Meet our Board

Our Board: Meet the Team

Bruce Law

President

Bruce has been an avid rider since he was 7 years old. His professional life was as a commercial photographer. And now he is continuing coaching education and certification. But instead of listing what he’s done, he would rather talk about why he rides…this is his story:

"I’m a cyclist and I think cycling is a metaphor for life. What is it when riding a bike isn’t just an activity to pass the time but is an obsession - not a way of life but perhaps a meaning of life? For me, riding a bike is not only about freedom or fitness, it’s about learning about myself. Goals, obstacles, challenges, wins, pain, losses, suffering and euphoria – moments I’ve had on the bike and can apply to living.

And like life, as we add years of riding we gain wisdom. In the ‘circle of life’, passing along our experiences and nuggets of wisdom to the younger is compelling. Instead of regaling in victories past and colossal failures, I have chosen the role of coach, to teach young cyclists not only how to ride a bike, but hopefully WHY to ride a bike."

Stephen Schwartz

Member at Large

Stephen has been an avid recreational cyclist for about 25 years. His professional background is as a litigation lawyer, with a practice that includes insurance and corporate litigation. In addition to cycling, Stephen enjoys backcountry skiing, hiking, canoeing etc.

Darrin Grund

Adult Membership

Andrew Mitchell

Member at Large

Andrew has been an enthusiastic cyclist for the past 40 years or so. He toughed it out in the winters of Northwestern Ontario for many of those years, coming to Vancouver several years ago. Since then, he's been a regular on the Saturday rides.. His professional background is in Geology and mine development. He is retired from a career working for both mining companies and the technical consultants that serve them covering projects in northwestern Ontario and in the arctic in Nunavut. With an abundance of spare time, he is piling on the miles cycling, running and alpine skiing.

Joseph Tam

Secretary

Joseph works in IT Administration at a large educational institution, and is a founding member of Escape Velocity. Since the Paleozoic era, when he became a member, he has held just about every role within the club, only resigning from them when members became aware he was no good

at any of them. He engages in many cycling activities, and what he lacks in competence, he makes up in enthusiasm.

Dave Fell

DEVO Youth Club Representative

Growing up in a sleepy northern town in the eighties cycling was a path to independence, camaraderie, and adventure for me and my crew of lycra-clad buddies. We learned cycling from a few magazines and the odd TDF news clips. No local clubs, races, or the internet to look things up (like should you wear underwear under bike shorts). When I came across the Devo program for my own son I was blown away. Coaches, mentors, races, loaner bikes, and a community of Escape Velocity members clearing the path for youth cycling. The places these kids will go ... thank you EV and Devo parents.

Carla Hudson Kam

DEVO Youth Mountain Bike Parent Representative

Stephane Deisle

Member at Large

Cycling is freedom. Whether 8 yrs old, or more than 50, cycling provides each of us with the freedom to explore, challenge ourselves and learn new things and meet new people. Road, gravel, mountain – no matter Stephane enjoys being on the bike.

As a professional who has worked at all levels of sport and event management, Stephane has been a long-time member of Escape Velocity largely due to the club being inclusive to those new to group riding and racing, it’s commitment to coaching for youth, and to the development of the sport through races.

“Cycling doesn’t have to be intimidating if you’re part of the right community. Escape Velocity has been proving this for decades ...”

A History of our Club

The legend of what we now call the Team Escape Velocity Cycling Club (plus DEVO) is long and storied. What follows is a silly precis.

Normally, one begins at the beginning, but that may be the hardest place to start. When EV began, it wasn't EV at all, it was the Bike Cellar's bike club. That was in 1989.

Then in 1991, more or less, the founding members mostly left the Bike Cellar to form their own club, Escape Velocity. Club elder Michael Haywood shares this tale:

I pulled out of my driveway onto Pemberton Meadows Road on the weekend, with my wife in her usual spot hard on my rear wheel. Joe Tam’s favourite spot. Up the road was a solitary rider and we soon rode past her. She and Heather started talking, while I slaved away up front.

I was not paying much attention until I heard the visitor to our miniature pace line say, “I invented the name of your club, you know.” The pace-lining ended as I sat up to join the conversation.

Her story was that she, Alistair Barret (first club president, I think, and three in line prior to me) and two others were sitting around a kitchen table. The club was about to evolve from The Bike Cellar to something new. Alistair had liked the word “escape”, which makes sense if you know Alistair. She suggested velocity, as a combination of Velo and City. And the rest was history.

We later rode up to her spouse, who she met through their mutual membership in the club. He insisted on a slightly different story, but I like hers better.

Our Board: Text

One of our early club presidents sporting the jersey at that time.

Our Board: Image

ESCAPE VELOCITY/DEVO DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION POLICY

Escape Velocity/DEVO is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Our members are the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our members invest in our club represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation.

We embrace and encourage our members’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our members unique.

Escape Velocity/DEVO’s diversity initiatives are applicable—but not limited—to our practices on recruitment and selection of coaches and volunteers, compensation, development, training and ongoing development of an environment built on the premise of gender and diversity equity that encourages and enforces:

Respectful communication and cooperation between all members.
Teamwork and participation, permitting the representation of all groups and member perspectives.
Contributions to the racing community to promote a greater understanding and respect for diversity.

All members have a responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect at all times. All members are expected to exhibit conduct that reflects inclusion during practices and events.

Any member found to have exhibited any inappropriate conduct or behavior against others may be subject to disciplinary action.

Members who believe they have been subjected to any kind of discrimination that conflicts with EV’s diversity policy and initiatives should seek assistance from the Board of Directors or Executive Director.