Welcome to our Ride Leaders profile page. It’s our hope these brief profiles will increase the familiarity with our ride leaders and will make our club members more at ease when they consider whether to join a specific club ride. Click on a rider leaders button for more info.
Name:
Al Barrios
Hometown:
Van Nuys, CA
Years As a Member of Hickory Velo Club:
21 years
Cycling Level:
D with minimal E-Assist. Can Achieve C with lots of E-Assist and shorter distances.
My First Bike:
Can’t remember that far back to the year, make or model but it was a used Schwinn Stingray knock off made in Japan that I bought with my own money mowing lawns and washing cars.
What I Ride Most Often Today:
2019 Orbea Gain M20. Class 1 E-Assist bike.
Why I Ride:
As I get older, this is a great way to stay active with the least amount of impact on my body. I also enjoy group rides to share my passion for cycling with my friends I ride with.
My Most Memorable Ride:
Riding on the Great Allegheny Passage from Downtown Pittsburg to Cumberland, MD. Then continue the ride on the C&O Canal Towpath from Cumberland, MD to Washington D.C. all on the rails to trails bike path. 336 miles. Beautiful country with lots of history to experience and admire.
The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received About Cycling:
Learn how to use and shift your gears to make your riding more efficient and enjoyable. That said, if you are not enjoying your bike rides, you are doing something wrong.
Join A Ride I’m Leading If…
You enjoy a casual ride. Most of all, let’s have fun and ride safe.
Name:
Robert (Bob) Lindsey
Hometown:
Mill Hall, PA
Years as a member of HVC :
4
Cycling Level :
D, and C on a good day.
My first bike:
It was a banana bike, long seat, high handlebar, no idea what brand. My first 10 speed, was a Columbia, which I got when I was 14 (I think).
What I ride most often today:
BMC Road Machine Three (road). I also have a Motobecane – Century Pro (gravel bike), and an Intense – Sniper (full suspension mountain bike).
Why I ride:
I ride mostly to keep myself in shape, but I also ride for the social aspect, riding with friends, and having good conversation. I also ride to relieve stress, and unwind. I sometimes do rides alone on my MTB Bike in the woods, which clears my mind.
My Most Memorable Ride:
My most memorable rides were my RAGBRAI rides, acronym for the “Register’s Great Ride Across Iowa”. I’ve done 5 of them, and they were a blast! It was like a rolling party, all the way! Second would be all the MS rides I’ve done, ~21 of them. I would like to think I helped make a difference in fighting, and finding a cure for MS!
Best advice I’ve ever received about cycling:
Always wear a helmet!… and always have fun! A beer afterwards is a necessity in my book!
Join A Ride I’m in If… :
You want to talk and catch up, you want to challenge yourself, as I often do, and have fun while doing it!!
Name:
Chris Titsworth
Hometown:
Portland, Or.
Years As a Member of Hickory Velo Club:
1
Cycling Level:
Depends on the day, but I’m usually floating somewhere in the C range.
My First Bike:
Can’t remember if I was 7 or 8 when I got my first bike, but I’ll never forget that bike. It was a fire engine red Schwinn Stingray. It had big ol handle bars and a banana seat. You could ride 3 people on that thing. One on the seat, one on the handle bars, and me standing up and pedaling. Sometimes the bike had paper bags on the handlebars and sometimes it had cards in the spokes. Didn’t matter, that bike was cool, it was freedom. I still get the exact same sense of freedom when I ride my bike today as I did way back when I was a kid. I love it.
What I Ride Most Often Today:
My current ride is a Specalized Roubaix. It’s comfy like a recliner.
Why I Ride:
Riding a bike is the most fun one can have without getting into trouble.*
My Most Memorable Ride:
Every ride is my most memorable ride.
The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received About Cycling:
Do yourself a favor and get a fender.
Join A Ride I’m Leading If…
Come ride with me if you want to go for a ride. I’m easy going. You wanna stop for a minute, we can stop for a minute. You wanna bomb a hill, we can bomb a hill. As long as we’re all safe and having a good time, the ride will figure itself out.
Name:
David Metz
Hometown:
Haddonfield, NJ
Occupation:
I retired at the end of 2022 from a 40-year career in media and marketing.
Years As a Member of Hickory Velo Club:
4
Cycling Level:
On a good day, on a downhill route with a tailwind, D+ (~15 mph avg).
My First Bike:
A used, green, 10-speed Ross Eurosport! It was awesome!
What I Ride Most Often Today:
In late 2025, I invested in a Trek Madone. It replaced my 20-year-old Cannondale Synapse, which itself had replaced my 20-year-old Fuji Team.
Why I Ride:
Mostly it’s about freedom and camaraderie, but I also love the fresh air, the exhilaration of going fast downhill, and the opportunity to experience new places and make new friends.
My Most Memorable Ride:
The MS City to Shore Ride, a charity ride that bisects New Jersey – from Cherry Hill to Ocean City. I’ve done the century route eleven times! Each year, I am fortunate to reconnect with some amazing friends from the Northeast, who I met through the event.
The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received About Cycling:
In 1997, my Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team-in-Training coach told me to make sure to take the time to look around and enjoy the view from the seat of the bicycle, particularly after summiting a major climb.
Join A Ride I’m Leading If…
You enjoy a good laugh (or two or three) to go along with your mileage.
Name:
Jeffrey Katz
Hometown:
Long Beach, NY
Years As a Member of Hickory Velo Club: 15 years
Cycling Level:
D/D-
My First Bike:
The first bicycle that I bought was a Trek Madone in 2008
What I Ride Most Often Today:
I am riding a Pinarello Nytro Gravel most often these days.
Why I Ride:
Riding is a great way to keep in shape. There is always the thrills of the downhills and the challenges of the uphills. We also have a great cycling community which to ride with.
My Most Memorable Ride:
I did an MS 150 ride with my son and his cycle community in Boston, MA. I had never rode that far in two days. It was a personal challenge plus a good way to raise money for a great cause.
The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received About Cycling:
As I was learning how to cycle, the best advice I got was to sit up on the uphills so you can take in lots of air. That advice has served me well climbing as there are no flat courses around Hickory.
Join A Ride I’m Leading If…
You are a beginner rider or one who wants to go out, have some fun, and not get beaten down by the ride.
Name:
Ken Albrecht
Hometown:
I’ve called Hickory, NC home since 1985. Before that, I made the move down from New Jersey in 1980 and never looked back.
Years with HVC:
5 years
Cycling Level:
Depends on the day, C for a chill or recovery ride, B when I feel like pushing a bit, and A on a really good day—usually as long as I can stay in the draft.
My First Bike:
A classic banana bike—long seat, high handlebars, small front wheel—doing endless circles in the driveway. My first real road bike came in the 1970s: a 10-speed Paris Sport.
What I Ride Now:
Road: Pinarello X7
Gravel: Basso Palta
MTB: Transition Spur
Cyclocross: Giant TCX Pro 0
Why I Ride:
I got into cycling in 2012 while training for obstacle course racing. I had a mountain bike, but needed more volume, so I started road riding on a borrowed bike—and that was it. I fell headfirst into the cycling world.
These days I ride for the fellowship, the conversations, meeting new riders, and being outside. I’ve still got a competitive streak too and race cyclocross in the fall.
Most Memorable Ride:
My very first road ride—climbing Highway 181 from Adako Road to Jonas Ridge. About 27 miles with 3,000 feet of climbing. The downhill afterward was… let’s just say memorable and a little terrifying.
Best Cycling Advice I’ve Received:
Huge thanks to Pete Cramer for getting me connected with Hickory Velo Club.
Join One of My Rides If…
You like variety—climbing, pushing yourself a bit, gravel, or cruising through some gorgeous scenery on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
