Website History

Content, Design Growth

The years 2005–2006 saw the continuation of the 2002–2004 HTML-based website, with some key additions. A PHP-based Members Area was introduced, and a separate URL was launched for the SDBC Elite Team at sdbceliteteam.com. The rotating banner remained a prominent feature, and in 2006, a 60th anniversary logo appeared on the homepage alongside a strip of sponsor logos.

During this period, the rides page introduced three distinct A, B, C, C- and C++ group rides. It also began posting PDF files outlining “Ride & Safety Expectations,” various paceline and safety skills, and a list of “Do’s and Do Not’s.”

A description from the satride.html page

A Group: Fast-paced 50 mile group ride begins at 8:30 a.m. Fast pace with a little friendly competition along the way.

B Group: Fast-paced 50 mile group leaves just after the A group. Includes an extra re-grouping point. Includes a section dedicated to groups of 8-10 practicing rotating pacelines, but still a fast ride.

C- Group: A 22-mile, leisurely-paced ride passing into Sorrento Valley and on through Del Mar with frequent regroups and a rest stop at Java Depot. Return via the coast, including a climb up Torrey Pines Grade. A supportive and structured ride for those new to road biking and for those hoping to transition to the 'C' ride.

C++ Group: The C++ Group is oriented towards those individuals who have mastered our C Group and are perhaps not quite ready for our B Group or for those experienced cyclists who would like to "kick back" and ride with this very cohesive and fun group. This ride is more aggressive than the C Group but not as intimidating as the B Group. Whenever Goldilocks cycles with us, this is the ride she does, it is "not to hot" and "not too cold", it is "just right". As with the C Ride, we keep everyone together and if someone has a flat tire or such, we insure they are not left behind. Give it a try, you'll almost for sure enjoy it.

C Group: Slower-paced 35 mile group ride leaves at 8:45. Perfect for beginning racers learning to ride in a paceline and in a group. Riding tips provided by group leader. This ride has been split into 3 different groups (C-, C, C++) lately because of size and degree of ability & experience.

The August 2006 site announces the New “D” Group:

NEW "D" Group Cycling for Fun and Fitness Saturdays - 1-3 PM

Group cycling is a great way to become fit and have fun while doing so. This event is oriented towards beginners and casual cyclists. Bring any type of bike and any type of body (also a helmet). Each session starts with a brief discussion of group cycling techniques. We then depart on our group ride, the length and duration based upon the abilities and desires of those present. If necessary, we will break into multiple groups to accommodate different cycling levels.

The club's webmaster was Ben Blank.

PHP and Members Only

In 2007, the website was migrated to a new PHP stack hosted at Dreamhost, which provided a smoother experience for club members, as the “members-only” area had already been hosted on a PHP platform. Adobe Flash plugins were implemented in 2008 to rotate images and logos across the site, adding dynamic content.

During this period, new title sponsors Acqua al 2 and Karl Strauss Brewing joined long-time supporters such as Java Depot, Juicers, UC Cyclery, and Sock Guy. In 2008, the club began partnering with Pactimo for clothing and apparel, replacing the previous supplier, Voler Team Apparel.

The website also introduced a “Rides” menu with links for Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday workout rides, and a Thursday Spin Class:

SDBC’s winter stationary bike training sessions began November 2nd and continue every Thursday through March 29th. They are held at Pacific Beach’s Fitness West, a new SDBC sponsor for 2007.

The club race series listed during this time included the Huennekens Criterium & Clinic, FITT 20K, Torrey Pines Hill Time Trial, Santee Criterium, Huennekens Sprint Criterium, SDBC at the Velodrome, Blossom Valley Circuit Race, Kitchen Creek Road Race, and Sorrento Valley Cyclocross.

By 2009, the website began to advertise 5 different development group rides Dev 1 - Dev 5:

All emphasize riding skills including close-quarter riding, pace line rotation, safety and cooperation in a peloton. Riders will be coached through much of the ride.

Dev 1: A moderately fast ride with several regrouping points. Riders should already have the rudimentary skills necessary to ride in a peloton and have experience in a double rotating pace line. 45 miles in length, riders should be in good physical condition and able to maintain a speed of 16 to 18 mph.

Dev 2: A brisk paced 40 mile ride that takes a hilly path off the regular SDBC route. It is a good ride for the adventurous type which uses hills to build strength.

Dev 3: This is the core developmental ride of SDBC and is 35 miles long and somewhat hilly. Ideal for the those folks who have riding experience but are new to riding in packs larger than 4 or 5. The riders are given coaching throughout while speed is kept at a moderate pace between 15 and 17 mph. Time is taken at regrouping points to teach the rider many of the skills necessary to ride safely in a peloton as well as practice in a double rotating paceline.

Dev 4: Moving at a slow to moderate pace, this ride has many regrouping points and a few hills and is 23 miles long. A new cyclist would be comfortable here.

Dev 5: A slow paced short ride with no hills, 3 to 10 miles in length, those who are working on a healthy lifestyle should begin here. Any type of bike is acceptable and a person with no experience will be fine.

In mid 2012, the website was hacked (perhaps not surprisingly) and shut down for several months, ultimately leading to the retirement of the PHP version.

The club’s webmasters were Wells Wang (2007 - 2011) and Tim Perkins (2012).

Squarespace, MembershipWorks

In 2013, the website was moved from the PHP-based platform to Squarespace, marking a major upgrade. This shift replaced outdated table layouts with modern, flexible containers, enhancing design adaptability and addressing the increasing demand for mobile-friendly functionality. By 2013, nearly half of the website traffic was from mobile devices.

The website became significantly more responsive, secure, visually appealing, and mobile-friendly, with improved graphics and images. An on-line store provided for purchases of membership payments, Banquet of Champions, Socks and other items.

MembershipWorks
In 2018, after evaluating several membership platforms, MembershipWorks was selected and integrated into the website. Its javascript-based integration allows members to view the Member Directory, manage My Account and acts as a gateway for member only features like the Weekly Update and Fluid Performance

October 2020 brought another major redesign to the website. The main navigation was moved to the top header, individual pages were created for each SDBC ride, and images were utilized more extensively throughout the site. Additional pages were introduced to highlight club awards, ride leaders, and volunteer photographers. These updates were shaped by valuable feedback from Pat Murray, Rene Robinson, Esther Walker, and others.

Later in 2020, further enhancements included embedding schema.org data on every page, making club and sponsor information more structured and accessible for search engines.

The club’s webmaster was Tim Perkins.

Continuing the legacy

At the end of 2022, the home page underwent another redesign to better highlight upcoming rides, races, and club events. This update made the site more mobile-friendly, improving content visibility with images and streamlined navigation for a more intuitive user experience.

In 2024, Cloudflare was implemented to enhance security and performance - faster load times and better protection for members and visitors.

In 2025 a large effort was made on UI/UX, SEO, accessibility, and best practices:

• Every page was refactored with a focus on mobile optimization and SEO.

• All remaining HTML tables were made mobile-responsive (as possible).

• The heading structure was updated to better organize the content (making it easier for visitors to scan and understand the page and helping search engines and screen readers interpret the site more effectively by clearly outlining the main topics and subtopics).

• All images were given "alt" descriptions for accessibility.

• Ajax loading was disabled to improve interoperability with MembershipWorks and other integrations (like the Strava Widgets)

• New FAQ sections were added to the Saturday and FITT pages, making it easier for members to find key information.

• A separate page was created for FITT Course Records and SDBC Lifetime Members.

• Updates were made to fonts, colors, and CSS to better align with the club’s current color scheme, reflecting our title sponsor, Bonnici Law Group.

And this Website History page was created, in an attempt to capture the this part of the history of SDBC’s club 😄 😊 😎 😁.

The current volunteer webmaster for SDBC is Tim Perkins.