ANDREW SPILLER MEMORIAL RIDEs & Club Picnic

Rides will be followed by a picnic gathering at Mendon Ponds Park - Canfieldwoods Shelter. The club will provide soft drinks, water, hot dogs, rolls and condiments.

Rides start at 9am, 10am, and 10:45am (SR). Details including maps and routes are posted on RBC Meetup.

Bring a dish to pass, a lawn chair, alternative beverage if desired.

The 5 and 10 table will be set up. If you wish, you can bring jerseys or cycling gear to pass on to others free or at a super low price.

RBC club jerseys will be available for purchase.

If you are coming for the picnic only, arrive anytime after noon. Grilling will start a bit later - when most have returned from the rides.

Who was Andrew Spiller?

In 1989, RBC started its annual Challenge Ride, giving attendees an opportunity to rack up as many miles as possible over a 24 hour period. There were loop routes and a central location to socialize and snack between rides.

Andrew was an RBC member in the late 1980s-early 1990s. He married Rose just 10 months before his tragic death at age 26 (June 1992). While participating in a 24 hour race in Johnstown, NY, he was struck and killed by a drunk driver. His death had a big impact on many club members and the local cycling community. The RBC renamed the Challenge Ride in his honor.

Ann Carroll Lee recalled, “Andrew was on the Challenge Ride when we had several ultra marathon riders that would ride all night. When he started with the club, several of us got him through his first century ride and after that, the rest was history. He was hooked on long distance riding. After all these years, I still miss him.”

According to his wife Rose, “The idea behind the RBC Challenge Ride was to achieve a new personal best. During an RBC Challenge Ride, Andrew rode his first double (200 mile) ride. He qualified for the 100th anniversary of Paris Brest Paris (PBP) race by completing a series of brevets (timed rides) of 100k, 200k, 250k, and 600k in both 1990 and 1991. In August 1990, he completed the American version of PBP, Boston Montreal Boston. This served as a "warm up" before achieving his goal of official finisher at PBP August 1991. He qualified for the Race Across America RAAM cross country race in Johnstown, NY by completing that grueling race within 48 hours in Fall 1990. He encouraged everyone he met to push themselves to ride further than they ever had in the past. His love of bicycling was infectious. When he wasn't chasing his dream of pushing himself to become a better ultra marathon cyclist, he was crewing for others. So no matter how much or how little you have ridden in the past, the RBC Challenge ride is a day you can reach your own personal goals. The fact that this ride lives on so many years later is his legacy, ride on in his honor."

Jean Jaslow said, “You would have liked Andrew... he had a way of really being present for you. I remember some very hard rides with him in which we were all suffering. He was good at empathizing with you and not letting you feel inadequate when you were struggling. Andrew was a good rider, but I don't remember his great results so much. I recall more that he not only challenged himself, but he also stepped up to the challenges (cycling and non-cycling) that others presented to him. That is why I believe the Challenge Ride is a great way to honor him. Just as he met challenges in life, the event is an opportunity for cyclists to challenge themselves on the bike for one day.”

Mark Frank, President of RBC in 1992, was riding behind Andrew on that fateful night. He asked us to retrieve the tributes that he and Russell Jaslow wrote after the accident, which are below: