I hope you had a relaxing and stress-free holiday season.

Now let's jump right into cycling for 2010 and start looking to the future, which means Tour de Cure is nipping at our heels. It's also time to separate the men from the boys. (Sorry if this isn't politically correct, I like the way this sounds) You know it's difficult to schedule rides when the temps are so unpredictable and basically it comes down to a personal choice for riding in the cold. Speaking from someone who absolutely hates the cold, I can totally relate to finding any excuse necessary not to ride when it's cold outdoors. FYI: Cold to me is anything below 70 degrees. Now I have all the gear, friends that encourage me, and a great season of cycling ahead of us. I guess this means all the real men will be out riding with us women on Sunday at 2:00pm. LOL!

If you are still not up for any outdoor winter activities, there are plenty of opportunities to get exercising indoors. Take the stairs every chance you get to build up your leg strength, lots of reasonably priced fitness centers have gone up all over the city offering great spin classes, or purchase a trainer for your bike and ride during your favorite TV show.

 Happy New Year! Does anyone out there remember how to pedal a bicycle? We plan to find out this Sunday, so please come out to Bullis County Park and join us for a 2:00 PM ride start. The forecast says it will be sunny; however the temperature will top out at only 45-50 degrees, so be sure to put on all your cold weather gear (I’ve found it’s possible to be pretty comfortable once you get going - honest). Hope to see you on the road Sunday…

Safe Passing Ordinance is trying to get passed for the San Antonio area.

Current efforts are in process to get a Safe Passing ordinance, requiring 3 feet of clearance when a motorist passes a bicyclist, passed in the city of San Antonio. In the near future, the hope is that the Safe Passing ordinance will become law in other cities in the San Antonio region, and will eventually become state law in a future state legislative session.

You can help pass the Safe Passing ordinance in San Antonio and surrounding towns by signing the online Safe Passing Petition www.BikeTexas.org/petition.

Elected officials in San Antonio are very interested in the number of people from the San Antonio region that have signed the Safe Passing petition. There is no cost, and a few clicks today can make San Antonio a better city for cycling tomorrow. To learn more about Safe Passing, go to www.BikeTexas.org/safepassing.

Did you know?

Sun & Ski Sports helps riders with fundraising and provides store discounts.  Below is a brief description of their program:

Store Discounts

-10% off regular priced bikes

-10% off regular priced cycling apparel and accessories

-30% off bike maintenance

-FREE basic bike fit

Pledge Rebate

-5% pledge rebate toward your individual fundraising pledge for the MS150.  You will be assigned a unique tracking code.  Anytime you, your friends or family members shop at Sun & Ski Sports, show the tracking code and 5% of the total purchases will credit to your individual fundraising pledge.

Signing up is easy and FREE!  Visit www.sunandski.com/events, click on the Official Bike Shop Program icon and fill out your information.  You’ll receive your discount card and pledge rebate card in one business day. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Natalie Moreno, 281-340-5000 x145 or email to nmoreno@retailconcepts.cc

Now that I'm done coaxing you to ride, let's get to it.