Michele Davis: VP, Membership

Michele joined the board for the second time in May 2019. She served as our Secretary in 2018. Michele is a long time San Antonio resident, having lived here for the past 36 years. She graduated from the University of Incarnate Word and works in project management. She began cycling several years ago and was introduced to the Wheelmen by a friend. She joined the club shortly thereafter.

For her, being part of such a fantastic organization is the best way to support our cycling community.

Fred Weiss: Treasurer

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Fred and his wife Mindi Silver-Weiss moved to San Antonio in September 2006.  Fred began his cycling career while work for Ford Motor Company as a facility manager at Ford Motor Company’s World Headquarters and Research & Engineering Center.  He joined the Ford Cycling Club and rode in his MS150 ride in 1996.  At that time the MS150 was at least 150 miles; and, riding season was typically May through October.

Fred retired from Ford, moved to San Antonio and worked for UTSA and H-E-B at senior-level facility management positions.  In 2008, Fred and Mindi joined the Wheelmen and took the Rider Education class taught by Cliff and others.

He rides his Wilier primarily with the Wheelmen and sometimes with his H-E-B friends. Although he may be the last rider in his group to finish, his bike riding goals are: (1) to be as good as his bike, and (2) finish where his ride home is.

Eric Evans: VP, Membership

Eric Evans is third from the left

We'd like to offer a warm welcome to our newest board member, Eric Evans. Eric, who is now our VP of Membership, is originally from Oregon and has been a SAW member since 2016. He is currently a software engineer for Wikipedia and is also a volunteer developer for the Apache Software Foundation and the Debian GNU/Linux project.  

Eric and his wife, Darla, are blessed with two children. Their daughter is studying to become veterinarian. And their son has made them grandparents with a five-year old daughter of his own.

Although he’s been on a bike for a good part of a quarter of a century, it’s only during the last four years that he’s become a serious road cyclist. His Texas rides include Ft. Davis Cyclefest and the Mount Locke Climb on his Orbea Avant. His all-time favorite ride is The Paradise Loop in California. Of course, he enjoys our local club rides. His favorite club ride is our Garden Ridge-Gruene Latte ride.

When Eric is out of town on business, he combines work with pleasure by renting a road bikes. He's had great rides in Geneva, Vancouver, San Francisco, Montreal, Valencia, and Cape Town. 

When he's not riding, he enjoys brewing beer. Be sure to catch Eric on one our club rides!

David Levinson: Ride Chairperson

David was introduced to the San Antonio Wheelmen by member, Michael Archer.  He was welcomed by the membership and joined the Wheelmen in 2015.  He is an enthusiastic rider having just completed the Seattle To Portland ride in the summer of 2016.  You can usually catch him on his crazy orange Fuji Gran Fondo 2.3 any weekend on the Wheelmen rides bringing up the rear or helping out as the no-drop escort.

He has also been an enthusiastic club supporter as well.  He volunteered to help the club by being a ride starter, and supporting the Rider Education Series, as an assistant.  In 2017 David joined the Board as Ride Chair Coordinator.

David is lucky to have a strong supportive family.   His wife, Cheryl, has always encouraged him to participate in biking, and she even jumped in by helping him man a rest stop at the 2016 Reading Writing 100.  His daughter, Elisa, helped out riding sag while he rode in the 200 mile STP Event.

Bernard Mendoza: Rider Education Chairperson

If you've participated in our Rider Education Series in the past 3 years, then you've likely met Bernard Mendoza. And, if you participate in our Reading and Riding 100 ride, you might see him at one of the rest stops. He is serving as our Rest Stop Captain.

Bernie has been riding bikes for 30 years. He's been an avid road and trail bike fan. His passion for riding has brought him to small Dauphin Island in Alabama and Santos and the Alafia River State Park in Florida. Closer to home, he enjoys riding his mountain bike at Pedernales Falls State Park. He and his wife, Carrie, also enjoy Austin's Veloway, which is a 3-mile loop for skaters and cyclists. They also enjoy Madrone Trail at Canyon Lake.

He's participated in several triathlons, including a half Ironman in Austin, Galveston Tri Festival, and Splash Town.

Bernie, who is a Baylor graduate and is employed at the University Health System, loves his 3 bikes: a steel Centurian road bike, a hard tail Schwinn Moab mountain bike, and a carton Trek Domane road bike.  

One of his favorite SAW rides is Cibolo. If you run into him before or during the ride, be sure to ask him about one his many varied cycling experiences. 

Daniel Martinez: VP, Social Affairs

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Daniel Martinez starting riding bikes in March 2012 and he joined the club in August of 2012. He's become a familiar sight on a number of our rides.

Daniel, who is a retired Army veteran, has worked for Southwest Airlines in Ground Operations for the past 20 years. He and his wife, Sandra, have two sons, one daughter, one granddaughter, and one grandson. 

Raymundo Rodriguez: President

Ray Rodriguez  joined the Wheelmen in 2012 after returning to San Antonio from a three year job assignment in California. Ray has been a cyclist all his life and he commutes to work whenever possible. He also enjoys riding single-track in and around McAllister park whenever possible. He served as our Executive VP in 2017 and became our President in 2018.
 
While living in Carlsbad, CA, his colleagues encouraged him to try skinny tires, lycra, and carbon fiber—he tried it and never looked back. He developed a passion for road riding and has been committed to it ever since. What most impressed Ray about joining the road crew in CA was the camaraderie and the culture. Whether you struggled to keep a 12 MPH pace or were able to fly at 20+, the group was supportive and welcoming before, during and after the ride. On one occasion his group was joined by Peter Sagan for the first half of a ride!

When Ray returned to San Antonio, he knew that in order to continue riding his road bike he’d have to find a group. Thanks to the Wheelmen and the friends he’s made, he’s been an active rider, volunteer, and RES Training ride leader/instructor since 2012.
 
On great weather days, Ray rides his carbon Specialized Roubaix. He rides his Trek Cross Rip Comp on rainy days. He rides a fixed-gear bike around town and a vintage tandem when he can get the family out for a spin.

Tony Beauford: President

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Tony Beauford joined the Wheelmen in 2003 and has been a very active club member since that time.  He has lived in the San Antonio/Austin area for over 28 years and wishes that he had been riding for that long. He served as our Vice President of Membership from June 2009 through the end of 2017. He became our Executive VP in 2018 and President in 2019.

Tony become a roadie when some of his friends in a spin class convinced him that he should give it a try. After borrowing a friend’s road bike for a weekend of riding, he decided to buy a road bike and has been an avid rider ever since. He soon joined the Wheelmen for the camaraderie and the variety of weekend rides. Two of his favorite rides are Woman Hollering Creek and Cibolo. He rides to Cibolo, usually does one of the longer routes, and when the rest of us are getting ready for a cold drink and lunch he's riding home!

In 2010, Tony had an opportunity to take one of his dream vacations.  He went to France for the last two weeks of the Tour de France, rode a number of the climbs, and got to see the race up close. While the climbs were challenging, he never once got off his bike--even if he was only going 5 mph! His favorite climb was the Col du Tourmalet. Those who watch the Tour regularly will recognize this as one of the most challenging climbs on the Tour. He would love to take a similar trip during the Giro d'Italia. 

He currently rides a Specialized Tarmac with SRAM Red components.

Tony also enjoys participating in a number of charity rides each year.  One of his favorites is the Tour de Cure. 

Jerry Hyndman: Merchandising Chairperson

If you have attended a Wheelmen ride started by Jerry Hyndman you will remember the booming voice and ready wit at the pre-ride briefing. Jerry is a very outgoing person who makes bike rides fun and interesting. Some of us remember the 2009 EHCT where He managed to lock his keys in the car (it may have been running at the time!) and where the Kerrville police issued an “all points bulletin” when he forgot to pay his breakfast bill! To Jerry those were just normal bicycling adventures.

Jerry has been a Wheelmen member for 10 years and has served on the Board as Executive Vice President and Ride Committee Chair. He assisted with the EHCT several times, has been a ride starter, and initiated the Schwapenbike program for the annual picnic. He was also an instructor for one of the early Rider Education classes. He did several special projects for the Board including our early attempts to join the electronic era with Facebook and a Wheelmen Blog. Jerry is always willing to help the Club when volunteers are needed.

Jerry has been a road bike rider for the past 22 years. He currently rides an older Trek 2100 but his dream bike is an Orbea.  He has a done a variety of rides in the U.S. and overseas including Provence, France, the Hill Country River Region Challenge, the Ft. Davis Cyclefest, the Schulenburg Steeple Chase and the MS150 Bike to the Brazos. A highlight of his cycling experience was riding in the Alps and Pyrenees during the ’04 and ’05 Tour de France. His favorite ride was Mont Ventoux in France. He also had a unique experience one morning riding downhill in Westover Hills when an owl swooped down and flew alongside him.

Jerry was raised in Corpus Christi and attended Texas A&M, graduating with the “fighting class” of ’74. He served as an officer in the Marine Corps and is presently employed by Pratt & Whitney here in San Antonio. His hobbies include collecting rhinos (I assume he has a big back yard!) and Star Trek Borg items. Jerry and his wife Judith have been married for 15 Years and have three children.

Kelly Sile: Executive VP

Kelly Sile  joined the Wheelmen in 2009 and has been an instructor for Road Riding 101 and 201 and also helped with stay-together rides. She's take then time to update many of our maps, which has enabled us to update some routes and add routes. Kelly is also very active with Team in Training where she raises money to find a cure for blood cancer.

If you have seen Kelly on a ride you will have noticed her beautiful 2011 Trek Madone with Sram red components. She ordered the frame and had the bike built with components she selected. When the weather is not great she rides her 2009 Trek WSD 2.3 to keep the new bike clean! While she has the road bike she wants, she would also like to have a Kona Mina mountain bike.

Kelly started riding mountain bikes over 25 years ago and has been riding road bikes for about 20 years. She has done six century rides: El Tour de Tucson (twice – 109 miles), Armadillo Hill Country Classic in Liberty Hill (twice), the Outlaw Trail in Round Rock, and the Honolulu Century. She also done a century ride in Lake Tahoe. She has also done the local Tour de Cure and Fiesta Wildflower ride several times and the Conquer the Coast ride in Corpus Christi. She also did the cycling legs for two Triathlon’s: the Wurst Tri Ever in New Braunfels (no one else wanted to ride Hueco Springs loop!) and the Capital of Texas Triathlon. She used both events as a time trial! In her spare time Kelly leads training rides for Team in Training. Other Team in Training members call Kelly the Mountain Goat because she loves riding hills. When given a choice, she would rather ride hills than flat routes.

Here is Kelly’s description of her favorite ride. “My favorite ride was the 2011 Honolulu Century. It was the most beautiful route I have ever done. The scenery was breath taking and you can’t beat pineapple at the SAG stops and Coconut shaved ice after the ride!”

Kelly’s father was in the Air force, so she went to elementary school in England and then came to San Antonio in 1977 and has lived here ever since. She works for an engineering company that does electrical studies for West Texas oil companies. In addition to cycling her favorite outdoor activities include fishing, hiking and photography.

The next time you see Kelly on a ride say hello, get a good look at her bike, and thank her for the new and improved route maps

Pedro Balawag: VP, Newsletter

Pedro Balawag is a familiar sight on numerous Wheelmen rides and has been our web site editor for the past two years. He is a retired teacher from Georgetown Prep high school in Washington DC who moved to San Antonio after his retirement in 1991. He currently works part time for Judson ISD.

Pedro started riding about 10 years ago when he was 100 pounds heavier. He had high blood pressure which made him “a walking heart attack ready to happen”. Since he did not want to take medication he started jogging to control his weight and blood pressure. He then started biking to work since it was faster than jogging. Now he rides everywhere including the grocery store, Wheelmen Board meetings and many of the Wheelmen weekly rides. He is a serious bicycle commuter and an enthusiastic recreational rider. The riding has paid off for his weight and health. He is a strong rider with lots of endurance.

Pedro has two bicycles; a Titanium Lynskey Helix OS and a Steel Gunner Roadie. He did not list a bicycle he would like to have, so is obviously pleased with the two bikes he currently rides.

Pedro rides numerous Wheelmen routes, but his favorite is the Woman Hollering Creek Ride. He normally rides routes in the 35 – 45 mile range. You will frequently find him helping with stay-together rides at Cibolo and Woman Hollering Creek.

Prior to starting cycling, Pedro was an avid handgun competition participant. He exclusively shot the .45 ACP in the 1911 full frame size. He is a proud lifetime member of the NRA, IDPA and USPSA.

Bill Blackford: President

Bill Blackford is originally from Lincoln, NE. He and his wife, Karen, moved back to SA in June 2010 after a nine year hiatus in the DFW area. Prior to that, they lived here four years. Bill and Karen have two children and five grandchildren.

After a twenty-year break, Bill took up road cycling again in 2005 in an effort to start a regular exercise program and to ward off type 2 diabetes, which runs in his family. His exercise program is working so far--he has not be diagnosed with diabetes. Since getting back into cycling, Bill has ridden many organized charity rides as well as the Hotter'N Hell 100 a few times and RAGBRAI in 2012. For the past 5 years, he's been a ride marshal for the San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon bike ride.

He joined the Wheelmen in May 2011 because he thought that joining a club was a great way to meet other rides develop some riding buddies. Bill decided to join SAW because he heard that it was the largest club in town and that SAW offered rides in various parts of the area.

His activities with the Wheelmen include serving as ride starter for the Woman Hollering Creek ride since 2012, serving as a committee chair for the 2013 Easter Hill Country Tour, and providing instruction for the Rider Education Series several times. Bill was elected President of the Wheelmen in January 2015.

Until recently, Bill rode a 1985 steel-frame Lotus. In 2015, part of the frame broke and he now rides a 2012 Cervelo R3. Bill says that he should have done that a long time ago!

Some of Bill's other activities and hobbies include reading (he's a history buff, mostly American but he's branching out) and volunteering for an adult literacy non-profit agency, Each One Teach One of San Antonio. He recently wrote a book of poetry (mostly silly stuff) titled Stop Me Before I Rhyme Again and he was an actor in community theaters in DFW for 5 years.

Cindy Kuenzi: Ride Chairperson

Cindy Kuenzi grew up in El Paso and she's a Texas Aggie (Gig’em!). She and her husband, Bob, spent 18 years in Kansas City and have lived in the San Antonio area for 3 years. They have three grown daughters scattered all over the country.

Cindy and Bob moved to Schertz during our coldest month, January. As a result, she didn't see many cyclists on the road. She was concerned that there were not many cyclists in the local area. However, as soon as the temperature hit 50 degrees, she started seeing cyclists everywhere. 

She started riding with the Wheelmen and got dropped on occasion, but she also made some friends. She was recruited to serve as the club's secretary. From there, she became our Ride Chair.

Cindy rides a Giant OCR. She would like to have a carbon fiber bike with a name that no one can pronounce or even a Bike Friday.

She's done Bike Across Kansas twice, Tour de Nebraska twice, and Kandango. She's also done Death Valley and Clarksville.

Big Joshua Creek and Kendalia are two of her favorite SAW rides.

When she's not riding or spending time with her family, she's an Energy Engineer for Johnson Controls. She's commuted to work via bike for nearly every job she's had! 

Cliff Hickel: Rider Education Chairperson

Cliff Hickel served in the military (US Army and US Air Force) for over 23 years and retired from the Air Force in 1987. He then worked in the defense industry before his final retirement in 2003.

Cliff has been a Wheelmen member since 2003 and he has served the club as President on two occasions. He's also been our representative with the Bicycle Mobility Advisory Committee to the San Antonio Metropolitan Planning Organization for 4 years. He has been either the Rider Education Chairperson or an instructor for the Wheelmen Rider Education Series since 2007. And, he frequently serves as a ride starter for our rides.

Sandy Barsun: Treasurer

Sandy Barsun retired from USAA in 1992. She is married and has three grown children and five grandchildren. She has a passion for genealogy and belong to several lineage societies; the Daughters of the American Revolution and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She is also a member of the Texas State Historical Association.

Sandy’s hobbies include reading, especially historical fiction, foreign movies, cross stitching, and raising chickens. She has a love for anything outdoors, which is why she started cycling.

Her favorite ride is the Elmendorf Ride. She enjoys the social aspect of cycling and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. 

Rose Magallanes: Secretary

Rose Magallanes is a native Texan. She grew up in the Corpus Christi area, made Austin her home for a couple of years, and has lived in San Antonio for the past 26 years. She lives here with her husband, Patrick, and their two sons. 

She began riding with her husband, but didn’t gain more experience on the road until she joined the San Antonio Wheelmen and enrolled in the Road Riding 101 course. She gained a better understanding of what it takes to be safe on the road. She enjoys group rides and riding in the Texas Hill Country in the spring.

Rose is new to the club and to road cycling. She hopes to complete a couple of charity rides this year. Some of the rides on her list include Fiesta Wildflower, Tour de Cure, and Conquer the Coast. Rose is hoping to get her boys involved and interested in cycling and make it a family pastime.

Rose, who is a graduate of UTSA, is a Legal Administrator for a Labor and Employment Law Firm. She also loves photography and traveling.