Summer is here, lots to share...

Hi everyone! Summer is here, lots to share with you. 

EARN CASH NOW: HOLLAND HUNDREDWe have now confirmed details for volunteering at the Holland Hundred on Saturday, July 16 to earn cash for your Ride account ($20+/hour plus bonuses). View all details and the spreadsheet here. You should be able to add your name directly. PLEASE PLEASE read the instructions carefully. Much has changed from previous years, and your commitment, while longer in time, will result in a LOT more cash toward your goal.

Enter your name AFTER reading the instructions, and please commit no later than Friday, July 8. Contact Tom Miller with questions.

UPCOMING RIDES: In short, there’s lots of ‘em. Saturday 7/2: In Montague @ Katie Clark’s folks’ house on White Lake. 9:30am roll-out, 30ish miles, boat/lake/hot dogs on the fire afterward.   See blog post here for more details.
Sunday 7/3: Johnson Park in GR, 1:00pm roll-out, 40ish miles
Monday 7/4: Velo City in Holland, 11:00am roll-out, 40ish miles
Sunday 7/10: Sarah Andro’s place in GR
Sunday 7/24: Cliff & Nic’s place in Saugatuck/Hamilton
Sunday 8/7: Jason Sigal’s place in GR
Sunday 8/24: tentative Barlow Lake ride with Linda Thompson-Poeder’s gang

Ongoing rides you should check out:

Mondays:
- 6:30pm roll-out from the Holland Aquatic Center (Macatawa Cycling Club). Lotsa groups, lotsa paces.

Tuesdays:
- 6:00pm roll-out for the internationally famous Velo City Cycles Tuesday Night Ride. Lotsa groups, lotsa paces.
Wednesdays: - Call/email/Facebook someone. We bet you’ll find someone who wants to ride.

Thursdays:
- 8:30am roll-out for the VCC Recovery Ride, 25-30 miles followed by bagels at The Good Earth.
- 6:00pm Tom Miller is now also hosting a weekly ride from his place in Grand Haven. Show up & ride!
- 8:15pm roll-out for the VCC Thursday Night Lights ride - lights required. Night rides are so cool.

Fridays:- 8:30am roll-out for the VCC Bagel Ride. 25-30 miles followed by bagels at The Good Earth (yes, again).

Saturdays:- 8:00am roll-out for the VCC Sprint or No-Sprint Ride. Your pick.

BIKE TRANSPORTATION FOR DEATH VALLEYWe are thrilled to report that bike transportation has been secured for ALL of our riders heading to Death Valley this fall. If you selected the Gold fundraising option, your bike transportation is covered by your fundraising goal. If picked the Silver or Bronze package, you will be responsible for the cost, which will be, likely, less than $200 per bike (for reference, this is a super good deal). Details to come later this summer, but please know that we’re really excited to have this covered, and even more excited that Friend of Team Joe Kovacs will be joining us in DV!

SHIRTS & JERSEY UPDATELooks like we’ll all be sporting excellent BikeFace tshirts this summer, soon! Thanks for your votes. Shirts will be available in July, hopefully in time for the Holland Hundred volunteers. You are allocated one shirt if you’re on the team this year. If you’re a Friend of the Team, or would like to purchase extra shirt(s) for family/friends/donors, you may do so. Cost/payment info will be shared on the blog later this week.

Most of you expressed interest in purchasing a team training jersey to start phasing out the pink pancreas cell jerseys. The design is nearly finished, and will be posted soon for you to check out.  We should have these in-hand by mid-August.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?Why do you ride? Why do your ride for JDRF?
Send an electronic photo (or, if it’s easier, a link to a webpage photo is fine!) of the person/people that keep you pedaling to Nicole Nelles by Friday, July 15.

GUT CHECK - LEGSSo, it’s basically July.  Have you been to some training rides? Are you logging enough miles on your own (at least 50 per week if you’re going to DV)? Do you have a healthy jump on your fundraising goal (DV folks should have $750 by mid-July)? Have you sent out your emails/letters to donors? We’re not trying to hound you…but we want to be sure that you’re on top of things so you can enjoy this experience as much as possible. If we haven’t seen you at a training ride yet (you know who you are!), carve out some time and c’mon out. We have groups cruising at 14mph and groups hammering at 20mph+, and everyone in between. One of the bonuses of being on the Coolest Team Ever is, well, that we’re a team that has a heckuva good time when we’re together. If you haven’t gotten a good start on fundraising, there’s no time like the present. Your teammates can help you with some ideas on that, too.

GUT CHECK - FUNDRAISING

Katie wrote a blog post about this just today.  Check it out here.

That’s it. Let us know if you have any questions or need ANYTHING at all.
See you this weekend, we hope!
Coach MC, Coach Did, Nicole, Katie, Tom, Cindy, and Cathy