MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT:
Spring 2023
Dear Members,
Greetings and welcome to what will be a great year of mountain biking and Cape
Cod NEMBA (CC NEMBA) chapter activities! Thank you for joining CC NEMBA if
you are new, or, for renewing your membership. We are 250+ riders strong in
the Cape Cod chapter. My name is Frank Merola and I am honored to be your
chapter President. I live in Marstons Mills with my partner, Wendy Higgins, work
full-time, and have two teenage kids. Life is busy! I am so excited for all that
NEMBA and the Cape Cod chapter have on tap in 2023! This message is to
introduce our chapter leadership team and give a preview of what's in store for
the year ahead.
The chapter officers and leadership for 2023 are:
Frank Merola, President
Dave LaFreniere, Vice President
Lev Malakhoff, Vice President
Karen Zunti, Secretary and Adaptive Mountain Biking Liaison
Richard Higgins, Treasurer
Terry Downey, Adaptive Mountain Biking Liaison
Wendy Higgins, Events Coordinator, and all-around Assistant
Please keep in my that our team is made up of strictly volunteers. We are very
fortunate to have a base of members in our community that assist with
many things like projects, events and trail maintenance, etc. from Falmouth to
Brewster. However, we always need more volunteers. Many hands make light
work! You can help in so many big and small ways. Here are some ideas:
Just be a member and pay your dues! Your funds go towards helping
our area with trail projects, maintenance, and events.
Spread the word about Cape Cod NEMBA - the more members we have the better
we can make our trails for your riding enjoyment and more fun events we
can offer!
Trail maintenance - whether it be after a storm to pick up debris on your
own, or perhaps a CC NEMBA planned event.
Trail projects and building when we reach out for help.
Communications and social media
Group Rides Coordinator
Ride Leaders
Event Planning Committees
Riding Area Liaisons
Grant Applications
So many ways to help us out! We understand you may have a busy life, and so
if you can simply be a member and spread the word, that would be great!
Here is a quick list of what to expect from NEMBA and our chapter in the coming
year. More details on these activities, as well as related mountain biking events
in our area, will be provided in weekly calendar e-mails, starting in April. We also
encourage you to follow us on social media (links posted below).
Chapter Meetings
We hold monthly full chapter, in-person membership gatherings, typically on the
2nd Tuesday of the month. These run from April to November. We will usually
meet at different locations each month at 5:00-6:00 pm for a ride (weather and
light permitting), then adjourn for a 7:00 pm chapter meeting with pizza to hear
presentations from chapter leadership and reports from area liaisons about trail
status and volunteer projects. We solicit member input, and then have time to
socialize!
Social Rides
Our "bread and butter" is a robust program of social mountain bike rides all over
the chapter territory, led by awesome volunteers. There are weekly rides at
locations like WBCA and Nickerson on Wednesdays and Fridays, Bill Boles
Mellow ride on Saturdays and in the summer some Thursday rides at Otis and a
Mellow Monday ride from Sea Sports. If you have a fat bike, we also plan monthly
full moon fat bike rides out on Sandy Neck Beach throughout the year. Stay
tuned for other scheduled ad hoc rides according to the leader's inspiration. The
ride description will indicate level of challenge. We welcome all abilities!
We are also planning a specific series for beginner riders to focus on basic
confidence and skills, and there will be a women's ride series. Watch your e-mail
and the public rides/events calendar for the schedule!
Special chapter events
We have several special chapter-wide events during the year, where we come
together for a great ride experience with routes for all abilities, good food +
drink and community, and to support one of our valued partner organizations.
Save the date right now for our annual Spring Fling ride on April 30th.
Registration will be live shortly on https://member.nemba.org Please
preregister! Other events to watch for are the Toys for Tots toy ride in
December, and a holiday party at the end of every year.
NEMBA regional events
Save these dates, for two very special New England wide NEMBA events!
Elevate, in partnership with Bent Water Brewing Co. will be a weekend for
women and gender-expansive cyclists to cultivate community, develop skills,
and foster love of riding mountain bikes, June 24-25 at Kingdom Trails in East
Burke, VT. The second event - the OG of mountain bike festivals, NEMBA fest is
back, August 4-6 at Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, ME! This classic is
a full-blown celebration of summer and all things mountain biking, and a great
party. Registration for both events will be live shortly.
Trail Stewardship
We give back to the areas we ride, by engaging in sustainable trail care and
improvement projects. Frequently, we are rerouting sections of trail, to protect
sensitive wet areas and enhance the visitor experience. We work with
community service organizations such as Scouting groups and local trail
committees and with local governments and other landowners/land management
agencies. We encourage all chapter members to volunteer in these projects!
Watch the calendar for dates.
Inclusivity
We are a welcoming organization. We invite ALL persons to join us, whether it's
your first-time mountain biking and you just want to give it a try, or you already
have a seasoned passion for the sport. We especially encourage youth, women
and girls, and persons with different abilities to come celebrate mountain biking
and the beauty of the outdoors with us. Our goal is to build an inviting and
inclusive mountain bike community that any individual can truly enjoy!
Please get involved, come to our rides and events, volunteer to help and reach
out with any questions or concerns. Watch for our weekly event calendar e-mails
starting in April!
Sincerely,
Frank Merola,
President, Cape Cod NEMBA
Join/renew/donate: https://member.nemba.org
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/211078219081530
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capecodnemba/
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