The old expression is true..... Time flies when you are having fun and I can tell you that with many ups and a few downs, the past three years as President of the 5BBC have been mostly, and most significantly, FUN! I have had the privilege of working with a committed group of volunteers - board members - who made the role relatively easy.

What is the key to my success? What would my advice be to future Presidents? The answer is one and the same. Never make a single decision. That's it! What? Really? Slacker Allan! Seriously though, it's not about being lazy, it's about recognizing that when you have more than 10 people attending each board meeting (once a month for 1-2 hours or so), who could possibly think that they'd make a better decision that putting it out to the group for input, listening to the range of options discussed - the pros and the cons - and then letting the group make a decision.

We've had to deal with some serious issues like Covid and putting the club on hiatus, and deciding to try a pilot leadership training program that didn't meet the stringent requirements of our very well designed full leadership class - but somehow was the breakthrough we needed to get the club weekly ride count way up from recent years. The past 2-3 years have seen an awesome positive trend in this regard, thanks to new leaders from those pilots who have really stepped up. Thanks to them and of course, the leaders of long-standing too who year in and year out post rides.

Rides. Rides. Rides.

That is what this club is all about. We are not about advocacy though many of our members are also members of TA and BNY for that purpose. We are not into running mass rides (any more), but many of our members volunteer as marshals at the Five Boro Bike Tour (with which we are often confused). We are not all mechanics - but those from our ranks who are mechanically inclined have secured great visibility for the club at Summer Streets and by offering classes on basic bike mechanics on occasion. You know who you are and I really appreciate you!

So we may get asked to do a lot of things for a lot of different cycling-related requesters, and I say as long as club members want to volunteer to support those things, let the board decide to say yes or no, but, let's make sure that it never takes away from our capacity to put on day trips, every weekend, in good supply.

I want to thank the membership, leaders and my fellow board members for the opportunity to lead this great organization. This club has given me a long list of cycling friends - it truly is the friendliest and I look forward to riding with you all for many years as a member, leader and for a little while more at least as VP, board members.

And of my successor - Toby Weiner, who along with Maureen Gaffney, Mark Guralnick and several others have proved the value of our pilot leadership training program, I say that the club is in very good hands. It is important that the President be someone who can get the critical things done that need to be done so the club functions - with the support of the board, and Toby always SHOWS UP and GETS THINGS DONE. And will make sure that we don't take our eyes off our top three priorities, which are: Rides, Rides, Rides!

Good luck Toby, and thanks for stepping up!

Happy Holidays Everyone

Allan