2-23-2010 Newsletter

Only 53 days until the 2010 MS150!

The 4th Annual Team Shell Ride will be this Saturday, Feb 27, 8 AM, from Sun & Ski at Katy Mills (see details below). It is a free ride but all participants must pre-register at the following link-- guest riders are welcome but must also pre-register.
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22A8KPX2MKB

The team social on Thursday, Feb 25, has been postponed-- new date/location will be announced soon.

This week's newsletter contains updates on:

1. Safety - Note the DEADLINE for the online safety quiz
2. Fundraising - New inductees into the $1000+ club
3. Team Shell Ride - This Saturday from Katy Mills
4. CP training series - It's on Sunday, not Saturday
5. Other training rides

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1. Safety:

If you're one of the very few holdouts on the online safety quiz, you have until March 21 to complete it.  Here's the link again and remember to use your Last Name as your Rider ID: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2010bpms150safetyquiz_ts

For those still needing on-bike training, the last training class offered by Team Shell will be on Sunday March 21, 2:00 - 5:00 PM.  To sign-up, please visit: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB229ZT2QWCDH

Other training classes are also available through the MS Society on various dates but for a small fee.  For more details and to sign-up for one of these classes, please visit the following site:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/bp-ms-150/safety-information/safety-and-training/group-riding-skills/index.aspx

For any training by a non-Shell party, please remember to pick up a completion certificate and e-mail me a copy so I can update your records.

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2. Fundraising:

This week, we are down from 270 to 251 riders who have not started their fundraising!  This pace is by no means adequate to get us to our $400,000 goal for this year!  I urge to you to please get your campaigns underway, and if you need help, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me.

As a team we are at $78,152, or 20% of our total goal.  Details can be viewed at:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/TXHBikeEvents?team_id=177325&pg=team&fr_id=12962

Congratulations to our $1000+ fundraisers!  Between the 15 of them, they raised nearly one third of this team total. Let's give them praise but also some competition.

* Peter Birckhead
* Afif Halal
* Charles Ward
* Kate Spry
* Ben Boldt
* Mario Menendez
* Erin Lattin
* Herbert Yuan
* Snehal Patel
* Jim Thompson
* Ferdi Mostert
* Rick Menniti
* Alison Frey
* Mike Pitre
* Karyn Penney

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3. Fourth Annual Team Shell Ride:

For the 4th year in a row, Sun & Ski at Katy Mills will be hosting our annual team ride.  We will have two route options of 44 and 63 miles on the beautiful country roads in Katy, Fulshear, Simonton and Brookshire.

The ride will roll at 8 AM from Sun & ski.  Please plan on arriving early enough to get signed in, pick up a route map, get your bike/gear ready, meet your teammates, pick-up your jersey, etc.  Special store discounts on cycling apparel and accessories will be available to all participants.  We will also have food, refreshments and door prizes at the end of the ride.

This is a FREE RIDE but all participants must pre-register at the following link.  Guest riders are welcome but must also pre-register.
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22A8KPX2MKB

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4. CP Training Series:

This week's CP training ride will be on SUNDAY (not Saturday), Feb 28, and will be partnered with the Spring Breakaway Ride, so expect large crouds.  The ride will roll out of the Katy Mills Mall at 8 am and will offer 44 and 65 mile options of flat terrain.

Remember to carpool and give yourself enough time to park, sign-in, and get your bike/gear ready.  Refer to the team roster or visit the CP series carpool forum for carpooling options: http://bikebams.org/tinc?key=wFUJ1iR4&start=-1&reverse=1

As always, refer to the official CP Series website for up-to-date information and call the Hotline in case of bad weather, 281-293-2931:
http://www.conocophillipsbikeclub.org/index.html

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5. Other Training Rides:

Here's a list of the MS-Recommended training rides through the end of March.  Visit our team website for more details
http://shellcyclingteam.com/MSrides.htm:

- Sat Feb 27: Bulldog Bike Ride, 26/32/40/55 miles
- Sun Feb 28: Sun & Ski Sports Spring Breakaway, 24/36/50/65 miles
- Sat Mar 6: Gator Ride, 12/33/43/62 miles
- Sat Mar 6: Pedal Thru The Pines, 16/27/50/65 miles
- Sun Mar 7: Continental Airlines Cycling Classic, 25/45/67 miles
- Sat Mar 13: Brookwood's BP MS-150 Bike Rally
- Sun Mar 14: Great Escape, 14/44/52/70/86 miles
- Sat Mar 20  B-Geo Magnolia Miles, 23/41/71 miles
- Sat Mar 20: Spokes N Spurs, 6/14/28/44/63 miles        
- Sun Mar 21: Guaranty Bank Tour de Houston, 20/40/70 miles
- Sat Mar 27: Schlumberger Education Expedition, 35/45/63/73 miles
- Sat Mar 27: Rosedale Ride, 20/43/63 miles
- Sun Mar 28: Bluebonnet Express, 24/48/62/80 miles

Looking forward to seeing many of you this weekend.

Afif  Halal
Team Captain, Shell
Office: 281-544-5656
Email: ShellCyclingTeam@Shell.com
Website: www.ShellCyclingTeam.com