A Brief History of the Bike & Chowder Club

The club began in 1984 when three people started to take rides from Sis Warnke's "Dance Wear Shop" on Idaho St. In addition to Sis, other founding members were Bob Seidel and Dick Stark -- see photo of Sis and Dick at the 2001 Dona Ana County Senior Olympics.

The name of the club was suggested by Katie Stark, interestingly and perhaps significantly, a noncyclist. The name was voted on and accepted -- one of the few times the club has had a formal vote. The runner-up name was "The Recycled Cyclists" suggested by Bob Seidel.

In the first year the club added four more riders: Ruth Bendzuinas, Margaret Carnes, Alice Hill and Richard MacMillan. The club currently has about six dozen riders, and often has organized rides, sometimes even with designated leaders. Also, activities have expanded to include out of town tours, hikes, and even the production of a B&C Recipe book -- unfortunately now out of print.