This winter, four of SVBC’s nine board members will see their terms expire. This year’s election is open through March 7 and once confirmed, board members will be active for a 2 year term starting March 10. Please submit your ballot by filling out this form. You can also submit a ballot by regular mail to (Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition) PO Box 1014, Harrisonburg, VA 22803. Please vote for a maximum of four nominees. Ballots must be received by March 7 to be counted.

The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition would like to sincerely thank Travis Layman and Jen Edwards for their time on the board and their years of service in support of local cycling. As an all volunteer non-profit, the SVBC is only as powerful and effective as our members and the leadership of our board.

ONE VOTE PER SVBC MEMBER- Please use the email address that you have on file with the SVBC so that we can verify your membership with your vote. Not sure if you are a current member? You can check and renew through our online membership system: https://svbcbackup.dreamhosters.com/join-renew/

You can Vote Here: 2014 SVBC Board Election

Now to introduce our Candidates:

Ritchie Vaughan.

Ritchie Vaughan moved to Harrisonburg in 2012 after deeming it the mid-Atlantic’s most rad bicycle town. SVBC members deserve a pat on the back because the SVBC is a major reason that Ritchie made the ‘burg her home. Without the SVBC, Harrisonburg wouldn’t have a Bike-Ped Committee, a trail system at Hillandale, shared bike lanes downtown, beginner-friendly trails at Massanutten, bicycle greenways (under construction), an annual Bike Festival, IMBA bronze designation, or an affordable, flat century. Over the past 18 months, Ritchie has used her forestry background to lead SVBC trailwork missions in Hillandale and the National Forest; she volunteers to maintain our tool cache; she helped with the Mountain Bike Festival; she is working to engage the city’s Parks & Rec committee with bicycle activities; and she works at one of our city’s amazing bicycle shops. Ritchie would love the opportunity to become more of a local leader in our town’s bicycle advocacy, trail maintenance, and fundraising as a member of the SVBC board

Ben Sandel

I’m Ben Sandel and I’d like to run (again) for the board. I live in Harrisonburg, ride on the road mostly, have three kids who ride to school most days and I Fargo. I’ve served on the boards of the Friendly City Food Co-op and Washington Area Bicyclist Association. I think SVBC is a great force for cyclists in our region and I’d like to work on strengthening the governance side so it can do even more and maintain its strength and influence for the long haul

Mike Bowen

I have lived in Harrisonburg/Rockingham County my entire life and currently live in Massanutten Village with my wife Robyn and two kids. We are extremely fortunate to have so many miles of premier mountain bike trails in our back yard. The access to trails have grown tremendously in the time I have been riding (20 + years) and I know in large part because of the efforts of SVBC. I also have enjoyed seeing many road improvements across the City and County and look forward to continued progress to make road riding a more viable option for commuting and recreating for more people.

It would be fairly easy to make a laundry list to express all the positive things about riding bikes, but all I really need to do is look at the smiles in a group of cyclists; good stuff.

I would like to keep advancing this great activity.

Rich Harris

Bicycling in all forms adds to the quality of life in any community. SVBC is a vital part of advocating and growing bicycle usage in ours. I feel SVBC can build on our current work by further refining our vision and becoming an even stronger voice for promoting and organizing bicycling in our community. I have served on the SVBC board for the past two years and would like to continue to serve.  One of my favorite projects has been helping plan the Harrisonburg Rockingham Bike Walk Summit each year. I also serve on the JMU and Rockingham County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory boards as well as serving as President of the Ten Thousand Villages board. I am the Director of the JMU Community Service-Learning office and as such work with over 75 local nonprofits, schools and governmental organizations. These community connections have proved invaluable in helping the larger community gain a greater understanding of the importance of bicycling to our community. I have been a member of SVBC (or its former organizations) since 1996 and have led the Bridgewater Sunday road ride for the past 17 years.