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February 2008 - Posts
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Good morning and happy Friday! Welcome to the Weekend Edition of your Velo news...
Weekend Rides
 Here's the announcement on our weekend rides from San Antonio Team Captain John Tenison -
Winter Riders: Velo Valero will be taking a break from bike riding this Saturday since many of us will be participating in the MS Walk. If you'd like to participate, click here for details. If you still want to get a ride in Saturday AM, don't despair - the SA Fire Department team is leading a ride from Bullis County Park that starts at 8:30 AM. They'll even have snacks and SAG support! This is the first of a series of official Tour de Cure training rides led by various San Antonio bike teams - click here to see the entire schedule. Velo Valero plans to participate in these, so we'll keep y'all posted on the Velo Valero website.
On Sunday we meet at Dobie Middle School in Cibolo, and ride the quiet country roads around Marion and Zuehl, starting at 1:30 PM. Distances will range from 50-35-20 miles, your choice - I'll bring some maps and highlighters, since it's easy to get lost out here (one road looks like another). To get to Dobie Middle School, take IH-35 North, get off at 3009 (Roy Richard Dr.), go approx. 2 miles, take a left at Borgfeld Rd, then left again at Dietz Rd. and enter the parking lot on the right. Come join us! John
Status of David Sloan
PJ visited Team Vice President David Sloan yesterday to see how is doing. His knee is in a brace, and his chest is still very sore, but the good news is that he's at home recovering and his family is taking really good care of him. He'll see the orthopedist again on Monday for an update, but for now it looks like he'll be out of cycling for at least 8 weeks. Like I said earlier this week, in lieu of flowers or cards, we're encouraging folks to make a donation to his Tour de Cure fundraising - you can do this by clicking here. I'll continue to keep you posted on his progress. If you'd like to send him an e-mail wishing him well during his recovery, you can do so at dsloan@gvtc.com.
Texas Tour de Cure Registration
Today is your last day to take advantage of the discount for the Texas Tour de Cure registration. If you register today, it's only $15 - starting tomororw, the fee goes up to $25. If you haven't registered yet, what are you waiting for?? Click here to sign on the dotted line.
Jersey Orders
 The team store is open for bidness! You have until March 28th to place an order for the best looking team jersey on the road. If you have a jersey, order a second one, so you have a spare for those two day rides. If you have a sleeved jersey, get a sleeveless one for those hot summer rides. Click here to access.
2007 Bike to the Beach Top 100
The South Texas Chapter of the MS Society published the list of the top 100 fundraisiers from the 2007 Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach on Wednesday, and I'm proud to say that Velo Valero occupies 21 of the 100 spots on this prestigious list (including, of course, #1 fundraiser CEO Bill Klesse). We made up 21% of the top 100, although our team represented less than 7% of the total riders in the event, meaning that not only are we a lean and mean cycling machine, we are also an incredibly productive fundraising force. To see the list of Velo Valero riders in the top 100, click here.
...see you on the road!
- El "Gala Boy" Hefe (ask Sylvia and Zora for an explaination...)
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Just got off the phone with Team Vice President David Sloan. He was involved in an automobile accident last night. His car was broadsided at the intersection of 46 and 281. He was driving, along with his wife, his daughter, and one of his daughter's friends. David was on the side where the car hit, so took the brunt of the impact. He's been told he has a hairline fracture of the sternum. He's had two cat scans and many x-rays of his chest, and there's no evidence of internal bleeding or damage to the organs, which is good. They will be doing an MRI of his knee today, which is unfortunately very swollen - somewhere between the size of a soccer ball and a football, according to David. The orthopedist he spoke with earlier said he won't be able to cycle for at least 8 weeks, which is the bad news. The good news is he is in good spirits, and should be heading home this afternoon from the hospital.
Lots of people have been asking me what we can do to help David and his family out. PJ suggested we bring dinner by for his family for the next few nights, which is an excellent idea. If you'd like to help, let PJ know at patricia.jones@valero.com.
Andrea also suggested that in lieu of cards and flowers, that we ask people to make a donation to his Tour de Cure fundraising, because the Tour de Cure and ADA is a cause that David has always been so passionate about. David, along with Laura, have been the heart and soul of our involvement with the TDC over the years, and it's hard to imagine David not riding in the event this year. I think this is an excellent idea, and something I'm sure David would wholeheartedly agree with. If you'd like to help out, you can donate by clicking here.
I'll keep you posted on his progress. If you'd like to send him an e-mail wishing him well during his recovery, you can do so at dsloan@gvtc.com
- Peter
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Good morning and happy Monday! Here's a quick recap of our team hijinx this weekend, plus a few gentle reminders -
Weekend Rides and Tower Climb
We had two rides this weekend, plus a handful of us participated in the Annual San Antonio Tower Climb.
 On Saturday, San Antonio Team Captain John Tenison (aka, the Punisher) led riders from Leon Springs. Here's his report -
We had Chuck, Kirsten, Kyle, David, Jim, Seymour, Luis and Stella, Stan and Cindy on a tandem (that tandem continues to make the rounds - Kent Hamel to Tim George, now Stan & Cindy). As usual yours truly was there to orchestrate the suffering. After a spirited round of whining over the 45 degrees that someone saw on a bank sign (I think it was wrong - couldn't have been less than 49) we got going towards Fair Oaks Ranch - amazing how a Starbucks Grande followed by a few miles makes the cold go away... Right about the time we got to Amman Road the mist got really thick (I think they call that drizzle) and we soldiered on to Boerne. The ride back on Toutant Beauregard was uneventful except for the 25 mi/hr dog near the Anaqua Springs subdivision (good thing we were going downhill). We considered detouring up Scenic Loop and over Cielo Vista to avoid the consistently awful Boerne Stage Rd. but ended up going that way back to Leon Springs after all(too many chores waiting at home). It was a good ride in spite of the weather.
 On Sunday, Patricia Jones (aka, the Funky Pirate) led riders from Bullis County Park. Here's her report -
We had a great turnout yesterday!! We had about 16 folks as I recall: Chuck, Kyle Caldwell, Gene Clapp & his friend Scott, David Sloan, Isabel & Rod Lovil, Trey Robertson, Andrea, Tammy Friddle & a friend of hers from Team Faaster, two other folks (guy and girl that I can't remember their names who also may been from Team Faaster), Ken Mayfield & two new NuStar riders. Most of us generally did the route you suggested, except about 9 of us decided to ride up 3351 to Edge Falls road and come back to 46 in order to add some miles. No one really wanted to go all the way to Kendalia. The weather was wonderful but maybe a little warm for this time of year (85). Even with the head wind and hills, I think everyone had a great ride. I think Gene has taken the "flat" award from you. He had two yesterday....fortunately, both were on the front tire. There was a lot of glass on the shoulder 46 by the way...but Gene was the only victim.
 On Saturday, I joined Carl, Sue, and a host of Valero Volunteers for the 2008 Tower Climb. This was a first time event for me, and was quite a learning experience. The event began with a one mile run around the base of the Tower. Being a complete newbie at running, I wore my team jersey packed with all the things I normally stuff in my pouches for a long bike ride - digital camera, Blackberry, keys, etc. Well, as soon as the run began, I realized this was a mistake - running and cycling are different from one another. Everything was bouncing around in the pouches, threatening to fly out with each stride. So, I transferred everything to my hands. Well, I'm 5'6" and have small hands, so this was a struggle. Finally I decided to run to my car and drop everything off. So, I left the course, ran to my car, unloaded the cargo, then ran back to the course and finished the run. Next time I'll know better. The run ended at the entrance to the stairwell for the Tower. Entering the stairwell, I passed Bobbie Menzel-Butts, who organized the Valero Volunteers for this event. She slapped palms with me and offered words of encouragement, which got me pumped up for the climb. Once in the stairwell, the real work began - 952 steps and 750 feet of vertical ascent. I approached this the way I do a long bike ride - maintain a steady rhythm, focus on the now and don't worry about how far you've gone or how much distance remains on the course. Throughout the climb, I passed people pausing to catch their breath, hands on their knees, looking up the stairwell and shaking their heads. But like the Energizer Bunny, I kept going and going. As I neared the top, the volunteers along the way started cheering me on. At one point, someone said, "You're almost there - 4 more flights!" When I heard that I picked up the pace. It was an unbelievable feeling when I passed through the balloon arch and entered the observation deck of the Tower. I wrote down my time - 21 minutes, 15 seconds - and dropped it in the 40-49 age group box. There were fewer than 10 slips of paper in there, which put me in pretty good company, even with the side trip to my car during the run. At the top, I saw a number of San Antonio firemen, who had did the climb wearing 60 pounds of gear - these guys are really impressive! I also met up with some of the Valero folks who did the climb - Nathan from the Fitness Center, Amy from HR, Nerissa, Francisco, etc. After a while, I was ready to head down. The line for the elevator was way too long, so a bunch of us decided to go down the same way we went up - using the stairs. Going down was much easier - I knew what to expect, and gravity provided a little assistance. As with the climb, the closer I got to the bottom, and the faster my pace became. When I got to the bottom, I looked up at the Tower and just shook my head with disbelief - I climbed that??!!! What a feeling... Highly recommended.
Sweaty but exhilerated at the top. To see more photos, click here.
Jersey Orders
Well, as I mentioned last week, the Board decided to sell our team jerseys directly versus using the Valero Specialty Store. The team store is now open - click here to access. We'll be taking orders until noon on Friday, March 28th. The jerseys should arrive in late April, in time for the Spring Tour de Cure rides.
Tour de Cure Registration Special and Fundraising Status
The folks from ADA are offering a discount on registration for the Texas Tour de Cure between now and March 1. If you register between now and then, the cost is only $15 - after that it goes up to $25. To register with Team Velo Valero in this event, click here. If you're thinking about doing this event, what are you waiting for???
Also - we passed a milestone in our fundraising last week as we became the first team in the event to raise over $5000. Ken Mayfield, former Velo Board Member and current captain of the NuStar Novas, had offered to contribute $100 to the first team to reach this milestone, and I was more than happy to take his money. In fact, I am returning the favor - I've offered to contribute $100 to the fundraising of the first team to raise $10,000. (This is a low-risk proposition, because I'm pretty sure it's gonna' be us!)
Lunch and Learn
Since the event is scheduled for tomorrow, this is the last time I'll beat the drum on this - We have another Lunch and Learn scheduled for Valero HQ. This one is titled "So You Want to Buy a New Bike?" and will feature Matt Hamlin from Bicycle Heaven, which is where many of the Board Members have purchased our new bikes over the last year (including PJ's legendary uber bike). The session is scheduled from 11:45 am to 1:00 pm on Tuesday, February 26, in room FB-128 at Valero HQ. The target audience is anyone who is considering the purchase of a new bike, or someone considering upgrades to an existing bike. If you work at Valero HQ, and you're in the market for new or improved wheels, come on down. Also, if you know anyone thinking about joining the team this year and is considering the purchase of a bike, invite them to come too! NOTE: For out of town folks, Board Member Megan Lehnhoff has made arrangements to videotape the presentation and post it to the web site, so you can partake in Matt's presentation also.
...see you on the road!
- El "I Can't Believe I Climbed the Whole Thing" Hefe
P.S. I'm using burnt orange headers on this blog just to remind PJ of how the 'Horns spanked the Sooners in basketball Saturday.
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Good morning and happy Wednesday! Lots of news in the Velo pipeline, so in the immortal words of the late Marvin Gaye, "Let's get it on!"
Weekend Activities
We have two rides and one fitness challenge planned this weekend to help you maintain that lean, mean cycling figure.
On Saturday at 08:00 am, San Antonio Team Captain John "the Punisher" Tenison (john.tenison@valero.com) will lead a ride from the parking lot behind Starbuck's at Leon Springs. Pace and distance to be decided based on who shows up.
 Also on Saturday morning, Board Member Carl Crawford (carl.crawford@valero.com) will be leading riders who want to participate in the annual San Antonio Tower Climb. This fitness challenges requires you to climb up all 952 stairs and 750 feet of the Tower of the Americas. There is a $40 registration fee, and all proceeds go to help battle cystic fibrosis. I'll be doing the climb with Carl, because to be quite frank, I'm tired of getting flats, and I won't get my new tires until next week (more on this later). And, most importantly, this is a great personal challenge for a great cause.
On Sunday at 1:30 pm, Patricia "the Funky Pirate" Jones (patricia.jones@valero.com) will lead a 25-30 mile medium paced ride from Bullis County park.
Check our Event Schedule for all the details of these and other rides. As with all our informal winter rides, please send an e-mail to the Ride Coordinator if you plan on joining them.
Awesome Weekend Ride
Last Monday, approximately 10 of us crawled out of bed early on President's Day and drove to Blanco to particpate in the Punisher's holiday treat for us - 53 miles of awesome hills in the gorgeous Texas Hill Country. We started in Blanco and headed west towards Luckenbach, and then north to Stonewall, then down 1623 back to Blanco. Pat O'Brien had some new gizmo that he used to record all the details of the ride for us - see the chart below for our distance, elevation, average speed, and the temperature. I finally got a decent group shot of us in front of the Luckenbach general store (see below), and afterwards we had lunch at Riley's on the square in Blanco. It was an awesome ride, and one we'll definitely do again - possibly during the summer when we can end the ride with a dip in the cool waters of the Blanco River. (And yes, I admit I sagged the last mile - Pat has the photo on his camera phone. I was tired of getting and fixing flats...I should have new tires next week, and hopefully this will be a thing of the past...)
Is this graph cool or what? I officially have gizmo envy...
Group shot in front of the Luckenbach post office and store. For more training ride photos, click here.
MS Walk
Next Saturday, March 1, Valero will have a team participating in the MS Walk at the AT&T Center. Nerissa Muniz is our event Captain - send her an e-mail at nerissa.muniz@valero.com if you are interested in participating. In addition to sponsoring the Valero MS 150 Bike to the Beach, Valero supports the MS Society in a number of other ways, including the annual Camp Can-Do and now the Walk. In 2008, we're trying to reach the level of "Corporate Star" for our commitment to MS, and every little bit helps. I'll be doing the walk with Nerissa and her team this year to repay Nerissa for the many volunteer hours she's performed on behalf of our cyling team over the years. I may even bring the new dog Hannah, 'cause she's always up for a walk...
"So You Want to Buy a New Bike?" Lunch and Learn
We have another Lunch and Learn scheduled for Valero HQ. This one is titled "So You Want to Buy a New Bike?" and will feature Matt Hamlin from Bicycle Heaven, which is where many of the Board Members have purchased our new bikes over the last year (including PJ's legendary uber bike). The session is scheduled from 11:45 am to 1:00 pm on Tuesday, February 26, in room FB-128 at Valero HQ. The target audience is anyone who is considering the purchase of a new bike, or someone considering upgrades to an existing bike. If you work at Valero HQ, and you're in the market for new or improved wheels, come on down. Also, if you know anyone thinking about joining the team this year and is considering the purchase of a bike, invite them to come too! NOTE: For out of town folks, Board Member Megan Lehnhoff has made arrangements to videotape the presentation and post it to the web site, so you can partake in Matt's presentation also.
Texas Tour de Cure Registration
The 2008 Texas Tour de Cure is scheduled for May 17-18th - less then 3 months away!. This ride is between San Antonio and Austin, with a stopover on Saturday night in San Marcos. (Because we sleep in the university dorms, and schedule a recreational toobin' event on the river, it has been occasionally referred to as "Animal House on Wheels". But you didn't hear that from me...) The Tour de Cure is the traditional spring ride for Velo Valero, and former Velo Valero Board member and current NuStar Team Captain Ken Mayfield is the Event Chairperson. The minimum amount of fundraising you must do is $150, and all monies raised go towards finding a cure for diabetes. If you havent' registered yet, what are you waiting for?? To register with Team Velo Valero, click here. To view the list of other teams and events Velo Valero is participating in for the Tour this year, click here.
Team Photo from the 2007 Texas Tour de Cure. For more photos from the TDC, including the embarassing photos of Hula Hef in action, click here.
DJ Vanilla Thunder
Warning: The first rambling personal odyssey of 2008 in the blog...please feel free to skip if you are only into hard core biking news...
 ...Last Friday night I acted as the disc jockey at my niece's Sweet 16 party in College Station. (Some of you may remember I bought a bunch of DJ equipment last year for my daughter's Sweet 16, because it was actually cheaper than hiring a real DJ, and most of the time I'm all about cheap.) This was the third time I've tried to do the DJ thing, and it was almost a total disaster. First, because of the rains Friday night, I got to the hall 10 minutes before the party was supposed to commence, so I had to frantically unload all the equipment and wire it up in front of a large group of teeangers eager to get their groove on. Then, to make matters worse, my niece gave me her playlist on a USB thumb drive, which I didn't have the ability to play. When I asked her what she wanted me to play, she just said in that 16-year-old teenage girl way, "What-ever!", which left me absolutely clueless. Once I got everything setup, I tried a few different types of songs, most of which left half the crowd deliriously dancing, and the other half rolling their eyes in disgust and stomping off the dance floor. Then, to make matters even worse, when I went to the men's room during one of the songs, someone snuck up on stage, plugged in some death metal, and then cranked the amp up to 11, which promptly blew it out. I had to rummage through the closets, and fortunately found a small shelf system I could rig up. Back in business, I continued to probe for the right sequence of teen friendly tunes when I noticed a bunch of kids sitting in the corner playing air guitar. Then it dawned on me - these were teenagers, teenagers play video games, the most popular video games out there now are Guitar Hero and Rock Band...so why don't I...crank up...some classic rock? As soon as I dialed up ZZ Top's "La Grange" on the iPod classic, I saw the dance floor fill completely with every surly teenager in the room, and there suddenly was this sea of heads banging, lips pouting, and air guitars blazing. From that point on, it was an endless sonic barrage of big hair bands that I love - Guns N Roses, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, etc. I felt like I was in a time warp when "Eruption" was playing, and all the teenage boys formed a circle under the strobe light and each took a turn in the middle shredding those classic Eddie Van Halen riffs. I ended with Skynard's "Free Bird", since they asked for a slow song to close the night and I had just seen Skynard at the Rodeo so had 'em on my mind. I didn't see any lighters, but I saw a whole lot of cell phones being waved. All and all, it felt good to be a DJ delivering those timeless tunes to a whole new generation...although I think long term I'll need a better name than "DJ Vanilla Thunder" - any suggestions are appreciated!
 NOTE: While researching this on Wikipedia, I discovered there is actually an Air Guitar World Championship...unbelievable!
... that's it for now. See you on the road, on the stairs, on the walk, or behind the turntable...
- El Hefe
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Lots of news in Velo land this week, so let's get right to it!
Tour de Cure Bake Sale
  Today from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at Valero HQ there will be a Valentine's Day Bake Sale outside the cafeteria. All proceeds will go towards our team fundraising for the Spring Tour de Cure rides. In addition to the usual plethora of confectionary and carb-rich goodies, we'll have a little special last minute something you can buy for your special someone (in cast you've forgotten - again - like me...). Thanks to Board members Andrea and Lucy for putting this together!
President's Day Ride
San Antonio Team Captain John Tenison has a special treat planned for us this President's Day Weekend - a ride on Monday! The ride will begin in Blanco and will follow parts of the Sweatin' Burnt Orange Ride that some of us did last year. This includes some of the prettiest scenery in the Hill Country, so be prepared for a great morning in the saddle. Check our Event Schedule for details. As with all the winter rides, send an e-mail to john.tenison@valero.com if you plan on joining.
Tower Climb
This year I wanted to add a few new physical challenges for the San Antonio team to our schedule. One of these is the Annual Tower Climb up the Tower of the Americas which will be held on Saturday, February 23. This event challenges you to climb up all 952 stairs and 750 feet of this legendary San Antonio landmark. Deadline for pre-registration is 02/21, and all proceeds go towards finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. Board Member Carl Crawford is our Event Captain for the day; send him an e-mail at carl.crawford@valero.com if you plan on participating. I plan on doing it for the first time this year, and am really looking forward to it! (If you're gonna' do the climb, please show your Velo spirit by wearing your team jersey).
"So You Want to Buy a New Bike?" Lunch and Learn
We have another Lunch and Learn scheduled for Valero HQ. This one is titled "So You Want to Buy a New Bike?" and will feature Matt Hamlin from Bicycle Heaven, which is where many of the Board Members have purchased our new bikes over the last year (including PJ's legendary uber bike). The session is scheduled from 11:45 am to 1:00 pm on Tuesday, February 26, in room FB-128 at Valero HQ. The target audience is anyone who is considering the purchase of a new bike, or someone considering upgrades to an existing bike. If you work at Valero HQ, and you're in the market for new or improved wheels, come on down. Also, if you know anyone thinking about joining the team this year and is considering the purchase of a bike, invite them to come too! NOTE: For out of town folks, Board Member Megan Lehnhoff has made arrangements to videotape the presentation and post it to the web site, so you can partake in Matt's presentation also.
Board Meeting
We had the first Board Meeting of the year last Tuesday. This was the first meeting to include new Board Members Phoebe, Kirstin, David, and Megan, who I just know are going to be outstanding additions to an already stellar group. The only major decision we made was not to use the Valero Specialty Shop to sell our team apparel this year. This was based on the decision to do a jersey redesign next year to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Bike to the Beach, which is our team's flagship ride. We'll work with Lauren and her team from the Specialty Shop next year when the new design debuts, and the order volume will be much higher. If you're in the market for a new jersey this year, we'll be opening up the Team Store in the next few weeks - stay tuned for more details!
To see the minutes from the Board Meeting, click here.
Alan Does the Tour de Palm Springs
 Alan Dedman from the Wilmington Refinery rode the first century of the season for our team - and, knowing Alan, this will be the first of many centuries he does this year! Here's his report from the Tour de Palm Springs, which was held last weekend -
February 9th, 2008 - I had a great ride at this event on Saturday. I rode the 100 mile, actually 104, but who’s complaining, and I went with my local riding club. I basically sucked the wheel on one of the clubs Tandems ridden by a couple of hammerheads, and went all out with them. The course was fairly flat, with an initial small climb to the first SAG stop then the rest was a piece of cake.
Weather was a balmy 75°F, clear, no wind and just an ideal day for the ride. The ride was estimated to have been attended by about 5,000+ riders.
Yep, we’ll be doing it again next year. Next century up will be the Solvang Century March 8th, that’s the test for us out here, grueling but very satisfying when completed.
Be safe and good riding out there.
- Alan
Well, that's all the news fit to print for now! See ya' on the road!
- Peter
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Good Morning and happy hump day!
Rides This Weekend, Other Upcoming Rides
It should be another weekend of Chamber of Commerce winter weather in South Texas - sunny, with the highs in the mid-70s - so it's a great time to be on your bike! To help you burn off all those calories consumed while watching the greatest Super Bowl in history, we have two rides planned this weekend. NOTE: Our winter rides tend to be more informal than our usual rides. If you plan on participating, please send an e-mail to the ride leader to let them know you are joining them for the ride.
On Saturday, Treasurer Patricia Jones (patricia.jones@valero.com) has a 47-mile ride scheduled on the Northwest side of San Antonio. We'll be cycling the awesomely smooth pavement of 471, leaving from Roger Soler's in old town Helotes with wheels up at 09:00 am.
On Sunday, San Antonio Captain John "the Punisher" Tenison (john.tenison@valero.com) has a 32-mile ride scheduled on the Northside. He's leaving Bulverde Community Center with wheels up at 09:00 am.
For details of these rides and others we have planned this year, click here. Three upcoming events you may want to put on your calendar are -
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Jalapeno 100, 02/16 - This annual event will be held next weekend in Harligen, TX. Rod and Isabel from the team do this ride every year; click here to read the report from the 2007 ride. Send an e-mail to Isabel at Isabel.Lovil@valero.com if you want to join the fun in the valley this year.
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First Annual President's Day Ride, 02/18 - The Punisher will be leading this ride as we head west from Blanco towards Luckenbach, using a portion of the legendary Sweatin' Burnt Orange route, which features some of the most bodacious hills in the Texas Hill country.
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Good Friday River Road Rumble, 03/21 - Board Member Carl Crawford has once again volunteered to lead a Good Friday ride for us, leaving from Gruene and following the Tour de Gruene route.
So many roads, so little time...
 Tour de Cure Rides This Spring
Guess what? The spring Tour de Cure rides are only three months away. To date, we have seven teams signed up for six events, and I'm sure we'll add more in the weeks and months to come. To see the lists of teams and events, click here. The Tour de Cure spring rides are all incredible cycling events, and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a great cause to support because of the prevalence of diabetes in all of the communities we live in, particularly among our children. Most of the rides are one day events with short, medium, and long distances, which makes them a great ride for cyclists of all skill levels (including beginners). If you're not sure if you can do it, contact the Captain for the event in your region, and get all the details.
This year we once again have a deal worked out with ADA that if you ride in more than one Tour, you only have to fund raise the minimum in your "home" event. For example, I'll be riding in the San Antonio Tour de Cure (wouldn't miss "Animal House on Wheels" for the world!), but I'll also be riding in Napa, Baton Rouge, and Long Beach. I'll raise the minimum and more for the Texas event, but will only pay the regisration for the other events. Riding in more than one event is a great way to combine a mini-vacation with your favorite sport and support a great cause and meet some of your team members in other parts of the country. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please send an e-mail to cycling@valero.com.
Valentine's Day Bake Sale
Attention San Antonio Riders! - Board Members Andrea Shull and Lucy Hernandez have put together a Bake Sale on Valentine's Day to begin our Fundraising Campaign for the Spring Tour de Cures. This will be held in the foyer outside the Cafeteria at Valero HQ from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm on Thursday, February 14th. In addition to the usual vast and overwhelming array of confectionary goodness, they'll have a few other items for sale for those of you looking for that last minute special something for that special someone. As team members, you can help in two ways - either by baking items to donate (or encouraging friends, family, and co-workers to do so), or by buying items at the sale (or encouraging your co-workers to do so). If you want to donate, go to the SignUp facility on the Valero Intranet.
ADA Phone Bank
 Team Vice President and Fundraising Czar David Sloan is organizing a phone bank from 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm on Wednesday, February 20th, to call folks who rode in the Texas Tour de Cure in years past, but haven't registered for this year's event yet. Twelve volunteers are needed. You'll work from a prepared script, and the ADA will provide snacks for anyone who volunteers. If you're a Valero employee, go to the Intranet SignUp facility to volunteer; if not, send an e-mail to David a david.sloan@valero.com. If you haven't registered for the Tour yet, you'll probably get a call - and we look forward to talking to you! (To register for the Texas Tour de Cure as a member of Velo Valero, click here).
Tour de Peanut Photos
Last weekend we rode the rolling hills between Elmendorf and Floresville, with a visit to the legendary Floresville Freaknut. We had to pose photos with the nut (of course), and then we stopped for incredible breakfast tacos at Jalisco on the square. (For the first time in my 45 years I ate a wild cactus and egg taco, which I'm told is a south Texas tradition - where have I been all these years???) This was the debut of PJ's most awesome and gnarly bicycle, and it was everything we thought it would be and more (even though I was disappointed it didn't come with a personal valet). She'll definitely be doing some damage on the hills with that bike this year - and we'll definitely do the Tour De Peanut again this year when the countryside greens up. For more photos, click here.
Team members get their nut on in Floresville.
See ya' on the road!
- Peter
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