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