Hello! I'm Rudi Riet, and I was Chair of Potomac Pedalers in 2011 and am happy to serve as the Interim Chair of the club in 2024. I'm a current brand ambassador for Moots Bicycles and Ridge Supply, as well as a consultant for District Cycle Works in Georgetown. I'm also the Head Coach for Liberty Mountain Race Team, an alpine ski racing team based at Liberty Mountain, Pennsylvania. I appreciate unique and non-corporate rest stops on long rides, will ride for a great espresso, beer, or country ham biscuit, and will ride my bicycle on any surface that can take me somewhere scenic.

I've organized and co-led the "Downtown Breakaway" ride since 2010 (a ride that regularly attracts one of the larges and most diverse groups of participants on a Pedalers ride), and helped run the Back Roads Century for many years, helping in its move from Berryville to Shepherdstown - no small logistical feat. I also coordinate group rides for DC bike shops, nonprofits, and touring companies, with the emphasis being on equity and inclusion and a special focus being on starting these rides close to where people live. This reflects the advocacy I've taken on in the District of Columbia: building bridges between the experienced bicyclists of the region and folks who are new to cycling or are reluctant to participate due to myriad obstacles, both cultural and structural. 

In returning to leading the ExCom, my hope is to jumpstart the Club's move toward more inclusive and equitable ride offerings, attracting a new and diverse pool of participants and members. I also hope to empower our ExCom to blaze new trails with our club, making it more resilient in a time of challenges for nonprofit organizations, cycling clubs, and organized bicycling, as a whole.

Jonathan Felbinger commutes and runs errands by bikeshare. He was first introduced to a road bike as a guest researcher at a prominent European institute, which offered a loaner Schwinn with downtube shifters. In his career since—spanning recreational road and gravel

riding—he has met interesting people and seen some beautiful views. For example, he has summited Mt Diablo, ridden Vail Pass, and crossed the Eastern Continental Divide.

Laura has loved cycling since childhood, whether neighborhood spins, on the back of a tandem, or by a lake on summer vacations in Michigan. It was there that she first rode a good road bike on a 25-mile ride, and the cycling bug truly bit. This has evolved into bicycle commuting and recreational rides in and around DC. 

As a newer member, Laura has enjoyed finding new riding routes and bike buddies through PPTC, from Downtown Breakaway to the brewery rides. Laura cares deeply about DC and the DMV continuing to become more bike-friendly communities, where cyclists are a regular, welcome, and safe part of the streetscape. 

Joining PPTC in 2017 just after semi-retirement, I sought and found a community that provides a delightful social dimension to cycling. Tagging along on the Tenleytown Thursday evening ride provided just the antidote to the monotony of solo rides, a diverse band of cyclist with a wealth of interests and experiences. Over time, I have done more frequent leading of the group, as founding members have moved on. I am delighted now to have the opportunity, through potentially serving on the ExCom, to contribute to the PPTC bringing more cyclists into the embrace of group riding.

Along with joining PPTC, I have also rediscovered a passion for bike touring, undertaking the coast-to-coast TransAm route, our own neighborhood’s GAP-C&O Canal, the Erie Canal trail, a good portion of an Underground Rail Road route mapped by the Adventure Cycling Association, and most recently a long tour in New Zealand and shorter exploration of strada bianca in Tuscany. Getting into shape for these journeys is a great motivator for joining PPTC rides! And these tours have reminded that it is the people met along the way, and the unanticipated discovery on the other side of that long climb, that are chief among delights of getting onto the saddle.

Being a PPTC member and ride leader have brought vivid reminders of how important active and constructive volunteer participation is for organizational adaptation to ever-evolving challenges: our Tenleytown group has migrated its trove of paper cue sheets to the PPTC RWGPS digital platform, and restarting rides after the pandemic shutdown benefited hugely from PPTC ExCom guidance on navigating communications, personal comfort zones, and its nimbleness in adapting the ride-posting platform.

Looking ahead, I hope to facilitate members moving into ride leadership, to encourage diverse types of rides and member riding interests, and to explore ways for PPTC and its membership to raise voices on biking advocacy issue when opportune.

I have been a bike commuter and weekend rider for several decades. I grew up in California riding a blue Peugeot 10-speed for basic transportation around the Berkeley hills and went to UC Davis, where a bike was as important as a backpack. Training for the 2011 Back Roads Century was my first introduction to the pain and pleasures of long rides, and I am looking forward to reviving this signature event for the club. I enjoy multi-day touring and lately have started riding gravel. I am also an avid backpacker and hope to take up bikepacking.

Danielle credits her love of cycling to a close friend who convinced her to sign up for the 75-mile Bike MS City-to-Shore ride in her home state of New Jersey. For someone who didn’t even own a pair of cycling shorts at the time, this was just the beginning. Like many of us, she also credits the pandemic for deepening her passion for cycling. Danielle enjoys commuting by bike, bike-packing, coffee pitstops, and beautiful group rides through the farmlands of Maryland and Virginia. Danielle moved to D.C. in the summer of 2020 and later became a regular at the Downtown Breakaway. As a new member of PPTC, she looks forward to advocating for cyclists in the DMV area. Outside of cycling, Danielle is an Engineer in the Office of Orthopedic Devices at the Food and Drug Administration. Prior to that, she researched crash injuries and impact biomechanics. This experience cultivated her passion for road safety, which is paramount for cyclists.

I rarely rode a bicycle after my Boy Scout merit badge until about twenty years ago when I decided to get back into shape. It all fell into place when, on New Year’s Day, an acquaintance who came to our SoupFest in the Hudson Valley recruited me into joining him for the NYC Century the following September. I had a blast and I have been an active rider since.

From the Hudson Valley my career working at community colleges took us to Florida, Arizona, and Massachusetts and at each stop I found interesting cyclists to ride with. I started as a roadie, got into triathlons, did a few charity rides, and recently drifted over to gravel where I found out I really like getting dirty! I have also done the GAP/C&O and Erie Canal rides. I retired in 2019 and we moved to the DMV to be near our two daughters and their families. With more time and flexibility, I have ridden with more groups, drunk more coffee, and eaten a few donuts.

I look forward to working with the ExCom and the entire Potomac Peddlers membership to take a fresh look at where we are and where we are going. We have a great group to work with and I am eager to learn all I can about PPTC rides and events as we work together to build an even stronger and more supportive bike club. I would like to help reinforce our advocacy efforts and increase our outreach, recruitment, onboarding, and education endeavors. 

See you on the road.

I've always been a cyclist at heart. Like so many American kids, learning to ride a bike is a core memory of mine. From my first time taking off the training wheels, to exploring trails through the Maine woods (my backyard) with friends on department store mountain bikes, to the first time Mom let me ride on the road, I loved the feeling of freedom and adventure on two wheels. And like too many American teenagers, I eventually traded my bike for a car, and nearly forgot how fun and useful cycling could be. 

I was fortunate to find my way back to bikes as an adult, and am proud to be part of a club so devoted to better biking in the DC region. PPTC membership has been hugely important for me since I first joined in 2013. The Downtown Breakaway taught me confident group riding skills and is a major part of my summer social calendar, while the touring events like Back Roads Century and the Tailgate Rides have introduced me to some of the most beautiful corners (and best breweries) of the DMV! Bike commuting enabled me to go car free in DC for over a decade, and I've watched as the region's leaders have slowly but surely woken up to the importance of cycling as a means of transport. But a funny thing has happened in the last few years, biking has become so successful that many of our neighbors now ride bikes without ever considering themselves "cyclists"! 

As a member of the Executive Committee, my goal is to help bridge the gap between those of us who ride for sport and those of us who ride simply because it's the best way to get around. The club has an opportunity to leverage our membership and experience to secure the gains made for cycling in DC over the past decade. I believe that if we build meaningful connections across the cycling spectrum - from sporty, to casual, to commuter - and lend our voice to advocate for better bike infrastructure in our city and region, we'll introduce a new generation of riders to the benefits of PPTC membership and help create an even brighter future for the cycling community in the region we all call home.

Josh is a longtime cyclist and enjoys just about anything outdoors, especially hiking, trail running, kayaking, orienteering, Nordic skiing and running around in the mountains. Racing BMX bikes as a kid, he stopped riding and only discovered the freedom and joy of riding again much later as a young adult. Starting out riding mountain bikes while living in Boulder, he reluctantly shifted to road bikes after moving to New York City for a decade and enjoyed cycling in and around the city and even the frequent incidents with the delivery vans and taxis. Ever evolving, he has also dabbled in triathlon, with a couple of local sprints under his belt, and adventure racing, where his team once took first place in 2 of 3 races and won the overall series championship. He is also co-owner of the tandem kayak course record of the Wye Island Regatta. Josh has his eyes on a gravel bike and perhaps some racing but also thinks he would enjoy bikepacking, combining two of his favorite things.

Josh discovered PPTC soon after moving to Maryland and joined to learn routes in the area. He still enjoys riding with some of the same folks from his early days when we shared paper printouts of routes at the ride start. 

I’ve been riding with the Potomac Pedalers since moving back to the DMV in 2022. Since then, I’ve been a regular on the Downtown Breakaway, Tailgate ride, and other rides across the area.

I first got into the sport in 2015 after signing up to race a triathlon. Over time, I decided cycling was a lot more fun when followed by an espresso rather than a jog. So now, I mostly spend my time road riding for fitness, commuting around town, and chasing Strava glory (Yes, you may have seen my name as Local Legend of Tilden St NW for two weeks in June 2024).

I love combining cycling and travel, whether to places as close as Shenandoah or as far as the Balearic Islands. But I believe the best rides are the ones I can do from out my front door. Most weekends, I can be found in Rock Creek Park, Montgomery Country, or out on the WO&D trail. 

My goal is to help ensure PPTC continues to attract new riders and provide the structure, environment and camaraderie necessary to help the club and the sport grow.