2025 Elections for the Officers and At Large Members of the Board are underway. An email describes voting details. Here are the bios of the candidates, in their own words. Please contact the candidates of you have questions for them. Their contact information is in the member directory.
President - John C. Tyrrell (incumbent)
I’m John C. Tyrrell and have served for 5 years as the president of the Annapolis Bicycle Club and am available and interested in continuing to serve. During that time, we have grown to 185 members including through raising the club profile with outreach to bike shops and expanding our social media presence. I have responded to member feedback by significantly increasing the variety and quantity of our cycling events including routes, speeds, and distances to encourage participation and holding “off bike” activities. I strive to communicate regularly with members and have increased the number of members who volunteer in the Club. I always try to accept an offer for help and welcome ideas on how we can improve the club and meet members’ needs. I have worked to continually evolve and improve our website as a communication and participation tool and the website is rich in content. I initiated our popular smartphone app and Strava club to facilitate communication among the membership about events on a real-time basis.
I began cycling in high school as a member of the Dayton Cycling Club and rode at Miami University in Ohio. I joined ABC eight years ago for camaraderie. I have ridden 32,000 miles in many states and in several countries in the last 10 years. I love variety to keep cycling fresh and exciting, including entering races but I’m mostly an endurance cyclist. I have completed the ABC Tour of Maryland three times, created the Velo rides, and created and rode all four stages of the inaugural ABC Ride Across Maryland last year and hope to see more members participate in all events in 2025. I’m a member of the Air Force Cycling Team to serve the community while riding hard.
My Club goals include continuing to increase our membership of active cyclists across all areas of interests, having a high level of safety and brand awareness, using a variety of tools and resources for member engagement, and riding more after I retire from my defense career in March.
I am also a part-time Airline Transport Pilot and Certificated Flight Instructor and enjoy learning, teaching, and sharing experiences.
You may view my professional LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-c-tyrrell-atp-cfi-b6839112/
Thank you for your support and contributions to the Club, John
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Vice-President - RJ Marquette (incumbent)
I am running for the Vice President position of the Annapolis Bicycle Club.
I’ve been an avid cyclist most of my life, primarily riding recreationally, but I have also dabbled in bicycle commuting and racing. Over the last few years, I’ve ridden at least 4,000 miles each year, mostly outdoors, but I also use Zwift in inclement weather. I’m also proficient at bicycle repair and maintenance.
I’ve been a member of the ABC since 2015. In recent years, I’ve led numerous rides for the club, including the Tuesday evening rides and various other weekend rides. I’ve joined many other club rides led by other members, and last fall I completed the Ride Across Maryland (the attached picture is from Ocean City at the end).
I joined the ABC board last fall to fill the Vice President position. I’m a member of several other clubs, so I have a wide range of experience with volunteer-run organizations.
As Vice President, I want to continue and expand the club’s cycling offerings. For example, several members have expressed interest in the Ride Across Maryland, and I’ve started planning this year’s edition (and intend to hold a meeting for interested members in the coming weeks). I’d also like to develop similar rides the club could do, such as the Blue Ridge Parkway. These kinds of events can help recruit and retain members.
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Treasurer - Mark Grimes
I’ve been a member of ABC since 2022 and mostly focus on the longer weekend rides. Last summer, I started joining the weekday rides from General’s Hwy Park, the Tuesday night ride from Davidsonville Park, and the Thursday Velo rides – great fast rides that helped me prepare for the ABC Ride Across Maryland, my first multi-day, long-distance event.
Professionally, I’ve worked in finance for over 25 years and am a partner at a firm that invests in small companies. I’ve served on several corporate boards, including roles as Chairman and Treasurer. I’m also active in the non-profit world and am currently the Treasurer of a local charity that helps women and children to secure and retain safe housing.
I live in downtown Annapolis with my wife and three children – though the older two are off at college now. When I’m not cycling, you’ll often find me writing software, tinkering with electronics, woodworking, or tackling home improvement projects.
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In alphabetical order
Vote for 2 of the candidates for At-Large Member of the Board
At-Large Member of the Board - Chris Farrell
Chris Farrell is running for a position as At Large Member of the Annapolis Bicycle Club’s board to contribute his experience and dedication to the club's continued success. Cycling became a passion in Chris's mid-30s after a coworker gifted him a free 10-speed, and that first 10-mile ride sealed the deal. Since joining in January 2023, he has especially valued the camaraderie and friendship within the club, particularly as a newcomer to Maryland. As former Vice President of an Illinois bike club, Chris managed the club’s ride calendar and focused on creating fun and accessible rides for all levels, a focus he's eager to continue at Annapolis Bicycle Club. He planned and led several rides in 2024 from a variety of locations pursuing the Tour of Maryland challenge and will continue to do so. Known for his calm and measured personality, Chris will bring valuable leadership experience and a collaborative spirit to the club’s board.
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At-Large Member of the Board - Chris Higgins (incumbent)
Hello ABC Members! I am Chris Higgins, I have been an active member of the Annapolis Bicycle Club since 2015, and I am running for one of the At-Large Member of the Board positions for 2025.
When I joined in 2015, I knew how to ride a mountain bike, but I had little experience on how to road ride; my first ride with the club I was dressed in a T-shirt, cargo shorts, and had flat pedals. Fast forward a couple years and many rides with some great ABC ride leaders, and I have a full kit, group riding skills, knowledge on how to handle anything on the bike that could break. What a great club ABC is to provide these learning and friendship opportunities!
With my awesome experience joining the club and wanting to give back, I volunteered as a frequent ride leader, and expanded that role into building routes and leading ‘adventure rides’, and accepted the assignment as the Out of Area Adventure Ride Coordinator. I created and still manage the ABC Tour of MD Challenge as a nudge to other ABC cyclists to ‘get out of town’ and go ride some of the more scenic roads of Maryland.
As an At-Large Member of the Board for the last few years, I have been able to use my own experiences above, and provide guidance (and occasional votes) to the officers, including on the direction the club should grow: advancing cycling skills of our current and future members; cycling safety; and camaraderie. I am running for an At-Large Member of the Board in 2025, and am happy to serve! Ride On!
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At-Large Member of the Board - Nicole Love
A brief BIO: A native Michigander, I've been a bicycler since grade school; my Motebacane brought me independence from my parents. College and adulthood brought cycling adventures, which gave way to marriage, kids and career. Rare cycling adventures, broken collarbone followed until my husband re-introduced me to cycling as a way to rehab after cancer in 2013. A few medical issues combined with western HoCo hills ended my foray……until I moved to AACO and ABC and reintroduced me to cycling!
As a member of ABC, and now mostly retired, I’ve been able to ride fairly regularly in decent weather, and ride distances I’d never have considered. We've experienced cycling tours of Croatia and Thailand. I’ve thoroughly loved the support and camaraderie I’ve received from the group, so it’s time to give back! I’d love to support the ABC as a Board Member (I have experience on a non-profit Board with a large endowment for several years).
I would LOVE to expand the group at the “ entry level” : to encourage cyclists with beginning abilities and speeds to join, come out and cycle and improve. I’d love to see ABC expand and publish rides for all levels and distances, as a library for all to use. From my conversations, the membership feels invisible”: we need increased transparency & member participation in the Board decisions & actions.
Thanks for your support!
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At-Large Member of the Board - Jim Miner
I’ve been an ABC member for 13 years. I have served as VP and for many years I’ve been the rest stop coordinator for the Lifeline 100 ride with 1000 riders. I am currently a ride leader and also coordinator for the very popular Tuesday/Thursday rides. One of the biggest strengths of ABC is the friendliness and support the members give each other. We need to foster an atmosphere where all members feel that their voices are heard. As an at-large member of the Board, I would like to continue the recent work that I’ve been involved in, trying to make sure decisions are made with input from all areas of the membership.