Many cyclists today might have a hard time understanding what made the EBC one of the more successful cycling clubs in Florida and the southeast United States during the late 1970's and early 1980's.
As most serious cyclists are aware, today's cycling has taken on more of a competitive mind-set. But, in the early days of the EBC, not quite 30 years ago, a caring approach to new and old members meant if one person had a flat, everyone would stop and wait - no one was left to 'fend for themselves.
If someone became ill or injured while on the road, the club would make sure that the member would receive immediate care, even if someone needed to call home and have someone else drive out to meet the stricken member - this in the days before cell phones - and someone would make sure to call the ill or injured member's home later, just to make sure that everything had turned out well.
There was a particular time down in the Redland (or Redlands, as I incorrectly would like to call this once sprawling agricultural area) when a member had a flat, and was having a hard time replacing the tire, when a group of not-too-friendly dogs approached from a nearby farm.
Two or three of us did our best to defend the cyclist changing the flat from the snarling dogs - and we made sure we were all together when it came time to leave!
Our unwritten policy of caring became known to cyclists throughout Florida and the southeast, and many new members were heard to say that they joined the EBC because "we didn't leave anyone behind" - another unwritten policy at the time.
No matter the weather or time of day, we made sure a experienced member "brought up the rear", and the ride leader made sure that enough stops were made along the way to allow the slower riders a chance to regroup and rest before everyone returned to the road - as a group.
We'll never be sure in this life if any lives were saved over the years because of our helpful policies, but we knew that we probably made more than a few friends of newcomers to the club, and of those friends, many went on to help other newcomers, as well, through the 1980's and 1990's.
Let us know if you were one of these folks!
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