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Typing this up has actually been more challenging than I thought it was going to be. I have started and restarted it a dozen times hoping that each draft would sound better than the one before. It has not. So instead of some amazing and poetic note from me I am just going to be honest.
After 4+ amazing years I am going to step down as President of the UVMBA. This is not because of any other reason that I am being pulled to thin right now and this group deserves better than I can offer right. at this point in my life I will NOT be disappearing, selling my bike and/or taking up tennis (no offense to tennis but MTBing is better). I will be around to help the new president get settled, I will be there for trail days, I will be stepping up my efforts in Norwich and I will be riding as much as I can (there are all of those seasonal KOMs to grab)!
Over these last 4 years I have seen and learned some key insights: First is that we live in the most amazing, hidden gem of a trail Mecca in New England and I think its safe to say that we are happy with it staying that way. Second is that the MTB community in the UV has exploded in the last 4 years and as a result has become a well respected and influential group. Third we need to protect the trails for the future generations both on the ground (trail stewardship) and in the books (legally).
When I came on board with the club it was at a low point and our sport was starting to explode. The MTB UV community stepped up and truly took the lead on all things trails and our record over the the last 4 years shows it! When you have group made up of volunteers your voice and efforts and only as strong as the unit you are representing. Thank you for making it a strong voice.- We are now on committees in almost every town in the UV.
- We have built or help solve network issues in over 10 systems.
- We look over and help guide trail relationships on 100s of miles of trail.
- We topped 100 paid members last year and over 300 on our social channels.
- We do all of this with 100% volunteer time and effort.
- We have an amazing group of local bike shops that support the club and our bikes.
I want to thank all of you for giving me a chance (and trusting me) during these last 4 years I know at times some of it was facing the unknown. I think we accomplished some amazing feats together. I never planned to stay on board for 20+ years and I know that the new president will be amazing and inject new life into our efforts. With that I would like to thank you Bruce for agreeing to step into the role president and I wish you the best of luck. He has lived in the UV for most of his life and is a local teacher. He has vision and understands what the trails mean to all the users of them. This is not something I took lightly and I have the utmost confidnece in Bruce to take the reins and streer this group to new heights. Please help me welcome him onto the leadership team and give him the same voice you gave me.
We are at a perfect cross roads right now with our historic agreement with Dartmouth and the possibility for more trails in almost every town in the UV. It also a great to get involved!
Thank you again and I will see you on the trails!
Cheers,
Brian