HomeMeet the ExCom

Meet the 2024 ExCom

Rudi Riet - Interim President

Hello! I'm Rudi Riet, and I was Chair of Potomac Pedalers in 2011 and am happy to serve as the Interim Chair of the club in 2024. I'm a current brand ambassador for Moots Bicycles and Ridge Supply, as well as a consultant for District Cycle Works in Georgetown. I'm also the Head Coach for Liberty Mountain Race Team, an alpine ski racing team based at Liberty Mountain, Pennsylvania. I appreciate unique and non-corporate rest stops on long rides, will ride for a great espresso, beer, or country ham biscuit, and will ride my bicycle on any surface that can take me somewhere scenic.

I've organized and co-led the "Downtown Breakaway" ride since 2010 (a ride that regularly attracts one of the larges and most diverse groups of participants on a Pedalers ride), and helped run the Back Roads Century for many years, helping in its move from Berryville to Shepherdstown - no small logistical feat. I also coordinate group rides for DC bike shops, nonprofits, and touring companies, with the emphasis being on equity and inclusion and a special focus being on starting these rides close to where people live. This reflects the advocacy I've taken on in the District of Columbia: building bridges between the experienced bicyclists of the region and folks who are new to cycling or are reluctant to participate due to myriad obstacles, both cultural and structural.

In returning to leading the ExCom, my hope is to jumpstart the Club's move toward more inclusive and equitable ride offerings, attracting a new and diverse pool of participants and members. I also hope to empower our ExCom to blaze new trails with our club, making it more resilient in a time of challenges for nonprofit organizations, cycling clubs, and organized bicycling, as a whole.

Jonathan Felbinger - Treasurer

Jonathan Felbinger commutes and runs errands by bikeshare. He was first introduced to a road bike as a guest researcher at a prominent European institute, which offered a loaner Schwinn with downtube shifters. In his career since—spanning recreational road and gravel
riding—he has met interesting people and seen some beautiful views. For example, he has summited Mt Diablo, ridden Vail Pass, and crossed the Eastern Continental Divide.

Laura Falender - Secretary

Laura has loved cycling since childhood, whether neighborhood spins, on the back of a tandem, or by a lake on summer vacations in Michigan. It was there that she first rode a good road bike on a 25-mile ride, and the cycling bug truly bit. This has evolved into bicycle commuting and recreational rides in and around DC.

As a newer member, Laura has enjoyed finding new riding routes and bike buddies through PPTC, from Downtown Breakaway to the brewery rides. Laura cares deeply about DC and the DMV continuing to become more bike-friendly communities, where cyclists are a regular, welcome, and safe part of the streetscape.

Stephen Mink - Vice President Operations

Joining PPTC in 2017 just after semi-retirement, I sought and found a community that provides a delightful social dimension to cycling. Tagging along on the Tenleytown Thursday evening ride provided just the antidote to the monotony of solo rides, a diverse band of cyclist with a wealth of interests and experiences. Over time, I have done more frequent leading of the group, as founding members have moved on. I am delighted now to have the opportunity, through potentially serving on the ExCom, to contribute to the PPTC bringing more cyclists into the embrace of group riding.

Along with joining PPTC, I have also rediscovered a passion for bike touring, undertaking the coast-to-coast TransAm route, our own neighborhood’s GAP-C&O Canal, the Erie Canal trail, and most recently a middle portion of an Underground Rail Road route mapped by the Adventure Cycling Association. Staying in shape for these journeys is a great motivator for getting out on PPTC rides! And these tours have reminded that it is the people met along the way, and the unanticipated discovery on the other side of that long climb, that are among the chief delights of getting on to that saddle.

Being a PPTC member and ride leader have brought vivid reminders of how important active and constructive volunteer participation is for organizational adaptation to ever-evolving challenges: our Tenleytown group has migrated its trove of paper cue sheets to the PPTC RWGPS digital platform, and restarting rides after the pandemic shutdown benefited hugely from PPTC ExCom guidance on navigating communications, personal comfort zones, and its nimbleness in adapting the ride-posting platform.

Looking ahead, I hope to contribute to the return of PPTC’s signature Fall ride, the Back Roads Century, to facilitate members moving into ride leadership, to encourage diverse types of rides and member riding interests, and to explore ways for PPTC and its membership to raise voices on biking advocacy issue when opportune.

Silpi Chalasani - Member-At-Large

I started cycling when I was 7. While my early years were all about biking around the neighborhood with friends, I started commuting to school 4 miles away primarily using a bicycle since I was 15 in India. I continued commuting on two wheelers until I was 21 and moved away from india. I picked it up again since moving to DC in 2008 and been commuting by bike and recreationally riding since then.

I’ve seen the city grow from a few bike commuters here and there to actually having bike traffic. I’ve also seen the growth of recreational riding with more clubs and events through out the area. Some of favorite rides are 50 States ride organized by WABA, The Back Roads Century by Potomac Pedalers and Garrett County Gran Fondo in Deep Creek, MD. Perhaps my introduction to Potomac Pedalers was by learning about Downtown Breakaway Ride in 2010. I learnt about the amazing work the group does and have been a member since then.

I’ve certainly been a big benefactor of the fantastic organization and I hope to see the organization grow and flourish in the coming years. Much has changed since my introduction to Pedalers. Riders are more bold and aren’t afraid to explore the areas surrounding DC. I see lots of friends and neighbors introducing bikes to their kids and I see more of my colleagues opting for commuting by bike. I also see a growth in families on bikes in city. While the club rides do a terrific job of getting veterans and suburban riders out, many riders I interacted in the city are not well aware of the club or it’s events. The club needs a focus on early adopters and ensure they have the resources and support to stay engaged with riding in and out of the city. We need to foster young explorers and I hope to help the club bring new ideas to support them.

Danielle Cristino - Member-At-Large

Danielle credits her love of cycling to a close friend who convinced her to sign up for the 75-mile Bike MS City-to-Shore ride in her home state of New Jersey. For someone who didn’t even own a pair of cycling shorts at the time, this was just the beginning. Like many of us, she also credits the pandemic for deepening her passion for cycling. Danielle enjoys commuting by bike, bike-packing, coffee pitstops, and beautiful group rides through the farmlands of Maryland and Virginia. Danielle moved to D.C. in the summer of 2020 and later became a regular at the Downtown Breakaway. As a new member of PPTC, she looks forward to advocating for cyclists in the DMV area. Outside of cycling, Danielle is an Engineer in the Office of Orthopedic Devices at the Food and Drug Administration. Prior to that, she researched crash injuries and impact biomechanics. This experience cultivated her passion for road safety, which is paramount for cyclists.

Lee Goldberg - Member-At-Large

I have been a bike commuter and weekend rider for several decades. I grew up in California riding a blue Peugeot 10-speed for basic transportation around the Berkeley hills and went to UC Davis, where a bike was as important as a backpack. Training for the 2011 Back Roads Century was my first introduction to the pain and pleasures of long rides, and I am looking forward to reviving this signature event for the club. I enjoy multi-day touring and lately have started riding gravel. I am also an avid backpacker and hope to take up bikepacking.

Jim Mabry - Member-At-Large

I rarely rode a bicycle after my Boy Scout merit badge until about twenty years ago when I decided to get back into shape. It all fell into place when, on New Year’s Day, an acquaintance who came to our SoupFest in the Hudson Valley recruited me into joining him for the NYC Century the following September. I had a blast and I have been an active rider since.

From the Hudson Valley my career working at community colleges took us to Florida, Arizona, and Massachusetts and at each stop I found interesting cyclists to ride with. I started as a roadie, got into triathlons, did a few charity rides, and recently drifted over to gravel where I found out I really like getting dirty! I have also done the GAP/C&O and Erie Canal rides. I retired in 2019 and we moved to the DMV to be near our two daughters and their families. With more time and flexibility, I have ridden with more groups, drunk more coffee, and eaten a few donuts.

I look forward to working with the ExCom and the entire Potomac Peddlers membership to take a fresh look at where we are and where we are going. We have a great group to work with and I am eager to learn all I can about PPTC rides and events as we work together to build an even stronger and more supportive bike club. I would like to help reinforce our advocacy efforts and increase our outreach, recruitment, onboarding, and education endeavors.

See you on the road.

John Moffett - Member-At-Large

Daniel Patronsky - Member-At-Large