Debbie Ramsey has been a member for 5 years, and this is her second term as president, after having served for 2 years as C then C+ ride coordinator. She loves to lead rides (especially on dirt roads!) and socialize with the fabulous members of the WCC. Last year she finally upgraded to a carbon fiber frame with drop bars. She is truly proud to be a member of this club. And remember, good cheer required!
David Karel has been a member of the club since 2003, and previously served on the WCC board as the D Ride Coordinator. David enjoys leading rides and exploring the countryside. Biking provides an avenue for David to enjoy the scenery and to leave the worries of the world behind.
Bruce Wells, Membership Chair, has been a member of WCC since 1985, and the author of My WCC. He previously served as President, Golden Apple Chair, and Membership Chair, which is his current function. Bruce started as a C rider and now currently rides with the A group. He leads the club's 200 mile ride every year, and has been known to serve a cold home brewed beer at the end of the ride. Bruce commutes by bicycle to his job in White Plains, where he works for Radio Computing Services.
Larry has been a club member for over 30 years and a board member for more than 15 years. He fell in love with cycling in the late 60's, and enjoys leading hilly C+/B- rides for the club. A retired Package & Graphic Designer, he handles the design of the our monthly newsletter, the Plain Spoke'n, as well as club clothing and Golden Apple material. He works closely with two talented co-editors who write, coordinate and edit articles submitted every month. The WCC (formerly Country Cycle Club) has been such an important part of his life, that he considers the work that he does as a "Labor of Love".
Dave Wilson, former WCC President, is a longtime member who now dedicates himself to bike advocacy. He has spearheaded the club's Pedals for Progress used bike collection, resultng in the shipment of more than 500 bikes to Central America. He's a senior writer at The Journal News, where he covers Yonkers City Hall, contributes to LoHud.com's Politics on Hudson blog, and writes the cycling blog called The Savvy Cyclist.
Kate is responsible for overseeing and coordinating all aspects of the Golden Apple Bike Tour. She is also a cycling coach and leads training rides at all levels, including orientation rides for new members. Kate owns several bikes, including half a tandem with her husband and partner Victor, and enjoys riding in many different ways, including racing, touring, ultra cycling, dirt riding and WCC party rides.
Each spring, Mike gives a course called Effective Cycling on three successive weekends that introduces basic safety and riding principles to cyclists, new to the sport or for those who want to distill years of trial and error into a few short weeks. He served as former President of the Club, Newsletter Editor (in the days before Page Maker) and Program Chair. But Mike will perhaps be best remembered for the many wonderful and successful Golden Apple events he organized.
Debra Keiser is relatively new club member who has always loved to ride. As a longtime journalist and public relations pro, she publicizes WCC events, rides and activities anywhere she can and is working to make club events more visible through social media, particularly Facebook. She lives in Putnam County, works full-time in public relations and continues to freelance as a feature writer.
Al Kaplan is our New Members Advisor. A Bronxite through my college years and a Westchesterite ever since. I became "hooked" on cycling when, by chance, I met some Country Cycle Club members and rode 10 miles with them. I did my one and only Century Ride a few years later. I started leading rides on a regular basis, because the club has given me a tremendous amount of enjoyment (plus free exercise as a bonus); and, this is my way of giving something back to the club. PS: The Country Cycle Club is the previous name of the WCC.
Avram Karel ("Ave", sounds like Dave....Karel, like Carol), originally from Rockland County and a non-athlete, got "hooked" on cycling when his brother-in-law encouraged him to share the forty mile NYC 5 Boro bike tour held in May 2007--a challenge he never would have considered previously. By joining the Westchester Cycle Club, he discovered the multiple pleasures of exercise, exploration and new friendships and started to lead rides on a regular basis. A former professional drummer/singer/bandleader of 30 years, now managing apartment rentals, Ave began as a D rider and progressed to the B group. Honored as 2007 "Rookie of the Year". Rides Chairperson from September 2008 to December 2011.
Non-Board Positions
Charles Goldberger, a club member since 1993, provides the club with pro bono legal services.