 |  | A Message from the President
Hoping everybody had a great Thanksgiving!
HBC had a great Autumn party with fine food, drink and decorations! Thanks to John and Susan for organizing this. Special thanks to Anthony for hosting the event at the Harbor Boat Club (HBC!)
Thanks to Susan, Allan and Larry for procuring so many great raffle gifts.
The annual elections went smoothly and the new leadership will be in place as of January 1st:
Congratulations to HBC's new President, Sal Levy!
New officer: Susan Farren, Secretary; Board members: David Hirsch and Jerry Coogan.
Leaving the Executive Board is Secretary, Pam Rogers, who is moving south this spring. Thank you for your service to the Club as a ride Leader and Secretary for 2 years.
Scott Gross leaves the Board after serving 10 years. His advice and input have been consistently appreciated as a level headed member of the Board over the last five years that I have been president. His diligence on the Board will be missed. Thanks, Scott!
Malachy presented an update on the HBC Website. It will be changing a lot of the format in the coming weeks, notably starting next week. Please take a look below at the details about these changes, and how it affects signing up for rides or just getting information from the Website.
An update on the obstacles involved in creating a dedicated Bike lane going to Long Beach is below in an article from Newsday.
Sal and David helped put together bikes being donated to needy children through Temple Beth El last week. Thanks, guys!
Take a look and donate, if you can, to the Long Island Bicycle Co-op. This is a very worthy endeavor organized by Tom Danger. Bicycles are fixed up and given to needy children and adults. I have personally donated equipment and bikes to them and refer people who contact the club when they wish to donate used bikes. They are losing their lease and now desperately need funds. The link and info is below. (Time for those charitable tax write-offs, btw)
The bulk of this newsletter is devoted to the memory of George Heitman. He served as the first President of the HBC, and you will see through the reminiscing of 2 founders, some of the history of this Club's origins.
Rides continue to be posted throughout the winter, weather permitting. Watch for different departure times depending on outside conditions on any posted rides.
See you on the road!
Karen
|  | George Heitman
Jerry Wallens Photo | Thoughts about George Heitman and the origins of the
Huntington Bicycle Club
by Don Auriemma, OG, a founding member of the HBC.
I’d like to share a few brief memories of a dear old friend and bicycling buddy, George Heitman, who passed away about a month ago.
I met George 124,317 miles ago. I was not a serious cyclist in late June of 1980, having logged in ZERO miles on Long Island. I documented how I met George a few times over the years, but I ask that you indulge me for a few minutes!
Driving in my car, I was approaching the “T intersection” of Lodge Ave. and East Rogues Path in Huntington Station, around 6:00 pm as I was returning from a business trip to Boston. I was tired, overweight, slightly hungover and completely disgusted with myself. I approached a half dozen cyclists on Lodge, lowered my window and asked the last guy in line, "Hey, is this a club?" "Yeah, sorta", the guy replied. "How can I join?" He answered with a big welcoming grin. "SHOW UP at the Library at the 5 corners in Huntington Station, Saturday morning, 9:am". I accepted the invitation, and showed up that Saturday.
Here’s what I had:
A Raleigh Record that I couldn’t get out of the big chain ring.
Here’s what I was missing:
A helmet
A water bottle
Toe clips
A pump
A spare tube
Gloves
Any clue as to how to ride in a group.
I survived that 90 degree adventure, thanks to the warm reception form George Heitman and his rag-tag band of friendly cyclists. I never left the team.
That was 45 years ago. I have George Heitman to thank for welcoming me, teaching me, cajoling me, and most of all, encouraging me to become a serious cyclist.
I don’t remember the exact timing, probably late 1980 or early 1981, George convinced a few of us that it was time to organize. We met in my dining room on East Rogues Path one evening and crafted the Huntington Bicycle Club Charter.
We needed a President. George Heitman was the obvious choice. He ran unopposed. He was a terrific leader.
I got to ride with George for many fabulous years. He taught me many basics. He had a very easygoing way about him. I don’t think I ever heard him raise his voice.
He had a sense of humor:
One hot summer day we were on a ride that seemed endless to me. I was out of water and was afraid I was about to bonk. I asked George how much further to the ride start. About 5 or 6 miles he answered. Just as I was about to cry UNCLE, we turned into the parking lot which was only about 100 yards from the point at which I was ready to bail. He got me!
Hence my nickname, NAVIGATOR!
George and I were with a group touring Vermont many years ago. The ride included a steep climb up to the home of President Calvin Coolidge. Reaching the top, a bit breathless, I quipped to George, wanna do it again? I expected a “no way”. But George left me no way out as he said “sure” and turned back down the hill leaving me no way to back out. So we did it again. George could not get the grin off his face.
So I hope you have a better understanding of the guy who, more than anyone else, started the HBC.
In addition to being a strong leader, our first President, a terrific ride leader and a devoted health enthusiast, George Heitman was an accomplished cyclist and a faithful friend.
He’s one of the OG’s. He’s one of the best.
Don Auriemma
|  | Standing left to right: Efrim Sherman (E), Mark Sussman, Don Auriemma, Jerry Wallens.
Sitting, George Heitman, Terry Muccino.
Efrim, Mark, Don, George and Jerry were all founding HBC members.
Efrim, Don, George and Jerry were also early Montauk Double Century riders, sharing a lot of happy saddle time.
Jerry Wallens Photo | Notes on George Heitman
by Jerry Wallens
We met at Jim Lowry’s HATG (Huntington Adult Touring Group) meeting at the South Huntington Library, probably in the late 70’s. From our first training wheel rides around Greenlawn, everyone realized that George was a natural leader and had more cycling experience and knowledge than anyone else in the group. We all knew how to ride but had little to no group riding experience. We learned to adopt safe riding practices, point out holes and obstacles and cheerfully yell “car back”.
As we improved our skills and increased our range, George became a supporter of the idea of forming a club. When those early riders voted to form HBC, George was the obvious choice for president. He edited the first newsletter and named it Folks on Spokes. His graphic skills were used in creating the club logo.
George made every ride better. From the annual April Fool season opener, Bloomin Metric, High Point Hundred, Ancient Mariner, Bike-Boat-Bike and of course our Gold Coast Tour, George expanded our cycling range and our enjoyment of the sport. We had the pleasure of riding together at GEAR’s, around the Trexlertown velodrome, through the sand dunes of Cape Cod and up and down Vermont mountains. He made century and double-century rides fun, always up for a challenge.
There wasn’t a single club chore or project that didn’t benefit from George’s assistance. He helped set up the club’s first safety rodeo; fitting helmets and inspecting and adjusting kids’ bikes. He marked Gold Coast roads, planned routes and shared maintenance and repair tips.
When we got caught in a rain storm in Amish country; and we and our bikes were covered with road grit, George was ready with tools, supplies and skills to strip our bikes, get them cleaned and ready to ride the next day. He came to my aid by riding ahead and returning with his van when I hit a rock and crashed along Peconic Bay and when I broke a spoke and was sidelined along the Delaware River. He seemed to always be there and be ready.
We learned to endure George’s quirky sense of humor as his jokes dragged on and on until finally reaching a ‘groaner’ ending.
After George and his wife Karen moved to Georgia, we were close enough to share weekends. They eventually moved to South Carolina and tried to recruit us to their new Sun City neighborhood. George became president of the Sun City Cyclers and did maintenance and repair work in his garage. He and Karen led the way to getting the state department of transportation to agree to provide bike shoulders, narrow as they are, when roads were repaired.
My recent emails to George to arrange another visit went unanswered. It wasn’t until I learned of his passing that I found that he had developed Alzheimer’s disease and had moved to an assisted living facility.
It’s important for all current HBC members to know that there wouldn’t be a Huntington Bicycle Club without George Heitman. Everything that you take for granted today had to be invented, tried and refined. Thank George the next time y’all head out for a ride.
Jerry Wallens
|  |  | | Terry Muccino, also in the founders photo above, was an early HBC member along with her husband, Tom. The 2 pictures directly above show a ride organized by Tom to Huntington, CT via the Pt Jeff Ferry in 1983. He obtained a Huntington town flag that was presented to officials of the CT town and challenged them to a ride to LI with their flag.
HBC adopted the red Huntington Liberty flag as our club color. (to this day-official HBC colors are red and white)
Jerry Wallens photos | | Happy November and December Birthdays to our Members |
Scott Knipfing
December 5
Chris Maselli
December 10
Deborah A Montick
December 10
|
Stephen Albright
December 11
Victoria C Strobelane
December 12
Ben Seidman
December 14
Warren C Baine
December 15
Matthew Zullo
December 15
Hugh J Parkhurst
December 17
John Siedlecki
December 19
Justin Firmes
December 19
| | | | Ride around Manhattan and the Bronx led by Sal and Bob | 34th Street into the wind on the RAM-Bronx.
Esteemed photographer John, over the East River below! |  | Malachy's Tech Corner
ClubExpress User Interface Update Launching 12/8/2025
ClubExpress is deploying an updated User/Admin interface. They are not changing any Functionality, but they are making the website more user-friendly.
This new interface will be deployed in 3 phases, with Phrase 1 starting December 8th, 2025.
Phrases 2 and 3 will be deployed in early 2026.
All the User Built-in Modules will be affected, including: the Login Screen, Renewal Process, Member Profile, Directory Listings, Forums, Photo Albums, Interests, and Document Library. In addition, the Admin interface will also change. The biggest change for Admins will be the elimination of Icons in the Maintain area being replaced with an Actions Drop Down. This Drop Down will use words replacing the icons.
The purpose of this update is to make the site more easily navigated based on feedback from various ClubExpress clubs and comparing with what other websites are doing.
The link below will show examples of what some of these new updates will look like:
|  |
A Message (plea) from Tom Danger:
Since launch in 2019:
- We’ve refurbished or repaired 1,000’s of bicycles
- Hosted over 100 free workshops
- Mobilized more than 300 volunteers.
While doing so, we have reduced waste stream impact by 25 tons and reduced CO2 emissions.
As the result of a serious medical event affecting our founder, Greg Ferguson, we've recently lost our funding from The Ferguson Family Foundation, which has long been our primary financial partner. We fully support that decision, but the impact on our operations has been immediate and significant.
Because of this, we're asking for donations that will allow us to pay our rent and operating expenses while we seek additional funding.
We've been asked to vacate our St. James location by November 30, however, our volunteers have stepped up and paid the rent for December in the hopes that the public can quickly come to the rescue. That's why we're reaching out for donations to help us sustain.
I know what this space means to us and its gravity in the community... the friendships formed, the repairs made, and the joy shared by every rider, every Young Mechanics program member and every volunteer who walked through those doors. This hurts deeply, but our mission remains unchanged.
|  | Ken's B ride to Massapequa.
Beautiful foliage! |
|
Newsday October 31, 2025
Fighting for a bike lane in "car land" Long Island runs into obstacles
By Peter Gill
peter.gill@newsday.com
On a sunny September weekday morning, cars barreled down Long Beach Road, the six-lane thoroughfare connecting "mainland" Long Island to the barrier island of Long Beach City. Crossing the bridge from Oceanside onto Island Park, an islet in the bay north of Long Beach, they sped past a few bicyclists and scooter-riders carefully negotiating the shoulder.
Posted signs mark Long Beach Road as a "bike route," but there is no bicycle lane and it is anything but inviting to cyclists.
"I would say [it’s] unrideable for the average person," said biker Sean Cirillo, who posted a YouTube video where he dodges speeding vehicles while navigating between the shoulder, parked cars and the right lane.
Cirillo, 34, of Oceanside, said the road presents a dangerous bottleneck between safer areas for cycling in Oceanside and Island Park.
He envisions a solution: dedicated bike lanes, with plastic posts as delineators, along the busiest half-mile stretch from near Daly Boulevard to Austin Boulevard. Creating it, he says, would not only make the route safer but could help address summer parking shortages in Long Beach by encouraging more people to bike to the ocean.
Cirillo requested Nassau County to study the proposal in January, and in August he received an official response from the Department of Public Works: a bike lane is "not feasible," the letter read, because it won’t fit along the 40-foot wide road while also accommodating the existing three lanes for vehicles, each 11 feet, and parking spaces for cars. It also could interfere with drainage and "emergency access points." There was no "recognizable pattern" of bicycle crashes there over three years, the letter said.
Public Works Commissioner Michael Kwaschyn and County Executive Bruce Blakeman's office did not respond to multiple requests for an interview or emailed questions about the bike lane.
However, two traffic engineers told Newsday the project seemed feasible while keeping existing traffic lanes, with the elimination of a handful of street parking spaces in front of a well-known clam bar.
"It's something that looks like it could be fairly easily done inexpensively, and it might get more people bike riding," said Hal Tarry, a retired state Transportation Department engineer in Smithtown who volunteers with the New York Bicycling Coalition.
Michael Shenoda, a traffic engineering professor at Farmingdale State College, said: "If you asked me to design a bike provision in there that would meet the [official] standards, I could do it."
Biking advocates have long lamented the lack of bike infrastructure on Long Island, where 49 cyclists were killed and around 300 were seriously injured between 2019 and 2023, according to state data. Just 5.5 of the roughly 4,100 miles of road in Nassau County have dedicated bike lanes, while Suffolk County has around 140 miles out of 7,400 miles of road, according to Newsday's analysis of 2021 data from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council. Nassau also has around 72 miles of off-road paths for biking and Suffolk has around 52 miles.
Experts told Newsday that Cirillo’s case illustrates some of the common challenges to building bike facilities on Long Island, like long-standing prioritization of cars, limited space and a feeling that bike lanes have become politicized.
"Long Island was designed as a car land, and so it's very hard" to change the focus, Shenoda said.
Denise Ford, a former county legislator who lives in Long Beach, said she’s long wanted to improve bicycle connectivity to the north. The county began a formal study for a Long Beach Road bike lane years ago, she said, but she was unsure if it was ever finished.
"I don't know, with the county, why there is resistance," Ford said of Cirillo’s bike lane proposal. "I wish that we would try to find ways [to] accommodate all modes of transportation, cars as well as bicycles."
'Bike city'
As a teenager, Cirillo loved working on and driving cars. After Army service and a tour in Iraq, he studied mechanical engineering on the GI Bill at Hofstra, then joined his father’s business managing cellphone tower sites.
As he began bicycling more, he wondered why Nassau had so little bike infrastructure compared to New York City or even other suburbs.
"I was like, ‘Why the hell is this not happening here?’" he said, sitting in the home he shares with his wife, pregnant with their first child.
Cirillo found decades-old planning documents outlining unrealized, grand visions — such as a 1998 county master plan calling for an extensive network of bicycle trails and a 2010 proposal to integrate bicycles "into the transportation system as a real alternative to vehicular travel."
Mike Hammer, the owner of Long Beach Bicycles who pedals over 8,000 miles each year, said he was unaware of Cirillo’s proposal but supports the idea, especially since he was hit by a car while riding on Long Beach Road years ago.
"This is a bike city," he said. "When traffic is dense here, you can get around much faster on a bike than you can in your car, not to mention the parking woes that we have here."
|
|  | Minutes from the Meeting of the
Huntington Bicycle Club
11/20/2025
7:29 p.m. President, Karen Gellert, called the meeting to order
President’s Report -
This is the last meeting of the year
Minutes of the last meeting were displayed - Scott Gross made a motion to accept the prior meeting’s minutes and Susan Farren seconded
Temple Bethel - looking for bike mechanics tomorrow to help with bikes they will be giving away for the holidays
Treasurer’s Report - Anthony Oliveri was not present at the meeting and there was no Treasurer’s report
Membership Report - Sal Levy - no change in membership total - 270 members; 2 new members this week
Other Business - Karen announced that George Heitman, one of the Founders of the Club, passed away in October
Don Auriemma, one of the Founding members of the Club, shared memories about George Heitman and shared photographs
Karen read some words about George Heitman from Jerry Wallens
Mark Sussman, Jerry Wallens, Charlie, George Heitman, Ephram (E), Don Auriemma - Founding members as recalled by Don Auriemma
Vice President Report – John Greene will serve as Vice President again
Ride Leaders enter on the 2026 form now
Ride Leader meeting will be in March for existing and new ride leaders
John encouraged everyone to dig through their photos and provide them to Malachy O’Connor
Official end of the riding season is the end of November but if any C or B riders want to go out, send John an email and he will try to find a ride leader to lead the ride
Next year, there will be a Club Picnic on a Saturday or Sunday at Crab Meadow Beach - cost will be on the Club; looking to start a tradition with this
Gold Coast Chair Report - Steve Labiner - Gold Coast will be Sunday, July 12, 2026; most likely we will remove the 85-mile ride due to few riders signing up or completing the 85-mile route
Officer and Board Election Results: Scott Gross gave the election results (1-year term):
Sal Levy, President
John Greene, Vice President
Susan Farren, Secretary
Anthony Oliveri, Treasurer
Allan Pearlman, Membership and Board Member
Steve Labiner, Board Member
New Board Members (2-year term):
David Hersch Board Member
Jerry Coogan, Board Member
Scott Gross encouraged people to consider becoming Ride Leaders and attend the Ride Leader meeting if they think they might be interested
Karen Gellert announced Maria Basile-Farash has been the sunshine chair for the past 2 years, and sends flowers or fruit when members are injured. Thanks, Maria!
John Greene - We have many opportunities for people to volunteer and asked that others volunteer ex: Bike Rodeo - Volunteers from the club taught the kids how to ride
Webmaster Report - Malachy O’Connor announced changes to the club website:
- Added links to photo albums
- Added a Memorials page
- Under “Club,” bios of the officers will be updated
- He could add a history page if the Club wants one
- Mobile App - Club Express was having a problem with remembering a user’s password
- Club Express is the backend of the website and they are going to change the interface to make it more user friendly - 3 phases first phase in mid-December 2025 then changes 2 and 3 in January and February 2026; this will affect Admins and Ride Leaders the most; Club Express has a YouTube channel; Malachy showed a list of the items that will be impacted in Phase 1.
- New member or membership renewal will show progress throughout the sign up process
- Red asterisks added to required fields to replace red dots
- Log In Screen will move to the middle of the page
- Member Profile adds a blue strip for Alerts to make them more prevalent to users
- Directory Listing will be affected but Malachy does not notice much in the way of real change
- If people opt out, they are not in the Member Directory - this is not new; any member can access the Member Directory
- Malachy is going to be giving access to certain parts of the website so they can learn to use them
- Admins (e.g., Ride Leaders, Ride Captains) will see more differences
- Control Panel changes with color coding - there are ~70 tabs but most people do not have access to most of them
- Replacing many icons with Actions menus with words versus icons
It is important to understand that ClubExpress manages 4,000 club websites of which ~400 are for bicycle clubs; they protect our website from being attacked successfully and brought down; they are EU GDPR compliant. Club Express is on the AWS cloud.
Karen pointed out that the fee we pay ClubExpress gets us this security
Prize Drawings:
Ken Abbott won the 50/50 which was a $94 prize
Other drawings were done for bike helmets, various bike bags and a $189 bike tune up from Trek
Karen Gellert won the Trek tune up
John Malone won one of the large Trek helmets
Don Auriemma won the other large Trek helmet
Steve Siegel won the small bike handlebar bag
John Malone won the small black and red bike bag
Jerry Coogan won the large red bike seat bag
Hugh Parkhurst thanked all the Board Officers for their service this past year
8:47pm Scott Gross made the motion to adjourn the meeting and Susan Farren seconded the motion
Respectfully submitted,
Pam Rogers, HBC Secretary
| View this Newsletter on our Website at Club/Newsletters
hbcli.org | |