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April 2007 - Posts
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Good morning and happy Monday!
We had one training event scheduled this weekend because many folks were busy with Fiesta. John Tenison and Chuck Divelbiss led a group of six dedicated cyclists who pedaled 65 miles on the legendary Luckenbach route north of Boerne. We'll do this route again in the fall as we prepare for the Valero MS 150. If you've never done this loop before, I highly recommend it. Yes, it's challenging, but it's also exhilerating with some incredible downhills to reward you for climbing the many hills. And, it's good to challenge yourself every now and then - that's the theme of this week's blog - Dare to be Extraordinary!
Here's Chuck's account:
John, Chuck, Henry Martinez, Pat Obrien and Trey Robertson rode the 65 mile Luckenbach special. It a beautiful ride with perfect ride conditions; relatively cool but humid and a nice cloud cover. The fields and farms were green and beautiful from the recent rains and helped take our minds off the hill after hill we climbed getting into Luchenbach and back to Boerne. Everyone finished strong and all agreed that it was one of the best rides on the Velo circuit.
Here's what John had to say:
Six riders passed up on Fiesta events to do the full 65 mile Luckenbach ride, and what a ride it was! The weather was picture perfect, the creeks were running (even had to ford a low water crossing on Grapetown Road), and the wildflowers continuing to put on a spectacular show. We all felt we should schedule this ride more often - sure there are a few stiff hills, but nothing most of us can't gear down for. The beautiful countryside and smooth road surface most all the way more than makes up for those "I think I can" moments of effort. The Waring store even had 16oz Dr. Peppers made with real sugar - just what the Doctor ordered.
I punked out and did the 35 mile mini-Luckenbach route, along with Cindy and Stan Lear. This was primarily because we had to get over to the blood drive at Bike World being organized by Andrea Shull. (We'll have more updates on the blood drive later this week.) But, even the shorter version of the route has it's challenges and its rewards. A few painful ascents on 1376 as you approach Sisterdale, and then blasting off like a rocket when you turn left on Zoeller Lane off of 473. I got to Waring before the store opened, so I missed the old school Dr. Pepper John mentioned, which is unfortunate, 'cause I'm a DP junkie. I got to Boerne around 10:15, with my legs tingling, and the clouds just starting to break.
And now for the serious stuff -
...So what does it mean to Dare to be Extraordinary? If you've signed up to ride in a Tour de Cure or MS fundraising event this spring or fall, that's what you're doing. You've made a commitment to sacrifice your time and talents to prepare for an endurance ride that most folks cannot even dream of doing. We all have jobs, friends, family, commitments, and so on that keep us busy 25 hours a day. Yet, somehow we carve out a few hours here and there to prepare our bodies for the challenge of riding 50, 100, 150 or more miles to raise money to fight these crippling diseases. No one pays us to do this - we could easily be sitting on the couch woofing down Pringles, guzzling cervaze and watching American Idol. Each of us does this for our own reasons, and all of them are good. I'm proud of each and evey one of you that has accepted this challenge and look forward to riding with you this spring in the Tour events and in the Fall during the Bike to the Beach!
I'll end with one last anecdote. A few years ago when my son was in elementary school, I swung by the lunch room to eat with him and some of his friends. I had the day off, and was doing some training miles for some ride I had signed up to do. I was decked out in full Velo Valero regalia - jersey, shorts, gloves, helmet, even the matching socks. I think I even had some of the Velo bike team temporary tattoos on my arms. I walked into the lunch room, and bounded over to the table where my son and his friends were at. They were chatting away in a male pre-teen frenzy when I arrived, no doubt discussing bodily functions of one sort or another. When I appeared, they suddenl got quiet. One kid looks up at me in all my biking gear. His eyes are wide as he asks, "Are you a...super hero?" I looked down at him, thought about it for a moment, then replied, "No, son, but I am a cyclist".
This week many of the Board members are traveling to California to ride in the Napa Tour. It looks like our San Antonio training ride will be to participate in the Castroville Veteran's 100 event - click here for details. Chuck and John will be leading our riders; we'll publish more information later in the week.
Next week we'll hopefully be helping out Ed Acevedo as he rides through San Antonio to raise awareness and funds for disabled vets. He left Florida a month ago, and plans to pedal all the way to California. Click here to read his incredible story. Chuck will be coordinating our support for his trip through San Antonio; contact him at chuck.divelbiss@valero.com if you are interested in helping out.
Dare to be extraordinary this week and every week.
 - El Hefe. which the Urban Dictionary defines loosely as "the Boss"
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As noted last week, it's Fiesta in San Antonio, the most wonderful time of year! This weekend there are all sorts of parades for you throughout the city - the Battle of Flowers, the Fiesta Flambeau Night Parade, and the always fun King William Fair and Parade. And, Kirstin told me tonight at Viva Viesta about something called the Alamo Heights Pooch Parade. which is a celebration of the highly decorated canine that you just have to see to believe.
Velo Valero doesn't miss a beat during Fiesta - we will do a training ride on Saturday morning for folks preparing for the spring Tour De Cure events, or who just want to get a good ride in with some good friends. NOTE: Because so many folks have Fiesta related things planned, this is the only scheduled ride we are doing.
As always, let us know via our on-line form which training distance you plan to do this weekend.
 On Saturday morning, John "the Punisher" Tenison will lead a group of riders on the legendary "Puckenbach" ride. There are two distances - 65 miles and 30 miles. The long ride is one of the more challenging training ride we do during the year. If you plan on doing it, get a good night's sleep the night before and load up on carbs. There is really only one open store along this route (in Luckenbach) so bring plenty of fluids and foodstuffs. You'll also want to bring extra tubes and air canisters. Wheels up at 08:00 am sharp so we beat the Boerne traffic on the way to Sisterdale. Ride start is downdown Boerne at the FiServe building. To see the route map, click here. To see our complete training schedule, click here.
 As noted earlier, on Saturday afternoon, Velo Valero is co-sponsoring a blood drive for Hill Country cyclist Susan Chase from noon to 6:00 pm. For details click here. Board Member Andrea Shull organized this event for a really great cause, and she really needs help - both volunteers and donors! If I can make it after 65 miles of the "Puckenbach", you can, too. NOTE: This drive is not limited to cyclists only - anyone can donate blood if they are able, and anyone can volunteer.
As always, let us know via our on-line form which training distance you plan to do this weekend.
See ya' on the road!
- El "Viva Viesta" Hefe
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Blood Drive for Injured Cyclist This Weekend
Just a reminder that Velo Valero is co-sponsoring a blood drive for Hill Country cyclist Susan Chase, who was hit by a car recently and has had to undergo multiple surgeries. The event will be held this Saturday, 04/28, weekend from noon until 6:00 pm at the Bike World on 1604. Click here for details of this event, and click here for a downloadble flyer. Board Member Andrea Shull is organizing this event. Please contact her at andrea.shull@valero.com if you want to donate, so she can get you on the schedule. Also - Andrea needs volunteers to help with the event. Three two-hour shifts are available to work. Please contact her if you can do anything to help out! Participation is not limited to cyclists - anyone can donate, and anyone can volunteer.
BP MS 150 This Past Weekend - What a Ride!
 I've heard from three Velo Valerians that braved the multitudes this weekend and rode the BP MS 150 along with 13,000 of their closest friends. The riders are Robert Walker, Andrea Shull, and Jeanine Maldanado. Each of them told me incredible things about the start, the tent city in La Grange, and the huge crowds at the finish line. Hearing about this ride gets me excited about the Tour de Cure rides coming up, and our own Valero MS 150 coming up in October. To read accounts of the ride and see some photos, click here. I'll be adding more to this page as the week goes on.
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Robert Walker
This is from Robert Walker from our Houston Refinery, who rode in this year's BP MS 150:
Esteemed Velo Valero Colleagues in San Antonio -
Per your request, I am writing up a short summary of my experience with the recent 2007 MS150 bike ride from Houston to Austin on April 21st & 22nd.
As participation from Valero is heavily focused toward the sponsored October MS 150 from San Antonio to Corpus Christi, I wanted to do what I could to champion Valero while on the BP ride. The Velo Valero jerseys that I wore were extremely helpful in this regard. As I was leaving the starting gate Saturday morning, the announcer from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society yelled, "And here's a cyclist from Valero...WE LOVE VALERO!!" With that, I heard a roar of applause from all the cyclists who were back in the pack and the spectators. That immediately gave me a rush knowing that a national charitable organization loves the company where I work!
That rush was exactly what I needed. I woke up Saturday morning with a bout of bronchitis and a slight fever. However, I was quickly reminded of the famous MS150 saying "This is Why I Ride". My mother passed away from the disease in 1994 after suffering for over 30 years. I told her when I was young that I would someday help find a cure for the disease, so riding in the MS150 is the best way that I know how to accomplish this. I realized that my pain was temporary, but those with MS continue to suffer daily. It's also great to know that Valero stands with me for this great cause!
The ride went extremely well as the air was mild and the winds prevailed from the Southeast. There were many hills to conquer but as the group Blood, Sweat, and Tears stated from their song Spinning Wheel (yes...I am aging myself), "What goes up...must come down". Going down those long hills was exhilarating and fun. I pulled into La Grange on Saturday and Austin on Sunday at good speeds to a crowd of cheering individuals yelling "GO VELO VALERO!!!"
Thanks again for all your help that you provided me!
Robert at the day 1 stopover in La Grange
With son Dimitri in front of the State Capital in Austin
- Robert Walker
Jeanine Maldanado
This is from Jeanine Maldanado, from Valero HQ:
Loved the BP MS-150, it showed me the potential of what the Valero MS-150 could be. Here's my top ten list for next year!
1. Having a car at the end was nice; however, we would not take the shuttle from Austin again because it made for a long day.
2.. If we ever take the shuttle again, check seat and window to ensure there is no caulking that will stain your hair and clothes. Ask Andrea and everyone that sat on the left side of the bus about that one.
3. Brush up on begging skills incase you didn't verify, verify, verify your shuttle reservation.
4. Get everyone's name and their bosses that tell you there will be a shuttle to your hotel and back.
5. When you arrive at the start and you need to find the luggage truck and the bike corral, automatically walk the other way your instinct is telling you to walk because everything is always going to be at the other end of the way you walked.
6. Automatically assume, your luggage is going to be on the bottom, look like everyone else's, and at the back of the truck when you forgot something that you just had to have on the ride, and you had to ask the volunteer to look through everyone of them.
7. Ban Gatorade, bananas, oranges, power bars, and trail mix from my shopping list all year.
8. Encourage more riders from the Velo Valero team to ride next year so Valero can have a presence.
9. Posh Potties at camp are the way to go! Pardon my pun.
10. Always ride with Andrea because something exciting is always going to happen!
But seriously, even though several funny things happened, I really enjoyed it. I really got choked up crossing the finish line each day: day one for my first 100 miles ride and not feeling like death warmed over, day two for the massive amount of people that were cheering you on at the finish line. Everything was well organized, and I never felt like there were 13,000 riders. Tent city was something to see and they had a lot of fun things for everyone to do. I would like to say that I really improved on my pedal speed and hill work, but I guess I will give all of the credit for God answering my prayers of giving: safety, endurance and pedal power, oh and the tailwind that allowed me to finish at least 3 hours earlier. Can I get an AMEN! I will send photos when I get them developed.
- Jeanine
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Good morning and happy Monday!
Well, it's not that happy. Another distinctive thing about San Antonio this time of year (in addition to Fiesta) is the fact that once again the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association are in the playoffs. Even though San Antonio is a big city - the 7th largest in the country - we are still a small city in some ways. We only have one professional sports team - the Spurs - and this time of year, the city seems to transform into one huge high school and one continuous pep ralley. Everyone becomes a Spurs fan, and Spurs paraphenalia is everywhere. If the Spurs win a game, it's city wide euphoria. If the Spurs lose - like they did last night against the Nuggets - it's time for the anxiety attacks to kick in. There's even a slow drizzle this morning to darken the mood...
But enough about that. This is, after all, a cycling team, and there was plenty of bike action this weekend.
On Saturday, I did the Saturday training ride led by John "the Punisher" Tenison. It was another blustery spring day, so we had headwind in seemingly every direction. Our group of about 10 riders did 50+ miles to Kendalia and back, departing from Bullis Country Park, and there were plenty of hills. But, we also got see some amazing countryside. Because of all the recent rains, there was actually a waterfall along Edge Falls road. And, at one point we passed a llama lounging liesurely beside the road. Thanks to Stan Lear who volunteered to ride SAG for us. And hats off to first year riders Jeff Ritcherson and Pat Harrington who finished the ride.
David Sloan led the new and intermediate riders, since the usual ride leaders were busy. Here's his report:
We had seven riders for the beginner / intermediate ride, starting from Bullis County Park. Welcome to Cindi Balleydier who rode with us for the first time. Cindi is a member of the AT&T Spinners, but was seeking the camaraderie of group training rides. Of the seven beginner / intermediate riders, three elected to do the 20 mile route after climbing the Blanco and Amman Road hills on the way to Hwy. 46 and back down to Bulverde. The remaining 4 riders braved the rough shoulder for 1 1/2 miles on 1863 before starting the long climb on Smithson Valley Road. After "resting" on Obst and Specht Roads, we were ready for the into-the-wind climb back to the park. Except for the wind, it was a beautiful day for being on the road and smelling the flowers.
Chuck Divebiss led a group of riders on the Fiesta Wildflower Ride. Chuck is a wonderful guy and a great rider who is very humble when it comes to his cycling abilities. Here's his account of a day on which he pedaled almost 120 miles due to a wrong turn...
Stella rode the 38 mile, Luis and Carl the 62 mile and Gene, Scott, Ken and Chuck the 100 mile. The route was about an even mix between hills and flats. We rode out near Canyon Lake, Smithson Valley, New Berlin and return. The weather was bad. The first 50 miles it drizzled and rained the entire time. The remainder of the ride, it was intermittent rain and drizzle. No spills that I'm aware of. Gene lost a spoke at mile 48 and had to pull out. His buddies Ken and Scott finished the ride. I didn't see Luis, Carl, or Stella after the ride so don't know how their ride went. Chuck missed a turn and did an extra 17 miles over the 100 but met and rode with a very nice pastor who also missed the same turn. All in all,it was a memorable day.
Velo riders at the Fiesta Wildflower ride. For more pictures, click here.
Here's Carl Crawford's account of the Wildflower ride:
The ride was great - The 62 mile route was 65 miles long. I took it real slow at the beginning because of the road conditions and tried to warn a lot of people about some of the sharp turns on the route as they passed me. One group of riders did not take my advice and ran off the road on the first turn going down Krueger Canyon. Everyone was OK. Rule of thumb - if you cannot see around a corner and the map states steep downhill you should use caution. I finished the ride in just under 4 hours of bike time.
Patricia "the Pirate" Jones led another group of riders on Sunday on the hills around Helotes. Looks like we need to add snakes to the long list of animals we've encountered on our rides this spring. Here's her report:
Our ride today was great! Cool weather, and the wind wasn't that bad. The riders were Stan, Cindy and me. It was a great recovery ride. We rode down Galm/Talley/1957 to Rio Medina/471 and back via Galm & 1563. It was a total of 47 miles. We finished right before it started to drizzle (perfect timing). The only minor eventful thing that happened is that we rode up on a snake (think it was a rattler based on the very brief glance at markings) on the shoulder of 1957…fortunately I think it was dead but scared the bajeebees out of me! We had a fun lunch at El Chaparral after the ride. Ride Note: when doing this ride, make sure to start at 8am to miss church traffic. Probably a good idea to do 211 on the back end to miss the church traffic as well or just plan on waiting on church traffic to turn left back to Roger Solers if you get there when church is getting out.
I'm still waiting to hear back from Andrea Shull on how the BP MS 150 ride went - I'll send out something this week. I'll also have news about the blood drive this weekend for Susan Chase.
See ya' on the road.
- El "Go Spurs Go" Hefe
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Just a few last minute items before folks scatter for the weekend...
We have three training opportunities this weekend, including Valero team rides on Saturday and Sunday morning, and the Fiesta Wildflower Ride for those that want to do an organized event. For news about our weekend training events, click here. To see our complete training schedule, click here.
Board Member Andrea Shull has been working with Bike World and the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center to coordinate a blood drive for Susan Chase, the cyclist from Kerville who was involved in an accident a few weeks ago and has had to undergo multiple surgeries. The event will be held at the Bike World 1604 Location from noon until 6:00 pm on Saturday, 04/28. Team Velo Valero is a co-sponsor of this event, along with our friends at Bike World. Please send Andrea an e-mail at andrea.shull@valero.com if you want to participate. All donors will be eligible for a door prize. At this point, there's only one mobile unit scheduled that can handle 3 folks every 20 minutes (which adds up to 9 an hour, and 54 for the afternoon). Contact Andrea and request a time slot, and she'll try to accomodate you. If we find there's more people interested than we have slots, we'll try and arrange another unit. As I've said before: we are all proud members of Velo Valero, but we are all members or a larger team, that of all cyclists on the road. Susan is a team mate and needs our help.
Finally, Andrea and her cycling bud Jeanine Maldanado will also be riding the BP 150 this weekend. This is the 800 pound gorilla of fundraising rides, with over 13,000 riders pedaling from Houston to Austin over two days. This event requires over 3,000 volunteers, and is targeting $12 million in fundraising. I really admire these two ladies for making the effort to do this event, along with our Tour events this spring. If you see them, wish them well!
- El Hefe
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 If you are riding in the Texas Tour de Cure on May 19-20, please read the following:
04/20/07 - It's hard to believe the Texas Tour de Cure is only 4 weeks away!
Packet Pick-Up
A special packet pick-up for team Velo Valero is scheduled from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm on Wednesday, May 9, in the foyer outside the cafeteria at Valero HQ. At this time, we'll be distributing our team "goodie bags" to team members, plus distributing apparel to anyone that ordered items this spring from our Team Store. In addition, ADA will be passing out items you need for the ride, including your wrist bands, rider numbers, etc. Many of the Velo Board of Directors will be there, so if you haven't met them yet, this would be a good opportunity to do so.
Fundraising Update
 The see our progress, and the progress of the other Velo teams nationwide, click here. As of today, the Texas Team has 65 members and we've raised $37,797 out of our target of $55,000 (68.7%). To see individual fundraising totals for the team, click here. Hats off to David Sloan and Seth McConnell for really kicking it up a notch.
Nationally, we have 201 riders registered on 7 teams in 5 events, and have almost $64,023 in the bank. My friends, we are an amazing cycling and money raising machine, and we are doing such an amazing thing for the folks who are impacted by this disease. But, I'm completely confident we can and will do more.
If you know someone who is thinking about riding in the Tour but hasn't registered yet, use a little persuasion to convince them that there is no time like the present. Tell them to go to our web site, and click on the link that says, "So you want to be a part of Velo Valero?"
If you haven't sent our your first fundraising e-mail yet, what are you waiting for?
As always, please contact David Sloan, our fundraising Board Member, if you have any questions or just need some encouragement regarding your personal fundraising. We have some cool team fundraisers planned between now and the event - stay tuned!
Training Rides - How much training do you need to do?
The event planners have provided a lot of variety in routes this year. Day 1 of the Texas Tour has two distances - 50 and 80 miles. Day 2 has 3 distances - 25, 58, and 80 miles. There's also a Day 1 family route that is 15 miles long. I know I'm not as good at ciperin' as PJ is, but even I can figure this out: you can do as little as 15 miles, or as many as 160 - it's up to you. If you don't have any time to train, but still want to fundraise and be part of the event, then do the family route, or do the short routes on each day. If you've been training like Lance for the Tour de France, and want to push yourself to the limit, do the 160, and try to do it in the shortest time possible. We'll have riders who are going to do both extremes, and everything in between. Just make a decision on on what you are going to do, and train appropriately. Between now and the Tour we'll have lots of training and conditioning events planned - weekday rides, weekend rides, organized events, spin classes, even cruiser rides. My philosophy is any time spent exercising is time well spent, and is better than the alternative (sittin' on the couch).
To see our full schedule, click here. To see events planned for this weekend, click here.
Dorms and Transporation - One More Time
Even if you have registered for the Texas Tour on-line, you still need to fill out the Supplmental Registration to select the routes you are riding, and to reserve a dorm room and any transportation you may need for your luggage, your bike, and your person. NOTE: Velo Valero will not be providing separate transporation for team members this year, as we've done in in the past. Click here to access the form. Print this, fill it out, and mail or fax it to ADA as soon as possible.
See ya' on the road!
- El Hefe
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It's Fiesta in San Antonio, the most wonderful time of year! Food on a stick in one hand, a beer in the other, confetti in your hair, music in the air, and a sea of crazy happy people every where you look - what else could you ask for??
Velo Valero doesn't miss a beat during Fiesta - we have a number of training and conditioning events planned for you so you can keep up your program of preparing for the spring Tour de Cure events.
To access the Reader's Digest version of events, got to our training schedule.
As always, let us know via our on-line form which training events you are participating in.
On Thursday night at 5:30 pm, John "the Punisher" Tenison will lead a group of riders on our traditional weekday training ride that leaves from the North Garage of Valero HQ. We moved our weekday ride to Thursday because of the popularity of Donna Escobar's "Spin Classes From Hell" on Mondays and Wednesday. Another change we'll make is the group will go down UTSA Boulevard and then over to Babcock and the Helotes hills to avoid the rush hour traffic at 1604 and I-10.
On Saturday, it's the hills around Bulverde. We'll be starting at Bullis Country Park with wheels up at 08:00. Distances are 20, 35, and 60 miles - check our complete training schedule for details. Our new and Intermediate ride leaders are busy the next two weekends, so we're looking for volunteers to help out with these groups - send me an e-mail at peter.ray@valero.com if you want to lend a hand! David Sloan, our Fundraising Board Member, has volunteered to help, but the more folks we have working with the new riders, the better. The Punisher will lead the long ride. NOTE: Stan Lear will be providing SAG support on this ride.
Satuday night, former Velo Team Captain Rusty Ferguson is doing another of his Cruiser Bike Pub Crawls. This is a slow paced, stylish bike ride that starts at Sam's Burger Joint on Grayson. Many of the riders are on swank beach cruisers like you can get at beachcruisershop.com. Send Rusty an e-mail at rferguson@manco-satx.com if you are interested. Wheels up at 07:30 pm! NOTE: You should park under the highway near Sam's.
 On Sunday, Chuck "the Rock" Divelbiss will be doing the Fiesta Wildflower Ride and will be our Event Captain for the day. Distances are 23, 38, 65, and 100 miles. If you plan on riding, please let Chuck know by sending an e-mail to chuck.divelbiss@valero.com. In addition, please wear one of your team jerseys if you can. Finally, come by my office and grab a few of the team business cards we have. If you meet someone on the road looking for a great team to join for the Texas Tour de Cure, give 'em a card and have them call me - I'll make them an offer they can't refuse!
 Finally, for those of you that want to ride Sunday, but don't want to do the Wildflower event, Patricia "the Pirate" Jones is leading a group on Sunday morning from Roger Soler's in Helotes. This will be a 40 mile loop with wheels up at 08:00 am. Let PJ know if you are going to join by sending an e-mail to patricia.jones@valero.com.
I know these are lots of options, but we are all about freedom of choice here at Velo Valero! Hopefully you can find a ride or two that meets you needs. As always, let us know via our on-line form which training events you are participating in.
See ya' on the road!
El Hefe Cascarone
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Good morning and Happy Monday!
In Texas, we had another wacky weekend of weather for cycling. Saturday was cold and blustery, with winds in the Hill Country out of the North and up to 40 mph. Unfortunately, this was the direction we had to go to reach the Fall Creek Vineyards during our Board Retreat ride. It was a brutal journey, and the whole time I'm thinking to myself, "I brought these guys up here to have a good time, and this is what they get?? I'm going to have a mutiny on my hands!" But it was all worth it when we got to the winery. After a tasting or two, everyone warmed up and was ready for the ride back. We even got some tailwind in a few places to give us a boost. Thanks to Tony Ralph from the MS Society for providing SAG support to us on a day when we really needed it!
Group shot during Retreat with new team mascot.
In San Antonio, no one braved the weather to join Andrea Shull and Jeanine Maldonado as they did their final training ride to prepare for the BP 150 next weekend. Every Monday I ask the ride leaders to give me a summary of the weekend rides. Andrea's report was short and straight to the point: "It was just the two of us. We ended up riding 75 agonizing miles. Cold, windy, and miserable." Hats off to the two of them for training so hard, and let's wish them success during the BP event!
On Sunday, it was a different story. No wind, clear skies, and temps in the 70s. Carl Crawford, John Tenison, and Jeff Ritcherson rode 45 miles around Helotes, including the hills of 211, Scenic Loop, and Babcock. Jeff is a new rider this year, and this is the longest ride he's ever done. Add in the elevation they did, and it's quite an accomplishment that he finished!
Next week we resume our formal training schedule. It's also Fiesta in San Antonio, my favorite time of year. Fiesta is a two week celebration of everything that is wonderful about South Texas, complete with parades, festivals on every street corner, music of every variety throughout the day, and lots of random smashing of confetti-filled eggs on people's heads. It's a great time to be alive, to be outdoors, and to spend some time on your bike. We'll have a training ride Saturday morning as always, but we'll also try and get team members to do the Fiesta Wildflower Ride on Sunday. If you do decide to do this ride, please wear your team jersey if you have one. I'll be sending out more details later in the week, including who the deputized Team Captain will be for the event.
 Finally, the Tour events are rapidly approaching - the Napa event is 19 days away, and the Texas, So Cal, and Philly tours are 33 days away. If you want to ride with Velo Valero in any of these events, you need to register and be actively training and fundraising - time is running out! As of 08:00 am this morning, I'm proud to announce that we cracked the $60,000 mark in National Team fundraising - click here to see the latest totals. Hitting this milestone is the good news. The bad news is our target is $100,000, so we all need to crank it up a notch to reach this goal by June, when the last Tour event is held. I know we can do this!
As always, please contact David Sloan, our fundraising Board Member, if you need some assitance or encouragement on your fundraising efforts.
See ya' on the road!
- El Fey Ray Hefe
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Aloha! Another weekend is fast approaching, which means more opportunities to get out on the road.
This weekend, I've invited my hard working Board of Directors to the Texas Hill Country for a Retreat. This is my opportunity to show my appreciation for the people who work so tirelessly to make Velo Valero such a success. These are the folks who plan and lead the training rides, run the Team Store, coordinate our fundraising, count our beans, maintain the web site, design our jersies, and so on. All of them have busy personal lives and real jobs, and they still manage to find time to do the things they do for our team. During our big events like the Tour de Cure and the MS 150, this can be hundreds and hundreds of hours. And, in addition to the work they do as Board members, they also find time to train for the events and ride in them.
And, believe it or not, none of 'em gets paid for this.
So, I need to show them some love and a good time. We've got a 40 mile bike ride planned to a winery and back, an afternoon along the river, a barbecue feast, and a movie under the stars. We'll also squeeze in a little planning for our spring and summer events, and coming up later this year, el grande enchilada - i.e., the Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach, which promises to be bigger and better than ever this year.
Because of the Retreat, there is not a formal ride planned for Saturday. But, there are options for you folks that need some time in the saddle.
Board Member Andrea Shull has opted not to go to the Retreat this weekend because she is training for the BP MS 150 that will be held next week. Being the dedicated cyclist she is, she'll be doing a long training ride on Saturday to prep for the event instead of lounging in the river with us and swilling cheap wine. She'll be starting at Roger Soler's in Helotes and doing the Castorville route. Wheels up at 08:00 am sharp, so you need to be at the start by 7:45 am to fully prep for the ride. Send her an e-mail at andrea.shull@valero.com if you want to join her.
If you live on the South Side of town, we've had an invitation to join a group headed by Lloyd Hensley, who is the Co-Chair of the Valero MS 150 Ride Marshall Program. Like Andrea, Lloyd is leading a training ride for folks gearing up for the BP ride. This ride will be 60 miles in length, with wheels up at 07:30 am sharp. The start is at the intersection of 1604 and 181, right across from the Valero. Send an e-mail to Lloyd at ridemarshalloyd@yahoo.com if you want to do this ride.
 Also on Saturday is the 4th Annual A Ride on the Wild Side at the King Ranch. Click here for more details. It has routes from 25 to 100 miles, and there is dinner on Friday night for riders with live music.
 Finally, Carl Crawford once again has volunteered to lead a ride on Sunday. This time he'll be leaving from Valero HQ at 09:00 am, and doing some of the hills around Helotes. Carl has been a real workhorse for the team this season, offering to lead rides almost every Sunday to give team members options, and of course, leading the amazing ride we did in Gruene last Friday. Send him an e-mail at carl.crawford@valero.com if you want to join him.
Next week we resume or formal training schedule, once again offering ride options for new, intermediate, and advanced riders. Plus, there's the Fiesta Wildflower Ride on Sunday.
Check our training schedule for the full list of upcoming rides and events.
See ya' on the road!
- El Hefe
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As members of Velo Valero, we share many things in common, including above all a love of cycling and the outdoors. As the work week winds down, I always find myself looking forward to Saturday morning when we'll get together as team, saddle up, and explore the countryside together. I never fail to enjoy the power of a good pace line, the comraderie of the rest stops, and the sense of collective accomplishment as a group finishes a ride together - whether it's a short training ride or an endurance fundraiser like the Tour de Cure.
Unfrotaunately, we also share a common enemy in the rude and insensitive motorists who refuse to share the road with us. This is why I'm such a big advocate of the team. We are much safer when we ride as a group, and the team structure allows our more experienced riders to teach the rules of the road to our newer members - including, first and foremost, how to ride safely. We can't eliminate all risks, though - we can do everything we can, but we still are at the mercy of drivers who so not think we have the right to be on the road, or who just aren't paying attention.
Finally, even though we are all members of Velo Valero, we are also members of a larger team, which consists of all recreational cyclists on the road. Deanna Durham sent me this e-mail this morning about a fellow cyclist in Kerville who was struck by a driver and is in need of help. Please take the time to read it, and if you can help in any way, please do so. Andrea Shull is working with Valero HR on organizing a blood drive on campus for Susan. We'll keep you posted.
Below is the text of an email sent to me by Ms Susi Czarnek (czycling@yahoo.com) who is an avid Hill Country cyclist. A woman cyclist was struck by a car here in Kerrville about two weeks ago on Hwy 27 and sustained life threatening injuries. The circumstances of the accident we have all heard before, an inattentive motorist pulled over to the shoulder to allow traffic to pass and struck her. The driver "didn't see the cyclist." The cyclist name is Susan Chase and she has been in BMAC since the accident. On Monday, she underwent 9 hours of surgery to repair her pelvis.
...Some of you already know about our friend Susan who was hit by a motorist while cyling several weeks ago. She has had multiple surgeries and has more to go. Many of you have asked what you can do to help. If you are able, please donate blood as replacement credits for what Susan has used and what she will need in the future.
This is a vital way that you can help Susan to defray some of the mounting medical costs and the community at large. It doesn't matter what blood type you are. The units of blood that you donate will count against what she has used, no matter who ultimately recieves them.
1. Please come and donate on April 14th in the parking lot across from Tivy tadium, right next to Advance Auto Parts. The mobile unit will be there from 10am-pm.
2. Please call me and leave a voice mail (377-5993) and let me know that you can come so the team from South Texas Blood and Tissue Center will know how many to plan for. If you can't or didn't call COME ANYWAY.
3. Please pass this email to everyone you know. Tell everyone you know.
4. If you would like a poster or a flyer, call me and I can email you a Word document or bring you a hard copy. Places that you might want to consider asking if they will help get the word out and put up a flyer are your church, your doctor's offices, your employer, your mechanic, and any other place that has public access.
5. Then see me at the blood drive to sign a T-shirt for Susan.
I can't tell you how each and everyone of you counts in a time like this. Don't think that your contribution is insignificant, because its not. Its vitally important. If you don't live in the Kerrville area, that's okay. Go to the nearest collection center or mobile unit and tell them you want to donate replacement credits for Susan Chase in Brooke Army Medical Center.
THANK YOU.
See you there,
John and Susi
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Good morning, and happy Monday!
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
This weekend was definitely a tale of two bike rides.
On Friday, we had gorgeous weather for the Tour de Gruene routes organized by Carl Crawford. We had almost 25 folks show for the ride, and many stayed afterward in Gruene for grog and grub at the Grist Mill (say that 3x fast!). The route along River Road was amazing, with the roar of the clear, spring-fed Guadalupe River and the shade of the towering cypress trees. The lead group did a very fast pace, with just enough winding roads, limestone cliffs, and narrow bridges to keep things interesting. In fact, Chuck was pedaling so fast and furiously, he caused a meltdown of his front derailer (it's been the only thing that has slowed him in down in the last few months). The new and intermediate riders took a little longer, but finished in style - thanks to Carl, David Sloan, David Gross, and Michael Garcia for helping the these folks complete the ride. We'll definitely make this route a regular part of our training schedule.
Saturday was another story all together. I woke up at 07:00 and looked out the window to see near freezing tempuratures and a steady rain - definitely not a day for cycling. I've lived in South Texas for almost 20 years, and we've never had a white Easter. When I drove to Fredericksburg on Sunday to see my in-laws, there was ice on the trees right next to the spring bluebonnets, and there was freakin' snow on the roofs! Hopefully, that was the last gasp of winter, and soon we'll be complaining about the heat again.
One of the interesting things that happened on Friday was as the lead group was blazing down River Road, we saw in the distance a group of geese parked in the middle of the road. I thought the impressive sight and thunderous roar of our peloton would frighten these birds off, but they didn't move. In fact, we had to slow down and gingerly pedal around them. This has definitely been the year of Close Encounters of the Animal Kind. This week we ran into geese, and a few weeks ago on the south side of town, we had a horse chase us for half a mile. This got me thinking about the various encounters with animals I've had in the eight years I've been cycling. So, in no particular order, here they are -
Llano Buzzards
Early in my cycling career, I was an absolute nut - I loved to ride, and I had very little common sense to guide me. One day in August my family and I were visiting my in-laws when they lived in Llano, TX. After the obligatory family small talk, I excused myself to do a bike ride. Without any water bottles, and wearing a bright red jersey, I bolted off down some desolate farm road on the outskirts of town. It was over 100 degrees, and there was no wind. After a while, I grew very faint. I saw a tree offering a little shade beside the road, and aimed for it. I fell off my bike, and quickly dozed off from heat exhaustion. After a while I regained conciousness, and smelled the foulest odor I've ever smelled in my life. I looked around and realized I was surrounded by big, hungry Texas vultures pecking at the ground all around me and coming closer each second. I was close enough to the birds to look into their beady little eyes, and I can tell you, it was not pretty. I leapt to me feet, jumped on my bike, and pedaled as fast as I could until I was back in town.
Lesson #1 - Never ride without water, and never, ever wear a red jersey in buzzard country.
Hill Country Village Deer
I live in the North Central part of San Antonio, near a neighborhood of large homes on big lots named Hill Country Village. For years, I've been doing a 20 mile ride in this neighborhood. It's a great ride with lots of hills that give me the opportunity to go through each of my 21 gears a number of times. Because I do the exact same route each time, I use it as a time trial - a way to see what kind of shape I'm in. (The less time it takes me to ride the route, all else constant, the better shape I'm in.) A few years ago, I got my first MP3 player, and I got into the habit of riding alone while listening to the player at deafening volumes. This really got me pumped up - I put together a playlist of fast paced tunes called "Upbeat Cycling Music" that never failed to inspire me to pedal 20 mph or faster. One Sunday evening in late September, I was training for the Bike to the Beach, pushing myself as hard as I could, all the while listening to U2's Bono wail about saving the world. It was twilight, which is always a difficult time for me to see. And there's one other thing I need to tell you about Hill Country Village - they have a lot of deer, especially in September, right before hunting season. Well, I'm sure I was singing at the time - "IN THE NAME OF LOVE! SOMETHING SOMETHING - IN THE NAME OF LOVE!" - when all of a sudden I felt this explosion and I was knocked off my bike. I hit the pavement hard, and when I came to my senses, I looked across at this huge buck, who, like me, was also a little dazed. He looked at me, I looked at him. He stood up and glared at me. I stood up, got on my bike, and we slowly distanced ourselves from one another. I was lucky - I didn't break any bones, and only did minor damage to my bike. But I was sore for weeks. And, I'm sure that big buck still wants a piece of me.
Lesson #2 - Always pay attention to the road when you are riding. And, MP3 players are definitely cool, but keep the volume low enough that you can hear other vehicles and creatures around you. Better yet, don't wear one at all - talk to your team mates, and enjoy the sounds of nature!
Alaskan Moose
Last August I had the chance to visit Alaska for a few weeks with my family. When I travel, I always try to fit in a bike ride or two into our vacation plans. We spent a number of days in Anchorage, which is a great place to ride a bike during the summer - they have over 100 miles of paved bike trails in the city limits, many of the routes in green belts which make you feel like you are deep in the Alaskan bush, and not in the state's largest city. One day, my daughter Veronica and I were riding around on some mountain bikes we had borrowed from a friend who is a student at the University of Anchorage. It was an incredible summer day - crisp and cool, the sky an amazing cloudless blue, and the lush foilage along the trails like a rain forest. Now, the whole time I was in Alaska, I was obsessed with seeing a moose in the wild. All of the locals I met told me that moose were everywhere - they were like deer in Texas or crooks in Washington - yet, for some reason, I had not seen any. The locals also told me that moose weren't that interesting - they were shy, solitary beasts and gentle herbivores. But, there was one exception - never, ever get between a moose cow and her young. Well, on this day, we were riding down a narrow trail in the green belt, and as usual, I was way ahead of Veronica. At one point I looked back, and lo and behold - there was a moose! I was overjoyed - at last, a moose in the wild! I got my camera out and snapped a picture to record the moment for posterity (the picture is below). Then, I noticed there was another moose - a calf. And, my Veronica was on her bike, slowly pedaling between the two. The big moose cow was looking at the calf, and she didn't look too happy. I yelled out, "Veronica - pedal as fast as you can - right now!" Veronica starting speeding up, and the cow starting running after her. The gentle herbivore had suddenly turned on the jets, and it was pretty scary. Forunately, both Veronica and I were able to outrun the moose, but it was close.
Lesson #3 - Never pause to take a picture if your child is being threatened by a moose.
Moose spotted on Anchorage bike trail
Well, that's it for now. The Tour de Cure rides are coming up quickly - keep training, and keep fundraising!
See ya' on the road!
El Hefe
P.S. Maybe it should read - "It was the worst of times, it was the best of times"
HBO cancelled the series "Rome", a historical drama on Sunday nights I was really enjoying. But, tonight there are new eisodes of "The Sopranos" and "Entourage" - back to back! There is balance in the universe. I'm heading for my couch...
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Update at 07:30 am on Saturday: Because of rain this morning, our Saturday training ride is cancelled. Please check the website later in the weekend to see if the weather clears and we schedule a make-up ride. If you have access to a gym or fitness center, try to get some time in today. Click here for the San Antonio weather status
Because it's a long, holiday weekend, we have two training rides planned. As always, let us know what rides you plan on doing by using our on-line form
.  On Friday, 04/06, a group of riders will meet in Gruene, TX, at 09:00 am to do the Tour de Gruene routes (30 and 40 miles). Riders will meet up in Gruene for lunch, spirits, and shopping afterwards. Carl Crawford is organizing this event; give him a call on his cell phone if you are riding but running a little late (210-789-2115). We'll be meeting in the large public parking lot across from Gruene Hall.
 On Saturday, 04/07, riders will meet at Roger Soler's Try Sports in Helotes, TX, for routes of 25, 51, and 61 miles. Wheels up at 08:30 am, so try to be there at least by 08:10 am! New riders will do the shorter route, and the rest will do the longer routes. Because of the distance, make sure you eat well the night before and the morning of the ride.
 Finally, Board Member Donna Escobar and her husband Mark will be riding the Easter Hill Country Easter Tour on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Rides start and end in Kerrville each day, and there are multiple routes. Give her a shout if you are interested in this event.
Next week there will be no organized San Antonio Training ride because of the Annual Board retreat, so if you are a new or intermediate rider, you definitely want to get at least one good ride in this weekend!
As always, let us know what rides you plan on doing by using our on-line form.
See ya' on the road!
- Peter, The Hefinator
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Good morning and Happy Monday!
Well, the Hotter than Salsa event for the San Antonio team did not occur as planned. Mother Nature had other ideas - there was a heavy rain early Saturday, and at 5 am we didn't know how long it would last, so erred on the side of caution and informed the team we would not be riding. There were a couple of die hards like John Tenison, Kent Hamel, and Eddie Gamez that showed up anyway, and after they pushed the start back to 09:00 am, had a great ride. For photos from the event, click here. Here's John's account:
Those who had faith (or were too cheap to give up their $25 registration) showed up and had an excellent ride. We started an hour late to allow the last showers to move off. The first 5 or so miles got our bikes and backs a little muddy, but after that the roads were dry the rest of the way, with a cool breeze out of the northeast. I've never seen such spectacular wildflowers down there, freshly washed by the rain - a real treat. Folks were friendly as always, and the salsa was great - around 40 entries to warm up your palate (it took dos cervezas to keep things under control). Oh, and since there wasn't a whole lot of competition, I went ahead and grabbed the first place for the 35 miler (Kent grabbed third, even though he had a flat). The plaque is in my cube, for those who are interested. The 50 was taken by Wayne Ginzer and his steering partner on the tandem (Wayne's a retiree from the Corpus plant). Just to make sure I kept things in perspective, he and a few other 50 milers came in about 30 seconds after I did...
Kent, John, and Eddie
A small group of folks did get together Sunday Morning at 08:30 am at Roger Soler's in Helotes and had a great ride. Here's PJ's account:
We had 8 people on Sunday (Stan, Cindy, Laura, Isabel & Rod Lovil, Priscilla and Richard Westerveld (sp...plus it was his first time to ride). Priscilla & Richard road to the Exxon and back (about 21 miles). Isabel & Rod road the 25+ Hwy 211 Loop. The rest of us loved our 47 mile ride (Roger Soler's/Exxon/Rio Medina via 471 & back because the pavement is so amazing/Hwy 211/Back). It started out chilly but warmed quickly. It was a beautiful day! I am really proud of Richard riding his first time! Everyone riding together had a buddy. Note: turns out there is a lot of glass on the shoulder of Hwy 16 but none of us got a flat.
Texas this time of year is amazing, particularly after the rains we've had. It's as green and cool as Ireland, but with swatches of incredible color from the wildflowers. Last year because of the drought there were no flowers - this year, they've returned with a vengeance. And, the best way to see Texas in the spring is from the seat of your bike! We'll be scheduling multiple training events this weekend to take advantage of the weather, the flowers, and the extra day off - stay tuned!
Well, for once I don't know really what to write. I can't hound you about ordering jersies (the store is closed until the fall), and I can't beat the drum for the Hotter than Salsa (which is over). The first of our spring Tour events is over a month away, and you know you should be training and fundraising, so I guess I'll have to bore you with personal anecdotes...
Sunday afternoon, I met my sister and her family on the south side at the open air Mission Flea Market on Moursand. You can buy almost anything at this sprawling outdoor market, usually from the back of somebody's truck. Then I headed off to the annual Low Rider Festival at Camargo Park. I love this event - not just for the cars (which are awesome) - but also for the bikes. Click here to see photos of some the bikes that were displayed this year. These are definitely not practical for long rides like the Tour or the Bike to the Beach, but they are wondrous eye candy. My ears are still ringing from all the subsonic bass...
Mo money, mo cash, mo bikes!
- Peter
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