[Amc-wm-cyclists] AMC Western Mass. Chapter (formerly Berkshire Chapter) Cyclists Update

[tourtelotte]

Thanks Janine.   Lots of good info.GBY.  Jim TSent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
-------- Original message --------From: AMC WM Bicycling via Amc-wm-cyclists <amc-wm-cyclists at lists.amc-wma.org> Date: 2/22/21  2:33 PM  (GMT-05:00) To: amc-wm-cyclists at lists.amc-wma.org Subject: [Amc-wm-cyclists] AMC Western Mass. Chapter (formerly Berkshire Chapter) Cyclists Update Hey AMC Western Mass Chapter cyclists! We hope you are all staying safe and healthy during this ongoing pandemic, and finding ways this winter to maintain your cycling fitness. Spring arrives in about a month, and we’ll be enjoying outdoor rides again very soon. Read on for some important news and updates! 1 - WE’RE CHANGING OUR NAME! Our chapter has a new name, the Western Massachusetts Chapter (formerly the Berkshire Chapter). We’re still the same outdoor recreation and conservation organization you know and love, so don’t be alarmed. Last summer the chapter’s volunteer leadership team began reaching out to our community to explore a new name for the chapter. We were concerned that our chapter’s name -- the Berkshire chapter -- did not fully welcome all members of the many communities our chapter serves. Did you know that the chapter serves Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties, as well as Berkshire? It also turns out that at least three quarters of our chapter's volunteer-led activities happen in the three counties comprising the Pioneer Valley! We collected lots of data, both formally through a member survey and informally through conversations with trip leaders and participants. The overwhelming majority supported changing the chapter name to the Western Massachusetts chapter. So that’s what we’re doing. It’s going to take us some time to change the old name everywhere it appears. We’re working on a new website, but for now you can still find us on the web at amcberkshire.org/bicycling. 2 – 2021 RIDE EXPECTATIONS Our 2021 ride calendar is still under development as we monitor the continuing pandemic. At this time we anticipate that all AMC-led bicycling trips in 2021 will follow the same AMC COVID 19 protocol as last year. Specifically, rides will still be capped at ten participants including leaders, and face masks will be required in all situations where riders cannot reliably maintain a COVID-safe distance from others. With trips limited to ten people, we expect trips to fill up fast as they did last year. Advance registration online will be required for all trips, and we will operate a wait list as needed. All trips will be posted on AMC’s official site outdoors.org [Appalachian Mountain Club - Event Listings (outdoors.org)]. You’re receiving this message because you are on our email alert list. We’ll send announcements to this list whenever we post new trips, and also keep our calendar updated at www.amcberkshire.org/bicycling.   Our first ride of the season is tentatively scheduled for May 1st (though it isn’t posted yet). We hope to have our May rides up on our website by early April. Throughout the season, we will continue to add more rides to the calendar.  We will do our best to keep our web page up to date and email you with any significant changes. We know that one side effect of the pandemic is that lots of people have bought bikes and started riding for the first time. This year we’re going to offer a beginner-level ride series that will include basic instruction to help new cyclists become comfortable on group rides. If you know anyone who is new to cycling, refer them to us! For the more serious riders in our community, don’t worry – we’ll still be offering challenging rides in the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires, including old favorites and some new adventures. 3 – BECOME A TRIP LEADER! Our chapter in general, and the Bicycling Committee in particular, are always looking for new people interested in becoming trip leaders. We provide training and mentoring to help you learn how to take groups safely out on trips. Starting on April 7, our chapter is hosting a four-part online series designed to train new or refresh existing leaders. Sessions will be on Wednesday evenings from 7-9pm, via Zoom. Participants are welcome to join for a single session or the full series - anyone who completes the full series will be provided registration for additional in-person training to be scheduled in May. Successful completion of both the online and in-person training will lead to a certificate of completion. Learn more and register here:https://activities.outdoors.org/search/index.cfm/action/details/id/124092  We guarantee that becoming a bicycling trip leader will make you happier, healthier, better looking, more respected, deeply loved, and also you’ll be able to climb hills quickly and effortlessly. 4 – RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR CYCLISTS There are two terrific bicycling advocacy organizations we recommend you consider connecting with: Mass Bike [https://www.massbike.org/], and the League of American Bicyclists [https://www.bikeleague.org/].  Many of their resources are free or low cost. Webinars - Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (massbike.org) Has a list of upcoming and pre-recorded free webinars that are educational and/or informative. National Bike Summit | League of American Bicyclists (bikeleague.org) Annual virtual bicycle conference with a fee.  That’s all for now! If you no longer want to be getting these messages, you can unsubscribe yourself on this page:http://lists.amc-wma.org/listinfo.cgi/amc-wm-cyclists-amc-wma.org  Or just email your request to us at bicycling at amc-wma.org and we’ll take you off the list. See you (eventually) on the road,  Janine PapeshChair, AMC Western Mass. Chapter Bicycling     
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