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December 2008 - Posts
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 Good morning and happy Monday!
...Well, I'm at the front end of a two-week, multi-city and multi-state odyssey that will allow me (hopefully) to celebrate the holidays with four different sets of family. Before I leave the grid, I wanted to put together our annual year in review photo gallery. And friends, what an incredible year it has been! We've climbed both Enchanted Rock and the Tower of the Americas, participated in cycling events all over the country, blasted across the Harbor Bridge at the end of the the Bike to the Beach, raised almost a half million dollars for ADA and MS, and pushed our limits with 33,000 close friends during the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon. As I scanned through our photo library to put this together, I'm completely overwhelmed by what we accomplished in 2008.
I want to take this last opportunity to once again thank the Board of Directors for working so hard all year to make all this possible, and all the Team Captains from around the country who helped us spread the gospel of Velo Valero far and wide in our second year as a National Team. I especially want to thank PJ, John, and Chuck, who have been the pillars of the team during the two years I've been Captain - I couldn't have done this without all of you you!
To see our 2009 Event Schedule, click here. If you have any suggestions on rides or other fitness events you think the team should participate in, send them to cycling@valero.com.
Enjoy the holidays - you deserve it!
Group shot at Enchanted Rock in January. We hiked the rock and then went into Fredericksburg to celebrate Zora's birthday..
Accepting another round of awards at the ADA Dinner. We were once again recognized for being the largest team and the top fundraising team in the San Antonio Tour de Cure.
Going gangser to recruit new riders at the Valero Wellness Fair. We really made a stroing effort to recruit new folks in 2008, and as a result, we were able to field 294 riders for the Bike to the Beach, our largest team ever.
Sweaty and exhilerated at the top of the Tower of the Americas. In 2008, we tried to encourage team members to participate in a wider range of fitness challenges, and will continue to do so in 2009. For information on the 2009 Tower Climb, click here.
Posing with Louie, the Happy Wanderer, at the 2008 MS Walk, one of the many ways we supported the cause of MS in 2008, which culminated in us winning the Corporate Star Award for the first time. For information on the 2009 Walk event, click here.
The group that braved the wet roads (including the monstrous hills on Crabapple) during our 2008 Spring Board Retreat. To see the video of the ride, click here.
Valero runners at the Capital 10K in Austin. Lupe and Carl have been members of Velo for years, Nerissa was a new rider in 2008, and Jana has run our Massage Tent during the Bike to the Beach for the last two years (and will hopefully be riding with us in 2009). Hearing how much fun this event was got me thinking about taking the plunge into running...
Velo Valero riders at the Hotter Than Salsa ride in Three Rivers, home of the Valero Three Rivers Refinery.
PJ meets a tall, dark, and handsome Park Ranger at the start of the LBJ 100, one of the most scenic and hilliest rides we did all year. For information on the 2009 ride, click here.
The first couple of Velo Valero, Stella and Luis, at the Fiesta WIlderflower ride with hammerhead Kyle. Kyle left us late in the year for a job in Colorado, but we all have great memories of some incredible pace lines with him.
Posing at the final rest stop during the always gorgeous Napa Valley Tour de Cure. Yes, those are vineyards in the background! For more photos from the Napa ride, click here.
Pebbles and Carmen give T-Ralf the bidness at MS Camp Can Do, yet another way Valero and the team supported MS in 2008
Group shot on the road during the San Antonio Tour de Cure, with Andrea attempting to improve El Hefe's reception. For info on the 2009 event, click here.
Stephanie from Delaware City with her team that participated in the Greater Philadelphia Tour de Cure. Last update I heard from her was that she was heading to Aruba, and will be starting a bike team there, which will make it the third team she's launched over the years (you go girl!)!
Group photo at the finish line of the St. Francesville Tour de Cure (look closely - this photo marks the first appearance of Flat Peter). I was so happy we could travel to Louisiana to support Monika and her team again, and we all had a great time in New Orleans. To see all the incredible photos from this ride, click here.
Group shot of cruiser bikers during the summer with our fearless leader Rusty. This was a memorable ride for Paige and her feet - you need to ask her for all the details!
Photo from the top of the Harbor Bridge in Corpus from the dry run we did during the summer. It was my dream for years to finish the Bike to the Beach with a climb up the bridge, and the dry run gave us all the confidence that it could be done.
Group shot of riders during the 2008 Long Beach Tour de Cure
Team Veep David Sloan led a group of San Antonio riders who joined Monika and riders from our Ardmore Refinery at the Oklahoma City Tour de Cure.
DJ Vanilla Thunder and his sidekick Brown Sugar kick out the jams during the wedding of long time team members Diane Mitchell and Pat Moore
Hanging out with members of Team ETC at the Bike to the Beach kickoff party - yes, that's an oversized pineapple I'm holding, although I'm not sure why
Chase, Andrea, and PJ with 13,000 friends at the start of the Hotter N' Hell
CEO Bill Klesse and Tony Ralf enjoy a laugh during the Club 100 kickoff party. Bill took his commitment to the cause of MS to a whole new level by contributing $100,000 at this event (I saw the check with my own two eyes!)
My father-in-law Stan delivering the prayer at the start of the Bike to the Beach. At age 70, he did over 110 miles over two days, including the Harbor Bridge at the end. To quote George Will, some men are like mountains - the closer you get to them, the bigger they become. Stan is such a man.
At the finish line of the Bike to the Beach with my mom, who showed up for the first time in nine years to watch me finish, and is still telling our friends all about it!
With my friend and miracle worker Lucy Hernandez, who once again created a magical team tent experience for us in Beeville, which won for her at last the Best Team Tent award
David, Glennis, and Luis at the Ft. Worth Tour de Cure. This year Velo participated in a total of 8 Tour de Cure events and raised almost $100,000 for ADA.
Stella and I pose with some of the Wurstfest Opas during the Tour de Gruene
...which also included a very focused and nattily attired Lance Armstrong
Board Member Sylvia captured on the big screen while the high energy marching band plays during the MS National Conference, where we won the coveted Corporate Start award for the first time. For more photos from the conference, click here.
Velo Valero riders and volunteers at the MS Bay to Bay ride. The folks from Wilmington once again made me proud with their strong turnout in this event.
Flashing the Hook 'Em sign at mile 6 during the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon. This was my first running event, but won't be my last.
Team members, along with Tony Ralf and the adorable Mallory, at the MS Award Banquet, where we once again won the most important award, Top Fundraising Team...
...and I passed the Captain's baton to a very worthy and capable Andea. For more photos from the event, click here.
At the Mission to Mission ride with my son Alex - I can't tell you what a thrill it was to do a ride with him! To see more photos from the M2M, click here.
Posing with John, Luis, and Ray at the end of the last training ride of the year. We stayed on the road all year in 2008, something I'm very proud of. To see photos from all our 2008 training rides, including the great things Megan and Carl did with the newVcrew, click here.
CEO Bill Klesse on the road during the Bike to the Beach. Bill was once again an incredible role model and inspiration for all Velo Valero team members - leading with his legs, his wallet, and his heart. He truly is El Hefe Grande for this team!
See you on the road!
- Peter
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Good morning and happy Monday! Hopefully everyone is enjoying the fun and festitivies (and of course, all the food) of the holiday season. I'm heading off to Philadelphia for a week later this afternoon, so I have to keep this short and sweet for now. When I get back, we'll put together another year in review photo gallery similiar to what we did last year (click here to see).
Final Training RIde this Year
A handful of hearty souls showed up Saturday morning at Bullis County Park for the final training ride of the year to battle the wind and the hills on the far Northside of town. We did 32+ fast miles with no break, including some great ascents on Smithson Valley Road. This is the second ride I've done with the new Garmin Forerunner 205 Debbie got me when I was training for the Rock and Roll Marathon, and I just love this puppy. It uses the GPS satellites to track your speed, pace, distance, and elevation, and you can dump it to your computer and graph everything out when you are done. I haven't cycled much since the Bike to the Beach (just some mountain biking with Alex, and of course the Tour de Gruene and the Mission to Mission) and I tell you, it was great to be on a bike again with strong riders like John, Luis, Pat, and Ray, just enjoying the wonderful South Texas scenery and the company of good friends.
Graph from the ride showing distance, elevation, and speed. It takes all this incredible technology to prove you slow down going up hill, and speed up going downhill.
John, Peter, Luis, and Ray at the finish of the last training ride of the year. To see all the photos from an incredible year of training rides, click here.
Velo Valero Around the World
I'll end with a few more pictures that people have sent me during the year of their travels around the world. Remember - if you travel for the holidays somewhere interesting, take your team jersey and get a photo with it on. Send it to cycling@valero.com and we'll include it in our growing Around the World gallery.
NOTE: I got this idea when I was in Anchorage in 2006, and I saw a show at the legendary Fly by Night Club, which unfortunately had its last show on September 8th. The nut who ran the place, Professor Whitekeys, encouraged people to travel with cans of Spam and be photographed with them in front of famous tourist destinations, then send them back to the club to post in his gallery. He had some great stuff in there... He was inspired by the fact that folks in Alaska ate more spam per capita then any other state in the union (Hawaii was second) - although he freely admitted he had no clue why this was so.
Ken Mayfield, Valero Tour de Cure Event Chair, after jogging up the side of a volcano in St. Eustacius
Flat Peter in Guatamala with Nurse Yvette, courtesy of Trey Robertson
Alice, aka "The Princess of Pedal", at the Hood River in Oregon
"Funky Cold" Medina in the Phillipines
Peter next to bizarre windswept trees on the Southern California coast
Carl "The Bear" near waterfall in Glacier National Park
El Jefe spotted not in St. Eustacius, but in St. Maarten (thanks for the correction, Ken!)
...see you on the road!
 Andrea and Peter
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Good morning and happy Friday!
Rides this Weekend
John "the Punisher" Tenison has a ride scheduled for Saturday at 9:00 am. He sent me the following note -
Chuck, Peter and I decided we really need to get out on the bike one last time before the serious holiday eating and drinking starts, soooo… we meet at Bullis County Park this Saturday for a 9:00 AM ride start. Come out and join us for approx. 30-35 miles - you should be home by noon. The forecast is looking good – clear and cool. You may want to bring along arm and leg warmers, long finger gloves, booties and whatever other winter gear keeps you happy (you may not need it all, but it’s good to have on hand). We’ll ride as often as we can after January 1, weather permitting – I’ll keep you posted. Hope to see you on the road.  John
Velo Participates in the San Antonio Police Departments Blue Santa Program
This year the Velo Valero Bike team took off our helmets (for a brief moment) and put on a Santa hats and adopted a Blue Santa family for the Holiday’s. This was a fantastic way for our team to give back to the community which has been so generous during our fundraising events over the past year. We set records, had a great time and road over a bridge in hopes of finding a cure. Now it was our turn to pay it forward.
Raven a single mom raising three small children, attending college full time, and having a full time job. Chauncey 5, Terryl 3, and Rai Lynn only 7 weeks old are a handful. Raven will be finished with college this spring and hopes to be accepted into medical school as she has dreams of being an OBGYN. Thanks to the generosity of our team this family will have a Christmas to remember. An living room full of toys, cloths, needed household items, two TV's, and of course each child received a brand new bike. You can never start recruiting to young. Also, we can't forget about our police officer escort Omar, new to riding and hopefully will be joining us on occasion. Thank you for all your donations and that caring attitude that our team seems to have an abundance of. Without that spirit non of this would have been possible. Thanks again and we hope that all of you have a safe and joyful Holiday. Merry Christmas!
Andrea and Peter pose with our police escort and a very happy Raven and child
Board Members pose with our police escort before we made our delivery
A Win of a Lifetime - Alain is Off to the Land Down Under!
At the Bike to the Beach Awards Banquet last week, long time Velo Valero team member Alain Charette was the lucky winner of the tickets to Australia plus a weekend at a resort in Corpus. Alain has been raising money for the MS Society in the Bike to the Beach event for 6 years, has been a top fundraiser in each of those rides, and persuades his fellow riders from Houston to join him. He is a fantastic person and I was so happy to give him the news that he was the winner. I really tried to talk him out of the tickets to no avail. So when you see Alain wish him well as he is so deserving of this outstanding donation from the Ralph family.
Bike to the Beach Mentioned in the San Antonio Business Journal
The record breaking success of this year's Bike to the Beach was mentioned in today's San Antonio Business Journal - click here to access the article.
Recap of the 2008 Bay to Bay Ride
Finally, it so easy for us to focus on what's going on in San Antonio, that we something forget about the great cycling that Velo Valero teams are doing in other parts of the country. I received this great account of the 2008 Lan Rover Miramar MS Bay to Bay ride from Wilmington Team Captain, Bob Roger. The Wilmington riders and volunteers once again stepped up big for this event.
We had another great turn out for this year MS Bay to Bay Ride. We had a total of six riders. Five riders did the 100 miles, from Irvine to San Diego, Ca. One rider did the 30 mile loop around Carlsbad, Ca. The riders were B. Roger, S. Scott, F. Arceo, R. Edwards, B. Hardison, and D. Botts. It was a beautiful ride down the coast, with great weather. This was a two day ride starting in Irvine heading south through Camp Pendleton, and ending in Carlsbad the first day. We spent the night at the Carlsbad Inn and enjoyed dinner at the Fish House Restaurant that night. The second day consisted of leaving Carlsbad heading south, climbing Tory Pines and ending up at Mission bay in San Diego, Ca. The race director did another fantastic job organizing the rest stops and lunch the first day in San Onofre State Park. Dinner and a Live Band were also provided the first night in Carlsbad. Also lunch was served while music played at the Medal ceremony at Mission Bay. Everyone had a wonderful experience.
We would like to thank all the Valero Volunteers whom show up every year to make this event such a success. And a special thanks to Rod Quines who shows up at sunrise with Valero banners to help organize the volunteer efforts. And Rob, a special thank you for extraordinary visual documentation of our representation in the past MS Bay to Bay rides. Other volunteers consisted of Mary Gutierrez and her husband Chris, Jamie Duke with wife Pamala and his daughter in which we ride for, Allison, Tony Tedei, Sonia Servin-Arceo, Hans Offermans, and last but not least my wife Mary. Our hearts and prayers go out to Chris Ciasca who usually brings a special smile to this event. Get well soon.
We appreciate all of your generous donations towards the Multiple Sclerosis Association. With your help and the Valero donation we raised approximately $4,500 to help fight MS.
Thanks again until next year,
Bob
Riders and volunteers at the 2008 Bay to Bay. To see more photos, click here.
MISSION TO MISSION
Pictures are worth a thousand words, so be sure to check out all the pictures from this ride. Hats off to the Cool Cats for stepping up and really helping to get this event organized. Hope more of you will take the opportunity to do this ride next year. A great way to end the year and to find all your winter riding attire that has been pushed to back of the closet.
Pat O'Brien taking a picture of someone taking a picture of him at the ride start. Click here to see all the great photos from this year's Mission to Mission.
...see ya' on the road!
Andrea and Peter
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Good morning and happy Monday! We had an incredible flurry of activity to end the Velo Valero cycling season over the weekend - from the Bike to the Beach Awards Banquet on Thursday, to the Cruiser Bike outing on Friday, to the best organized, most enjoyable Mission to Mission ride ever on Saturday. Clip in and enjoy this blog - I'll try to cover it all, but will end with the Banquet for reasons that will soon become obvious...
Cruiser Biking
Approximately 25 hearty souls braved the cold Friday night for the Cruiser Bike ride. The night actually warmed up as we began riding, and the adult beverages began to circulate throughout our finely tuned physiques (hah!). We stopped at a number of great downtown hot spots - Alibis, Acapulco's, Beethoven Hall, the Blue Star Brewing Company, and the venerable VFW for a final night cap before heading back to our cars at Sam's Burger Joint. My friend Brian showed up for his first Velo event, and I'm certain it won't be his last - he looked quite comfortable on the Burnt Orange stretch I lent him for the evening. We had one moment that was truly transcendent when late in the evening we rode over one of the many bridges that span the Riverwalk and were bathed in an incredible canopy of holiday lights - we tried to get a picture, but no digital camera could capture that incredible sight. Thanks to former Velo Valero team Captain Rusty "Broken Spoke" Ferguson and his friend Gary (aka Rocky), for organizing yet another fun-filled urban cycling adventure.
Brian feeling the love on the Burnt Orange stretch
Group shot of some of the cruisers at Beethoven Hall
Pausing to enjoy some of those magical holiday lights along the Riverwalk
To see all the photos from this month's cruiser bike ride, click here.
Mission to Mission Ride
On Saturday, approximately 20 Velo Valero riders participated in the Mission to Mission ride, which was our last team ride of the year. This M2M in the past has been a little disorganized (to put it politely), but this year they got it right my friends, and if they follow the same formula next year, I can wholeheartedly recommend it as a ride everyone should do. They had a well-organized staggered start, plenty of signage, and lots of extremely helpful volunteers along the route to direct traffic. Hats off to the Cool Cats Cycling Club and their wonderful captain Della for providing incredible SAG support for the event. The fact that we had chamber of commerce clear blue skies and brisk but not cold temperatures was only icing on the proverbial cycling cake.
This ride was special to me for a number of reasons.
First, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the Mission Hike and Bike Trail, because this is where I got my start as a cyclist 10 years ago with folks like John "Brown Sugar" Holt and Zora "You Can Do It" Bilicich. We were complete novices at the time, struggling to complete 15 mile rides without bonking, and (yes) pausing to walk up some of those massive south side hills. But, you have to start somewhere, and if you stick with it, you get better each ride and each year, and before you know it, you are doing rides like the Bike to the Beach and roaring up the Harbor Bridge at mile 164 and not breaking a sweat...
Secondly, this was the first organized ride I've done with my son, Alex. We did just a little over 20 miles at a leisurely pace, but this was further than he's ever ridden before, and I'm proud of the kid. I could sense that he was excited (like we all are) as he waited in the pack of riders at the start, and I could see the adrenalin flowing as we started pedaling. He didn't look too happy for most of the ride, but when we finished, I know he felt a sense of accomplishment and maybe, just maybe I'll get him on a bike in the spring for the Valero Tour de Cure... This is something I always encourage Velo Valero members to do with the Mission to Mission - try and get your non-cycling friends and family members to ride with you, because you might just get them hooked on your favorite sport...
Next, this was our end of season ride, and it was wonderful to have lunch afterwards at the Blue Star with folks like John "The Punisher" Tenison, Chuck "The Rock" Divelbiss, Luis "the Rocket" Rocha, and Pat "Let's Make a Deal" O'Brien. These are all great guys and amazing cyclists I've been part of so many blistering pace lines with over the last year (admittedly, usually towards the back and sucking wheel). As we sat on the outdoor patio of the Blue Star drinking a beer (or two) under the clear blue Texas sky, I felt a wonderful sense of comaradarie and closure on a very successful year for Velo Valero.
Finally, after two years of being El Hefe and leading this team in events all across the country, this was my last official event as Team Captain (more on this later). It was only right and fitting that I should finish my Tour of Duty at the place where I got my start, with my son at my side, and with some of the special team members and friends who pushed me so hard and so fast on so many rides. (And, of course, with a tastey home brew in my hand.)
Andrea, going G-Unit on us, and son Aaron
El Hefe and son have a Homer and Bart Simpson moment before the ride
Hammerheads Chuck, Luis, and John ready to crank up the jets for another furious pace line
Pausing for a group shot at Mission San Juan
Lee and his son taking a break at one of the rest stops. Check out the diaper bag Lee carried the whole way - he definitely gets the Super Dad award!
To see all the photos from the 2008 Mission to Mission, click here.
Awards Banquet and the New Sheriff in Town
As mentioned, we had the Bike to the Beach Awards Banquet on Thursday, and it was an incredible evening. Laura "the Queen" Vaccaro accepted the Corporate Sponsorship award on behalf of Valero, and gave a beautiful speech on the special relationship between the company and the MS Society, which culminated in us winning the Corporate Star Award for the first time this year at the MS National Conference. I was so excited that Board Member and miracle worker Lucy "Party Planner" Hernandez won the rider-voted award for Best Team Tent. She was even more excited than me - she unexpectedly ran to the podium, and delivered a heartfelt and wonderful speech that documented so well the trials and tribulations of decorating a team tent with no budget and just a handful of volunteers, but somehow turning it into an oasis of fun that made team members forget for a few hours the headwind, the hills, and all that chip seal. Another incredible moment during the evening was the tribute to Tony Ralf, VP of the Lone Star Chapter of the MS Society, who won an award recognizing his incredible spirit in riding in the event for the first time in honor of his sister Pauline. Chris Shaw gave the speech, and damn that boy has a pretty mouth - he really should go into the ministry or politics. Midway through his speech I was reaching for my wallet, and he wasn't even asking for any money...
Finally, at the end of the evening, Velo Valero was awarded the Top Fundraising award for the incredible amount of money we raised this year - $305,000 and counting. I knew this was my last time to receive this award on behalf of the team, and even though I'm a reluctant public speaker, I knew I had to say something - this was the symbolic moment when my time as Team Captain would end, and our new Captain, Andrea Shull, would be announced to the team and the Texas cycling community. (We voted at the Tuesday Board Meeting to make her our 2009 Captain.) I asked all the former Team Captains of Velo Valero to attend, just as they were present when Laura handed the job to me two years ago. I'm a guy, and we're not supposed to get emotional, but I have to admit, I was a little verklempt as I stood there and tried to convey what the moment meant to me. I said that I didn't create a great team out of thin air - I inherited a great team, and during my two years at the helm I did every thing I could to keep it going. Everything I did as Captain, I based on the lessons I learned from watching Monica, Rusty, Terry, and Laura run the team before me. Each was (and is) full of the type of spirit that Chris Shaw saw in Tony this year and described so well in his speech. It was a bittersweet moment for me, because I enjoyed so much doing the job, but I know my two years are up and my energy is needed elsewhere. One thing that comforts me is that I know the team is in very good hands - Andrea has that special spirit in abundance and will lead this team to even greater heights in the coming year.
When it was over, all of the former Velo Captains stood in a line and passed the proverbial baton (actually, a bar of chocolate) to Andrea. It was the right thing to do - she has the heart and the passion to be the next great Velo Valero Team Capain.
Thanks for allowing me to share my stories with you in this blog, and to ride beside you in so many events. I'm not going anywhere - like Laura, I'll remain on the Board as Captain Emeritus to help Andrea and the 2009 Board run the show next year, and I'll do as much cycling as Debbie, the kids, and my new boss will let me get away with.
It has been an honor and a pleasure to be your Captain.
Tony Ralf at the podium - he was such an inspiration to all of us this year!
My dear friend Lucy enthuiastically accepts an award she richly deserved - Best Team Tent
Velo Valero riders, along with Tony Ralf and the adorable Mallory, applaud as the team receives the Top Fundraising Team Award, the one that matters most and the one I'm always so proud to win
Peter accepting the baton in 2006...
...Andrea answering the call in 2008
Irrefutable photographic evidence that Andrea is both taller and better looking than me
 Peter
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Greetings and happy Hump Day! Just a few quick announcements about upcoming events...
Bike to the Beach Awards Banquet
The Awards Banquet for the 2008 Bike to the Beach is scheduled for Thursday, December 4, from 5:00 to 08:00 pm. It will be held on the 4th floor of the D Building at Valero HQ (the same place the Bike to the Beach San Antonio Kickoff Party was held). All Velo Valero cyclists, volunteers, friends, and family, are invited to attend. We worked hard this year and accomplished great things, and this is our time to shine - I can assure that Velo Valero and Valero Energy will win an award or two at this event. Plus, we have one or two surprises up our sleeves for you (you have to be present to experience). Food will be catered by our friends at Pappasitos, and you'll get the see the world debut of the official event video produced by Valero's own budding Spielberg, Gus Villareal. NOTE: If you are short on time, the awards portion of the event will be between 6:45 pm and 7:45 pm. Also - if you earned a fundraising prize and sent in the form requesting your prize, you'll be able to pick it up at the event. Hope to see you there!
Mo' better bling for Velo Valero (from the 2007 Awards Banquet)
Cruiser Bike Ride
It will be a little chilly Friday night, but the First Friday Cruiser Bike Ride is still a go. We'll meet around 08:00 pm at the park and ride next to Sam's Burger Joint. Bring an urban friendly bike - we don't go fast, but we do go over some rough roads every now and then. Be ready for a really good time, because it's First Friday in San Antonio, and lots of people will be out and about enjoying the evening. Send an e-mail to cycling@valero.com if you plan on attending. NOTE: This ride is for adults only.
Group shot from our summer Cruiser Bike ride (former Team Captain Rusty "Broken Spoke" is seated in front)
Mission to Mission
Finally, the Mission to Mission ride is this Saturday. It will be cold in the morning, but should warm up nicely as the day progresses. This is admittedly not the best ride for you hammerheads, but it's a fun, family friendly event you can invite you non-cycling friends and family members to attend to see what our favorite sport is all about. (John "the Punisher" Tenison will be doing the M2M with us again this year, and you are welcome to join him if you want a longer, faster ride.) I'll be riding with my son for the first time, doing a modified 25 mile route along with Andrea and her son and anyone else that wants to do a medium distance, leisurely ride along the historic Mission Trail. If you haven't registered yet, don't worry - you can register the day of the ride (make sure you register with team Velo Valero). The longer distances will start at 09:30 am, and the shorter distance at 10:00 am. Get there a little early if you can, because parking can be an issue if lots of riders show up. Wear your team jersey and we'll try to organize for a team photo at the start!
Taking a break for some yuks at Mission San Juan during the 2007 M2M
...see you on the road!
 The Hefster (in Awards Banquet and Cruiser Bike mode)
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