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Captain's Corner |
 I
was quite
impressed
to see so many Shell teammates on the road the last
two Saturdays, undeterred by frigid temperatures and
strong winds. Y'all ROCK!!!
Before I get on with team business, I'd like to
recognize Alan Bazard, Eric Thiede, and Pat
Phelps for their uncompromising commitment to safety
and for teaching (along with myself) the
first on-bike safety class last Sunday. I'd
also like to acknowledge the more than 50 riders who
attended the class. Obviously, we are still far from
reaching our 100% compliance goal, so I ask YOU to
please register ASAP for one of the two
remaining safety classes. See the Safety Corner
for details.
A question I've been asked frequently is "how do
I train for something like the MS150". So I
thought it would be helpful to dedicate this
week's tip to "training".
The
MS150 is more fun when you are physically prepared. If
you haven't already started training, it's time to get
serious. Start with easy rides and slowly add miles
and then hills. Your primary goal is to increase
strength and cardio-conditioning; second is to get
saddle-time so you get used to sitting on your bike
for extended periods. Spinning and other exercise
programs are an excellent compliment during the week,
especially as most of us can't ride our bikes then.
Try to exercise three to four times a week with at
least one of these being a long weekend ride. The CP
Training series and the MS Recommended Rides are
excellent for this and will help you get used to
riding in large groups. For additional details, I
strongly encourage you to refer to the
2009 Bike MS Training
Guide. It is an excellent
training resource for both beginner and experienced
riders.
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CP
Training Series |
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This Saturday's CP
training ride starts
again at 7:30 AM in front of Sun & Ski at
Katy Mills Mall. The
route will
take us through popular cycling roads in Katy,
Brookshire, Pattison, and south of Monaville. There
will be a long and a
short option,
47/36 miles respectively. The weather forecast
looks
favorable - on the
cooler side at the start but quickly warming up into
the 60's. Hopefully wind will not be much of a factor
this time. Dressing in layers
would be most appropriate: a) for the top half, wear
a base layer, skull cap, jersey, arm warmers, wind
breaker, and long-finger gloves, and b) for the bottom
half, wear cycling shorts, and tights or leg warmers.
Don't forget
to join us for coffee and bagels at the start
of this weekend's ride. We will have a Shell
tent in front of Sun & Ski.
Always
check the official CP website
for directions and
up
to the minute updates about
this series.
Registration for
the CP series will close at midnight on Thursday,
January 29. |
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Safety Corner |
The
goal for Team Shell is to complete the 2009 MS150
training and Houston-to-Austin ride with Zero
Incidents. Towards this goal, all riders
on Team Shell must meet the following two
safety requirements:
Requirement 1: Every rider must
have completed at
least one on-bike safety training class
since January 1,
2006. Riders residing more than 75
miles outside
Downtown Houston
may watch this
online
Safety Video as
a substitute.
The following classes are
being
offered for free
by Team Shell
at the northwest corner of the Rice Stadium
parking lot, located on Greenbriar between Rice and
University:
1.
Sunday February 22, 2009, 2:00-4:00pm,
Rice University
2.
Sunday March 8, 2009, 2:00-4:00pm,
Rice University
To sign up for a
training class,
click here.
If you're unable to
attend one of these dates, please contact your local
bike shop for locally offered classes or enroll in
one of the following MS150
Group Riding classes.
Requirement 2: Every rider must
complete the National MS Society's online safety
quiz. The
link to the quiz will be announced as
soon as it's made available.
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Fundraising |
 Team
Shell is a proud supporter of the National MS
Society and its Lone Star Chapter. Although you
pledged to raise a minimum of $400/rider when you
registered for
the ride, Team Shell urges all its members
to beat our 2008 average of $856/rider!
Our team
fundraising stands at approx $24,000 out of a
target of $300,000. It's time to kick your
fundraising campaign into high gear. We are
counting on YOU.
For more information
on Fundraising:
click here
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Other Training
Rides |
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To find out about other
MS recommended rides around the Houston area,
click here.
This
weekend's featured rides are:
-
Sat Jan 31:
Bike Through the Forest, 8am, Cold Springs.
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Sun Feb 1:
Ride the Rescue,
8am, Bass Park.
Also,
mark your calendar for a
valentine gift of love to a good cause. Pedaling
the Prairie is your ride on
Saturday Feb 14, offering a variety of
routes ranging from 25 to 100 miles. |
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