Buddies -
Here are the results of the VBC 2026 Club Survey that we did a few weeks ago:
You do NOT need a Google account to view this document! Anyone with a web browser should be able to read the contents. FYI, I'm not sure how it will look if you try to read it on a phone rather than a computer!
The good news is that the majority of members are happy with the club (and the website)! While we do have things we need to improve, the majority of survey respondents are happy with what we're doing. We shouldn't lose sight of this: most of the changes we need to make are small and incremental, not major shifts in focus or governance.
After looking through the results of the current survey and also prior surveys, I think we have the most room for improvement in the following 5 areas:
1. Increase ride diversity. This has been a problem for years: we lack evening and weekend rides which help make the club attractive to working people. If we want to increase membership and diversity, we need more of these rides on the calendar and they need to occur regularly or be posted well in advance. For weekend rides in particular, people often determine their schedules weeks or months in advance so rides posted at the last minute may not fit their schedule.
2. Clarify ride pace and ride type definitions. This is another ongoing frustration for club members: our Ride Style Definitions page says that the posted pace is a maximum speed but in truth it’s actually an average speed. In addition, our ride type descriptions are confusing and many ride participants have never looked at the Ride Style Definitions webpage. Information on pace and style should probably be explicitly stated on every calendar event rather than referenced in a link nobody will visit.
3. Increase GPS usage across the club. Many of the concerns about ride pace and ride style definitions are likely caused by the fact that the majority of our riders don't use GPS while riding. Without GPS, riders can easily become lost if they get dropped during a group ride!
4. Provide more documentation and training on how to use the website. There were a few complaints and suggestions for improvement that are due to people simply not understanding how to use the website. Examples: people having to constantly fill their information when registering for a ride, or not knowing who is registered for a ride.
5. The board should communicate more frequently and more effectively with membership. It’s concerning that 60% of respondents don’t have a good understanding of what board members are doing on behalf of the club. All board members should consider using the Buddies List or The Wheel Truth to let membership know what work they've been doing.
The survey only covers specific topics, so if you have additional comments or concerns about the Club, please feel free to email me directly.
A big thanks to the 112 people who responded to the survey!
Scott Storkel
VBC President