HomeMeet the ExCom

Meet the ExCom

Anne Hyman - President

Anne’s first memories of riding were on her Hello Kitty bike in her driveway as a four year old. In more recent years, Anne has been an avid cyclist since she borrowed a friend's mountain bike to commute to work during the gasoline crisis of 2008. Since then, she's taken the cycling world by the hoods and has participated in several gran fondos, centuries, and 112 mile legs of Ironman triathlons. Anne’s first ride with Potomac Pedalers at Rockville Wootton High School ride group made her feel instantly at home with her new cycling community, and she has forged friendships and calves of steel while climbing the hills and mountains of Maryland.
Anne first joined the Executive Committee as the VP of Special Events, and has served as President since 2019. She strives to improve membership experience as well as invite members of the surrounding community to join Potomac Pedalers and expand the club.

Anne holds a doctorate in Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, and is focused on disease diagnosis and prevention in her career. She is also dedicated to helping others develop their passion for cycling and sport, as a Level 3 USA Cycling coach and Level 1 USA Triathlon coach. When she isn't dreaming of riding or out on her Ruby, you can find Anne at home talking to the plants in her garden, playing mad scientist in her kitchen, or driving her cats crazy by practicing piano.

Joe Pixley - Treasurer

The recumbent guy, Joe has been riding recumbents since 2007 and genuinely does not understand why people ride "normal" bikes when they do not have to (he appreciates that others put up with his recumbent ways). For fun, Joe is into ultra-distance racing, and for extra fun, he rides Ragbrai every year (alas not this year). He is a regular on the Belle Have Blast and the Downtown Breakaway. This is his second time on the ExCom. Joe works as a trial attorney at the Department of Justice and bike commutes in the winter months.

Carol D. Linden - Secretary

Carol Linden has ridden with the Pedalers for about 20 years, eventually becoming a CC ride leader. Her involvement with the club expanded when she served as an at-large member of the ExCom for 2 years, and then as the editor of the late, great paper version of the Pedal Patter for 4 years. After stepping down as editor, she took on the position of MD/DC CC Ride Coordinator and has continued to lead rides frequently, mostly in her favorite locale, the Montgomery County MD Agricultural Reserve, and often in conjunction with ride leaders in faster categories. When not riding one of her bikes, Carol served as the director of a small office within the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Food and Drug Administration and had an over 40 year career in various agencies of the federal government. Since retiring at the end of January, 2020 (straight into a pandemic), she has accumulated many more miles riding.

Rudi Riet - Member-At-Large

Hello! I'm Rudi Riet, and I was Chair of Potomac Pedalers in 2011. Since then I've remained active with the club as well as taken on the bicycling advocacy challenges of the greater DC area. I'm a current brand ambassador for Moots Bicycles, 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 for the past 9 years (a ride that regularly attracts a large and diverse group of riders, though 2020 proved to be an annus horribilis for all group rides), and helped run the Back Roads Century since my previous ExCom tenure, 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 with 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 the Pedalers' ExCom, my hope is to bolster the club's role as an advocate for safe cycling for all, as well as to help the club rediscover its place in DC and to help expand its ride offerings to be attractive to groups the club has maligned over the years as the local bicycling scene has exploded into one of the largest in the country. Coming out of the COVID pandemic Potomac Pedalers has a wonderful opportunity to refocus and reinvent its place in the greater DC bicycling culture, and I relish the opportunity to help.

Ed Hazelwood - Member-At-Large

Ed Hazelwood has been a member of the club for about 16 years and an avid cyclist for many more years than that. He recently retired from Aviation Week & Space Technology, but with all of the freelance work it does not feel like he retired. Ed has been able to travel a lot internationally and combine that with bicycle riding. The high points of his cycling life have included two trips to the Tour d’ France, climbing Alpe d’Huez, riding thru much of southern France and northern and southern Germany, as well as attending parts of the Tour of Great Britain and the Vuelta a España. PPTC has given Ed so much in terms of riding and meeting and making friends. His first involvement was in leading rides, mostly out of Maryland even though he lives in Virginia. This is Ed’s second time on the ExCom. He’s been involved on several Back Roads Centuries and have worked to keep the Tenley Town Thursday night rides rocking and rolling. With changes mandated by the pandemic, Ed’s intent is to stay focused on driving membership and sponsorship.

Deb Reynolds - Vice President Operations

Deb has been a member of Potomac Pedalers since the early 2000’s. Deb joined the club after she and her sons completed riding the C&O canal and she was bitten by the cycling bug. She traded her hybrid for a road bike and never looked back.

Since that time Deb has led rides, volunteered for numerous events for the club, served on the ExCom four times, once as Membership Secretary, and has served as a ride coordinator. Deb also co-led the century once and was intimately involved another year when the ExCom ran it.

Deb has seen the club through many changes and knows there will be more to come. She wants to see the club grow and would like the club to have a bright future. Deb wants to work to ensure the club has as strong a fiscal and structural plan as possible to take us into the next few years. Deb is also the recipient of the 2019 Linda Tischer Lifetime Achievement Award.

Robin Sparer - Member-At-Large

I grew up in a cycling family because my father had bad knees. We had the first roof rack where you would put your bike on the roof upside down and strap the bike from the seat. We would ride Sligo Creek Park and up Route 29/Colesville Road to our Swim Club that was in Burtonsville and at the time was a Country Road from our home in Silver Spring. I was always the only one in my family that continued with Cycling as my passion and rode bikes as a form of Transportation in College (through the Hills of Morgantown West Virginia) and for my jobs. I did a lot of charity rides, participated in many ride events, taught Spinning for 15 years and mentored/trained many new riders on the road.

I would ride with PPTC unofficially for years and actually didn't have the best experience because I would get dropped or left behind. So I decided to join the club with hopes to change that. I really got involved about 10 years ago in wanting to promote Women and cycling. Me and a few other members worked with WABA and their Women and Bicycles program to offer women-only rides, trainings and workshops. I also began to develop partnerships with Bike shops that also wanted to support women riders. With PPTC support I became very involved with a core group of other women PPTC women rider with the Wild Goose Chase to add a much needed extra rest stop on their longer route and we offered workshops at the event.

As an avid cyclist I try to ride to work on my e-folder commuter several times a week and on the weekend. I will ride with friends on the road or hit a rail train. I've really been enjoying exploring rail trails on my gravel bike. And when the weather isn't good you can find me Zwifting on my steel Serotta that's Plugged into my Wahoo KICKR.

Since I am not Volunteering anymore as a Mountain Safety Ski Patrol (ask me and I'll tell you that long story) I am dedicating more time Volunteering for PPTC as a Board Member.

Terre Simpson - Member-At-Large

I started riding with Team in Training in 2007. They took us from the couch to clipping in for a century ride around Lake Tahoe in less than 4 months. Soon after, I discovered PPTC and have been biking with the club ever since.

I would like to promote bike safety through courteous cycling. I believe we could change the culture just by doing unto others. For example, use your mirror and when you notice your group is backing up traffic, pull over and give the drivers a friendly wave as they pass you. I think we can win the motorists over by sharing the road. I have some other ideas about club bike tours as well, and would also like to serve as a Virginia Ride Coordinator.

Stephen Mink - Deputy VP Operations

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, and most recently a middle portion of an Underground Rail Road route mapped by the Adventure Cycling Association. Staying in shape for these journeys is a great motivator for getting out on 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 among the chief delights of getting on to that 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 contribute to the return of PPTC’s signature Fall ride, the Back Roads Century, 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.