Happy Monday Velo Valero!
I am sure you are thinking, not another e-mail from her!! Isn't the ride over???
How are you all feeling?? I am sure a little tired, sunburned and
sore in places you normally are not. I know I am experiencing all of
those feelings simultaneously!
I could not resist just taking a quick minute to let you all know
how honored I was to be your team captain this weekend! You are some of
the most amazing people I know! Despite the 20 mph head wind and 100+
degree heat, you were all out there pedaling your hearts out and
showing your Velo Valero pride. I have never been so proud!!! Thank you
so much for your outstanding teamwork, camaraderie and caring for one
another, and commitment to MS! I will never forget the vision of the
sea of teal and white Valero jerseys and the sound of those 260+
whistles blowing at the starting line. What a rush!!! I loved it! Even
though we were number 3 in the chute, I felt like we were clearly the
#1 team out there.
Thanks million!
I have received so many nice e-mails today thanking me for the work
that was done, and while I sincerely appreciate your kind words, I just
wanted you to know that there are many other people who contributed to
the success of the ride. I am going to attempt to name a few here, but
I am sure I will unintentionally leave out. My apologies up front if I
forget anyone!!!
My Board of Directors and the Valero Volunteers are at the top of the "thank you" List…..Peter Ray spent multiple hours creating and managing our website and all of the surveys and data collection processes that we used. Stan Lear managed our New Rider program all year long and coordinated all of the apparel distribution, John Tenison and David Balcer organized all of our training rides, routes and maps, Zora Bilicich
was our chief creative officer, designing all of our signs, posters,
jerseys and shorts, etc. She and the Valero graphics department helped
with all of our promotional items throughout the year. Jamie Paniszczyn organized all of our bake sales and tirelessly set up and managed the massage therapy area out at the tent. Char Cushman
took all of your survey responses and organized the massage therapy
schedule as well as organized the schedule for the transportation from
Corpus Christi to SA. Sue Ouimette tirelessly made our refreshing raspas as well as served food! Thanks so much! What a treat! Phoebe and Phil were are shuttle drivers as well as helpers on the food line and transport of supplies and many other things. Ron and Mark were are wonderful luggage truck volunteers! Thanks for making our loads a little lighter….Antonio Perez
was a Valero Volunteer who coordinated the Bike Parking lot in
Beeville. Thanks so much Antonio! To our tireless SAG support vehicle
drivers Bill Weber and Kirk Hewitt…you are both
lifesavers..thanks for combing the highway for hours and picking up our
riders and taking them to a cool and safe place! Eddie Gamez
from Three Rivers secured all of the tables and chairs for the tent.
Thanks for making our tent a comfortable place to eat and visit. Chef Fausto and his crew (Chris, Luis, Larry, and Richard)
were our awesome caterers! How do even begin to say thanks to them for
getting up at 3 am to cook that marvelous barbeque, continue cooking in
that incredible heat and then starting the process all over again at 3
am the next day as they prepared our yummy breakfast. There is a lot of
work behind the cooking of a meal for 260 people! Thanks so much for
keeping us well nourished! Last but not least, I need to say a huge
thanks to Sammy Nieto who coordinated all of our
volunteers efforts from ordering food, to organizing volunteers, to
coordinating transportation trucks and shuttles, and a million other
things. This event would absolutely not be what it is, with out Sammy
and his volunteers. We are extremely blessed to have their support!
Thank you so much for enduring the heat and working long hours to serve
us! Your endless energy and willingness to do anything and everything
to make our weekend enjoyable was so appreciated! Thank you for your
gift of time!
Status of Fundraising Efforts
Last week I informed you that we were in second place for total
fundraising dollars to date. Although the ride is now behind us, we
have suffered the pain, I mean had the fun, we still have a few more
weeks of fundraising left. My hope is that despite temporarily being in
2nd place, we will move back to first place, and regain our position as
Top Fundraising team for the MS 150. I glanced at our team roster this
morning as we still have around 50 riders that have $0 next to their
names. I ask that all of you please mail your money in as soon as
possible. You can either send it to the SA offices or Houston offices.
As Velo Valero team members you were afforded many special perks and
all star treatment from ride start to finish. All we ask in return is
that you please meet your commitment to the minimum fundraising amount.
I would greatly appreciate everyone's help in working toward this
goal of having 100% of our fundraising moneys turned in by the end of October.
Top Dog Fundraisers
For those of you who have already turned your monies in…THANK YOU!!!
I appreciate your commitment to both the fun and the cause! A special
note of recognition to our TOP TWENTY Fundraisers to date:
(1) Bill Ansell - $$3,675.00
(2) Laura Vaccaro (who's that???) - $3056
(3) James Tidwell - $2,750.00
(4) Sylvia Rodriguez - $2,650.83
(5) Larry Smith - $2,500.00
(6) Sharon Nicol-Jost - $2,375.00
(7) Jamie Paniszczyn - $2000.00
(8) Peter Ray - $1,795.00
(9) Lee Morris - $1,675.00
(10) Amber Alonso - $1,535.00
(11) Kerry Hart - $1,473.00
(12) Lori Francis - $1,450.00
(13) Carl Crawford - $1,440.00
(14) Rob Anderson - $1,225.00
(15) David Gross - $1,120.00
(16) Patricia Jones - $1,085.00
(17) Zora Bilicich - $1,013.33
(18) Buddy Byington - $910.00
(19) Tami Hutchison -$860.00
(20) Doug Rowe - $750.00
Get Well Wishes…..
Everyone has been asking me about the volunteer medic who was hit by
the car near the second break point on Sunday. The good news is that he
is expected to make a full recovery. The sad news is, he is likely
going to be in the hospital for a while as he was hit pretty hard….He
suffered multiple injuries including a concussion. If you wish to send
him "get well" wishes, cards and letters can be sent to: Jimmy Gibbons, Spohn Memorial Hospital Room 422, 2606 Hospital Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78405.
One of our other team members, Greg Michaels, was
hit from behind by a cyclist. Greg also made a trip to the hospital and
unfortunately broke his collar bone and tail bone. I spoke with him
last night and he is feeling a little sore, but the painkillers were
helping him stay in his "happy place." If you want to send him any get
well wished, I would be happy to forward them on to him. We certainly
wish him a speedy and full recovery!!! Take good care Greg!
Lost and Found
We have several lost and found items that we collected over the
weekend. If you lost anything please let me know. I have a pair of XL
Valero shorts, a pair of sunglasses and a phone charger sitting in my
office. There are several other items in our security area.
See you all next year!
That's it for now. Again, I thank
you for the privilege of serving as your leader. It was a great year! I
look forward to seeing everyone back for next year's ride as we have a
special surprise in store for you! I will continue to send you e-mails
through the rest of this year regarding upcoming rides and news for
next season. We certainly hope that you will all mark your calendars
for our two key events for 2006. The TOUR DE CURE for diabetes on May 20-21 and the MS 150 Bike to the Beach, Oct 7-8.
Please keep up to date on Velo Valero news by logging onto our website periodically at www.velovalero.com
Take care and thanks again for your participation in our team this year!
Laura (210) 345-4276 - fax