Good morning and happy Thursday!  I'm still at home enjoying the most relaxing, do-nothing staycation ever, but wanted to take the time to get a quick weekend blast out.   Hopefully everyone gets to enjoy a long holiday weekend, and is ready to start gearing up for the Bike to the Beach when we all get back. 

Special Holiday Ride

 Andrea Shull has volunteered to lead a holiday ride on Friday.  Wheels up from Bullis County Park at 07:30 am.  We currently have no rides scheduled for Saturday or Sunday, but check our Event Schedule periodically - things could change...

Bike to the Beach Dates to Mark on Your Calendar

As mentioned, the paceline is beginning to accelerate for the Bike to the Beach - 

Next Saturday, July 12th, there will be a joint training ride for all Bike to the Beach riders, along with a work session on how to customize your personal web site to maximize fundraising.  Wheels up at Valero HQ at 07:30 am, with the session occurring from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm.  More details to come later.  Please RSVP for the training by sending an e-mail to crodriguez@NMSSLONESTAR.org.

 In addition, David Sloan will be conducting an evening workshop on web site customization on Wednesday, July 9th, from 06:00 to 08:00 pm at Valero HQ. Don't miss this opportunity to pick the brain of a fundraising Jedi Master. Please RSVP by sending an e-mail to crodriguez@NMSSLONESTAR.org.

The San Antonio Official Kickoff Event is scheduled for July 23rd at Valero HQ, and the Corpus Christi event is scheduled for July 26th.  Here's all the details from Cindy Perkins-Rodriquez from MS -

• Kick Off Party (San Antonio) – July 23, 6-8 pm – Come one come all.  Be a part of the San Antonio Kick-off Party hosted by Valero Energy Corporation and Presented by VISTA Infusion.  Bike shops will be on hand with the latest and greatest products.  Take a spin on the spin bikes.  Bring your Kids to the Special Kids Corner.  Visit vendors, team recruitment tables and sign up for door prizes!  Wear your favorite Beach cloths, bike jersey or come as you are.  Pappasito’s will feed us, Sweet Leaf Tea and E.J. Gallo will hydrate us, what more could you ask for!
• Kick Off Party (Corpus Christi) – July 26 (NEW DATE & TIME), 11:30 am – 1:30 pm –   Here we go Corpus!  It’s time to rally the community!  We are pleased to announce that our friends over at Brewster Street will host the Corpus Christi Kick-off Party!  Snack and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided free of charge courtesy of Brewster Street.  Bring the whole family!  Brewster Street offers a kids playground, there will be music, team recruitment tables, door prizes and much more!  

For more information on these events, please contact me at crodriguez@nmsslonestar.org or by phone at 210-694-3224.  Happy Fourth!

- Cindy

Finally, the event itself is scheduled a little earlier this year, on October 4th and 5th.  So far, we are the largest team (again) with 118 members signed up (and counting).  To see the roster of riders participating this year, click here.  If you've registered for the BTTB and don't see your name on this list, there are instructions on the page for how to get added to the mightly Velo Valero cycling machine.

Jersey Orders

The team store is open for new jersey orders!   We'll be taking orders until August 15 for delivery in mid-September, prior to the Bike to the Beach.  The cost of the jersey is $70, and if you are an out of town person participating in the Bike to the Beach, we won't ship the jersey to you - you'll need to pick it up at the Friday Night Expo before the ride. Remember - all riders participating in an organized fundraising event with Velo Valero such as the BTTB need to wear a current team jersey each day of the event.  We don't ask you to pay dues to be on this team - we just ask you to buy and wear the best looking jersey on the road (which you get to keep afterwards!!)   To access the jersey order site, click here.

Tour de Cure Fundraising

Well, the final numbers are in for our Tour de Cure fundraising.  As mentioned earlier this week, we once again came up big for our friends at the American DIabetes Association.  We had 205 riders on 8 teams participate in 6 events all across America - from the lush vineyards of Napa to the spring-fed waters of the San Marcos River, from the canals outside of Philadelphia to the plantations outside of Baton Rouge, and from the rolling surf of Long Beach to the rolling hills of Oklahoma City.   (Sheesh - I'm starting to sound like Woodie Guthrie!)  Our goal as a team was $100,000 and we raised almost $77,000, which is absolutely nothing to be sneeze at.  I'm an eternal optimist with an unfailing ability to see the positive side of everything, including the indisputable fact that our glass is 77% full - this is something I'm very proud of.  In the two years that we've been a National Team for ADA, we've raised almost $200,000, which is a whole lotta' cash for a very worthy cause.  Mr. Sloan and I will be attending the ADA San Antonio Chapter Board Meeting on July 15th, where the two of us and the amazing team we represent will be recognized for our efforts over the last two years.  

Thanks so much for all your hard work!  To see our final fundraising totals, click here.

Surgically enhanced photo of the Board of Directors - it's amazing what you can do with Photoshop these days!

...that's it for now!  Need to return to the very satisfying endeavor of doing absolutely nothing....

- Peter Raycation