2024 Hawai‘i Bicycling League
Executive Committee of the Board
Gary Gill
PRESIDENT
“As a bicycle advocate and commuter for decades, I have served on the HBL board for the past few years and am eager to continue this important work for another term. Way back In 1969, I attended a bike rally in Honolulu as a kid on a single-speed and have been a dedicated cyclist ever since. As a member of the City Council in the 1980’s I introduced and saw passed the measure that created the Bicycling Coordinator position for Honolulu. Much later, while working for a community-based nonprofit, I helped create KVIBE (Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange), an organization that continues to train and motivate young riders in urban Honolulu. As the State’s Environmental Health Director, I helped to secure public funding to start the BIKI bike share system in Honolulu. In the coming years, I hope to continue to advocate for the expansion of a safe bike transportation system in Honolulu and work to make the Hawaii Bicycling League even more effective in fulfilling its mission.”
Patricia Johnson
Vice President
“As a kid growing up in Southern California, I had an adult sized womens Schwin my Dad had adapted with wooden blocks on the pedals where I had to ride standing up. I would ride for hours with my buddies, free and without supervision. I still remember the joy of those rides! At age 62, in 2006, Lance Amstrong inspired me to get a bicycle, and needless to say, I got hooked. I have ridden 74,00 miles since then.
In 2007 I moved to Hawaii to care for my mother. I met some great people cycling in Hawaii who together with me started the Red Hot Ladies Cycling Club and two HBL rides, Monday’s Start the Week Off Right and Kailua for Brunch, that continue to grow in popularity. My interest in expanding the role of cycling in Hawaii took me to becoming a League Cycling Instructor, joining the HBL Board in 2016 and to currently serve as the Vice President of the Board and a member of the Nominating committee. The highlight of my week is welcoming new and renewing members of HBL and discussing the great work HBL is accomplishing.
Going forward I am committed to growing our membership and establishing a robust fund raising committee. I will work with the board and our Executive Director to enhance the effectiveness and results of HBL for all of our members.”
Norb Buelsing
Treasurer
“I’ve had the good fortune of being able to enjoy many years of bike riding in Hawaii with occasional week-long mainland rides. Apart from the beneficial exercise, biking is a sport shared with my two children. I’ve been an HBL member for several decades, with my initial HBL event being the 1982 Century Ride.
I’m retired from my career at Alexander & Baldwin, where I was President of A&B Properties. While at A&B I had the memorable opportunity to work with John Kelley, who regularly shared his enthusiasm for HBL.
I attended the University of Cincinnati following graduation from Roosevelt High School and have served on the Boards of the, Manoa Valley Theater, Historic Hawaii Foundation, Diocese of Honolulu Land Asset Management & Acquisition Committee and Waialae Ridgeline Association.
I envision numerous opportunities for HBL to expand its reach to community members throughout Hawaii. Biking has a low “cost of entry”; it can be a shared or solo activity and Hawaii offers perfect year-round biking weather. I’m also interested in expanding the network of bike lanes and paths to encourage new bike commuters and recreational riders.”
Pattie Dunn
Secretary
Interest in cycling and HBL: I used to commute by bicycle to UH-Manoa as a student. I didn’t get back on my bike until I turned 50 and someone foolishly suggested that I try doing triathlons. I discovered I have a fear of open deep water, don’t like to run but loved being on the bicycle. I had a wonderful coach in Eve DeCoursey, former Executive Director of HBL and wanted to be like Eve in her passion to make bicycling doable for everyone. As a result, I helped to co-found the Red Hot Ladies ride group for women 50+, helped to establish the UH-Manoa bicycle committee, a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Bicycling.
Goals as a HBL Board Member: I see more and more cyclist on the roads not just as athletes but as commuters. I don’t want to be one of those people who commiserate on how bad the roads are and how un- safe it is for cyclist. I want to make a difference and serving on the board of directors of HBL is one of the ways I can do this. I want to see HBL as a strong voice for all cyclist in the state. An inclusive rather exclusive organization.
2024 Board MemberS
Bob Bengtson
I have been a member of the Hawaii Bicycling League for 25 years. I have actively supported the organization as a volunteer and served on the Board of Directors for much of that time. As a past President, I continue to volunteer because I believe very strongly in the importance of HBL’s mission to educate cyclists of all ages and advocate for safer streets for everyone. I have served on several committees, the Events and Advocacy committees, and I am presently serving as the Chairperson of the J. B. Kelley Endowment Fund committee. I am seeking re-election to the Board of Directors to continue the important work of managing the Endowment Fund and to actively support the mission of HBL.
Ina Chang
I love biking! So much so that I’ve biked the 600-mile perimeter of Taiwan, conquered the 34-mile Taiwan KOM and Cycle to the Sun. When Biki came to Hawaii, I helped them build awareness by biking the entire 2018 Honolulu Century Ride on a Biki! Friends still call me the Biki Girl or sometimes Ina Biki Chang. In 2020, I was instrumental in organizing HBL’s #SafeUs Bike Team. We rode as a 10-person team to raise awareness of the 3-Feet Safe Passing Law as part of a Rally on the Capitol. I am the President of Aloha Data, the mother of 3 wonderful children, sit on numerous boards, fluent in Chinese, and an expert in Chinese calligraphy.
Why I would like to join the HBL Board: I would like to bring my passion for bicycling and energy to the Hawaii Bicycling League to help it grow its impact on the community and enable more women to bike.
Geoffrey Hamilton
“My interest in continuing to participate on the HBL Board stems from:
My passion for biking for the sheer joy of just doing it, whatever biking activity it is. I’ve done the Dick Evans, the Pedal to the Meadow, and the Cycle to the Sun multiple times. I’ve done the two HBL Century rides for perhaps 15 years. I’ve done a Backroads bike trip to Italy. I biked with Tradewinds Cycling Team for years (and that took “plenty time”, since I was probably the slowest team member…………way, way off the back); and,
My passion for making biking safer, easier and more popular in Hawaii. That’s my motivation for my participation in HBL. I went on the Board in 2012, just after a poor girl was killed on her bike by a Robert’s Bus turning right on to Dillingham. Since then I’ve been the President of the Board for two years and the “resident” attorney on the Board. I am proud of all the tangible HBL accomplishments since then…..the growing grid of bike lanes, the fourth grade bike ed program, Chad’s focus on advocacy on bike safety issues, etc.; and,
My passion for the internal “blossoming” of HBL. That’s actually happened since I have been on the Board. There were many dark, dire days years ago, and we have come a long ways back from near extinction. I hope I contributed to that, and I look forward to continuing to contribute in the future. My specific, and thus far unique, contribution to the HBL Board is my legal skills, which, thankfully, are vastly better than my bike skills. I am recognized nationally in “Best Lawyers in America” and “Super Lawyers”, and in the venerable world wide rating service Martindale- Hubbell, as a “Preeminent Lawyer”.
Thanks for the opportunity!”
Brian Moriki
“A lifelong cyclist, I began as a young bicyclist in Kaneohe where, cycling was our primary mode of transportation and networking. My zeal for cycling has continued to this day and I’ve participated in Hawaili Bicycling League Century rides from the early 70s. Back then, HBL was a “community centric” organization and the Century Ride was the premier ride for locals. I would like to assist growing the HBL community through expanding the number of bicycle rides large and small. I feel I can provide HBL a boost of energy through my networking, advocacy, and organizational skills. I would like to promote Hawaii as a safe environment for cycling by advocating infrastructure improvements to our existing roadways, expansion of bike lanes/paths, and making it safe for all.
I am recently retired after 32 years as an AVP of Records Management for First Hawaiian Bank. I still have that “fire in my belly” and would like to share that “passion” to HBL and cycling. I’ve assisted with the ADA Tour de Cure in Hawaii and Seattle received recognition as a fundraising “champion” for their cause. I’ve held leadership positions in ARMA International (i.e. Information Governance Association) locally, regionally, and Internationally, and have assisted with the Business Education curriculum at Leeward Community College.”
Mel Nakahata
“Aloha Hawaii Bicycling League Members,
Thank you for allowing me to have served you as a board member for the past three terms (6 years). I am proud to be involved with the Hawaii Bicycling League, and I am impressed by the progress we have made towards making Hawaii a safer, fun place to ride. We have challenges to overcome for which I want to be a part of.
I grew up in the era of the Schwinn StingRay bicycle in the late 60’s. I remember my father taking my twin brother and I to our LBS, Eki’s Cyclery at Ala Moana Center, to choose the color of our bicycles. I choose red! I want to impart that same (red-hot) passion of freedom that cycling gives to our members and potential members. My love for cycling has influenced me to pursue my career in business management in the bicycle industry. My curriculum at UH was Travel Industry Management, but seeing people’s excitement in cycling is more enjoyable. I am the General Manager at The Bike Shop. I have been working for Faye Saiki since 1987. Faye is one of three founders of the Hawaii Bicycling League. The Bike Shop’s mission for you is identical to HBL’s, and I want to continue this legacy. I have been a business member for 10 years.
My efforts for HBL will include, but not limited to the following areas. Events are a big part of HBL. I have supported and volunteered religiously for these events: Annual Membership dinner, Haleiwa Metric Century Ride, Zachary Manago’s Memorial Ride, and Honolulu Century Ride, Bike Month, and bike lane maintenance. I have directly helped increase membership through providing memberships with bicycle purchases, and always mention HBL in conversation with new customers. My three stores are in direct communication with HBL members. My stores participate in HBL’s membership benefit discount purchase program. I am a League Certified Instructor, and have provided safety and repair clinics for both HBL members and non-members. I have guided HBL rides with the focus on fun and safety. I am involved in advocacy, which includes attending City council hearings, and obtaining testimonies from my co-workers and customers in support of bills supporting cycling. I always wave or ping my bell to other cyclists on the road. I follow the rules of the road to gain respect from other road users, even though they honk and tell me otherwise.
Please allow me to continue to volunteer as an HBL board member in our quest to reach our goals.”
Kyle Paredes
Interest in cycling and HBL: Mountain Bike/ BMX
Goals as a HBL Board Member: As a mountain bike professional and BMX advocate, I want to bring a new and fresh perspective to the HBL team. My ultimate goal is to unify the cycling community and create a stronger voice no matter what discipline you desire. I would also like to add to the HBL Mission: to get more people to ride bicycles for health, recreation and transportation by making Hawaii’s streets, PATHWAYS, PARKS, AND TRAIL ACCESS safer through advocacy, education and events.
Frank Smith
“For many years my goal has been to save the planet with bicycles and the HBL is the key actor to do just that. Think globally, act locally. Let’s get more people on bikes! Bikes offer so many benefits: economic, fitness, fun, ecology, just to mention a few. Hawaii should be an example to the world.
I will continue to ride my bike and to do some of the less glamorous HBL volunteer work like picking up trash in Waimanalo and calling lapsed members to encourage them to renew. Since the late 1970’s I have been involved with the HBL so I can offer a historical perspective. After selling Island Triathlon & Bike I have been refurbishing bikes at the Men’s Shed and donating them to folks who truly need a bike for transportation. I look forward to many more miles in the saddle and to a great future for the HBL.”
Jeremy Smith
Although my bike was once my source of freedom as a teen without a driver’s license, I forgot how much I liked riding until recently. While living in Japan following a typhoon I discovered that commuting via bike was faster than dealing with traffic and a decent workout at the same time. Like most hobbies I started out riding what I had (1992 Giant Kashmir) and quickly upgraded to something more suitable. After a few months of riding nearly every day, I started looking for more cycling opportunities in my free time. Fortunately, Japan, although very busy, is bike friendly and there are plenty of places to ride.
When I moved to Hawaii in 2021 I had no intention of getting back into the bike restoration business, but found that the number of bikes going to the dump here was intolerable. Just as I had done in Japan- I started restoring bikes. I established KailuaBike working out of my garage and in just over a year I’ve saved nearly 200 bikes from the landfill and sold them back to the community for a slight profit to cover the costs of supply purchases and to facilitate giving kids bikes (<20″) away for free.