First of all, I would like to thank the club members who showed up to the
meeting Wednesday night.  To those who couldn't come, we missed you and
hope you can make it next time.  Here's what you missed:

I encouraged all members to lead at least one ride this year.  With just
over 100 members, that's a lot of rides.  The best way to increase our
presence in the community is to be seen out riding.  Most riders feel
safer in a group, so give it a try.  If you have problems posting a ride
or questions about leading a ride, easier said than done, please contact
me.

We need to get some feed back on new club jerseys.  It seems like
something people want to get done.  It was proposed that club members can
present their designs to be voted on by the club.  The winner will be the
jersey design with the most votes and the top twelve can be made into a
2010 calendar to be sold as a fund raiser.

We will have a gear swap on Saturday, May 16 at the Shadows Lounge and
Grill parking lot.  This is an opportunity to buy and sell some stuff,
we'll post rules later so it's not a big rummage sale.  Anyway, Brandon
has put a lot of work into getting use of the parking lot so it should be
a good event.  We'll use this as a membership drive.

Christa and Chris have been working on the website.  It should be possible
for members to create their own passwords and login.  There is a Messaging
Forum that hopefully we can use to communicate so that we don't have to
meet too often.  There is also picture downloading on the website. We will
also show members how to send a mass email to club members to announce
group rides and other club related messages.

Ellen Archuleta of the Taos Sports Affiliates spoke on the relationship
between the future of Taos recreation and the Taos Cycle Club.  She
encouraged clinics for Taos youth to get more young people involved in
cycling.  She also spoke about marketing Taos as a sports and recreation
destination and using the club as a contact point for visiting cyclists.
She confirmed the marketing of Taos as a high elevating training
destination for multiple sports.  This could be big for Taos and cyclists
in general, think Durango or any other cycling destination you may like to
go to.

Randolph Pierce talked about BLM land that will become available for a
mountain bike area and park south east of town near the big black water
tower.  Forty acres to be exact can be used for this purpose, wow, that's
a big park!  Getting money and resources lined up may go into 2011, but
the potential is great.  He's also ready to start building a "Pump Track"
at the Youth and Family Center.  This is a fun and challenging track that
builds skills and strength on the bike.  It's popular with kids and adults
alike.  He's still a little short on funds, which are matched by IMBA.
The board will discuss an amount which the club can then vote upon.
Anyone interested in donating to this please contact me.

Finally, Marilyn thanked the club for the warm and enthusiastic welcome we
gave the Welsh cycling team that came through town in March.  They got a
police escort into town as well as a few laps around the plaza led by Zoro
while mariachis played on the gazebo.  The mayor gave a speech as well as
Matt Foster discussing the future of bikes and roads in Taos.

Now aren't you sorry you missed the meeting?  Special thanks go out to our
Secretary Cindy who made sure we had snacks.  Keep your eyes open for club
updates and we'll see you out on the road or trail.

Thanks, Doug