Good morning and happy Wednesday! ...It's hard to believe that just a few days ago many of us were climbing up the massive Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi. Hopefully everyone has recovered physically from this incredible challenge (and forgotten about the brutal headwinds and the lines for the showers), and is ready to saddle up do it all again next year. As I mentioned earlier, if you have a story you want to share and/or some photos, please send them to cycling@valero.com and I'll get them posted to our web site. We already have a number of Rider Testimonials loaded, and our Photo Gallery is growing every day.
Lost and Found
...We had a few items show up after Sunday that are in our lost and found. If you lost any of the following items, please send an e-mail to cycling@valero.com and we'll get you reunited with your stuff.
Message from Bill Klesse
CEO Bill Klesse (and Bike MS Top Fundraiser) sent the following message to all employees Tuesday.
I would like to thank the nearly 300 volunteers that worked last weekend to make the Bike MS: Valero Bike to the Beach a successful fundraiser and an exceptionally well-run event. Thank you for giving up your weekend for a wonderful cause. For all the cooks, servers, motorcycle riders, SAG drivers, our Team Captain and Board, and the organizers, thank you for a terrific job.
Now we are fully engaged in the Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children Golf Classic. Between these events we have over 1,500 volunteers from Valero along with many others. You can recognize our Valero volunteers by their red volunteer shirts and their company pride. These two golf events are key events for Valero and we are so thankful to our incredible volunteer corps for making them happen. I am sure we will have fun and hopefully, no rain on Sunday.
Thank you for volunteering.
- Bill
Teammate Bill Klesse on the road during Day 1
Fundraising Status
We are off the charts and breaking new records almost daily with our fundraising - we are now up to $260,141 and counting, which once again makes us the top fundraiser this year and the largest fundraising team ever in the event. But, as impressive as this is, our work isn't done. A full 42% of our registered riders have not raised the minimum yet, and 28% of you have not raised any funds at all. I want each of you that rode to think about all the incredible work the volunteers put into this event, along with the staff from MS. Also think about the herculean effort it took for you to get over that Harbor Bridge, how you didn't think it was possible to reach the top after 160 brutal miles on the road. We all did this not for ourselves but to raise awareness and funds for the MS Society - end of story. ...The good news is you have until November 5th to turn in any moneys you have raised to be eligible for any of the prizes they offer for various fundraising levels. To see a list of prizes, click here - anyone who raises $500 or more is gonna' win something. Also, anyone who raises $1000 or more has the possibility of winning two round-trip tickets to the Land Down Under (i.e., Australia) courtesy of everyone's favorite Aussie, Tony Ralf. What are you waiting for?
To see our current fundraising totals and team roster, click here.
Awards Banquet
Mark your calendars, friends - the end of year Awards Banquet this year is scheduled for December 4th from 5:00 to 08:00 pm at Valero HQ. We'll be on the 4th Floor of the D Building, the same place we had our Kickoff Party at. As in year's past, I want as many team members and event volunteers to attend as possible, in addition to as many friends and family members as you can muster. This is our time to celebrate what we have accomplished as a team. We are certain to win a number of awards as in years past, and I want each of you to participate in the celebration because each of you contributed to our success.
Team members at last year's Awards Banquet
Call for Board Members and Officers
...As our cycling season winds down this year, we will soon turn our attention to electing new Board Members and Officers for 2009. If you are interested in learning more about these positions, please don't hesitate to contact me. You may also want to peruse the Team By-Laws we ratified this year, which explains the roles and responsibilities of each position. (Thanks again to PJ and Patrick for putting these together for us!) As it stands, we'll elect new Board members in November, and the Board will then choose our officers (including National Team Captain) in December.
Louisiana and Bay to Bay MS Rides
Once again, I've spent so much time focusing on our Bike to the Beach, that I've neglected rides that our members in other parts of the country are doing. For example, I received this from Dennis Ross from our St. Charles refinery, who did the Louisiana ride this year:
The Louisiana MS-150 was this weekend. I don't have the exact number, but there were over 1000 riders. The route was from Southeastern Louisiana University to Percy Quinn State Park in Maccomb Mississippi. The ride was attended by Chris Marrion and me. Mississippi being at a higher elevation than Louisiana, it was uphill most of the way there. Then as a practical joke, some gremlins reversed all of the hills during the night, and turned the wind around so the return ride would also be uphill and into a stiff headwind.
Dennis Ross posing at the entrance to Percy Quin State Park along the route
Also - the Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour ride will be held this weekend, with riders in Southern California (including folks from the Valero Wilmington Refinery) riding from Orange County to San Diego in what will once again be one of the most scenic MS rides on the calendar. I'll have photos and stories for you next week - good luck guys!
Wilmington Riders during the 2007 Bay to Bay Ride
A Few More Photos from the Weekend
...I'll end with a few more of my favorite photos from the BTTB. To see all the photos from the event, click here.
El Hefe dragging Board Member and "Hostess with the Mostess" Lucy Hernandez to the front of the stage for a well deserved round of applause. (Look at that smile!) I can't thank Lucy enough for once again creating a memorable team tent experience for us on very limited funds. Although she worked a very long 14 hour day, and got bitten by way too many mosquitos, and said she's NEVER dolng this again, she's already kicking around ideas for next year...
So close, and yet so far! - Steve DiPaola fixes a flat on the Harbor Bridge'
Laura "The Queen" Vaccaro, Team Captain from 2005-2006, roaring down the Harbor Bridge. Laura coordinated our SAG and courtesy shuttles, along with the luggage trucks, and worked around the clock for three straight days. It was so wonderful to see her take a break, slip into her cycling gear, and pedal the last leg of the ride with us.
Team members go undercover during the Saturday Night team experience
Team photo we took after our pre-ride Lunch on Friday at Valero HQ. It was so great to get together with everyone the day before the big weekend to watch some of our team videos and just hang out together.
A very proud mother poses with El Hefe and friends at the finish line in Corpus Christi
...that's it for now. See you on the road!
- Peter