Saturday Tour de Cure Training Ride from Goerke's.
Saturday morning was perfect for cycling in the beautiful Texas Hill Country! Clear sky and a light breeze from the southeast that continued to build as the day went on. There were 28 riders that came out to ride the 31, 46, and 58 mile routes, with a good number of Velo Valero riders sprinkled in. Kent was there with his brand new cross training bike. In addition, this ride was also used as a training ride for Tour de Cure SAG volunteer Bill Collins.
The ride started and ended at Goerke's on Weil Rd., which will also be the location of rest stop #3 for Tour de Cure. After the start, everyone made the first leg to New Berlin store without difficulty, other than Alan having a flat, but from there the maps were difficult to read, and missing road signs meant that some of the riders did pretty much their own route to the finish. The ride had SAG support, and there are lots of parallel roads in the area so everyone made it back to the finish without any incidents. The only "complaint" that I heard was that Chuck was disappointed that his ride turned out to only be 52 miles.
After the ride, a good number of us gathered at Goerke's for lunch before scattering for our other weekend pursuits. All in all, it was a good day and a good ride!
A few Tour de Cure reminders:
● Get your bike inspected. Most of the local bike shops should be able to do this for you. It's free and we all need to make sure our bikes are in prime working condition for the ride.
● Did you remember to submit your supplemental registration form by May 1st? For anyone looking for transportation for any of the days it's all there. For a small fee they will even transport riders back to San Marcus for those who only were able to ride on Sunday.
● Send your t-shirt size to Nerissa by Friday. This will help the process during packet pickup on the 21st. Nerissa.muniz@valero.com
● Any riders who are Valero employees need to make sure they have signed up on the volunteer sign up to ensure you receive your volunteer hours.
● If you are an out of town rider and will not be at the packet pickup on the 21st please let me know. We will have extra team goodie bags available for you in San Marcus. I would just like to know how many we need.
● At the Packet pickup you will need to have the fundraising minimum either online or to be turned in. The American Diabetes Association will not give out the packets to anyone who does not have the minimum raised at that time. There will several opportunities to get your packet if you miss the one at Valero. Check the Tour de Cure website for more information.
● We are currently working on getting information together for those wanting to go tubing in San Marcus on Saturday afternoon (5/30). Be sure to keep a lookout for this information. We will do our best to make sure everyone that wants to go will have the opportunity.
● If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. Any of the board member's that you see during a training ride will be able to help. If not they will be able to direct you to someone who can.
Wednesday Night's Family Friendly Ride
We had a really good group out for yesterday’s family friendly ride from Bullis County Park. It was really good to see Glennis Bryce back in the saddle, and she even brought a friend, Christina. Based on yesterday, Brian had better look out when Heidi gets a road bike because she was really riding like the wind yesterday!
I had my first flat since getting my new tires back in February. Andrea, Glennis, and Candus were nice enough to stop and keep me company while watching me give a lesson on how to take your time changing a tube. Glennis even suggested that we turn an upcoming training ride into a race against time with the race to include removing the rear wheel/tire, deflating the tire, removing and reinstalling the tube, inflating the tire with CO2 or with a hand pump carried on the bike, reinstalling the rear wheel (correctly), and riding on to the finish.
Sounds like fun, but with the heat fast approaching I think we need to work on doing this indoors or prior to a training ride on the weekend. Look for something in the near future regarding a session or two on changing a flat and simple bike mechanics for the beginner. We have several riders new to the sport and this would be most beneficial to them.
"Many people shy away from hills. They make it easy on themselves, but that limits their improvement. The more you repeat something, the stronger you get." Joe Catalano
Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there. Hope you have a fantastic day.
Andrea