Ride Report, 5-13-07

We had a great ride on Mother's Day out in the Ada area!8 riders braved the potential fall-out from doin' a ride on Mom's special day..........Death Valley vets Sarah and Katie, Herman Miller / Whitefish riders Cindy, Dawn and Kevin, Death Valley '07 rider Patti, your reporter / coach and we also were blessed w/ a special (if somewhat tardy) appearance from DV vet Rob, all the way from Chi-town! (4 moms on the ride too.......if you're keeping score)

We did 32 somewhat "roll-y" miles, w/ a big climb right away designed to get everyone mad @ me. (It worked!) Everyone rode well and there really isn't any drama, flats or extra "hard-core" points to report. We hung out back at the park and did our best to match Katie's chips-n-salsa consumption........but in the end we all had to admit defeat and bow to her superior form!

We also had the first Flat Tire Fixing Seminar before the ride and Katie is a graduate so you can count on her if you have a flat. (Call her anytime....24/7......really!)

The next Team Ride is on Sunday 5/27 @ Townsend Park in Cannonsburg. The route will be 35-38 miles and there will (as always!) be a shorter option if need be. I'm gonna ask Derek "I like maps" Dykstra to make sure that maps to all the ride locations are on the website. (Derek......please, please, pretty please?)

Speaking of the website.......Katie and I are going to have all the various Training plans, Manuals and such up on the site by the end of this week. Check it out and be sure to let me know if and when you have any questions! You should have also recieved the May edition of the Training Times from the the JDRF National office today. If not....they don't have your correct e-mail address! Please let myself, Sherri @ the GR (sterrell@jdrf.org) office or Trish @ the National office (tpatterson@jdrf.org) know so we can get'cha hooked up! There's some good stuff in there!

This Saturday is the next opportunity to participate in a Team Fund-Raiser as our crew will be taking off the wraps on our new ride support tent @ the Allegan Pride Ride. We'll be offering post-ride snacks, drinks and massage (thanks to Team Supporter and C.M.T. Joy Wilkens) to the tour riders as they finish. Katie Clark is the point-person......contact her if you wanna be involved. (clarkkat@gmail.com)

This is National Bike to Work Week.............maybe you oughta try it, eh? I realize that it's easier (or even possible) for some than others but don't overlook the potential of combining training w/ commuting. It's a great way to kill 2 birds w/ 1 stone! (Apologies to pacifist bird fans!)

According the the Training Times there are still spots left @ every late season ride so if you have friends, co-workers or family that have been thinking about it.........sign 'em up! They still have plenty of time to get ready and they'll have a blast!

Okay, that's it for now. I hope to get a chance to ride with or talk with everyone soon!

Coach Mike