NMTS Club Information
The New Mexico Touring Society (NMTS) has been an Albuquerque institution for over 40
years. Our principal focus is to encourage recreational cycling ranging from the near to the
faraway on road bikes or mountain bikes. We are a chartered club having both By-Laws and
Policies. The following provides general information and links.
- The New Mexico Touring Society is a League of
American Bicyclists (LAB) affiliated recreational bicycling club consisting of bicyclists of
all ages and abilities, engaging in both road and mountain bicycling activities.
- The NMTS schedules member-led daily and multiple
day trips of varying distances and difficulties.
- The NMTS encourages local bicycle advocacy to
further bicycling opportunities and safety.
- Ride with supplemental insurance on all club rides!
- Create your own club rides, gain access to the entire website, which includes member stats and member news, back issues of the newsletter, and more—and it's even accessible on your phone!
- Receive the NMTS monthly newsletter, the
Freewheel, that lists monthly rides and other good bicycling activity information.
- Travel to out-of-town locations and be a part of a bicycling group,
e.g., Santa Fe Century, Enchanted Circle Century, etc.
- Participate in weekly rides as a participant in
friendly, non-competitive bike rides. Become part of the club.
- Be eligible to attend the annual memberAwards Banquet, Christmas
party and Volunteer Appreciation party (for ride leaders and helpers) and other social events.
- Be eligible to purchase snazzy NMTS jerseys, shorts
and socks when they are available.
- Be eligible for the annual rider (male and female)
of the year awards.
- Be eligible to borrow or rent club equipment like
bike boxes, BOB trailer, etc.
- Post For-Sale/Wanted classifieds of your used bicycling equipment or accessories on the NMTS
website. It works!
- Anyone who supports club activities by volunteering (Ride Leader, Santa Fe Century Rest
Stop, making a presentation at a monthly meeting, etc.) will receive club-purchased
participation incentives, subject to availability.
- NMTS Membership runs for a year beginning with the
month we receive your dues and is renewed annually on that month.
- NMTS dues are collected each year on the month you joined the club. If you provide a correct email address to us when you join, you will receive an email renewal reminder.
- You may sign up online or download, print, fill out and mail us a membership application with your check. Renewals may be done online.
- If you have a question about your membership
status, email the treasurer at treasurer@nmts.org.
The NMTS has the following equipment available for
use on club rides. The shipping cases and BOB trailer, etc. can be used
for other rides.
- B.O.B. Trailer
- 2 Hard-sided Bicycle shipping cases.
- 2 Coolers
- 3 Water Jugs
- First Aid Kit
- Tool Kit
- Small Bike Work Stand (holds rear wheel off the ground)
- Floor Pumps
- Front and Rear Panniers
The New Mexico Touring Society encourages and
expects its members to obey all state and municipal traffic laws (See Obeying Traffic Laws [PDF]). The State of New Mexico and the City of
Albuquerque require bicyclists to obey all traffic laws that apply to motor vehicles. Also NMTS is a
member of the League of American Bicyclists, which advocates that bicyclists obey traffic laws. The
Albuquerque Traffic Code Subsection 16.5 states the traffic regulations that apply to persons riding
bicycles:
A. Operators of bicycles have the same rights
as operators of automobiles in the use of streets,
highways, and roadways within the City of Albuquerque, except as
otherwise specifically provided herein.
B. Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be subject to all
duties applicable to the drivers of motor vehicles, except otherwise expressly provided in this
article and except which by their nature can have no applications of this article to which a
motorist is subject.
- The responsibilities of riders and expected rider etiquette are explained
in this PDF.
- The annual membership dues are $20 for an individual and $25 for a family. More information..
- Annually the NMTS recognizes club members who have made outstanding contributions or
significant achievement by recurring and special awards. The Awards committee submits their
recommendations to the Board of Directors and with their concurrence, the President presents
the awards at the annual Volunteers and Awards banquet. More information on the process
and specific awards may be found at NMTS Awards.
- The Ride & Mileage Chairman tabulates total miles ridden as reported voluntarily by the
member and as agreed to by the Chair using Strava for example: Club Miles Program..
- The Ride & Mileage Chairman tabulates total miles ridden as reported voluntarily by the
member and as agreed to by the Chair using Strava for example: Total Miles Program..
- The policy discusses ride rating and responsibilities of ride leaders to assure a safe, enjoyable
ride with the group’s capability. A fuller discussion may be found at Ride Rating Guidelines.
- The club assets exist for member’s free use as a feature of club membership. The policy
regarding borrowing and responsibilities may be found be at Borrowing Club Owned Equipment.
- The NMTS sponsors cycling and social events utilizing club funds. This policy establishes the
process to reimburse reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. Typically the Board of Directors will
work with event organizers to establish a budget and the treasurer may draw funds in advance.
This policy details both distribution of planned costs and reimbursement for unplanned. More
information may be found at Expense Reimbursement Policy.
- The Freewheel may at the editor’s discretion include paid advertisement. The policy may be
found at Paid Advertisements.
- The NMTS will publicize cycling related events such as Century Rides and so on. However,
commercial events such as publicly offered sales will not be publicized. The Board of Directors
will evaluate and approves commercial events such as sales exclusive to the NMTS membership
as discussed at Publicizing Commercial Offers.
- The policy governing who may sign checks for the NMTS bank account may be found at Bank
Signatories .
President
- Leads monthly meetings. Responsible for coordinating meeting refreshments, setting
up the meeting area, calling the meeting to order, making
announcements, introducing the guest speaker.
- Makes policy decisions, issues club
official statements and letters, schedules board meetings when the need
arises.
- Proposes annual budget.
- Delegates responsibility for major events: Gila
Inner Loop Super Tour, Annual Volunteer and Awards Banquet events, Christmas Party.
Vice President
- Takes the President's duties when he/she is
absent.
- Schedules monthly programs.
Secretary
- Takes, records and preserves minutes of monthly membership meetings and Board board
meetings which are submitted to the Freewheel editor for publication in the
Freewheel. He/she shall maintain a record of NMTS policy decisions and interpretations
made by the Board of Directors.
Treasurer
- Manages the club's finances, deposits membership
payments, issues checks to reimburse authorized expenses.
- Processes membership applications and renewals.
- Manages the club's membership list.
- Keeps the club's LAB membership dues, insurance,
and other recurring expense payments up to date.
- Prints and mails the monthly Freewheel newsletter to a restricted group of members.
- Maintains ride waivers, checks, and other
documents for 5 years.
- Issues monthly treasury summary reports to the President and to the Freewheel Editor for publication in the Freewheel.
Freewheel Editor
- Collects ride information from the Ride
Chairman, ride mileage information from the Mileage
Chairman, ride recaps from ride leaders, advertisements from sponsors, and members, and other useful information.
- Formats the Newsletter.
- Submits the Newsletter to the Treasurer for printing and mailing to the restricted
group of members.
- Posts the newsletter on the web site and sends an alert email to members.
- The newsletter will be published by the 7th day of the month. The submission deadline is the
5th day of the month.
Ride Chairman
- Reviews and approves one-time and recurringrides submitted on the web site.
- Provides training, guidance and advice as needed on ride leader duties and responsibilities.
- Coordinates safe ride routes with the Safety Chairman as needed.
Government Advocates
- Attends meetings of cycling related groups such
as GASP!, GABAC, and NM Highway Department meetings.
- Reports minutes to the Freewheel editor and
gives a summary at Board and monthly membership meetings.
Mileage Chairman
- CAdministers the Club Miles and Total Miles programs as described in their program policy
documents.
- Prepares and submits monthly mileage reports to the Freewheel editor for publication in the
Freewheel.
WebMaster
- The Webmaster is responsible for maintaining the database tables, code, and features that
comprise the NMTS website. He/she shall add or remove features to the website as directed
by the Board.
Safety Chairman
- The Safety Chairman shall organize, call for and direct meetings of the NMTS Safety
Committee.
- Attend or designate an attendee of other organizations’ bicycling safety-related meetings.
- Publicize via the NMTS publications and website safety-related tips, guidelines and
information.
- Coordinate with the Ride Chairman on safe ride route planning.
At-Large Members
- The two At-Large Board Member positions have no specific duties. Instead, they provide
an opportunity for NMTS members to participate in the official conduct of NMTS business
without having to commit to the duties of one of the specific positions listed previously.
Member, League of American Bicyclists
Website design and coding by Robert Brueckner
Stat box backgrounds by Barb Titus and sometimes the Webmaster
NEW
MEXICO
TOURING
SOCIETY
