Weekend Schedule for June 27th:
On Saturday a fairly good sized group of riders is heading to Oklahoma to participate in the Oklahoma Tour de Cure scheduled for the 27th. Still time to register and join in.
2008 start/finish line for the OKC Tour de Cure
Also, on the Saturday John Tenison will be leading a ride: Meet us across the street from Floores Country Store for a 7:30 AM ride start. Choose a 23, 40, or 56 mile route (click on your favorite distance for a map) and enjoy the countryside between Helotes and Castroville. It will be sunny and hot by the end of the ride, so be sure to bring sunscreen and plenty of fluids.
Sunday 6/28 Funday Casual Ride Series
Carl "Teddy Bear" Crawford, will lead the ride on Sunday. Please plan on joining me for another installment of the Sunday Funday Casual ride series starting at the Free Tail Brewery located at the corner of Loop 1604 and NW Military HW (Next to the windmill on top of the hill). Wheels down at 7:30AM. Maps will be provided at the ride start with options of as little as 25 miles and as many as 51 miles. Please contact me at carl.crawford@valero.com to let me know if you will be riding on Sunday.
2009 Hotter N Hell will be held on Saturday, August 29th, in scenic Wichita Falls. Click here for more details. There are still spots available at the Burkburnett Training Facility if you don't have a place to stay. Don't hesitate in reserving your space as these are filling up fast. Complete the HHH HOUSING REGISTRATION FORM to reserve one of the 20 beds that I have reserved for the team.
Several folks take advantage of the cheap prices at the 2008 Hotter-N-Hell Expo
There are still several remaining Tour de Cure events, and the team will be traveling to several of these locations. There will be opportunities to carpool and share hotel rooms for those wanting to save a little money. Please contact me if you are interested in any of the remaining events, and I will do my best to help as much as possible. Check out the calendar of events for upcoming tours.
Great looking group from the 2008 Del City Tour event.
On September 19th the ADA will be holding their first Houston Tour de Cure. If you think this is a ride you would like to participate in don't hesitate to register while to cost is only $15. Early registration ends on June 26th and the price will jump to $25. Remember Velo Valero is currently a National team for the American Diabetes Association, and you are only required to raise the minimum for one event and pay registration for the other riders in which you participate. However, these are fundraising events for those struggling with diabetes. Any additional fundraising would be extremely appreciated and will help us reach the $100,000 requirement to remain a National team. Click here to register
Currently I'm in the process of trying to find a hotel that will offer a rider discount for those traveling to Houston to participate in this event. Once all of the details have been finalized I will add them to the calendar. Currently it's still a work in progress as we are still a several months from the ride.
Velo Valero MS Ride to the River Kickoff: We had a great turnout on Saturday, the 13th with 45 riders in attendance. It seems to be normal conditions these days to ride with the wind as it was again with us in all its glory. As though it was laughing in our face testing our endurance and desire to finish and not give in to it. We pushed hard on the pedals to maintain a snails pace. It didn't seem to let up much and I prayed for a break at every turn. The break did come and we reached 24 mph on the back stretch heading for home. Only to turn smack dab right back into it again. Not that I think the wind is ever a good thing, it did take my mind of how hot and humid it was. The return trip back to the park was a bit challenging as the traffic in town picked up substantially. All in all we had a great ride and jumping into the pool afterwards felt fantastic. (wish we could do this after every ride) As I'm sure most will agree, this is going to be a fantastic location for the overnight. The resort looked great, the pool was cool and refreshing, the river is only a stones throw from the finish line, plenty of cool spots for relaxing after a long day in the saddle, and loads of hotels to accommodate everyone. This training ride really got me all geared up and ready to get started. I'm sure this will be one of the best MS rides ever.
David's 30 miler turtles taking a break. Be sure to check out the rest of the click here for more pictures from the ride.
In closing I wanted to say thank you to all those who seem to always be there to help the team stay on the road and keep our wheels moving. T
Those on the Board who spend so much of their free time either helping new riders, putting the maps together for the training rides, riding the new routes in advance to make sure the route is safe, and specially for leading so many training rides during the year. Without their support, we would not be able to provide 4 training rides a week. You are awesome!
In addition we had two organizations who helped over the weekend for the kickoff training ride on Saturday:
The San Antonio’s National Multiple Sclerosis Society Office: One of the best organizations that I have ever had the opportunity to be associated with. They have a lot of fantastic employees, and I now consider them to be part of my extended family and friends. Special thanks to Tony Ralf and Cindy Rodriquez who providing SAG support this weekend and waiting on us slow pokes as we battled the wind. And how could anybody forget about Lisa Shaw. She is a bubbly blonde, and it only takes meeting her once and you will never forget her. She is always in a good mood and ready to do whatever it takes. I must say for as short as those legs are they sure can get her where she wants to go. She is a great cyclist. Sorry you have to get up so early Bal.
The Valero Motorcycle Marshals: These two-wheeled wonders are just as dedicated to their rides as we are. They travel to help a lot of other organizations and provide assistance to whatever the cause is that needs help. Including both the Tour de Cure and the Bike to the Beach cycling events. They have assisted the Velo team on several occasions this year, and I look forward to them helping me find my way again in the near future. I’m a little directionally challenged and seeing them on the route is such a relief. Not only because they are there if I need help, but I know I’m on the right road.
The next time you see these folks at a ride, please take a few minutes to say thanks and to let them know we all appreciate everything they do to ensure that we have an enjoyable and safe ride.
Lookout Oklahoma, here we come.
Andrea