A Message From the President

Minutes of the Club Meeting Wednesday, March 4, 2026

7:00pm Swap Meet began in the back of the room.

7:30pm Sal Levy, President, called the meeting to order.

Prior to the official meeting kick-off, Sal Levy connected the room with a zoom call from Ken Abbott who is cycling across the country to raise awareness for organ donation. It was an opportunity for the club to wish him good luck and for him to update us on his progress.  Unfortunately he was on the way to a Trek shop, in need of some bike repairs.

President’s Report

Sal Levy displayed minutes of the last meeting and Sal noticed a typo on the spelling of David Hirsch’s name.  The corrected and updated minutes were then approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Anthony Oliveri presented the Jan-Feb 2026 CLUB FINANCIALS.

26 budget is closely following 2025 budget.

Insurance is the biggest expense.

Club is in good financial shape.

Gold Coast Chair Report

Steve Labiner announced the new Gold Coast logo is up on the website and Gold Coast registration will likely open on or about April 1^st. 

Steve emphasized that we need volunteers and encouraged members to join us in securing sponsorships and donations. 

Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School at 625 Pulaski Road has been secured for the 2026 Gold Coast start & finish.  

Harbor Country Day School is secured again as a rest stop.

Steve is in the process of designing a new “more exciting” 25 mile route, and he has eliminated the 85mile route, as that was poorly attended last year. 

Vice President’s Report

Ride Leader points will be earned the same way they were earned in 2025.  1 point for a lead and a half point for a sweep. 

John reminded everyone in the room that the Ride Leader meeting is coming up on Thursday March 12^th.  We need more ride leaders and John encouraged people to attend. 

Membership Report

Sal gave the membership report since Allan Pearlman was unable to attend the meeting. Sal announced that we had 271 members and added two new members this year.

Fred Schlaich, one of the new members, was in attendance.

Other Business

Karen Gellert encouraged members to order a club jersey.  She showed jersey examples on the website.  In addition she mentioned there were free older/second hand jerseys available in a box by the pizza.

9/11 National Memorial Trail Tour – Ride to Freedom

 Bruce White presented information, talked about routes, types of rides and benefits of becoming a member of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail Team – in honor of the 25^th anniversary of September 11, 2001.The 1,300 mile 911 Trail is a federally designated trail linking the three national 9/11 memorials connected through American history,

• Bruce introduced Alan Friedman who joined as head of marketing.
• 35 different Bike Tours are available on Rail Trails, Greenways, Multi-use Trail.
• Encouraged everyone to visit 911Trail.org –website about the 3 airpane crashes, plus all cycling events
• All rides stop at each memorial along the way
• The idea is to connect bike clubs. All clubs share similar issues: Aging members, how to grow membership, how to get members more involved. By interconnecting clubs, we may resolve some of these issues.
• Bruce mentioned he has offered a War Shower – since 2013 – and has housed hundreds of cyclists.
• Government grants fund the trails but more is needed. For $100 HBC can become an ally of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail and have the Gold Coast listed on the Events page. All money goes to signage along the route.
• Finally – should any club member decide to participate in a ride Bruce offered to help us by-pass the $7 service fee and just pay for the ride. Contract: Bruce White – htcdigtree@aol.com 

50/50

New Member Fred Schlaich pulled the raffle ticket and Karen Gellert won the 50/50. 

8:30 motion was made to adjourn the meeting.

Respectfully Submitted,

Susan Farren, Secretary

These key strategies can lead to big performance boosts,

no matter your age.

Longtime coach Frank Overton is big on practicing what he preaches to his clients. He’s a competitive cyclist and knows how easy it can be to skip a workout when life gets busy. But that’s just something he’s reluctant to do—and stresses that to the cyclists he works with, especially those who are near or over 50 years old. At that age, everything comes down to consistency, he says. That’s just one of his five keys to holding on to existing muscle and even seeing gains.

Overton founded FasCat Coaching over 20 years ago and has helped thousands of athletes achieve their cycling goals. Overton says that consistency shouldn’t be mistaken for relentless repetition. Riding an hour every day won’t make you faster, he explains. But training steadily based on a plan will.

As his own training has evolved over the years, Overton has distilled his best advice for older riders into these five key rules for cycling success.

Don’t Overdo the Miles

Overton says many of the cyclists he works with have recently retired from work and are motivated to put in A LOT of miles. It’s not uncommon for him to talk to riders who want to put in 20 hours per week on the bike just because they have the time! That volume of riding, he says, increases the risks of illness and injury. Instead, Overton suggests maintaining a more reasonable ride schedule of several hours per week and using any extra time to add two to three strength sessions per week.

Do High-Intensity Work

No matter what your riding goals are, adding high-intensity workouts can help make you a stronger, fitter rider overall, says Overton. These short (usually 30 seconds to a minute) bursts of all-out effort can unlock speed and power fast. But they’re not easy. Many training plans include one or two sessions of interval work per week. Overton recommends doing each interval at your max effort and then quitting once you begin to slow down. It’s better to do six solid intervals instead of 10 that you struggle to finish, he says.

Lean Into Strength Training

If you’re not strength training already or you only strength train during the winter, it’s time to commit to a year-round plan, says Overton. The good news is that many strength routines take only 30 minutes or less. The older you get, the more time you should spend working out with weights. Two short sessions a week are usually enough. If you do nothing else, Overton simply recommends doing squats once a week, aiming for three reps at 70 percent of your one-rep max (the amount of weight you can squat once

Find a Goal for You, Now

Overton urges athletes to find a goal that fits your life right now. That may be hanging with the local group ride, or just making it up the big hill on the neighborhood bike path. Choose something that has real meaning to you. Fitness goals are great, he says, but ask yourself if there is something even deeper that you hope to get out of cycling. For example, committing to a group ride goal can introduce you to a new network of riders, or completing a century can prove that you can accomplish almost anything on a bike.

Avoid Long Riding Breaks

Overton advises his older clients to avoid extended breaks from riding, as much as possible. This is part of his earlier rule about consistency. As we age, it takes a lot longer to regain our fitness. What used to take a month or two to get back to—whether that’s a number on the scale or your highest sprint power—could take older cyclists much longer, if you ever can get back to it. A week on vacation where you don’t ride isn’t going to ruin your cycling fitness, but three weeks with no training at all can take a toll. It all goes back to consistency. You don’t need to put in big miles every day. When life gets busy, you can maintain your fitness with a couple of 30-minute spins several days a week, especially if you can add in some strength training.

           Save the Date!
The 2026 Gold Coast East Ride is happening Sunday, July 12th!

Last year was a huge success—beautiful weather, no injuries, and over $6,000 donated to these amazing charities:

💙 Kids Need More
🥫 Long Island Food Bank
🚴 New York Bicycling Coalition
💉 American Diabetes Association
🧠 Dementia Society of America

• 214 lbs. of canned goods collected for the Long Island Food Bank pantry!

👏 Thank you to all our volunteers who made it possible.

We Need Volunteers—Starting Now!

Planning has already begun, and we need help with

• Sponsorship outreach
• Event promotion

Seeking Sponsors!

Know a bike shop, bakery, café, or any business that supports community events?
Send them our way—this is a great chance for them to get involved and give back.

Spread the Word

We also need help promoting the event now to ensure strong participation and another outstanding Gold Coast Ride.

Let’s make 2026 our best Gold Coast East Ride yet!
More details coming soon… 🚴✨