On Wednesday, September 2, 2009, at approximately 4:40 p.m, I was traveling southbound on Cropsey Avenue in Brooklyn, NY, on my Suzuki Boulevard C-90. In what seemed less than a second, I went from riding my bike on a wide 3 lane street to eating asphalt. It happened so fast I still can't process exactly what happened.

As I lay on the ground not knowing which parts of my body were broken or would never work again, all I could think of was; what did I do wrong? Did I give it too much gas too quickly? Did I hit an oil slick? Did I momentarily fall asleep? What in the world did I do that led from my being on my bike to my being on the street?

As the EMTs were evaluating me I heard people telling them that someone rear ended me and took off. I was a hit and run victim. I felt, at the very least, I did not do anything "wrong."

By now you are probably wondering what does this have to do with being President of Chairiders? Glad you asked. Chairiders is committed to safe riding which includes taking the ERC on a regular basis and wearing safety gear at all times. As a result of my involvement with Chairiders I am a safer and better rider.

I would also like to encourage all of our members to wear safety gear at ALL times. If I wasn't wearing my Kevlar reinforced jacket I would hate to think how many layers of skin I would have left on Cropsey Avenue. And if not for my helmet, I doubt very much if I would be here to share this with you.

With Labor Day weekend only days away, I was faced with the choice: do I stay home or do I travel to the Gray Ghost Inn where I had reservations for a meet and greet weekend? I opted to join my fellow Chairiders in VT. And in spite of all my pain, it was a great decision. The emotional, physical and psychological support that I received over the weekend was priceless.

And this goes to the very heart of the club. Any club or organization is only as good as its members. Chairiders is committed to Jewish traditions and practices. One of the underlying themes is doing acts of Chesed, kindness. Whether its participating in rides and raising money for various Jewish causes, helping to clean-up an abandoned cemetery so relatives can visit their deceased friends/relatives, riding to different parts of our great country in support of the R2R, participating in the Salute to Israel Parade, or simply helping a fellow member get up from a chair. This is what we are all about.

In closing I would like to encourage ALL members to get involved and stay involved. There was an increase of activities this past year and that was due to members organizing more rides and more activities.

So let's keep the positive energy moving forward and best wishes to all for a Happy, Healthy, and Safe New Year.

-- David H., Chai Riders President