Greetings La Grange,
Your November La Voix has some great recaps from last month’s LG50, club photo, Piuma with race results, club picnic, exciting upcoming events to put on your calendar and an extra special announcement that the self nomination period for Board of Directors elections have opened! Serving on the board is the best way to fully engage with the club, and have a hand in shaping the La Grange experience. Read on for details.
Renée Fox, La Voix Editor
P.S. Have something else cycling-related you think would be interesting or beneficial to our members? Submit here to be considered for an upcoming newsletter.
Letter from the President
Happy November, LaGrange Family! 🍂
As we head into this season of gratitude and connection, let’s take a moment to appreciate all the wonderful things that make LaGrange such a special club — especially the amazing people who keep it rolling forward! 🚴♂️
Just like on a great group ride, everything goes smoother when everyone takes a turn pulling at the front. So this month, consider getting a little more involved! Whether it’s running for the Board of Directors or lending a hand on one of our committees, your energy and ideas make a real difference.
Not sure where to start? No problem — just reach out to any of our board members, and we’ll be happy to chat.
Let’s keep the momentum going strong — Vive LaGrange!
Cheers,
Larry
Photo Credit: Pedal Mafia
Racing News
Piuma Recap
63 racers fiercely competed for the coveted La Grange Cup Champions jersey on Saturday October 4. After the race, a large crowd celebrated at the Piuma Expo on Saddle Peak, lining up by the dozens for cold affogatos made with cold brew from our sponsor Caffe Luxxe, enjoying free cold wet sports towels by ACTS Law, snacks and beverages by Pedal Mafia and recovery Ketone beverages by new LG sponsor Kinetik. A huge shout out to our sponsors for their participation and support!
Winners for each age category, Men and Women are below along with links for full results. For those of you interested in how your results stack up historically, we have those too:)
For the full album of Piuma photos by longtime LG Member Dan Chapman click HERE
Club News
Velo Club La Grange Board of Directors Elections: The Self-nomination period is now open!
Greeting fellow members,
As you know, our Club continues to thrive and grow with programming and new members. None of this is possible without an engaged team of volunteers and members of the board of directors. While there are endless times to get involved as a general volunteer, once a year and according to our bylaws, our members get to vote and elect members to serve on the Board, and that time is now!
This year, in accordance with the bylaws of VCLG, we will be holding elections for five (5) seats; each seat holds a two (2) year term on the Board of Directors. The five seats, in alphabetical order (last name), are currently held by:
Amanda Beesley, Deb Carabet, Renée Fox, Larry Goodman, Colin Rasor and, we have one seat that was left vacant by a mid-year resignation.
Current seat holders may choose to run for re-election to the Board but any Club member in good standing may run for one of the open seats. If you are passionate about La Grange, have been a member for two consecutive years or more and would like to be involved in shaping the direction of the Club we strongly encourage you to run. You can “enter the race” simply by submitting a self-nomination statement – nothing fancy, just a few words about yourself with a photo and why you’d like to be on the Board. (Since this is a volunteer position you can’t nominate someone else.)
Elections will run on the following schedule:
October 27th to October 31st: Open self nomination period
November 2nd: Announcement of Candidates
November 3rd to November 9th (Midnight): Voting period ** Voting will take place using an on-line platform. Access ballots and instructions will be sent to members by e-mail using the address currently in the LaGrange membership works system as of November 2nd**
November 11th: Results announced via email to members and on the La Grange website
December 10th : New Directors are seated at the monthly Board of Directors Meeting.
Please send your self-nomination statement by email to: nominations@lagrange.org
Don’t forget to attach a picture of yourself, which will be displayed with your statement on the website and on the digital ballot during the election.
Thank you for your participation.
Larry Goodman (President) and Amanda Beesley (Secretary)
November Save the Dates:
Wednesday November 12 La Grange Board Meeting, 7pm at Santa Monica Brewworks. All are welcome!
Saturday November 15 Monthly Womens Ride. Route TBA
Saturday November 23 2025 La Grange Awards Banquet. Stay tuned for announcement of an exciting new location and details!
Saturday November 27 This month’s LG50 will be combined with our annual Thanksgiving ride and fundraiser for Meals on Wheels.
Club Events Recap
October LG50 to La Piedra Beach and Annual Club Photo
Led by Dan Mitnick, Larry Goodman and Marco Fantone | SAG by Jeff Gust and Karla
Last Saturday, La Grange members showed up at San Vicente and Ocean wearing the latest white team kit and the French National blue kit for the annual club photo. Thanks to Larry L. for the photos above.
The group rode north on PCH along the coast, just past Encinal to La Piedra Beach for a sag stop before returning and ending the ride at our sponsor Santa Monica BrewWorks for some social time.
Click HERE to view full ride photo album by Dan Mitnick.
Member Feature
First Tandem Ride
By Charles Pollick
By me you’re a captain, but by a captain…you’re NO captain
So goes the old Jewish joke… well, now I AM a captain! How, you may ask?
It happened like this. My wife, Suzanne, and I recently became very friendly with a couple at synagogue, and the husband is visually impaired. He told me how he used to bike when he was fully sighted..so it got me thinking..our VCLG friends Susan Gans and Kenneth Horwitz are avid tandem riders and I am impressed by their tandem vacations..so I thought it would be nice if I could learn how to ride a tandem and have my friend come along with me and re-live his biking experiences, but this time on a tandem. So..I posted something in the VCLG WhatsApp page about looking for a tandem, and VCLG member Colin Ansel Rasor told me about a tandem clinic at the Wayfinders Campus organized by VCLG
member Sonya Chapnick who lost all but 4% of her vision about 15 years ago. Before she lost her vision she also was an avid cyclist. I went to the clinic and learned how to “captain” the bike and also experience being a “stoker” both with my eyes open and closed. Someone who knows me all too well said it was just an excuse for me to buy a new bike…actually VCLG was recently gifted a Santana bike by a couple who went tandem riding a lot, but decided it was no longer for them…VCLG member Dan Funk kindly drove a fair distance to get the bike for me.
So… I took Sonya on my first tandem ride today…she is very courageous to trust me! We rode about 10 miles – and she coached me about getting on and off the bike, slowing and stopping etc. It was a lot of fun, and I could tell my tandem skills had greatly improved by the end of the ride.
I greatly recommend you go to a Wayfinders clinic when they next have one, if you are interested in riding a tandem with a sighted or visually impaired friend. It’s a totally different dimension to riding alone – first you have company all the time, and secondly it’s great to work with someone while riding..
The last Wayfarer Tandem community event of the year will be held on December 13. To register, click HERE
Photo album by Dan Mitnick from the October 10 Tandem event can be viewed HERE
October Board Meeting Minutes
Amanda Beasley, La Grange Secretary, has done the work to provide a concise summary of our monthly board meeting minutes so you can stay engaged with club goings on. Click HERE to read and look for these each month in LaVoix!
Welcome New Velo Club La Grange Members!
Please say hello to our 7 new members who joined in October 2025 (you can find them in our Member Directory):
Sal., Holly M., Jordan N., Chris H., Ian G. Susan G. and Karla.
Existing Members:
Please take a moment to ensure your contact information is up to date. Visit https://www.lagrange.org/member-dashboard#myaccount to confirm that your phone number is current, and double check that your emergency contact name and phone number are accurate. This helps La Grange improve vendor access to membership verification and ensures that, in case of an emergency during a ride, a board member can quickly notify your emergency contact. If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to us at membership@lagrange.org.
(local) Cycling News
The Caltrans PCH Safety Project is at risk.
On Monday, November 3, the Malibu Planning Commission will hold its final hearing to decide whether to approve the Caltrans PCH Safety Project — a $55 million once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rebuild and make PCH safer for everyone. Based on the last meeting, they are not likely to approve the plans unless people express strong support for the plans. Read more and take action at Biking in LA
The $55 Million Crossroads - Why November 3rd Will Define Malibu's Next 20 Years
By Michel Shane for Malibu Times
On a personal note; I know Michel and I knew his 13 year old daughter, Emily, a very smart, funny and generous young lady and one of my stepdaughter’s best friends. Emily Shane was killed by a reckless driver who also died in the crash on PCH on April 3, 2010, a day after Isabelle’s own 13th birthday. I know that many of you also have tragic stories of being injured or of cyclists you know you have been killed or injured while riding on PCH. If you want to see the safety project happen, click HERE for a short form to make your voice heard to the Planning Commission before November 3.
Follow La Grange and Stay Informed!
Keep-up with LG Rides, News & more on our Social Channels
Support Our Sponsors
LA’s Favorite Coffee
La Grange members present your membership card for a sweet discount at any Caffe Luxxe location!
THANK YOU to our sponsors!
ACTS Law, Personal Injury Lawyers
APEX Law, Real Estate and Business Litigation
Caffe Luxxe, Artisanal Coffee Roasters
Helen’s Cycles, Local Community Bike Shop
Lee Ziff, Real Estate
Pedal Mafia, Killer Cycling Apparel
Rudy Project, Italian-Made Helmets and Eyewear
The Feed, #1 Source for Performance Nutrition
TriFit LA, Fitness and Performance Center
4iiii Powermeters, Harness the Power
Santa Monica Brew Works, Santa Monica’s First and Only Brewery
