Member of the Month for July 2012

Debbie Bauml has been a Wheelmen member for over ten years and has been a Training Ride Leader for several of the Club’s Road Riding classes. When Debbie started riding with the Wheelmen, she had a heavy steel bike with a kickstand! She now rides a very nice black Calfee. Don Schwartz, one of the Wheelmen founding members, took Debbie under his wing in her early riding years and helped her develop into the very strong rider she is today.

Debbie started riding when she took a bicycle education class in 1999 to learn how to ride a bike on the road and change a flat so she could take her Girl Scout Troop bicycling. She quickly caught the bicycling bug and started riding with the Wheelmen and the San Antonio Trailblazers. She then became the Merit Badge Counselor for the Boy Scout Troop at her church and has helped a number of Scouts earn their Bicycling Merit Badge. She is equally good at coaching new riders when they do their first hills keeping up with the fast crowd when doing a long ride.

Fast rides of 50+ miles are Debbie’s favorite cycling challenges. She particularly enjoys riding with her friends. One of her most memorable rides was the fifth time she traveled to Arizona for the 109 mile El Tour de Tucson. That year she received a certificate for being the first woman rider from Texas to cross the finish line. She was also a Platinum rider at El Tour de Tucson one year which meant she was one of the fastest women in the race that year and got to start up front (with the pro riders) the following year. That is a major cycling accomplishment!

Debbie and her husband Bob have been married for 31 years and have three children: Allison 26, and twins Emily and Tony 20. She grew up in San Antonio and graduated from UTSA with a degree in Health and Physical Education.

In addition to riding her bicycle, Debbie enjoys gardening and running. She is currently training to run her third SA Rock n Roll Marathon in November. She also enjoys fishing and hunting with her husband Bob. Look for Debbie at a future Wheelmen ride. She will be the rider with a blond ponytail, a great looking Calfee and a big smile.