SBC President’s Message – June 2024
by Warren Tessler
And, it’s June. The 2024 Spring Classic is in the books and it was a great one. The turnout was nothing short of terrific. 585 riders participated this year. To channel Tom Wolfe briefly….HEEEWHACKKKKK!! This is especially gratifying in that I’ve observed that a number of other NW rides have struggled to get participation numbers back up to pre-pandemic levels. 585 is our best (615 were actually registered) in a long time, so we seem to be bucking that unfortunate trend. Start thinking good thoughts for next year.
The weather was ideal. That always helps sign-up numbers, and also makes the day so much more enjoyable for everyone involved. Face it, riders want warmth, sun and little wind. Well, guess what? That’s what the volunteers want too.
Also contributing to the increased ridership were the enhanced digital advertising and publicity done by Ray Desy and Anita Elder. We got some of the area hotels to offer discounts tied to the Classic for the first time. We also linked in to the Skagit Valley tourism website this year. All of that provided broader exposure, especially when coupled with the advertising that Charlie Schultz manages in various publications and at Cascade Bicycle Club.
With that many riders, the rest stops were really busy. We even ran out of cookies! To quote Vizzini in the Princess Bride…”Inconceivable!” At the Church rest stop we had the added attraction of the young children from the Anderson family operating a lemonade stand. The Andersons live in the house about 30 yards up the road from the church and the kids wanted to participate rather than wave from the porch as in past years. They were accepting donations in exchange for the lemonade and I think those kids got a good start on their college funds by the end of that day.
This was Ray Desy’s first time at coordinating the overall planning for the Classic. Job well done. He was ably backstopped by Phil McLoud, with the benefit of his deep experience. (Phil had threatened to abscond to a tropical island, but didn’t make it. Maybe next year.) The planning committee members were Bill Woyski, Dave Olausen, Roy Graves, Mark Proulx, Roxan Kraft, Charlie Schultz, Bill Boettcher, Bob Papadakis, Steve Jahn, Wendy Boettcher and me. Bob Papadakis, Roy Graves and Mark Proulx were there for the first time and were very welcome additions to the team.
We had many volunteers - too many to thank individually. To all of you who did volunteer – Thank You. We absolutely could not have done it without you.
So, that’s a wrap on the Spring Classic. Next up – summer. Bring it on.
Warren