February 2026

This month: Tour de France commentators Bob Roll and Christian Vande Velde stop in St. Pete to talk about the pro cycling circuit, "Roll Your Own" rides come to the SPBC website, and a Heads Up about legislation in Tallahassee and Washington that could impact what and where you ride for years to come.

Upcoming Events

Bob Roll and Christian Vande Velde ride/talk/photo op, Feb 21.
SPBC Board meeting, 1p on Feb 28 at President Barack Obama Library in St Pete. Open to all members.
Member Appreciation Party, March 15
Tour de Parks Bicycle Ride, March 22, Venice, FL: 21, 35, and 66-Mile Scenic rides through 12 Beautiful Parks in Sarasota County. Ride Includes breakfast, lunch, rest stops, SAG Support with T-shirts for first 600 riders.
Pinellas Trail Clean-up, March 22
Bike MS: Suncoast Challenge, March 28: Pedal through the scenic landscapes of Sarasota County, with coastal views along Casey Key, breathtaking bridges, and the renowned 5-star Legacy Cycling Trail.

Tour de France (celebrities)
Are Coming To St Pete

by John Sinibaldi

On February 21, SPBC members are invited to ride, listen and laugh with Tour de France veteran riders and commentators Bob Roll and Christian Vande Velde. Bob and Christian are coming to town to entertain and inform us about the 2026 professional cycling season, as well as share some stories from their careers as bicycling commentators and riders.

Affectionately known as "Bobke," Roll is best known for covering the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Paris–Roubaix for NBC Sports. A former member of the 7-Eleven team, he competed in three Tours de France.

Vande Velde rode professionally between 1998 and 2013 for the U.S. Postal Service, Liberty Seguros, Team CSC and Garmin–Sharp teams. He has been a cycling analyst for NBC Sports since 2014, frequently working from the back of a motorcycle to provide live commentary on a race.

All club members are invited to ride with our special guests and attend an evening event where Bob and Christian will speak. If you aren't currently an SPBC member, the annual $30 membership is more than worth the value of hearing from these cycling legends. You wouldn't think anything of paying much more to see a stand-up comedian -- a role that Bob Roll is certainly qualified to do!

Feb 21 details:
Ride with the Pros, Selfie with the Stars, Laugh & Learn

The Saturday February 21 ride rolls out at its usual 8:30 am start time with two special guests at a different starting location. Bob and Christian are planning to join this ride leaving from the St. Pete Athletic (680 28th Street South, at the corner of 28th Street and the Pinellas Trail). Non-members are welcome to join us, but they will need to sign the club waiver before joining the ride.
Meet & Greet at The Bikery, 1-3p: Bob and Christian will stop by The Bikery (2222 1st Ave S.) for an informal meet and greet and photo op.
Cycling Stories from Tour de France pros Bob Roll and Christian Vande Velde, 6-9p. Bob and Christian will regale us with stories, tell us what they think of the current group of pros, and maybe touch on some changes in the sport. This members only event* will be held in the ballroom of the Polish American Society, 1343 Beach Drive SE. There will be a cash/credit bar open at 6 pm, and the main event starts at 7. Registration is now open for this event at members.stpetebicycleclub.com.

* Not an SPBC member? This is one more reason to join the club! Click here to join the St Pete Bicycle Club today.

Thank you to SPBC members John Austin at Roman Austin Law and Jay Mulligan at Synergy Wealth Alliance for their corporate sponsorship of this event.

Message from the President: How SPBC shows up for the community

by Julia Vasquez

Huge thanks to everyone who picked up raffle tickets at the holiday party. Because of you, we were able to make a nice gift to The Friends of the Pinellas Trail, who just celebrated 35 years (pretty amazing).

We’re also happy to be putting your membership dollars to good use by supporting our friends at the St. Pete Bike Co-Op as they hit 15 years of serving the community. Appreciate this club and the way we continue to show up for our St. Pete community!

"Write Your Own Ride" -- now available at StPeteBicycleClub.com

by Dave Zornow

One of the takeaways from the Spring 2025 survey of SPBC members and cyclists in Pinellas was that many people said they would ride more *if* there were rides that started closer to home, at times convenient to their schedule, and at a speed that matched their comfort level.

Introducing, Write Your Own Ride, a feature of the new SPBC website. Create a ride with the day/time/starting location that works for you and post it on members.StPeteBicycleClub.com to share with other club members. After you've posted a ride, the system will send out an email to all club members.

Sign up to be a Ride Leader and have this feature added to your website profile by emailing RideLeadersWanted@StPeteBicycleClub.com. We will add your name to the list of ride leaders, and also send along some tips and best practices for posting rides on members.StPeteBicycleClub.com.

2026 Biking Legislation

by Gordon Brown

There are two significant legislative actions in the works that will impact cyclists in Florida and across the country.

Tallahassee: The “Electric Motorcycle” classification proposed by Florida Legislature Bill 243 will create a new vehicle classification for high speed electric powered devices that exceed 28 mph. These "e-motos" would be regulated as motorized vehicles requiring a license and a learner’s permit.

Additionally, law enforcement would be required to compile crash data involving e-bikes. Five new questions about safe operations of e-bikes would be added to the Florida driver license exam.

The Florida Bicycle Association wants to know what you think about the bill. Visit FloridaBicycle.org and share your opinion.

Washington, DC: Congress is working on the next five year transportation authorization bill which will likely disappoint rail trail and bike ped advocates. "It’s going to be a traditional highway bill...building roads and bridges, laying asphalt, pouring concrete," said Representative Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “We’re not going to be spending money on murals and train stations or bike paths or walking paths. We’re going to spend money on traditional infrastructure: roads and bridges.”

Most states and local municipalities have adopted “Complete Streets” applications for new and repurposed transportation infrastructure. This has enabled the addition of 4 foot bike lanes, separated bike lanes and multi use paths to road construction projects. Federal funds for state and local road projects are allocated to and distributed through groups like Forward Pinellas and other Metropolitan Planning Organizations across the country. If a Federal Transportation Bill is adopted that prohibits funding biking and pedestrian infrastructure, Forward Pinellas will not be able to contribute federal highway funds for already planned bike/ped improvements. Share your POV on this bill with your congressperson and senator at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

The League of American Bicyclists, a bicycling advocacy group in Washington DC, along with the American Hiking Society, American Trails, People For Bikes, the Rails to Trails Conservancy, the Safe Routes Partnership, and 1,100 additional nonprofit organizations, businesses, corporations and elected officials have published this letter to Congress with their concerns about the transportation authorization bill.

Help Improve Roadway Safety
Take the 2026 Safer Streets survey

The Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan serves as a road map to reach the goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries on Pinellas County roadways. Where you have seen close calls? Where do you think improvements are needed? These everyday experiences are essential to the planning required improving active transportation safety in Pinellas County.

Take this short survey and let Forward Pinellas know your priorities for transportation safety. Have specific concerns about regular routes you ride, walk or drive? Use the interactive map included in the survey to pinpoint specific locations where you have concerns.

The St. Petersburg Bicycle Club Board of Directors

Julia Vasquez, President
Kris Woodcock, Vice President
Jay Mulligan, Secretary
Dan Bode, Treasurer
Rafy Rivera, Membership
Dave Zornow, Communications
Gordon Brown, Government Liaison
Peter Wray, Government Liaison
Tom Andry, Member at Large

Dave Joffe, John Sinibaldi — Past Presidents
Newletter Editor, Dave Zornow