Usually I email or approach someone I know to do the member spotlight, but this time I had to think outside the box. Being as Monday is Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to have one of our original cycling couples do a member spotlight together. I emailed Art and Lynne Steele, who are on vacation in Hawaii this week but still took the time to write this article for us. Read on to learn about their extensive cycling experience and advice for how couples can enjoy cycling together.

How did you both find Portland Velo, and what has your experience been with the club the past few years?

We were members of the Portland Wheelmen and we liked to ride on the West side, so it was a natural to join Portland Velo. The experience has been very positive; we have met lots of new friends; have always had good group rides--21+ for me and 19-21 for Lynne. We always seem to be the oldest in our group!

Member Spotlight on Sal Bondi – intro by Matt D’Elia

I have to be honest and say I don’t remember the first time I met Sal.  If I was to hedge a bet, it would be at the very first meeting for the race team back in late 2006 or early 2007, but it wouldn’t be until cross season of ’07 that I got to know him. Over the course of a 4 week period, Oregon received some record levels of rain culminating in the “tie the tents down to trucks because the wind is so crazy” weekend at USGP – PIR.  Sal and I bonded over our shared love of seriously dark beer during that stretch and have been friends since.

Sal has been a constant "behind the scene" presence within the team since its inception.  During our first year he was a part of our very first State Champion TTT (Team Time Trial) team.  When we announced we were going to do a 'cross race in `08 he was the first to say “what do you need help with?”, and designed much of the publicity for our promotional material.

During the offseason between 2008 and 2009, he worked with Ty to design both our current kits and the custom paint job on the VeloVie Team Edition 300SE’s.  2009 also saw Sal take a more active role in helping make the PV tents the place to be during cross season, almost single handedly doing setup / teardown every week.  Finally this year, I leaned on Sal heavily, doing a graphical update for our kit, the graphic design on our tents, plus graphics for our new website on top of the coordination work for another successful 'cross season that saw the PV banner fly all over Oregon, and even down to San Francisco!

While the above paragraphs paint a rosy picture of Sal, don’t let that fool you.  Sal can be a demon on a bicycle, and his Sicilian bloodlines will leave you suffering on a climb at the first sign of weakness (even after saying he’d ride with you.. I know this from experience!) .

Truthfully, I wouldn’t want it any other way.  Portland Velo would not be what it is today without his personality, his contributions, his impeccable euro style (see photo), and his completely selfless nature.  There is a reason PV honored him last year with a standing ovation, received over the phone, at our awards ceremony.

Without further ado, I present you this month’s member spotlight, Salvatore Bondi.

-matt

Many of you know Reginald for his role as Portland Velo's Membership Liaison.  Reginald also has a long history with cycling, including tandem racing with his wife, Kate! Off the bike, he is busy with his new venture as owner of the Max Muscle Sports Nutrition store in Tualatin, as well as supporting his daughter's competitive figure skating pursuits.   Here are his responses to our questions about his passion for cycling.

How did you find Portland Velo, and what has your experience been with the club the past few years?

I originally became involved with  Portland Velo through Kevin Rhea. I had been a long term Portland Wheelmen member, and Bruce Giunta was club president for at least one of those years. I was looking for a different experience than the one I was getting on Wheelmen rides. Kevin encouraged me to show up for a Saturday ride, and the rest is history. I found the rides to be more serious, with various levels of speed and experience, which was very appealing. That was 2 years ago and I have enjoyed riding with the club ever since.

Member Spotlight on: Javad Simonsen