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March 2008 - Posts
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Greetings and happy Monday! Lots of moving and shaking in the Velo world - let's get right to it!
Board Retreat
 This weekend we held the 2008 Spring Board Retreat at Blanco State Park. Andrea rented the park's awesome Pavillion for us, which had a spacious kitchen and deck overlooking the river, which we used to put on a lavish feast - thanks to John "Ladies Man" Holt for manning the grill for us. We kayaked, played horseshoes, and argued about the pros and cons of bow hunting late into the night. In the morning, David Sloan arrived bright and early with an arsenel of breakfast tacos, and PJ showed up with Starbucks coffee for everyone. Since it was raining steadily and the route we were doing was very hilly and technically challenging, many of the riders opted not to do the ride for safety reasons (which I wholeheartedly agreed with). There were two groups that did brave the conditions, and we had quite an experience. Within the first two miles, we had a teenage driver pass us going way too fast and who ended up spinning off the road into a ditch. Near the end of the ride, Ray took a spill going downhill into a bridge, and got scraped up pretty bad (but nothing too serious). But I tell you friends - what a ride! The ascent up the peaks on the legendary Crabapple Road was everything I was told it would be. Because the hills were shrouded in thick fog, it reminded me of the trip to the Scottish Highlands Debbie and I did on our 20th Anniversary a few years ago. You pass through so many ranches with so many different types of animals, including horses, Longhorn steer, cows, sheep, goats, and so on - at one point, we had to stop at a lifestock crossing as a herd of sheep crossed the road. This was the first ride I've done where I got to use the new Oregon Scientific Action Cam my staff bought me for Christmas, and I got some amazing video - click here to watch. We all agreed that we'll need to do this ride again in the next few weeks before it gets too hot. Highly recommended!
To see all the pictures from the Retreat (including the frightening Beerzilla), click here.
Upcoming Rides
 On Wednesday, John Tenison will once again lead riders the fast-paced, no-mercy HillFest that leaves from Mays Elementary School at 5:45 pm. Valero HQ employees that participate can also meet in the North Garage at 5:30 pm and pedal to Mays. Send the Punisher an e-mail at john.tenison@valero.com if you want to experience the pain that is HillFest.
 Board Member Andrea Shull will lead the family friendly ride from Camp Bullis Park on Thursday night with wheels up at 06:15 pm. Send her an e-mail at andrea.shull@valero.com if you want to join.
On Saturday, we're encouraging team members to do the Hotter than Salsa ride (see details below).
 On Sunday morning, Board Member Patricia Jones will be leading a ride - details will be available in the next blog. Send her an e-mail at patricia.jones@valero.com if you are interested in riding.
As always, check our Event Schedule for maps, distances, etc.
Hotter than Salsa
 The 9th Annual Thee Rivers Hotter than Salsa Festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 5th! In addition to the fuego goodness of the legendary salsa making competition, the Festival includes a bike ride with routes of 20, 35, and 50 miles. The long route includes a loop around scenic Choke Canyon. No fundraising is required, and registration is only $25. For more details about the ride, click here. This is our traditional early Spring ride, because the Valero Corner Store is the sponsor of this event, and it's held in Three Rivers, home of the Valero Three Rivers Refinery - it's a great way for Velo riders from Corpus Christi, Three Rivers, and San Antonio to get together on the road.
 I'll be in Philadelphia that weekend on a project for work, but I leave the team is in the capable hands of San Antonio Team Captain John Tenison - send him an e-mail at john.tenison@valero.com if you plan on riding.
Capital 10K
 Board Member Carl Crawford did the Capitol 10K run this weekend, along with a bunch of other Velo Valero team members. Here's his report -
This weekend several employees from Valero participated in the Austin Capitol 10K. Some of the Velo Valero team riders that ran on Sunday were David Gross, Jacque Robertson, Dora Esparza, Nerissa Muniz and Lupe Herrera. For me this was my first 10K and I had a lot of fun. Much like cycling, many of the seasoned runners on the Valero team are excited when they see new runners getting into the sport. They are there to help support new runners with words of encouragement and believe me, this helps. The run was a little wet with showers during the run, but this was great because it kept the temperatures down. Since I am a rookie, I made the mistake of not getting a timer and started the run about 20 minutes after everyone else on the team. This is why I had a green bib and they had either a red or purple bib. During the first mile, we ran up to the State Capitol building and then made a right and the hills started. I walked most of the hills between miles 2 and 3. The scenery was great and the run was very well supported with volunteers and water stations every mile. I am looking forward to running with my new running friends over the next few months as we get ready for the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon.
Jacque, Dora, Lisa, and Lupe
For more photos from the 10K, click here.
MS Champ Camp
 Board Members Andrea Shull and Lucy Hernandez participated in the Annual Champ Camp for multiple sclerosis a few weeks ago, one of many ways along with the Bike to the Beach in which Valero and the team support MS. I could not resist the opportunity to share with you this gorgeous picture of Lucy dressed as Raggedy Ann, which was one of the many ways she and Andrea made the weekend special for the kids that got to attend the camp. These two ladies are two of the most giving and caring people I know, and I'm proud to have them on our Board.
Spring Jersey Sale is Over
 The 2008 Spring Apparel sale is over, my friends. PJ and I sent the order into Vomax this morning; the jerseys should arrive in late April, prior to the first Tour de Cure even in May (Napa). A limited number of extra jerseys were ordered, but they will go extremely fast. We'll do another jersey order in the Fall, prior to the Bike MS: Valero Bike to the Beach.
That's it for now - see ya' on the road!
- Peter
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Greetings! ...I write this on Thursday morning, and my legs are still tingling from the Wednesday night Hillfest last night. We had our usual group of hammerheads, but were joined by Lisa Shaw from MS and her husband Chris (who is training for the upcoming BP 150, which is less than 3 weeks away!) We did our usual 25 mile route, which includes the hills of Babock, Scenic Loop, Dos Cerros, and Cielo Vista. As the days get longer, we'll tack on a sprint up and down Kyle Sealy, just to add that last little ounce of pain to complete the experience. True to form, this is a no mercy ride - when I dropped my chain on the final leg, the crew dropped my like a red headed step child... If you're looking for a challenging mid-week ride, put this one on your calendar...
Weekend Rides
We have a number of rides scheduled this weekend to help you tune up for upcoming events.
Board Member Andrea Shull will lead the family friendly ride from Camp Bullis Park on Thursday night with wheels up at 06:15 pm.
On Saturday, the Board and I will be on our annual Spring Retreat. I do this each year to reward them for the hard work they do for the team, and to energize them for all the events and fundraising we have coming up. If you want to do a training ride Saturday, I encourage you to attend the joint Tour de Cure training ride hosted by the Hill Country Touring Bike Club and their fearless leader, Sandy Barsun. They'll be riding from the Park and Ride at 1604 and 181 with wheels up at 08:00 am.
On Sunday morning, San Antonio Team Captain John Tenison will be leading us on a ride from the city of Blanco as part of our Board Retreat, but all team members are welcome to join us for the ride. We'll be doing parts of the incredible Sweatin' Burnt Orange ride we did on President's day, with routes of 25 and 45 miles. Team members are asked to park in the square on the North side of the Courthouse, with wheels up at 09:00 am. Team Vice-President David Sloan has offered to drive SAG for us on this ride, and will have plenty of snacks and refreshments. Send an e-mail to john.tenison@valero.com if you plan on attending the Sunday ride.
As always, see our Event Schedule for all the details.
Fundraising Tip
 From Team Vice President and Fundraising Czar, David Sloan -
As of today, we're almost at 23% of our National Team goal of raising $100,000 for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) - to see the current totals, click here. We're making progress, but we still have a long way to go. Be sure to let everyone that you meet know that you are riding in a fundraiser charity event, and ask them if it is OK for you to send them an e-mail with a link to your personal web page. Then, let your personalized (with a recognizable photo) web page sell them on making a donation. That way, if you are shy about asking for money directly, even for a great cause, the web page can do the asking for you. All you have to do is get them to click on the link in your e-mail.
New Rider of the Week
 ...this was so popular last fall, that we're going to start it up again... Our new rider of the week is (drum roll please!) Nerissa Muniz, who works as a Tax Specialist at Valero HQ. Nerissa started riding in February, but she's making great progress - she and her cycling buddy Nicole are already scaling the 7 deadly hills of 211 between 471 and 16 on a regular basis. To read more about Nerissa, click here.
If you have a suggestion for a future rider of the week, send it to cycling@valero.com.
One Last Call for Jersey Orders
 (I promise this is the last time I'll mention this...) The team store is open for bidness, and the clock is ticking my friends - you only have until noon on Friday, March 28th (i.e., tomorrow) to place an order for that award winning team jersey that is absolutely guaranteed to cover up the top half of your body, win you new friends, and influence people. All Velo Valero team members are required to wear a current team jersey during our organized fundraising events like the Tour de Cure and the Bike to the Beach. We don't charge dues to be on this team - we provide all the perks we do at no cost, and only ask you to buy and wear a jersey that you get to keep - now that's a deal!
Click here to access our store.
See ya' on the road!
- El "Did I Tell You About Our Jerseys?" Hefe
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Good morning and happy Monday!
A Very Good Good Friday Ride
 We had a very good ride on Good Friday this year. The weather was cool in the morning as we started, but warmed up nicely. I rode with the group that headed east that included Jeff, PJ, Chuck, and John, and we got to enjoy some of the finest asphalt in all of Texas along the newly paved and awesomely fast 1863 between Bulverde and New Braunfels. Chuck and I (both of whom are navigationally impaired) got separated from the group at the end of the ride, missed the Evans detour, and as a result, didn't get to enjoy (!) the brutal last hill climb on Green Mountain. It was not intentional, but still when the Punisher found out about it, he made us run Horses to make up for it...
We started the ride at the house of Board Member Carl "Teddy Bear" Crawford, who also graciously hosted a barbecue for us at the end of the ride. Hats off to Carl for cooking up yummie burgers, salmon cakes, and smoked sausages, in addition to mixing up a homemade Sangria concoction that had all of us feeling good. We also had a surprise visit from Tony Ralf from the MS Society and his delightful wife. I don't know if it was the Sangria or what, but there was something slightly askew about the paintings on the walls of Carl's living room... Plus, I did learn a lot about the dining habits of the modern American bachelor by careful examination of Carl's refrigerator.
Weekday Rides
As mentioned last week, we're resuming our schedule of weekday rides now that the day's are longer. We're doing the Wednesday night no mercy Hillfest, and the Thursday night family friendly no drop ride - as always, check our Event Schedule for all the details, and send an e-mail to the ride leader if you plan on joining the fun.
Hotter Than Salsa Coming Up
The 9th Annual Thee Rivers Hotter than Salsa Festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 5th - less than 2 weeks away! In addition to the fuego goodness of the legendary salsa making competition, the Festival includes a bike ride with routes of 20, 35, and 50 miles. The long route includes a loop around scenic Choke Canyon. No fundraising is required, and registration is only $25. For more details about the ride, click here. This is our traditional early Spring ride, because the Valero Corner Store is the sponsor of this event, and it's held in Three Rivers, home of the Valero Three Rivers Refinery.
I'll be in Philadelphia that weekend on a project for work, but I leave the team is in the capable hands of San Antonio Team Captain John Tenison - send him an e-mail at john.tenison@valero.com if you plan on riding.
Step Right up and Order that Team Jersey
The team store is open for bidness, and the clock is ticking my friends - you only have until Friday, March 28th to place an order for that award winning team jersey that is guaranteed to cover up the top half of your body. If you have a jersey, order a second one, in case you lose the first one the night before a big ride. If you have a sleeveless jersey, order a sleeved version for those cool spring and fall rides. What the heck - order one for the dog, so it too can join in the mojo that is Velo Valero! Click here to access our store.
(Sorry for going off the deep end, but it's hard to write about our jersey sale each week in new and fresh ways... For inspiration, I'm at home listening to Tom Waits' classic "Step Right Up" from the 1976 album "Small Change" as I write this. This is the ultimate sales pitch song about some fanatical huckster trying to sell something for "only a dollar" that does everything! The complete set of lyrics are at click here - check them out from home, 'cause I'm sure it will get blocked at the office. If you haven't sampled the amazing canon of Waits music before, you don't know what you are missing... )
(But seriously - all Velo Valero team members are required to wear a current team jersey during our organized fundraising events like the Tour de Cure and the Bike to the Beach. We don't charge dues to be on this team - we provide all the perks we do at no cost, and only ask you to buy and wear a jersey that you get to keep - now that's a deal!)
TDC Fundraising
If you're riding in a Tour de Cure event this Spring, it's time to step right up and start your fundraising if you haven't done so already. As always, please contact Team Vice President and Fundraising Czar, David Sloan, at david.sloan@valero.com if you have any questions or concerns about fundraising. We've once again accepted the challenge of being a National Team for ADA, which means we've committed to raising $100,000 or more across all events - to see our current status, click here - my friends, we have a long way to go, but I'm certain we'll get there!
Geektopia
Warning: This is another rambling personal anecdote. If only interested in team news, you can skip this section.
 In many ways, I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on the planet. One of these ways is that I've always been a computer geek at heart, and I've had the opportunity to work a wide variety of jobs in the Corporate Information Technology (IT) sector for the last 23 years. I've always joked that I've done every job in IT at last twice - and like all true humor, that statement's not far from the truth. This has allowed me to sit in the front row of all the amazing revolutions in computing that have occurred in the last quarter century - from the big hulking mainframes of the 80s, to the PC and LAN revolution of the late 80s and early 90s, to the chaos and creativity of the first generation Internet, to the richness of the Web 2.0 world now and all the amazing computer based consumer products that are being released each week (more on this later). Some of the most memorable events in my life were the big COMDEX shows I attended in the 90s, where they somehow managed to fit all the bustling, kinetic energy of the entire computer industry in one massive set of exhibit halls in Las Vegas, and you got to see wave after wave of miraculous products being announced, along with being mesmerized by visionary and combative keynotes delivered by industry warriors like Scott McNealy (Sun) and Bill Gates (Microsoft) when they were at their mercenary zenith, long before they faded into the sunset of the Board Room, retirement and philanthropy.... OK, I need to stop - I'm getting a little verklempt...
In addition to working as an IT professional my whole career, I've always been a gadget fiend at home, constantly on the prowl for the latest and greatest gizmo to kick the tires on and annoy my wife with. Even to this day, my secret shame is that the first thing I read in the Sunday paper is the Best Buy advertising circular, to see what new products are coming out, and where prices have dropped to on commodity products like hard discs (1 TB for $250 - and IT FITS IN YOUR POCKET! - OMIGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Well, all this is leading to my latest toy - the Sony Playstation 3, equipped with a massive external hard disc and the Logitech bluetooth wireless keyboard. I love this puppy, and it has made my living room my favorite room in the house again. Sony stumbled out of the gate with the PS3, because they marketed it all wrong. It's not just a game console - the PS3 is an amazingly versatile computing system that brings the rich interactivity of Web 2.0 plus all your digital media into your home theater where it truly belongs. I copied my entire music collection, every digital picture I've ever taken, plus every home movie I've ever shot (including 9 years of Velo Valero team videos) to the hard disc, and can effortlessly navigate the library and bring it up on the big screen at the touch of a button on the wireless keyboard. Because it has wi-fi and a web browser built in, I can surf the Internet from my Lazy Boy, including rich media sites like YouTube for video and last.fm for music. It can play all my old DVDs, plus the newer Blue Ray format discs (which finally crushed the rival HD format for next-gen video). And it does it all with a dazzlingly fast response time, due to the massive power of it's 8 CPUs arranged in a cell fabric. When I see the blistering graphics on this box, I almost cry when I think of the horrible first-gen CGA graphics I put up with back in the era of Pong - amazing, simply amazing!
And, oh yes, it also plays games. We only have a handful at this point (don't want to distract my son too much until he gets through the school year), but we did get Guitar Hero III, which I'll admit I spent more than a few hours over Spring Break honing my chops on. This is one of those great games that makes you feel viscerally what you are doing, right down to the ka-clank of the music ending and then the boos and hisses of a hostile crowd when you blow your riffs....
Highly recommended - we truly live in a Geektopia these days!
...see ya' on the road!
- Peter
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Good morning and happy hump day! Since Friday is a holiday for many of you, I'm posting the Friday blog on Wednesday...
Good Friday Ride
From San Antonio Team Captain, John Tenison - Carl Crawford has graciously offered to host this year's Good Friday ride from his home at 17135 Darlington Run (near O'Connor Rd. and Loop 1604). Two 40-mile routes, a 30-mile and a 15-mile option will be offered. Start time 8:30 AM. Please be sure to park at the community pool parking lot a block over from Carl's house (for complete ride details, including the maps, check out our Event Schedule).
Carl will be firing up his barbecue grill after the ride and all riders are invited to hang out at his house for burgers, sausage etc. Please RSVP carl.crawford@valero.com if you plan to stay for lunch - Carl will provide the meat, but sides and dessert items would be welcome - please let him know if you'd like to bring something. And please bring your own frosty beverages. Hope to see you at the ride and after.
Weekday Rides
As we mentioned last week, now that the days are longer, we're going to resume our weekday ride schedule this week.
On Wednesday, John Tenison will lead riders on a fast-paced, no-mercy HillFest that leaves from Mays Elementary School at 5:45 pm. Valero HQ employees that participate can also meet in the North Garage at 5:30 pm and pedal to Mays. Send the Punisher an e-mail at john.tenison@valero.com if you plan on joining the fun.
On Thursday, Andrea Shull will lead a family friendly ride on the North Central side of town. Because Valero gets out at 3:00 pm on Thursday, her ride will start at 5:30 pm. Send Andrea an e-mail at andrea.shull@valero.com if you plan on riding with her and the gang this Thursday.
As always, check our Event Schedule for maps, distances, etc.
Tour de Cures Coming Up
 The Spring Tour de Cure events are rapidly approaching - Napa is less than two months away! If you plan on riding in a Tour de Cure this spring, click here to check out the list of teams and events. If you're not in event cycling shape, and don't think you have the time to get there, consider some of the shorter distances and/or single day options that are available. If you aren't able to ride, then consider volunteering to help the ADA, or using the "Zero Rider Option" and fund raise on behalf of the team without riding. We have plenty of ways to get you involved - each of you is a part of this team and extended family, and I'd like to keep it that way! As always, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the Tour de Cure and what you can do to help.
Jersey Orders
The team store is open for bidness, and the clock is ticking my friends - you only have until Friday, 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. What the heck - buy one or two as gifts for your friends and family! Click here to access our store.
A Hard (and Muddy) Rain's Gonna' Fall
...I actually signed up to play in the Valero Basketball League this spring, which is the first time I've played basketball in a league in many years. (This, of course, is just further evidence that I'm losing my mind...) Well, we were practicing outdoors yesterday under the harsh tutelage of Coach Francisco "Have You Guys Ever Played Basketball Before?" Martinez, when the weirdest thing happened. It started to rain, and not just any rain, but a muddy rain that covered us in brown spots. After practice as I was driving home, the rain continued, and it covered my car in an ugly brown mess that I've never seen before. According to local Weather Personality Jennifer Broome, this is something that is quite common in West Texas because of how dry and dusty it is, but very rare in San Antonio. Here's the explaination from woai.com - Many of you called and email about what looked like mud falling from the sky late Tuesday afternoon. By sundown, everything was coated in dirt. People weren't sure if it was pollution, but it was getting all over cars and windows. "I don't know, I've never seen this before," said Magne Turoy, who is from Norway. "I'm used to rain, lots of rain, but I've never seen this before." The dirty rain left vehicles across San Antonio looking like they’d been taken off-roading in the mud. The cars are covered, but that coating is not quite dust, not quite dirt and not quite mud.
“I've seen pollen and there's a difference between pollen and caked up debris,” said longtime San Antonio resident Tony Harris. “I detail cars for a living, but I don't know what it is or where it is coming from, but someone has to have an answer.”
Storm Tracker 4 Meteorologist Jennifer Broome explains that the heavy winds Tuesday kicked the dust and dirt thousands of feet into the atmosphere. The dust simply combined with the rain as it fell resulting in the ‘muddy rain.’ Basically it's a Texas dust storm meets a rain storm. It's unusual here but dirty rain and even brown snow happen on a fairly regular basis for West Texas and the Panhandle.
San Antonio car washes should be extremely busy Wednesday.
...that it for now - see ya' on the road!
- El "Yes I Played, But It Was A Long Time Ago" Hefe
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Cool Cats Ride is Very Cool
 On Saturday morning, I participated in the first of the joint Team training rides for the Texas Tour de Cure. This ride was hosted by the Cool Cats Cycling Club, and did various routes on the southeast side of town. I was very impressed by the hospitality of the Cool Cats, from their pre-ride briefing, to their around the clock SAG support, to their refreshments and gremutlichkeit at the end of the ride. The C2 have some real cycling mojo going on, and we at Velo Valero have a real favor to repay when we host the joint TDC training ride in April. I was very impressed by the performance of new riders Nerissa, Seymour, and Nicole, and I was also so happy to see long time riders Kent and Priscilla back on the road again with us. Sylvia showed up with cycling pal Zora, and debuted her new Synapse, and Andrea did the ride on a new carbon fiber super bike she may or may not buy. The routes were gorgeous, and true to form, the southside of San Antonio introduced us to many new dogs. To see all the photos from the ride, click here.
Good Friday Ride Coming Up
Board Member Carl Crawford will once again lead us on our Good Friday ride. This year we're leaving from his house, and pedaling to Gruene and back. At the end of the ride, he promises us a wine and cheese spread that will put the Napa Valley Tour de Cure to shame - more details to come. To see our entire event schedule, including our weekday rides, click here.
Jersey Orders
The team store is open for bidness, and the clock is ticking my friends - you only 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.
Dog Day Afternoon, San Antonio Style
Warning: This is another rambling personal anecdote. If you're only interested in hardcore cycling news, please skip.
After the ride with the Cool Cats Saturday, I went with my son to the new San Antonio Dog Park at McAllister Park. As many of you know, we became a two dog family last fall when we added Hannah to the mix. The same rule of thumb applies to dogs as it does to kids - one is like none, two is like twenty. Having two dogs to care for is definitely a lot more work, because the energy level of each dog is amplified due to the presence of a playmate. We live close to McAllister, and find that taking the dogs to the Dog Park is a great way to let Hannah and Louie run wild for a few hours in a controlled environment. The park is a dog's paradise, with approximately 1.5 acres of fenced land with exercise equipment, a covered picnic area, benches, and a walking trail. The range of dogs you see is absolutely amazing, from tiny Chihuahuas to ginormous Danes (see pictures below). Plus, hanging out with the other owners in the gorgeous Texas spring weather is also a treat - everytime I go there I can't help but think of one of my favorite all time Entourage episodes... (#36 if you're checking...). If you own a dog or two, and have some time some sunny afternoon, by all means - take 'em to a Dog Park - you won't regret it. (To see all the pictures, click here.)
A boy and his dog - the Ipod Nano version.
A boy and his ginormous Dane
See ya' on the road!
- Peter
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Good morning and happy Friday. ....For those of you going on Spring Break, enjoy!
Weekend Rides, Happy St. Patrick's Day
 As mentioned earlier this week, this spring we'll be doing a series of joint rides with other teams that are participating in the Texas Tour de Cure. This Saturday at 08:00 am we'll be joining with the Cool Cats Cycling Club for a set of routes on the southeast side of town. See our event schedule for more details.
NOTE: Since St. Patrick's Day was moved to 03/15 this year, the Saturday ride will be our official St. Patrick's day ride. And, because we recently got some rain in that part of town, the countryside may actually turn green for us. In the spirit of all things Irish, we'll have our first contest of the year. The first person who sends the correct answer to the following question to cycling@valero.com will win a free Guide to Healthy Resturant Eating courtesy of the American Diabetes Association. The question is:
Which character in what movie uttered the immortal line, "Impetuous! Homeric!"
The winner will be announced in the next blog.
 WE HAVE A WINNER! Seymour Battle sent in the winning answer at 2:46 am Friday morning...the movie is the John Ford classic The Quiet Man, the actor is Barry Fitzgerald, and the character is Mickeleen Flynn.
Diabetes Expo
Received this note from Erica Rougeu from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) -
Diabetes EXPO is this Saturday, March 15th - The American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes 2008 EXPO is San Antonio’s (and Texas’) ONLY diabetes self-care management health Expo that features informative speakers, cooking demonstrations, fun youth and senior activities and diabetes-focused exhibitors that feature the latest diabetes products, meters, services and medicines. Come out to the FREE event from 9:00 AM 2:00 PM at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. FREE parking and shuttle at the Alamodome and FREE VIA Bus rides anywhere the VIA bus travels.
Think Safety at All Times
Andrea sent me this news article from earlier this week. She thought it was important that I share this with the team since so many of us ride in the Spring Branch area - and I agree wholeheartedly with her.
Spring Branch bicyclist dies on FM 306
Staff Reports 12.MAR.08
A Spring Branch resident was struck and killed on the morning of March 10, while riding his bicycle on FM 306 in northwestern Comal County. According to Department of Public Safety (DPS) officials, a 25-year cyclist was riding his bicycle at approximately 6:40am on FM 306, five miles east of U.S. Highway 281 North, , when he was struck from behind by a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe. Emergency crews from Spring Branch, Canyon Lake and Bulverde responded to the accident scene, where they attempted to resuscitate the cyclist who had suffered massive head and body injuries. He was pronounced dead at 7:45am by Precinct 4 Judge Jennifer Saunders. According to DPS, the morning darkness and fog in the area played a role in the accident, and the rider's dark clothing may have also been a factor. An investigation of the accident is in progress.
 ...Safety is one of the core values of Valero, and worrying about the safety of each and every rider on this team is one of the things that keeps me up at night. The reason I ask Chuck to do a safety briefing at the beginning of our formal training rides is that you cannot hear the rules of the road too many times. As we start another glorious season of cycling, please take time to refresh yourself on the tenets of safe riding. There are lots of them, but the most important are:
- Obey all traffic signs and signals
- Ride with a group (or at least another person) whenever possible
- Stay alert
- Stay visible
If you have the time before heading out on the road this weekend, please click here to read a great list of safety guidelines that Chuck put together for us last year. The list is short and to the point, and making sure you follow them each and every time you ride could save your life.
...See you (safely) on the road!
- Peter O'Hefe
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Good morning and happy Monday!
Weekend Rides
We had rides on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. On Saturday, I joined the Punisher and a bunch of other folks for our Spring Kick Off ride from downtown Helotes. It was great to see everyone out on the road again, especially Team Vice President David Sloan, who because of his injuries won't be riding for a while, but will be driving SAG when he can. We did the out and back to Rio Medina, and then some of us took the 211 to 16 leg back to Helotes. We had some outstanding pace lines on 471, a few approaching 25 mph and more. The hills of 211 remain one of the more challenging stretches of road we do during the year, and it felt good to push myself so hard. (It felt even better when the ride was over). Because of the weird Texas weather this time of year - very cold mornings that heat up quickly as the day goes on - team members are really making some amazing fashion statements on our rides, because you have to dress in layers that can be removed and stored as the temperatures heat up. Some riders are wearing shoe booties to keep those toesies warm in the early morn, and team member Alan Green channeled Prince with his two tone ensemble that none of us will be forgetting any time soon... After the ride, many of us headed to El Chap for lunch. All in all, a great ride, and a great way to start the cycling season!
PJ sent this update from the Sunday ride - We all had a good, but windy, ride this morning: Gene, Ken, Patrick, Carl, Nicole, Nerissa and me. Once again, we did the down and back to and from Rio Medina. Gene and Ken obviously love pain, so they braved the 211 / 16 return...power to them because the cross wind and head wind back were pretty fierce today! I am really proud of Nicole and Nerissa. This was Nerissa's first ride with us, and she went 42 miles, even with the wind - way to go Nerissa!
As mentioned before, we'll be joining the other San Antonio Tour de Cure teams for joint training rides this spring. (And yes, Jacque, I will see if we can schedule a joint ride with the San Antonio Fire Department again...) Click here to see the schedule of hosted TDC rides, and click here to see our 2008 event schedule.
Videos from Lunch and Learn
 As promised, the video from the Lunch and Learn on "So You Want to Buy a New Bike?" has been posted to the web site. Thanks to Derek and the folks from Valero's E-Learning group for filming, and thanks again to Matt from Bicycle Heaven for doing the presentation for us. Click here to see the videos.
Jersey Orders
The team store is open for bidness, and the clock is ticking my friends - you only 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.
Hotter than Salsa
The next big event the San Antonio team will be participating in is the Hotter than Salsa ride, which is part of 9th Annual Salsa Festival. This wonderful event will be held on Saturday, April 5th, in the city of Three Rivers, home of the Valero Three Rivers Refinery. I'll be out of town on business so won't be riding, but San Antonio Team Captain John Tenison will be our event Captain for the day, and will make sure everything runs smoothly for the team. There are routes of 20, 35, and 50 miles, including a loop around scenic Choke Canyon. If you are a new or nearly new rider, this is a great little event to get your feet (and wheels) wet in an organized ride that requires no fundraising. Click here for more details.
National Team for ADA Again!
It's official - we are a National Team for the American Diabetes Association again! So far, we have 8 teams participating in 6 events. Our campaign will run from the Napa Tour de Cure on May 4th, to the Oklahoma City Tour de Cure on June 28th. Last year we had 246 riders on 7 teams in 5 events who raised $120,000 - I expect to do even better this year! Once again, we'll have folks from the San Antonio Team traveling to join the Refinery teams in each of the events - I personally plan on riding in 4 of the 6 Tours, including Napa, Texas, Baton Rouge, and Long Beach. You'll hear a lot about this over the next few months, but I'm so proud we are stepping up to the challenge again of helping to find a cure for this terrible disease that inflicts so many people in the communities in which we live. To see a list of the teams participating this year, click here - to see our current fundraising status, click here.
One of my favorite all time Velo Valero photos. This is from the 2007 Long Beach Tour de Cure, and it sums up the best of what our team represents - riders, volunteers, friends and family, all working together to serve the community.
...that's it for now. I'm going to retire to the living room to watch the final installment of HBO's The Wire, the epic saga which comes to an end after 5 glorious years and 60 unforgettable episodes. See ya' on the road!
- Peter
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Just wanted to send a quick note out about our Kick-Off Training Ride this weekend! Plus, since Daylights Savings Time is this weekend, we'll be cranking up our weekday rides next week. If you've signed up for any of the Spring Tour de Cure rides, it's time to get back in the saddle!
Saturday Morning Kick-Off Ride
San Antonio Team Captain John Tenison has our Kick-Off Ride for our Tour de Cure Training scheduled this weekend - Greetings Velo Valerians! Dust off your bike, lube the chain, air up the tires and come out to Helotes for Velo Valero's Tour de Cure training ride kickoff event this Saturday. Park on the street across from Floore's Country Store - we'll assemble at Roger Soler's Tri-Sports before the ride, but please don't park in their lot. We'll be starting at 9:00 AM to give the sun a chance to warm things up, so don't be put off by the weather forecast. Since it will be a cool start, plan on bringing a jacket and whatever additional clothing you might need, and don't forget gloves! Also don't forget your helmet - bicycle helmets are required at all Velo Valero rides.
We have three routes planned. The shortest ride will follow 1560, Galm Road and 471 to the Exxon C-Store (before Rt. 211), returning via 471 and 1560. A longer alternative will follow the same route but add an out-and-return to Rio Medina for 42 miles. The longest route will return via rt. 211 and rt. 16 for a total distance of 48 miles.
After this weekend we'll be joining other teams in the San Antonio area for TDC weekend training rides. Each team will host a ride - we're scheduled to lead a ride on April 27th - which will give us a great opportunity to meet other folks in the San Antonio cycling community. Click here for the entire schedule. It's only 10 weeks until the San Antonio to Austin Tour de Cure on May 17-18, so it's time to get started!
Also - Since Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend, we also plan on riding Wednesday evenings starting at 5:45 PM from Mays Elementary School on Chase Hill Blvd., near La Cantera. Just like last year, the distance will be approx. 20-25 miles. Come and join us!
NOTE: If you haven't done a San Antonio Velo Training ride before, click here to see the Rules of the Road.
Also - check our Event Shedule for all the ride details! - John
NOTE: Just heard that Treasuer Patricia Jones and Gene Clapp will be riding the Saturday route again on Sunday, because, well, once is just not enough! Send PJ an e-mail at patricia.jones@valero.com if you're interested in joining them.
Thursday Night Family Friendly Rides
Board Member Andrea Shull sent this announcement out regarding the resumption of her Thursday night rides from Camp Bullis Park - I loved this quote from Lance Armstrong and had to share it with you. “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year. But eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.” With that said - for those of you who I haven’t seen riding in a while, our Thursday night rides from Camp Bullis Park are going to start again very soon. So dust off your bikes, air up those tires, and don’t forget to use plenty of butt butter…. J - Andrea
The Blair Witch Photo Shoot
One thing you can count on in Texas this time of year is the extreme variability of the weather. You get these incredible swings in tempurature and conditions, often on the same day! Case in point, we schedule a photo shoot with the the Board of Directors, Top Tour de Cure Fundraisers, and CEO Bill Klesse for Monday afternoon, thinking the weather would be ideal at 4:00 pm for a great outdoor shot on the beautiful HQ Campus. Slam dunk, right? ...NOT! Instead, it's cold, blustery, and the sun continually peeks in and out of the clouds giving us crazy natural light on shot after shot. In photo after photo hair is flying, shadows are falling, grackles are squawking, and eyes are squinting...but, somehow we managed to get one decent picture. I'm including it below - this is the shot that will hopefully be used in the announcement of Velo Valero as a National Team for ADA in 2008.
- See ya' on the road!
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Good morning and happy Monday! Just a quick note to update you on our weekend events, and to relay a message from Vice-President David Sloan...
MS Walk
 A handful of us joined with Nerissa Munez and the Valero Volunteers to particiapte in the MS 5K Walk at the AT&T Center on Saturday. As with the Tower Climb last week, this was a new endeavor for me, and I once again dressed inappropriately. Thinking it was just a casual walk around the parking lot, I wore jeans, which quickly proved to a mistake when I had to repeatedly break into a sprint to keep the excitable Ms. Hannah from barking at all the kids in strollers (she has something against wheels)... I was pretty sweaty when it was all over. To see a short video from the event, click here. To see more photos, click here.
The Sky Was Angry That Day, My Friends
On Sunday afternoon, Pat, Kirstin, PJ, and Peter joined San Antonio Captain John Tenison for a ride on the Northeast side of town. We did 36 miles and change at a moderate clip (15.5 mph), but what made this day memorable was the fierce wind we encountered during the first half of the ride. This was without a doubt the most intense headwind I've pedaled into during the nine years I've been cycling - and this is saying something, because I've done that brutal second day of the Bike to the Beach 8 times! The wind was so bad that it was a relief to pedal up hill because at least the angle blocked the wind for a while. I don't know what was worse, heading straight into the gusts and almost coming to a complete stop at times, or riding cross wind and having to use every muscle in your body just to keep your bike from blowing over. (I don't know if it was just my imagination or what, but I did see a Kansas farm house fly overhead at one point, and most of the cattle were leaning over at a 90 degree angle...) The good news was that when we finally turned north to head back to our starting point, we had the monstrous wind at our back and pushed close to 30 mph on the flats at some points. After working so hard for almost two hours, Pat's comment as we turned to put the wind at our back was very appropriate - "Now we get to feel like gods!"
Once again, Pat took the data points from his Polar computer and generated a graph of the ride for us. Check out those calories we burned during the first half of the ride when we were battling the breeze!
Message from David Sloan
I received this message from Team Vice President David Sloan on Saturday -
Velo Valero Team Mates,
You guys just blow me away! Truly, this accident was not a ploy to increase my fund raising totals! I have been humbled by the outpouring of caring spirit from the Team. I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate what you are doing. As soon as I am allowed to drive, I will be there for SAG support since it will be at least 8 weeks before I'm allowed back on my bicycle.
Also, thank you for your sponsorship of my Tour De Cure fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association. There are so many exciting research projects that are funded through donations like yours! This could be the year that a cure is found for diabetes. I also send thanks on behalf of the nearly 20 million people in the US who now have diabetes, and the 40+ million with pre-diabetes issues.
Again, thank you for your generous support. May God bless you.
Sincerely,
David Sloan
Voelcker Farm Park
The city of San Antonio recently purchased 311 acres of land for a new park in the North Central part of town to be named "Voelcker Farm Park". Public hearings are being held to provide citizens the opportunity to voice their opinions on what the new park should include. The next meeting is scheduled for today at 7:00 pm at the Jewish Community Center - I'm in the process of juggling my schedule so I can attend some or all of this meeting. Many of the leaders in the San Antonio cycling community are agitating for the inclusion of a velodrome, or at the very least, lots of good hike and bike trails in the park and plenty of bike lanes on the roads around the park. I'll keep you posted on this very exciting development for the city of San Antonio! For background, click here.
Tour de Cure Registration, Jersey Orders, etc.
Click here to register for the San Antonio Tour de Cure (May 17-18), and click here to order your team jersey - the deadline is March 28th! Next Saturday we'll have our Spring kickoff ride - more details to come later in the week...
...that's it for now - see you on the road!
- Peter
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