Bill Blackford: President

Bill Blackford is originally from Lincoln, NE. He and his wife, Karen, moved back to SA in June 2010 after a nine year hiatus in the DFW area. Prior to that, they lived here four years. Bill and Karen have two children and five grandchildren.

After a twenty-year break, Bill took up road cycling again in 2005 in an effort to start a regular exercise program and to ward off type 2 diabetes, which runs in his family. His exercise program is working so far--he has not be diagnosed with diabetes. Since getting back into cycling, Bill has ridden many organized charity rides as well as the Hotter'N Hell 100 a few times and RAGBRAI in 2012. For the past 5 years, he's been a ride marshal for the San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon bike ride.

He joined the Wheelmen in May 2011 because he thought that joining a club was a great way to meet other rides develop some riding buddies. Bill decided to join SAW because he heard that it was the largest club in town and that SAW offered rides in various parts of the area.

His activities with the Wheelmen include serving as ride starter for the Woman Hollering Creek ride since 2012, serving as a committee chair for the 2013 Easter Hill Country Tour, and providing instruction for the Rider Education Series several times. Bill was elected President of the Wheelmen in January 2015.

Until recently, Bill rode a 1985 steel-frame Lotus. In 2015, part of the frame broke and he now rides a 2012 Cervelo R3. Bill says that he should have done that a long time ago!

Some of Bill's other activities and hobbies include reading (he's a history buff, mostly American but he's branching out) and volunteering for an adult literacy non-profit agency, Each One Teach One of San Antonio. He recently wrote a book of poetry (mostly silly stuff) titled Stop Me Before I Rhyme Again and he was an actor in community theaters in DFW for 5 years.