By Wil Wheelock – SpringBike President 2023
Sometimes you are lucky enough to watch history happen. You may not realize it then but upon reflection it becomes obvious. Some of the best leaders in our group never held an office. Some were flashy and others would barely speak until spoken to. But they all shared the ability to lead using their charisma and the love of cycling. Springbike honors those individuals that have led others to enjoy cycling in what ever form that takes. Seven names are being added to the honor sculpture. Their story is on our web page Springbike.org. At the top of the page is a banner that says “About Us.” Then a drop down banner will appear that says “Honor Sculpture.” The selection process seems easy. #1 Be a Springbike member. #2 Have a positive impact on the Springfield cycling community. Most of us would qualify to be put on the sculpture. So what has set these individuals apart from all of the rest of us? The shear volume of people they have touched by their contributions. This group has left their legacy on all of the cyclist that live in this area. No doubt you have been on a club ride and someone explained the concept of ride right or group etiquette. The person teaching you probably got their information from one of the people on this list. Springbike now proudly presents the newest members of the Honor Sculpture.
Randy Fry
Well before becoming Springbike president for 3 years, you could find Randy out leading a group of beginning riders. He has a natural charisma and truly wants to help people ride their bike. He showed Springbike a template on how to promote bicycling in this community. He in many ways sets the standard that this sculpture is designed for.
Larry Yates
Larry was a humble man. He had a bicycle teaching style that made you want to learn to be a better bike rider. In the early years of Springbike Larry would attend the Saturday rides and he started talking about drafting to all the beginning riders that wanted to learn. Over the years I have often wondered if he offered to teach us for his own self preservation. You know how beginners are, all over the road with no group etiquette. He probably wanted us to quit swerving all over the road in front of him, he was legally blind. That physical limitation continued to worsen over the years. One day he got lost on his daily route. He couldn’t remember how many roads he had crossed and that ended his solo riding career. He talked a Springbike member into riding a tandem with him to the weeknight club rides. That member still rides a tandem today and is a current member of our tandem club.
David Ritchie
David was Springbike president in its heyday with well over 400 members. That doesn’t happen by accident. David worked hard at membership recruitment. He did that by having cookouts and providing a slice of watermelon in the parking lot of the weeknight rides. He is also a caring individual and a talented long time biker.
Bill Dedmon and Linda Brewer
I am joining these two names because they worked so well together. It is only fitting that they share a marker. Bill and Linda worked as timers for the Springbike time trials. First at the Willard school, then at the Stratford route and finally at Wilsons Creek. In the summer they spent every Thursday standing in the sun keeping time. With their help Springbike membership grew since the time trials were very popular.
Tom Johannsen
Tom in his younger years liked to race bikes. That interest lead him to get a group of riders together and form Springbike. Tom was our first president in 1983. He also started the time trials that drew so many people into cycling.
Earl Holmer
Earl started a little shop that we have all enjoyed over the years, Sunshine Bike shop. In the early years Earl was a strong supporter to Springbike. He was always ready to provide a seminar at club meetings on what was new in bicycle technology. He served as a board member in 1994.
