|
June 2007 - Posts
-
Good morning/afternoon/evening and happy Wednesday/Thursday/Friday! (Once again, I'm sending this out early before folks scatter for the weekend...)
Due to inclement weather in Dallas Tuesday, my flight got cancelled and as a result, my conference in Frisco got rescheduled. So, I'm back in the building...
Training Rides This Week
There are two options this week for those of you maintaining a training schedule this summer.
 Andrea Shull and her husband Chase (the proud owner of a new bike) will be riding on Thursday nights at 06:30 pm from Bullis County Park. They are joining up with Bicycle Heaven who do this casual, family friendly ride every week. New and intermediate riders are encouraged to join her, and kids are welcome (with adult supervision). Give Andrea a shout at andrea.shull@valero.com if you are interested.
 The soon-to-be-retired Chuck "the Rock" Divelbiss will be leading our Saturday morning ride. This week, the group will be starting from Roger Soler's in Helotes at 07:30 pm. Click here to see our standard route map for this part of town; pace and distance will be determined based on who shows up.
You go, girl! - Kirstin does a 70.3 Half Ironman
 Your teammates on Velo Valero are all incredible people (you know that!). Last weekend, Kirstin Silberschlag participated in her first 70.3 event, and finished an amazing 8th in her age group. The 70.3 is a "half Ironman" that consists of 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles on a bike, and a 13 mile run. Kirstin finished all this in a little over five and half hours! To see pictures and read her account of the event, click here.
Check the MS 150 Roster
A number of people have contacted me over the last few weeks saying they signed up for the Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach, but aren't on the roster for team Velo valero. If you registered, and aren't sure if you are on Velo Valero, check our roster at click here. If you aren't on the list, send an e-mail to Tony Ralph (TRALF@NMSSLONESTAR.org) and ask to be assigned to team Velo Valero.
SAW New Rider Program
I got a call from Sam at the San Antonio Wheelmen (SAW), and he told me the New Rider program is filling up fast. Send an e-mail to bikeeducation@sawheelmen.com if you are interested in joining. Space is limited - he told me there are only 6 slots left for the program starting 07/28 - so if you're interested, please contact them soon. After you complete the course, Velo Valero will offer 6 weeks of additional new rider events to prepare you for the Bike to the Beach! NOTE: Due to the popularity of the 07/28 program, they are planning another program later this year - I'll let you know as soon as the dates are announced. This program should start and end before the Bike to the Beach.
- Peter
|
-
This weekend one of our teammates particpated in the Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 event. This event consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. Kirstin Silberschlag swam, pedaled, and ran for just over five and a half hours, and came in 8th in her age bracket - way to go, Kirstin! Click here to see photos from the event. Here's her account:
I was happy to be among the many finishers of the Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3 this past weekend. This was my first "half-ironman" event, so I was a little apprehensive about the whole thing, but the many weeks training (especially all those miles on the bike with VeloValero) really paid off. It is such an amazing experience to compete in an event with so many top athletes (this was an Ironman Hawaii qualifier, so on the course I saw athletes I've previously seen only on ESPN and OLN). You also feel a bit like a professional athlete yourself on this course when the great volunteers all along the course make sure you have everything you need. To me it was like having a pit crew: at stops along the way, volunteers would run alongside your bike and "hand-up" water bottles, Gatorade bottles, fruit, bars, gels, etc., so you don't even have to stop to refuel. But perhaps more humbling than the top athletes and fancy bikes were the wheelchair athletes who completed the course as well; they are truly inspiring. You'll hear that, as with any endurance event, that once you put in the miles training, it all comes down to mental toughness. I can attest to that but I also think it boils down to lots of energy gels (preferably with caffeine) and a good theme song you can sing in your head for 5+ hours!!
Kirstin at the starting line of the 2006 Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach
|
-
Good morning and happy Monday!
The Hills are Alive
A small but hearty group of riders assembled on Saturday morning to do our training ride. It was a wonderful ride - quite cool because of all the cloud cover, and lots of wildflowers still around because of all the rain. The Punisher put together a great route that was somehow 90% uphill - Ammann Rd, Upper Balcones, Toutant Beauregard, Scenic Loop, and Babcock. A few folks peeled off and did Kyle Sealy, because at that point, what was one more set of hills? As much as I like this route, we'll have to reconsider doing it the same way in the future, because of all the new development encroaching on portions of it between Valero HQ and Boerne.
Heart Rate Monitors
I did this ride with a heart rate monitor, which I've been wearing during my last few rides. I bought a low-end Polar earlier this spring to use during the spin classes I've been doing. This is great piece of technology. Strap the sensor across your chest, and it communicates wirelessly to a watch on your wrist where you can monitor your exact heart beat at any point in time, plus record the high, low, average, median, etc. Your heart rate doesn't lie - it's the single best measure of how hard you are working during exercise. What Donna "Bubbles" Escobar and the other spin instructors have taught me this year is the concept of exertion and recovery during a ride. With the monitor, you can see your heart rate go up as you scale a hill or lead a pace line into the wind, then you can see it go down again as you head downhill, or move to the back of the line and begin drafting. By carefully managing the transitions between exertion and recovery, you can do the long rides like the Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach without wearing yourself out. Plus, watching the heart rate monitor gives me something else to do while I'm on a long ride - it's one more data point I can track, like average speed, RPMs, max speed, etc. (Yeah, I know - simple minds need simple thrills.) Highly recommended.
 The Katy Flatland is three weeks away on July 15th. A number of team members will be doing this ride again this year. David Sloan will be our Ride Captain for the event; contact him at david.sloan@valero.com if you are interested in joining him and the others. We'll have the Official Valero Bike to the Beach truck then, and David plans on driving it to Katy to promote the ride. The Katy Flatland doesn't require any fundraising, and has distances from 30 to 100 miles. It's only $20 to register if you do so before July 1st. (NOTE: I'll be camping out in the Davis Mountains with my son's Scout troop, so I won't be doing this ride.)
SAW New Rider Program
As mentioned last week, this summer we're going to try something new for you beginning riders on the team. For the first time ever, Velo Valero is partnering with the San Antonio Wheelmen (SAW) on our new rider program. The 6 week program begins 07/28; the cost is $25. For more information, click here. Send an e-mail to bikeeducation@sawheelmen.com if you are interested in joining. Space is limited, and the class is already 65% full, so if you're interested, please contact them soon. After you complete the course, Velo Valero will offer 6 weeks of additional new rider events to prepare you for the Bike to the Beach!
El Hefe Has Left the Building
I'll be out of town until Tuesday, July 3. I'll be at a conference in San Francisco, then I'm driving up and down the Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible PT Cruiser for a few days. I'm leaving the team in the very capable hands of Patricia "the Funky Pirate" Jones. Please contact her at patricia.jones@valero.com if you have any questions or concerns regarding Velo Valero!
See ya' on the road!
- EH
|
-
Good morning and happy Thursday! Just a few quick items today before everyone scatters for the weekend...
Weekend Training Ride
 John "the Punisher" Tenison has a training ride scheduled for Saturday morning. We'll be leaving from the Valero HQ North Garage with wheels up at 07:30 am (to beat the heat). We'll be doing the hills around Boerne, including Amman Rd. Make sure you bring plenty of fluids! Check the web site Saturday morning at 07:00 am to see if the ride's been cancelled - the weather weenies are prediciting scattered showers again through the weekend... To see our complete summer schedule, click here.
SAW New Rider Program
This summer we're going to try something new for you beginning riders on the team. For the first time ever, Velo Valero is partnering with the San Antonio Wheelmen (SAW) on our new rider program. The 6 week program begins 07/28; the cost is $25. For more information, click here. Send an e-mail to bikeeducation@sawheelmen.com if you are interested in joining. Space is limited, and the class is already 65% full, so if you're interested, please contact them soon. After you complete the course, Velo Valero will offer 6 weeks of additional new rider events to prepare you for the Bike to the Beach!
Bike the Beach
Speaking of the Bike To the Beach...Friday, June 22nd, is the last day for the early bird registration special. You'll save $15 bucks if you register before then. To register on-line, click here. Make sure you register with team Velo Valero!
 One last Bike to the Beach item - yesterday some of the Board members and I travelled to Beeville with Tony Ralph from MS to scout out locations for our Saturday "tent city", and to brainstorm on ways to make this year's ride the best ever, including some subtle (and not so subtle) route changes. One item we both are focusing on is better sleeping options for folks who overnight in Beeville, which has become a problem over time as the ride has become larger and larger. Tony has partnered with the local high school to allow riders to sleep in two gyms about an mile from the day one finish line - this will provide space for approx. 400 riders to sleep in air conditioned comfort, plus plenty of parking. He's planning on providing continuous shuttle service between the college and this location. Keep an eye out for announcements on this from Tony. We are also looking at ways to improve sleeping options for Velo Valero team members - more news to come later!
Tour de Cure
Finally, if you are interested, click here to read a short account of the South District American Diabetes Association (ADA) Board Meeting this Tuesday. Velo Valero received special recognition for our fundraising efforts during the Texas Tour, plus our accomplishments as a first year National Team. In addition, Laura "the Queen" Vaccaro was recogized for her incredible efforts as Event Chair. The hits just keep coming!
- Peter
|
-
 Greetings 2007 Texas Tour de Cure riders! This short note will be the final update on the Texas Tour de Cure this year.
Last night I had the pleasure and the honor to represent the team at the Board Meeting of the South Central Division of the ADA (American Diabetes Association). The meeting was held in the posh Petroleum Club on the seventh floor of the Energy Plaza Building. The Texas Tour had its best year ever - 1000 riders, 500 volunteers, and $500,000 raised. As usual, Valero and the team were recognized for all our accomplishments. Velo Valero received a number of awards - top fundraising team ($58,000 and counting, up 31% over last year), and the number 2 and number 3 fundraisers (David Sloan and Seth McConnel). Valero was recognized for being the Presenting Sponsor. Laura "the Queen" Vaccaro was recognized for her extraordinary efforts as Event Chair. And, yours truly was recognized for my efforts in establishing a National Team for Velo Valero for the Tour, including the participation of riders in multiple events to promote the team and the cause. As a total surprise, one of the Board Members was Diane Cortez, a woman I worked with 20 years ago at Valero, and who just had to get up and tell a few unncessary anecdotes about what I was like back in the day (long hair, a bit of a loose cannon, but a pretty sharp guy). As I've said many times before, reaching all our goals as a first year National Team is something I'm so damn proud of and will always remember. And it was folks like you who trained, raised the money, and rode the events that made it all happen!
Finally, at the meeting I was given the Final Rider Packets for everyone that participated in the Texas Tour this year. For all you Valero HQ employees, they are in my office if you want to swing by and pick them up some time this week (I'm in F1-138A). If you raised more than $250, the packet contains the Redemption Certificate you can use to redeem you "Thank You Gift". The packet also includes your certificate of completion (suitable for framing) and a rider survey that you should really take the time to fill out. At the end of the week, I'll mail out all the ones that weren't picked up.
If you want to see the latest photos from the event, click here.
Once again, thanks for your participation in this event, and I hope you plan on riding with us again next year!
- El "None of Her Stories are True" Hefe
My favorite photo from the Spring Tour events. Danica from Krotz Springs gets a hug from a friend at the finish line of the Baton Rouge Tour de Cure.
|
-
Good morning and happy Monday! This will be a short blog entry today, because we are into the dog days of summer, and there really isn't a lot of team news to impart.
...Well, it was a wet weekend with very little cycling (for me at least). Chuck called me at 6:30 am Saturday morning and said he was calling off the training ride at 07:30 am because of the rain. I spent the afternoon babysitting my 8 month old niece and watching some very good movies recommended by a friend and fellow film buff ("Secondhand Lions" with Micheal Caine and Robert Duval, and the John Wayne safari film, "Hatari"). I got up early Sunday, and did my 25 mile Hill Country Village solo ride, which was pleasant as always. Because of the wet spring, the deer are fat and active, and many of them chased me for short distances as I rode. Sunday afternoon was Dadstock, the annual gathering of Dads from across the family that I invite to my home on Father's Day for a barbeque and pool party. It was fun as always to spend the day with all my nieces and nephews, and to hear the incessant chant of "Uncle Peter! Uncle Peter!" I'll confess I didn't participate in the Spurs river parade and dome celebration, because it was just too nice to sit in the hot tub and have food and drink delivered to me for hours on end...
NOTE: Chuck did tell me Monday that he and PJ rode the Bullis County route on Sunday at 1:00 pm. Here's his report:
PJ and I were the only ones who showed yesterday. We did the full Kendalia ride (about 53 miles). We stopped at the falls on Edge Falls Road and they were beautiful; flowing really fast because of the rains. This alone made the ride worthwhile. We also herded some goats that were on the road.
Otherwise, the ride was pretty brutal for some reason. I had a slow leak in my back tire which I continued to pump up with PJ's pump. PJ suffered some cramping in her legs. Add to that the hills of Spring Branch Road, a healthy headwind plus the heat and humidity which made for a very difficult ride. Both of us were glad to finish.
I promised I'd never do this again...but they extended the deadline for the early bird registration on the Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach until Friday, June 22nd. You'll save $15 bucks if you register before then. To register on-line, click here. Make sure you register with team Velo Valero!
 Finally, we had our monthly Board of Directors meeting on Friday. We discussed all sorts of topics; to see the minutes from the meeting, click here. I'm really fortunate to have such a great group of folks helping me run this team! At this meeting, long time team member, Board Member, and all round great guy Ken Mayfield announced he is stepping down from the Velo board because of his new role as Captain of the NuStar team. We will miss Ken, and want to let him know we appreciate his many contributions to Velo Valero over the years. He'll continue to join us for training rides every now and then, which he and the NuStar folks are always welcome to do.
- Peter
|
-
Good morning and happy Thursday!
I'll try to send our weekend updates out on Thursday this summer, so I catch the folks who may be taking Fridays off (you know who you are!).
San Antonio Training Ride
Our Saturday morning San Antonio training ride is rained out. Call Chuck on his cell (210-288-5605) if you want to ride the same route Sunday at 1:00 pm. This weekend the San Antonio training ride begins at Bullis County Park with wheels up at 07:30 am. We'll be doing the hills of Spring Branch and Kendalia. The Punisher is out of town, so Chuck "The Rock" Divelbiss will lead the ride. It will be hot and there aren't many stops, so make sure you bring plenty of fluids. To see the complete summer schedule, click here.
Tall Tales from the Tall Texan
...I was a little scant on updates from the training ride last week - apparently, there was more drama and excitement on the ride then I shared in the last blog. I talked to Kirstin in the Monday spin class, and she told me about having to traverse a knee-deep water crossing on River Road. She said she had to take off her cycling shoes and carry them and her bike above her head, and she was really worried about being washed away by the fast-moving current. In fact, she had so much fun doing this, she did it twice... Unbelievable! I take off one week, and look what I miss. Good thing I have folks sign that waiver... :>
Bicycle Incident on Upper Balcones and Toutant Bearegard
...I received this from Lydia Kelly from the SA-BC Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
Do you ride Upper Balcones Rd or Toutant Beauregard Rd which runs between Boerne and Cascade Caverns Road? Have you been harassed or almost hit by a maroon pickup truck? If so please get involved - contact Erin Handler at erinhandler@gmail.com. [The driver] recently came across lanes and almost hit two riders. All lives are precious and this driver does not understand the principle of SHARE THE ROAD.
One More Shameless Plug for the Early Bird Registration
...Yes, I feel soiled by this whole process, but I promise this is the last shameless plug you'll see for the early bird special... Friday, June 15, is the last day for the Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach Early Bird Registration. You'll save $15 bucks if you register before then. To register on-line, click here. Make sure you register with team Velo Valero! NOTE: The early bird has been extended until June 22!
MS 150 Training Journal
...One useful tool I've used in previous years in preparing for the rides like the MS 150 is a Training Journal. This is a simple Excel spreadsheet tool for keeping track of your miles week by week across all the aerobic activities you may do - team rides, solo rides, spin classes, etc. The goal is to incrementally increase your miles each week, until the last week before the event where you taper off and do heavy carb loading. If you're doing a 15 week program for the MS 150, it will begin the week of July 7th; if you're doing a 12 week program, it will start the week of July 28th. Click here to download this year's journal.
Somebody Please Explain that Last Sopranos Episode to Me
I'll end with a desparate plea for help. I've always considered myself a pretty smart guy, but I have absolutely no clue what they were trying to say in the final 10 minutes of the Sopranos finale last week. The episode was named "Made in America", buy it should have been named "Lost in Space". What a lame way to end the greatest show in television history! Meadow can't parallel park? Paulie doesn't liike cats? The cat is fixated on the picture of Christopher? And what in the hell was with Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"? To prevent me from having to go back to school and get a PhD in Advanced Metaphors and Symbolism, send me an e-mail with your theory on what it all means.
- Peter
|
-
Good morning and happy Monday! What an incredible weekend - some folks got a good ride in, the Sopranos ended with an unbelievable whimper, the Spurs thumped the Cavs again, and I worked around the house like a mule....
Weekend Ride
...I'll confess I did not do the Tall Texas ride from downtown Boerne this weekend. After months of intense training and traveling the country riding in Tour de Cure events, I had lots of pent up demand for my services at home. In fact, instead of riding my bike, I worked like a mule for most of the weekend. Two rooms have been repainted and redecorated (only 4 to go!), the pool is clean, the gutters are working again - you get the picture. Plus, I had to get things set up for my daughter's Sweet 16 party, and DJ at the event (more on this later). So, I missed the ride. I did get one pithy update from Patricia, who merely wrote, "You missed a very nice but hilly ride. On the Old Joshua Creek Rd, Alan and I walked the very end of the big one….I have no shame… I am proud of Laura…I think she wanted to vomit but made it without unclipping. It was beautiful but challenging..." We'll definitely do this one again later this summer. Hats off all the hardy souls who rode this weekend - I'll be back in the saddle with you next week!
I know this is getting repetitive, but... Friday, June 15, is the last day for the Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach Early Bird Registration. You'll save $15 bucks if you register before then. To register on-line, click here. Make sure you register with team Velo Valero! (I'll be glad when Friday rolls around...)
Friday is also the day our next Board of Directors meeting will be held. One of the many topics of discussion will be how we can make the Bike to the Beach better for all participants this year. There's lots of new and exciting ideas being tossed around, based on the survey of riders we did at the end of the event last year (click here to see the survey results). If you have any comments of suggestions, please send them before Friday to cycling@valero.com.
Sweet 16
Warning: This is another rambling personal odyssey. If you're here just for bike team news, you can skip this last section.
...Yeah, this weekend my daughter had her Sweet 16 bash. I got off relatively easy - no limos or Chippendale dancers were requested, just a joint party with a good friend at a neighborhood pool, and pizza and dancing in the Cabanah Club. I was even allowed to DJ a bit, although I was told I'd be fired immediately if a deviated any from her carefully crafted playlists (she knew how much I wanted to inject some U2 or Prince into the mix...). It's hard to believe she's 16, and so close to being on her own. It seems like it was yesterday when she was born. Her birth has always been one of the greatest days in my life. She was one of two babies born on July 4th, 1991, at the high-rise Nix hospital in downtown San Antonio. I remember that night sitting on the balcony of the 21st floor, drinking champagne with my wife and taking turns holding Veronica, listening to her tiny heart beat and watching the fireworks show, feeling terrified and exhilerated like all new parents feel, knowing that our lives had been changed forever. There have been so many tantrums, summer camps, concerts, mood swings, and lost cell phones between now and then... I see her now, and she's almost completely grown up; in fact, she'll be going off to a six-week math camp again this summer, and really only needs me for to sign the occasional check (and buy her the occasional replacement cell phone). I knew this day would come, and I can't help but think of the section of Gibran's "The Prophet" where he discusses children: You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
...Next week is Fathers' Day. For all you current and future fathers on the team, think about this, and try every day to be the steadiest bow you can be. Your children deserve no less.
 Peter and Veronica, first day home, 1991
 One of our many journeys together - hiking the Black Canyon in Colorado
Peter and Veronica, Sweet 16 Bash, 2007
...The good news is that she told me the other day, "Dad, I'm getting a little chubby - I need to exercise some more. Maybe this year I can do a bike ride with you..." I have my fingers crossed. There will be no prouder father than if she crosses the Bike to the Beach finish line with me this year...
See ya' on the road!
- El Hefe
|
-
Good morning and happy Friday!
Go Spurs Go
Well, last night some co-workers and I went to the AT&T Center to see the first game of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers. I brought the laminated lucky chicken foot that Kent "the Hammer" Hamel bought me in New Orleans last weekend, so naturally we won. It was unbelievably loud in the arena - imagine the loudest sound you've ever heard, multiply it by 10, then have it sustained for 3 hours. My ears will be ringing for days. Of course as Team Captain it was all business for me - I spent most of my time recruiting riders for the Bike to the Beach...
A tireless El Hefe recruits riders for the Bike to the Beach.
Challenge Yourself
We went to the arena a few hours early to soak up some of the Finals ambience, and one of the most amazing things I saw was Spur power forward Tim Duncan pacticing free throws 2 hours before tip off. Here's a man who has been an All Star for 10 years, and is considered one of the best players of all time, and here he is on the court practicing free throws - the weakest part of his game - 2 hours before the game started. That is the reason he is so good - that endless quest for perfection. Watching him shoot those free throws got me thinking. I'd like to issue a personal challenge to each of you during the summer. Find the weakest part of your cycling game - hills, pace lines, sprints, whatever - and work on it during the summer. Challenge yourself to be a better cyclist in September than you are now. We'll give you plenty of opportunities to do this with our summer training schedule. In fact, John "the Punisher" Tenison has a ride scheduled this Saturday that will give you an opportunity to work on your technique and stamina for hills. Folks will be leaving from the FiServ building in downtown Boerne, and doing Britton's Tall Texan route. Wheels up at 07:30, so we beat the heat. If you are interested in joining, send an e-mail to john.tenison@valero.com. NOTE: We cancelled the trip to the lake afterwards, because there's construction going on and no place to park. We'll schedule a cycling-lake adventure later this summer.
Tim Duncan, consumate professional, shooting free throws two hours before the game.
Baton Rouge Photos
I've started to post the photos from the Baton Rouge ride to the web site. We've got literally 1000s of great photos, so this is going to take time. Andrea's husband did an amazing job taking shots, and the only problem is there are so many, it's going to take a while to organize them and get 'em on the site. In fact, I'm using one of our summer interns to help me because the job is so big. If you want to see some of the photos we've posted already, click here. I'll have more out there next week, I promise. It truly was a great weekend - a good ride with good friends for a good cause. With just a little voodoo thrown in to make it interesting...
San Antonio riders, St. Charles Team Captain Darrel Plants, and Diane the housekeeper and cook for the hotel from hell.
Finally, it wouldn't be a blog entry in June if I didn't pimp the Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach, which will be held this year on October 20-21. There's plenty of slots available, and the good news is that if you register before June 15, the fee is only $25; after that, it goes up to $40. To register on-line, click here. Make sure you register with team Velo Valero and Team Captain Peter Ray.
See ya' on the road!
- El "Go Spurs Go" Hefe
|
-
Good morning, and happy Tuesday!
This is gonna' be short and sweet for now. I just got home after 3 intense days in Louisiana, where a bunch of us participated in the Baton Rouge Tour de Cure, and I need some sleep in a bad way. We were there to show our support for the ADA in this event, plus to help launch the brand new Velo Valero teams from Valero's Krotz Springs and St. Charles refineries. This was the final event in our Spring campaign as a first year National Team for the Tour de Cure, and what a way to end it! There were a total of 46 Valero riders in the event, which consisted of employees, friends, and family from San Antonio, Krotz Springs, St. Charles, and Memphis. Velo Valero - Krotz Springs was the largest team in the event (24 riders) and the top fundraiser ($8455). Valero Valero - St. Charles was the second largest team (22 riders) and the second largest fundraiser ($7235). And the dollars are still coming in! These are incredible numbers for first year teams, and I'm so proud of the work that Team Captains Monika Harper and Darrel Plants have done! Later in the week, I'll be posting photos from this event, so all of you can see first hand what an incredible experience it was for all us that got to be a part of it.
The ride itself was amazing. Lots of twisting country roads shaded for the most part by a constant canopy of trees, and lots of rolling hills that provided over 3500 feet of elevation. Most of us opted for the 52 mile route, but a few hardy souls - Darrel, Jeff Peterson from Memphis, Chuck, and PJ - did the longer 95 mile option. We got to see plenty of gorgeous Louisiana countryside, including some incredible plantation style homes. At the end of the ride I was so pumped up, that I kept going back on the route to help Valero riders finish up - I think I crossed the finish line over 10 times during the day. I expected the humidity, but I was totally blown away by the beauty of the route. This is one we're definitely putting on the calendar for next year.
Many of the Louisiana riders that rode this event are so jazzed up they are already planning on participating in the Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach, on October 20-21. There's plenty of slots available, and the good news is that if you register before June 15, the fee is only $25; after that, it goes up to $40. To register on-line, click here. Make sure you register with team Velo Valero!
More to come later - I need to get some sleep!
- El "Running on Fumes" Hefe
|
|
|
|