Good morning and happy hump day! Just wanted to get a quick blog out before Thanksgiving.
Weekend Ride
Saturday John "the Punsiher" Tenison will be hosting a ride starting at 8:00 AM from the parking lot just off Main Street in Boerne, across from the Chevron Station (map). -
We ride out F.M. 1376 to Sisterdale, then across F.M. 473 to Zoeller Lane, on to Waring and back for 35 miles (map). Of course I could be tempted to extend the ride to Comfort, returning via Holiday Rd. for a total distance of 50 miles if anyone is interested. Either way be sure to save some energy for the big hill after PoPo's.The best time of year for riding is right now, so get out there and enjoy the great weather.
- John
Ride to the River Awards Banquet Volunteer Appreciation Party
Just a reminder that the Bike MS Awards Banquet is Wednesday. This is a great opportunity for us to get together as a team one more time, and to celebrate everything we accomplished this year for Bike MS. If possible, please wear a current team jersey. Details are below:
Bike MS: Valero 2009 Alamo Ride to the River Awards
and Volunteer Appreciation Party, presented by 42BELOW
6 - 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18
Pedrotti's North Wind Ranch (map)
13715 FM 1560N
Helotes, TX 78023
Click here to see a video about the Pedrotti's North Wind Ranch. This looks like a really fun place. Hope to see you there!
One of the most memorable moments from last year's banquet - Team Hostess with the Mostess Luz Hernandez accepts the award for best team tent!
San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon
The 2nd Annual San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon was held last weekend. Over 31,000 runners registered for the event, which once again snaked through downtown San Antonio and some of the surrounding neighborhoods like Monte Vista and King Williams. A number of Velo Valero cyclists became runners for the day, including Board Member David "The Flash" Gross, who completed the half in a personal best time of 1:57 (woo hoo!). Humidity was close to 100% during the day, which took its toll on some of the runners, including former Team Captain Peter "El Hefe" Ray (who was rumored to be speaking in tongues during the last mile, although he somehow managed to beat his time from last year by over 3 minutes).
The Rock and Roll folks put on a great event and use some of the latest technologies, including chip timing, real time web updates on splits, and live web cams on finish line. In fact, the coolest feature is you can actually go to the event web site and replay the video to watch a specific runner crossing the finish line based on name or bib number - click here to check it out! To see something truly inspring, put in team member Glennis Bryce's name. She pulled a hamstring early in the run, and hooked up with another team member, Alice "The Princess of Pedal" Pearce, who helped her finish the run. In the video you can see the two of them crossing the line together, arm and arm. This, my friends, is the essence of team work and what Velo Valero is all about. Here's Glennis' account -
This was my second time participating and I knew the course was nice and flat. After a comfortable start, at mile 4 I experienced a soreness in my right leg I usually don't get when running. The pain quotient increased considerably in the next mile, so I decided to walk a bit. In mile 6, and when I tried to run, my leg gave out and would not support my weight. Time for a long walk. Alice Pearce had told me at the Livestrong event in Austin that she would be participating in the 1/2 marathon. We were in different corrals and I knew that if I saw her, it was all God. I had just left the portapotties in mile 11 when she came up from behind. I was overjoyed and told her what happened, that I had never walked a half marathon before...she just smiled big and said she had never run one :-) and that she would stay with me. She put her arm around me and supported my weight so I could relieve some of the stress on my leg. Together we walked the last 2 miles and crossed the finish line together.
Thanks
Glennis
The Flash slapping palms with one of his many admirers
Peter wishing he was on a bike in his granny gear on that last hill before the finish line
The running Gladiator...keep him away form your daughter!
Elvis Wannabes spotted at the Firday Night Expo
The Godmother Meets the Mayor
On Monday, November 2nd, a Bicycle Summit was held at City Hall in downtown San Antonio. Representatives from a number of City agencies were there to discuss issues with cycling enthusiasts from across the city. Our mayor, the Honorable (and very young) Julian Castro, actually got conned into riding a bike with a group of us, even though he was not dressed for the occasion and they gave him a bike with a freakin' basket on the front.
The Godmother and some other dude pose with Mayor Julian Castro at the ride start ride during the Bike Summit
Team members strike a Chamber of Commerce pose in front of the Alamo
Mission to Mission Ride
The Mission to Mission Ride on December 5th is our traditional "end of season" organized ride (although, to be quite honest, our season never ends!). This family friendly event is a great way to get your friends and family to participate with you in your favorite sport (if they aren't already). The weather is guaranteed to be cool, and the route is along the scenic and hill-free San Antonio Mission Trail. There are distances of 12, 15, 34, and 58 miles for you to choose. Register with Team Velo Valero and you save $5 off the registration (what a deal!). For more details, click here.
Who is that masked team captain? And why is her offspring wearing antlers?? For more pictures from last year's M2M, click here.
Hope everyone has a great weekend
Andrea