Bicycle Friendly America Summer 2018 - 5

one particular Interbike, LAB had a "booth". I explained to the
LAB person that I used to be a member, but that I had lapsed
(shame on me). So I renewed on the spot, and have remained
a member since. Now that I am representing the Board, I hope
that I can be that person at the booth who can inspire someone
else to (re)join.
The League sent out many announcements about LCI
(League Certified Instructor) training courses over the years.
Being an everyday bike commuter, and having gotten into 6
crashes (none too serious) I felt that I would benefit from the
training. So when the LCI course was offered within biking
distance of my home, I jumped on it. That was 3 years ago, and
knock on wood, I have been riding crash-free since. It taught
me avoidance riding skills and gave me a better understanding
of how to share the road. As a board member, I would like to
encourage other riders to become LCIs.
Another safety aspect of riding that I feel strongly about is
wearing a helmet. It's kind of a "no-brainer" and yet there are
many riders who, for whatever reason, do not wear one. I'm not
sure how I can pass the message along, but I will try. Here is a
link for why I wear one.

A.J. ZELADA

y excitement in joining the League Board comes from
the League Summit. I have found these to be an inoculation of realizing how many people are peers who not only
enjoy bicycling as a joy but also to recognize the need to share
the nuts and bolts of bicycles creating communities. There is
a change in the League these past several years. I think we are
going to increase the diversity and inclusion of many who seek
not just physical mobility but also mobility as personal growth,
as enlarging the tent of inclusion, and as a communication
pipeline reading the steady pulse among state & federal transportation politics.
We need to stretch large parts of America to see how family
bicycling is a basic model of teaching the next generation the
love of cycling, bicycling infrastructure creates a pragmatic
increase of street safety, and
bicycling reduces pollution.
We can do this by providing
mentorships; we can be role
models of including many
bicycling activities and education lessons to give people
confidence on the street. We
can do this by creating Bicycle Friendly Communities
goals in new cities and towns
that support bicycle's advocacy on the ground.

SUMMER 2018

MARK THOMAS

s an avid randonneur (long-distance cyclist), I spend over
900 hours a year on the seat of my bicycle exploring the
roads of America and the world. Perhaps as a result, I feel
passionately about the need for bicycle-friendly roads, communities and leadership in America and have long appreciated and
supported the work done by the League in serving that need. I
grew up on the east coast, but the Seattle area has been home
since 1995.
Over the years, I have had
a diverse professional background, having worked as a
high school physics teacher,
lawyer and finance executive.
In particular, I served as the
CFO of three different companies in the Seattle area
until my retirement in 2011.
Along with his wife Chris, I
owned a successful bicycle
shop in Redmond, WA (a
Silver Bicycle Friendly Community) for 11 years before
selling it in 2010. As a volunteer, I spent years as a board member and treasurer of the
Bicycle Alliance of Washington and served as president of the
Seattle International Randonneurs and as president of Randonneurs USA.
As with many other riders, I know too well that our streets
are not yet safe enough for the cycling community. After a recent crash where an impaired and careless driver changed the
lives of four of my friends, I looked for another way that I could
try to help. Knowing of the great work of the League, I thought
I could offer my time and my experience in finance and law to
the board to help the staff and membership of the League in
their efforts. I'm looking forward to doing anything I can to
help Bill Nesper and the team.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY AMERICA 5

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bicycle Friendly America Summer 2018