletter, casts a vote on important issues and challenges. 

Our monthly Board meetings take place in a conducive environment, such as members’ homes, accompanied by food and drink, and are as much a social occasion and free exchange of ideas, as it is a functional assembly with procedural rules.  If you have not made up your mind as to which position might suit you, simply come by to the next meeting at:

Date	Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Time (PST)	1830 (6:30 P.M.)
Location	2960 Southwood Drive, Alameda

You will be welcome as a guest, as is the right of every club member.  If you receive the majority vote, you will be inducted into your new responsibilities, which are not onerous and will not take much of your time.  With dedicated email addresses, your privacy is assured and you will benefit from the ideas expressed by an equally motivated set of experienced riders, each with a unique and relevant skill set.  We are an inclusive and social group, the whole spirit of Team Alameda!

Thank you for your consideration,

                 Ralph

Team Alameda President

Team Alamedans!  Just a quick reminder that the deadline for ordering Team Alameda bike gear is October 22^nd, for a delivery date of approximately December 6^th.  If you need some guidance on sizing, here’s the link to Voler’s sizing charts: https://www.voler.com/help/#HelpSizingCharts 

Also, here are instructions again on how to order your gear from the Voler web site:

Welcome to the Voler Online Ordering System

Your team has decided to use the Voler Custom Online Order System for collecting and processing your cycling apparel order. Please follow the steps below to place your individual order for inclusion in the overall team order.

1. Click on this link to access your team order site: http://www.voler.com/custom/ordering/li/31537

2. Click on “LOGIN” to enter your Login/Billing Info. Click on “Create Account” to save the information and to create your new User ID and Password. You will automatically be directed to the home page for your team order. If you are a returning customer, please use your original Login and Password.

3. Click on “Begin Shopping" to gain access to the orderable products page. To place items in your shopping cart, click on the item you want to order, then the options you want to select, then the “Add to cart” button. You can choose to “View Your Bag” or “Continue Shopping” after adding each item. Repeat these steps for each item you want to order.

4. After placing the last item you want to order in your shopping cart, click on “View Your Bag” to display the items. Carefully review the items and make any necessary modifications or deletions. Because each item is custom built, refunds and exchanges will not be accepted. After you have confirmed your order is correct, click on “Proceed to Checkout” to complete the secure checkout process by entering your credit card payment information.

5. After you have completed the secure checkout process, an Order Confirmation will automatically be displayed and e-mailed to you for your records.

6. After the order deadline date has passed, you will no longer be able to access the order site. If you have not completed the checkout process for your order by this date, any items in your cart will be removed. The Order Deadline and the Order Ship Date are displayed on the order homepage. The Ship Date is the date that your order will be shipped from Voler.

Thank you for your order. If you have any questions, please call 800-488-6537 and ask for assistance from a Voler Customer Service Representative, or send us an email at help@voler.com.

Happy Shopping!

Team Alamedans!  

Have you been admiring the 2019 Team Alameda kits that your fellow riders have been sporting lately?  Are you looking for a nice present to give to a Team Alamedan - or to yourself - for this coming holiday season?  Or, did you miss the ordering window over the Summer for your own gear?  We are opening up orders again for TA gear!

We have until October 22nd to get in our orders, which will be shipped out on December 6th.  Below are the instructions for placing an order.  Happy Shopping folks!

Welcome to the Voler Online Ordering System

Your team has decided to use the Voler Custom Online Order System for collecting and processing your cycling apparel order. Please follow the steps below to place your individual order for inclusion in the overall team order.

1. Click on this link to access your team order site: http://www.voler.com/custom/ordering/li/31537

2. Click on “LOGIN” to enter your Login/Billing Info. Click on “Create Account” to save the information and to create your new User ID and Password. You will automatically be directed to the home page for your team order. If you are a returning customer, please use your original Login and Password.

3. Click on “Begin Shopping" to gain access to the orderable products page. To place items in your shopping cart, click on the item you want to order, then the options you want to select, then the “Add to cart” button. You can choose to “View Your Bag” or “Continue Shopping” after adding each item. Repeat these steps for each item you want to order.

4. After placing the last item you want to order in your shopping cart, click on “View Your Bag” to display the items. Carefully review the items and make any necessary modifications or deletions. Because each item is custom built, refunds and exchanges will not be accepted. After you have confirmed your order is correct, click on “Proceed to Checkout” to complete the secure checkout process by entering your credit card payment information.

5. After you have completed the secure checkout process, an Order Confirmation will automatically be displayed and e-mailed to you for your records.

6. After the order deadline date has passed, you will no longer be able to access the order site. If you have not completed the checkout process for your order by this date, any items in your cart will be removed. The Order Deadline and the Order Ship Date are displayed on the order homepage. The Ship Date is the date that your order will be shipped from Voler.

Thank you for your order. If you have any questions, please call 800-488-6537 and ask for assistance from a Voler Customer Service Representative, or send us an email at help@voler.com.

Our web site's payment system for new members and renewals was switched from using PayPal to AffiniPay.

This was done to reduce fees as well as have a more streamlined payment process.

It is still possible to pay by check, see https://www.teamalameda.com/page-706063.

If you encounter any problem with your renewal payments or have questions, please let webmaster@teamalameda.com know.

Hey all - I received this message from Gene Oh, founding member of Team Alameda and owner of Alameda Bicycles, and thought I would pass it along in full.  Thanks, and here's hoping we can pull a team together for the event and also have some members volunteer as well:

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Hello Everyone!

It was good seeing many of you at the Team Alameda picnic on Sunday.  As many of you know, Team Alameda has been a founding member of Alameda Bike for the Parks since its inception in 2016.  Together, our 3 annual rides have exposed thousands to the Alameda that is only seen and felt by bike, raising new bike advocates to help support increased bikeways and bike-friendly access.

We've also raised over $80,000 for the parks, and this year our goal is to raise $35,000 and have over 600 riders.  I'm asking for each of you to help make our 4th annual Alameda Bike for the Parks the best yet.  How can you help?  Glad you asked:

- Become a route volunteer.  You'll play an active role in making this event special with your hoots, hollars, cow bells.  We need 15-20 volunteers throughout the perimeter of Alameda, Bayfarm, and Naval Base.

- Build a team and ride the event.  My vision is a "Bay to Breakers" on wheels, where riders dress up themselves and their bikes in all sorts of craziness.  Our Team Challenge is easy to join (6 or more makes a team), it's free (beyond the entry fee) and we give out plaques and publicity for Team Spirit (largest team) and Team Flair (most decorated).  Form a team and help bring some fun to the event!

- Spread the word.  Our Facebook page has updates, the webpage has general and registration info.  It's only $45 for ride, DriFit jersey, hotdog lunch, and after-party (only $20 for those under 16).  I also have an email template to forward to friends if you're willing to share.  Please help!

Either way you help, I hope to see all of you there... Alameda Bicycle will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary at the after-party by sharing free ice-cream and beer (yes, I said beer, shoulda led the email with that, huh?)

Thanks all, Gene

Owner, Alameda Bicycle

With the new email address for submitting the Ride Sheets: 

 mailto:ridesheets@teamalameda.com

a new version has been created.  This form also reflects the recent change in pace classifications and includes a new tick box for whenever an Incident Report may be anticipated.  To make certain the Board receives such Incident Reports on a timely basis, a new 24-hour rule comes into effect.  Thankfully, we are a safe club and such injuries, crashes and collisions are rare.

These Sign-In Sheets come in three versions, as found under the "Ride Leader" tab:

1. As a pdf for the regular rides, the simplest way to print out a blank sheet when participants are not known in advance
2. In Excel, designed for our Tuesday/Thursday rides or whenever you wish to enter known names in advance, which saves time for the actual signing in
3. Also for our Tuesday/Thursday rides as a pdf, with known riders entered in advance

The Excel file can be edited of course, so please alert the Board whenever changes to the names or phone numbers should occur and our Webmaster will endeavor to update it and the associated pdf. 

Please do not forget to check "Yes" or "No" under Incident Report when you send in your scanned sheet after the ride.  This will show our club is mindful of our obligations and makes it easy to match any Incident Report to a particular ride. 

It is good practice for Ride Leaders to carry a copy of the Incident Report with them, as details, such as insurance information, are much easier to obtain on scene rather than after the ride.

For any questions, please contact our Ride Leader Coordinator.

-- Ralph

Your Board is happy to announce that we are supporting the bike registration program offered by Bike Index, the largest bicycle registration data base in the world.  Bike Index is currently the registration program of choice of many local advocacy groups, agencies, cities and police departments in the greater east bay.  By registering your bike with Bike Index you increase the possibility of recovering your bike in the event that it gets stolen.

Please take a moment and register your bike/s now. 

 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.  

Or, for more information, go to our Other Rides Forum and read the "Someone Stole My Bike" post.  You can register your bike/s there as well.