Dear current, past and future EC Velo members,
Our club is moving forward with excitement! Yes, the Cotton Country Century was canceled this year as the volunteer base needed was not realized. However, this seemed to be just the catalyst that was needed to rejuvenate interest in our cycling club and bring in ideas for its future.
So, what is new?
- We have added new members to the EC Velo Executive Committee. Please see below for a short introduction to all the volunteers in their various roles. We are seeking a vice president for membership and marketing. Should you be interested please email Jason Hildebrand.
- The team has already started updating the EC Velo website (ecvelo.org), making it easier to navigate and updating the information. Special thanks to Kat Dale who is hard at work on this project!
- We are starting a membership drive. We have approximately 50 dues paying members (but 250 Strava club members). EC Velo is a club for all cyclists. By joining our club, you are supporting bicycling safety advocacy, charitable endeavors such as the Toys-for-Tots annual ride, youth cycling and potentially much more! What are your ideas as a member of our club? What can we do for the betterment of not only our cycling community, but for Eastern North Carolina?
- We are looking at how our club can be more inclusive. I will say again, WE ARE A CLUB FOR ALL CYCLISTS. Fast, slow, long, short, commuter, weekend warrior, daily grinder, it doesn’t matter! EC Velo supports you as a cyclist and we want you as a member of our organization. EC Velo is committed to creating opportunities for all levels and styles of riders in our community.
What is next?
The executive committee is working to better organize weeknight rides under the banner of EC Velo. If you are the leader or organizer of a regular ride and would like to speak with EC Velo please contact Jason Hildebrand or Emily Schaefer.
The Cotton Country Century will rise again, but perhaps in a new form. We are looking at new sponsorship ideas, new charitable beneficiaries, and new times (yes, we know cotton only blooms in the fall). We want to bring our flagship event back bigger and better for 2024. This event is a great way to showcase our club, our communities and give visiting hill climbers a taste of hours-long headwind!
The Toys-for-Tots charity ride is another great opportunity for the club to present itself and do a service for the community. We will be looking to expand the scope and increase participation in this event which will occur this fall.
We also want to expand our service to the community through children’s riding clinics and new rider orientations for road riding and mountain biking.
Please check out our updated website, consider joining our club and participating in any of our initiatives.
Even if you do not choose to join EC Velo as a member, please come ride with us and experience the community of riders in our region.
Thank you,
Jason Hildebrand
EC Velo Executive Committee:
President
Jason Hildebrand
president@ecvelo.org
Jason is an avid cyclist. He moved to Greenville in 2014 and has been an active member of the cycling community since 2019. He is interested in all aspects of cycling in our community: safety, advocacy, education, group rides and event organization.
Past President
Matt Long
Matt Long has been cycling for 10+ years and loves the social and group aspects to riding. His favorite races are Paris Roubaix and the Tour de France.
Vice President for Road Riding
Emily Schaefer
vproad@ecvelo.org
Emily moved to Greenville in 2019 and began cycling in 2020 when a colleague invited her to an EC Velo evening group ride. She mostly road bikes with some gravel adventures. Whether chasing crowns or a casual social pace with friends, Emily is always up for a ride!
Vice President for Mountain Biking
Kat Dale
vpmtb@ecvelo.org
Kat is a marine biologist by day and a bike/pedestrian advocate by night. She is working to improve active mobility in Pitt County by serving on the city's Multimodal Transportation Commission, writing a Safe Routes to School grant for Winterville, coaching our area youth mountain biking team, and serving on the board of Friends of Greenville Greenways. She likes all kinds of bikes and bike adventures!
Vice President of Memberships & Marketing
OPEN
Secretary
Lindsay Mattock
secretary@ecvelo.org
Lindsay moved to Greenville last year and was excited to find a cycling community through EC Velo and Greenville Bicycle Company. She and her husband Jason have a growing fleet of bicycles and enjoy exploring new places on two wheels. You may see Lindsay biking around Greenville on her cargo trike, hauling books and groceries on her commute to and from ECU.
Treasurer
Sue Raedeke
treasurer@ecvelo.org
Sue has lived in Greenville since 1993 and became involved with EC Velo as it began in the mid-90’s (and the treasurer ever since). She enjoys mountain biking and social road rides. She is involved with the Pitt County Composite Mountain Bike team for local middle/high school students, encouraging youth to get involved in cycling.
Member-at-large
Ryan Danell
Ryan grew up mountain biking in Vermont, but now enjoys riding on all types of surfaces. He has been involved in the Greenville area cycling scene since moving here almost 20 years ago and has organized multiple regional races and events. He now focuses his time as the head coach of the local youth MTB team (Pitt County Composite), traveling with a bike as much as possible, and trying to keep up with his friends.
Member-at-large
Chris Davenport