Help Us Honor Our Next Community Champion!

We are seeking three volunteers to help us identify and select a community champion for the club to honor. These volunteers will work together to establish specific criteria for the award, carefully review all candidates, choose the most deserving winner, and then present the award at our upcoming annual Winter Gathering. This is a meaningful opportunity to celebrate someone who has made a significant impact within our cycling community.

We truly need everyone’s support to nominate and recognize a community champion who has shown outstanding service and commitment to our cycling community. If you know of an individual who exemplifies these qualities and deserves acknowledgment, please do not hesitate to contact our awards team with your suggestions.

History
Twenty years ago, back in 2005, John Dahl became the first recipient of Rosemount Cycling’s “Crash of the Year Award,” a somewhat infamous honor. This award was then given to Aaron Koderick in 2006, Orson Burton in 2007, and Doug Blomker in 2008. Fortunately, the award was not needed again until 2016, when Bob Ashton received it, and then again in 2018, when Todd Sicard was the recipient. In 2023, the club decided to retire this award after it was given one last time to Dave Scheerer and Cory Wagner for the crashes they both experienced in 2022.

Wanting to shift the focus from unfortunate accidents to positive contributions, the club introduced a new award. Jack Conrad proposed the idea of the “Friend of Cycling and Cyclists Award,” which recognizes positive achievements that support and strengthen our community. The first recipient of this new award was Dave Donovan, who generously donated several bicycles to Ukrainian-refugee families living in Eagan. Jack Conrad presented this inaugural award at our Winter Gathering, symbolizing a new tradition of celebrating uplifting accomplishments.

2024 Friend of Cycling and Cyclists Award presented to Dave Donovan by Jack Conrad at our Winter Gathering.