You have probably seen Andy Hinck and one of his two sons riding a tandem on some of the Wheelmen rides. Andy has been a wheelmen member for six years and is currently the Ride Committee Chair. You can thank him for all the great rides we have, for finding ride starters and for working to upgrade some of our older ride maps. He is also a ride starter and normally starts the Comfort ride plus other rides on occasion.

Andy does two totally distinct types of riding. He does recreational riding with the Wheelmen and commutes to work via bicycle. The bike he uses for Wheelmen rides is an older Trek carbon frame with a Campy Record Gruppo. For commuting he rides a Breakaway with a Campus Chorus Gruppo. His dream bike is a DeRosa Protos with a Campy Record Gruppo.

Here is Andy’s description of his riding experience. : “I have always ridden my bike – it started when I was a kid when I would ride around the area where my parents lived, both for fun and to deliver newspapers. I continued to ride my bike during college (when I had no other way to get around) – by the time I went to graduate school in Madison, WI, I finally got a car, but even then I didn’t use it much – primarily because Madison was so bike friendly; but also because the University had a policy of not issuing parking permits to students. I probably rode my bike least when I was a postdoc at the National Institute of Health (NIH), but over time I discovered some lightly traveled roads that would get me into Rock Creek Park, part of which is directly adjacent to the NIH campus on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington D.C. In the same manner, I also did not ride my bike much when I first came to San Antonio – however, over time I started riding with the Wheelmen about 6 years ago and really got back into it. I started riding my bike to work 4 years ago - part of my route is on the Leon Creek greenway, which I really like. I have taken my Breakaway along for trips to Germany (rode from Frankfurt to Berlin, from Berlin to Regensburg, and Regensburg back to Frankfurt, about 1000 miles), Switzerland, and most recently Montreal/Quebec City/Mont Tremblant.”

Andy says his favorite bike ride was from Ancortes, Washington to Victoria, Canada via the San Juan Islands. He also appears to be fond of riding in the Texas Hill Country particularly in the area northwest of Comfort.

Andy grew up near Seattle where he enjoyed outdoor activities such as high country hiking and sailing. He found opportunities for these activities to be limited in San Antonio, so gravitated toward cycling which is generally much better here. He says, “The Wheelmen are a great group for riding; the rides are safe, fun, sometimes challenging, and always worth the time, no matter how busy I am in ‘normal life’.”

Andy and his wife Cynthia have two sons: Garret who is 17 and Bennett who is 12. He used to ride the tandem with Garrett, but more recently has been riding it with Bennett. Looks like there will be another generation of Wheelmen riders in the Hinck family.

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San Antonio Wheelmen

We are San Antonio's premiere cycling organization for all people in and around the San Antonio area. SAW provides cycling education, community outreach, and the passion of enthusiasts of all ages and skills who want to share in the rewarding experience of cycling.