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MEMBERS AREA
The Atkins Bike Club has developed a rich history. It started out a USCF junior club in 1985. We had about five members and sponsored our first race (The Atkins Criterium) in June 1987. After that initial experience with the USCF (and many of you older racers know what we mean), I decided that the USCF was taking a lot of the fun out of racing and decided that the club should focus on less restrictive racing / riding / touring.
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Coincidentally Jim Mencel, who started Wisport, had the same idea at the same time, and he was willing to take the time and effort to get it off the ground. In 1994 the club got a fresh head of steam under our then co-manager Dominic Petit, and it was off to the Wisport races — good friends, good food and drink, etc. The club flourished for many years.
After the 2006 season I decided that it was time to return more to our roots. The new Atkins Verona Bicycle Shoppe club is not focused on racing. We're a group of "good ol' gals and guys" ages 13 to 63 who just wanna have fun on our bikes. Our road bike club has one scheduled ride per week and possible Wisport races on the weekends. We also have a group that plays bike polo on Friday nights or Saturdays.
I have limited membership to 40 by invitation for the purpose of keeping things under control. However, anyone is welcome to join us on our club rides and for bike polo.
ABOUT THE FROG (heh-heh)
When we were kids in the bike biz (about 1968), the cool superlight bikes of the era came from Europe. A lot of bikes came from France. Our dad and uncle, who were the co-owners, nicknamed the bike fanatics of the time "frogs" after the French. That really stuck and forever after us bike nuts became "frogs" and our bikes and parts became "frog bikes" and "frog parts." My high school sophomore picture is of me in (egad!) a wool cycling jersey with a frog patch ironed on.
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