Just when I thought I would have a few free days this month, something comes up and before I know it all my weekends are full. Why should May be any different?

Rider Hotline Reminder: (210) 345-BIKE  Because of the Swine Flu outbreak, please be sure to call the rider Hotline prior to departing for any training rides during the next few weeks. If we have any cancellations, the ride leader may not have time to update the calendar of events on the website. If possible any cancellations will be available on the hotline at least one hour prior to the start of the ride.

Only 32 days until the Tour de Cure  Friday is the last day to turn in your supplemental registration forms. We currently have 91 riders registered on the team and we are still growing. Fundraising is showing no signs of slowing down, but we are still a long way from our goal with not many days until the big San Antonio event....so let's keep the $$ rolling in!

Sorry I didn’t get the blog out earlier this week. Every time I was going to push send, something new needed to be added. Once again, this was the case this morning (4/30). I received an email from the American Diabetes Association informing us that Velo Valero is raked as one of the top fundraising teams in the nation. **WAY TO GO TEAM**

The starting line from the 2005 Tour de Cure - We have come a long way baby!

This Sunday, May 3^rd, we will have a team riding in the 2009 - Yountville / Napa Valley - Tour de Cure. I wish them well and ask for you to keep them in our thoughts and prayers for a safe ride. We all will especially be thinking of Carl "Teddy Bear" Crawford. "GOOD LUCK!"

A few of the 2008 Napa Valley Velo Valero participants

Cruiser Bike Ride This Friday: The fun never ends in San Antonio, the party capital of the universe!   This weekend there is a Cruiser Bike Ride scheduled to leave from the legendary Sam's Burger Joint at 08:00 pm.     The gang will once again visit a wide variety of downtown hangouts, and weave in and out of the festive crowd at the Southside First Friday.

CYCLIST HIT ON BLANCO: I had heard through the cycling grapevine that a rider was struck by a vehicle on Friday while riding on Blanco. I was able to contact his wife and to my surprise I know the family. Our sons were in the same cub-scout den a few years ago. Maybe some of you know him as well. Here is an email that I received from his wife Robin.

Andrea-

Thank you so much for your email! What a surprise and a welcomed one at that!

We are still trying to maintain some kind of normalcy. Brent is a professor at UTSA and was riding his bike to work from our home in Timberwood Park. He's done this 2-3 times a week for years. He wasn't worried about the construction and really has had only a few minor incidents with drivers honking and yelling as he rode. Friday morning he was riding the new sidewalk and as it was ending, he need to get to the south bound lane, he began to cross the northbound lane. From what he says he had plenty of room to get into his lane. Apparently, an SUV was in the space and hit him. He did not go under the truck. I got a call from the officer to come and pick him up and when I got there he had already been transported to North Central Baptist. When I got NCB they were already making plans to transport him as he had significant injuries. After a CAT scan at University hospital, his injuries were 3 broken ribs, bruised upper right lung, a small laceration on his liver, skull fracture and some blood on the brain. Oh, and can't forget about the road rash from head to toe. I can't imagine the injuries if he had been riding without a helmet. I have to say the folks at University are amazing. Brent is doing well. His ribs and head give him the most trouble. He is now at Methodist in the medical center. I will let him know you are thinking of him and know we think of all bike riders when they're out on the roads. It's so scary! Again, thank you so much for the well wishes. It means a lot. Robin Nowak

  BPMS150 Houston to Austin Ride:  The 25^th anniversary of their ride was a little bit of a let down last week. I was so looking forward to the ride and even recruited a few other Velo rides to participate in the event with me. After all it was going to be the 25^th anniversary and it should be a great event. (The two other Velo riders were unable to participate as they were in Dallas).  As most of you have heard by now, it was a total rain out for day one. It's now a one day 80 mile event leaving from LaGrange's town square at 8:00am on Sunday morning. Riders would be coming from every direction, and they eventually engulfed this small quiet town. By the end of the morning nearly, 11,000 riders found their way to the ride start. If that wasn't enough, the entire fleet of cyclist were stuck waiting on the 8:00am morning train that arrived right on time. Luckily Carl and I were well on our way as we headed out at 7:15am to miss the massive congestion. About 10 miles into the ride, I lost my Oakley sunglasses. The wind ripped open my raincoat and picked the glasses right out of my pocket. A fellow rider yelled out and when I found them, they were a casualty of the ride. A car had run over them and the only thing left was the lenses. Folded in half but otherwise still intact. Once again, the wind was a force to be reckoned with, and it was there upfront right in our face the entire way!  Not a single moment of reprieve would we feel during the entire 80 miles. We decided to do the long route and get a break from the wind on the beautiful park road between Bastrop and Beauscher State Parks. It was going to be the highlight of the ride. Well for the first mile or so... Then I realized we are on a road that had been hammered by rain the entire day before. Mud, pot holes, branches, crazy cyclists, and the never ending hills. Hill after hill, one right after the other, this reprieve from the wind had turned into the longest 11 miles of my life. Once out of the park, the wind took its toll on me, and, at mile 50, my legs started to cramp. Carl was a great sport as he pulled all the way to the next rest stop. I was able to refuel and take a few meds.  5 miles later I felt like a new person. The wind died down just a little, cramps were gone, then it hit me...Carl had talked the whole entire way!  He spoke to every single rider that we passed. He would say "Hello, how are you doing, or it's a little windy today". By mile 70, I wanted to duck tape his mouth shut, but he was my ride home from Austin. All kidding aside, we had a great time, even with all the obstacles along the way! The MS Society did a great job as the logistics of Friday and Saturday had to have been a nightmare. I look forward to participating in this event next year and hope that a few of you will consider joining us. Click here to see all of the the pictures from the ride.

Rider on the BPMS150 get's a helping hand. (love the sign in the background)

Velo Valero on the Valero Corporate Web Site 

The Velo Valero cycling team makes the volunteer page on the company website. Click here to see the photo.

Update from El Hefe, Retired Velo Valero Team Captain and Slacker Extraordinaire

 Yes, I was actually seen on a bike yesterday during the Hillfest.    I remembered to bring all my equipment, and even showed up on time.  But friends, I'm really out of practice and it showed.  For 10 grueling minutes I heroically kept up with hammerheads Chuck, Luis, Lori, Scott, and Ray, and then was unceremoniously dropped.  I met up with them again at the C-Store on Scenic loop, and did hang another 15 minutes with them, but was then dropped again.   The ride back to Chase Hill had all the elements of Wes Craven horror film - brutal head winds with no pace line to provide protection from, and all sorts of loose gravel on Cielo Vista where they are resurfacing the road (we probably need to avoid this for a few weeks until the work is done).   Finally, as I was making that final climb on Babcock before turning on to Chase Hill, my chain locked up and I fell over.   But, despite all of this, it felt really good to be back on a bike again!  I can't wait until the Data Center project is over at work, and my weekends are once again free so I can enjoy the comraderie and exhileration of Velo Valero on the road once more!    

- Peter

Best Wishes for a safe weekend,

Andrea