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 As I wipe the road salt off my road bike and prepare it for a few months of hibernation, I can't healp dreaming about next season. I can smell ripening strawberries and sunscreen lotion. I can see the glare of the sun off a lake, a field of apple blossoms, and an old stone farm house. I can feel the wind moving through my cycling jersey and around my visor, evaporating sweat from the last climb.

 Don't get too turned on. They're my dreams, remember! I'm sure you can easily conjure up a few of your own great cycling images, which brings me to the point.

 As President Dan Fravil has noted, it may be snowing out but it isn't time to hibernate. Winter is a time to get things organized for the next cycling year. In my role of VP for touring, I'd like to go over some plans for next season.

 While we still have time to plan, let me know what sorts of touring events you'd like to see. Maybe you'd like to do a camping ride? Or perhaps you'd enjoy more of a pampered Bed&Breakfast randonner? Upstate New York? Pennsylvania? Vermont? Personally I'm scheming to tour Nova Scotia and Cape Breton (that's Canada, eh!). If you know a great cycling locale outside our immediate region, a comfy B&B or some attraction you've always wanted to see and think others might like to join in the fun, let me know so we can plan something.

 We need more tour leaders and those who show up for rides. Although its collegial to see the familiar die-hards show up every Saturday and Sunday morning, it would be nice to see a variety of other riders showing up. How to accomplish this? Better advertising to the general public, and a dedication to vary the route. As well, the VP touring will seek out new tour leaders from the club membership. Don't get alarmed if you get a phone call or email. I'm just trying to get more people active.

 And then, I'd like to see more continuity and patterns emerge from the tours. Having the goal of looping every finger lake, introducing more "picnic rides" and gastronomic tours, rides with other clubs, camping tours, B&B tours. We rely on the creativity and inspiration of members to come up with new ideas. Send them to me and I'll coordinate and do much of the planning work.

 We've been haunted by the question of raw speed. Although third party rumors circulate that we ride too fast, no one ever getsdropped from tours - that's our policy, straight and simple. Tours usually average about 13 mi/hr (20km/hr for those enlightened to the metric system). The tour leader is responsible that every rider is accounted for. In my opinion, new riders are the life-blood to our club, and a club that does not encourage initiation is doomed to stagnation and decline. So, this winter I'll work out tours that have both a long and short option so riders can always opt for a shorter (and slower) tour. Those dressed for wind tunnel experiments can take the longer option. Everyone gets to ride, no one is dropped, and the club accommodates everyone.

 Well that's aboot it.

 Philip Davis