July 2010
Greetings all!
It's July, and that means less than TWO months before the Bike MS ride in New Bern. If you have not signed up for the ride, please do so. We would like to get everyone signed up and get started fund raising.
First a few points about the fundraising. Last year TeamCBC raised $96k. We had 136 people on the team and I do believe almost everyone had a great time. Only two major accidents and one was Cyril trying to look at a bug on the road....very closely. He won't do it again...he promises! TeamCBC was everywhere (and we had the best jersey!). Most of all, we had FUN, and raised a little cash along the way.
This year we have raised a little over $11,000 with Tom M. leading the way at $985.00. Our official goal is $90,000 on the MS website, but I would like to make an unofficial goal of not just attaining but going well over the $100,000 mark. Our team is currently at 120 members and lots of the crew hasn't even signed up yet. So sign up and let's all set personal goals of $1000 each. I know we can achieve that.
Now to some ideas. Use the tools you have every day. Facebook is a great source of donations. So is e-mailing friends and relatives. Of course there is asking folks at work, and you can also create a letter and go out to meet the neighbors. Some folks have good relationships with some of the businesses they patronize, so see what they may do. I know many of you hate asking others for money, but think of it this way, if even one person gets better diagnosis, treatment or one researcher gets to spend more time trying to discover a final cure, isn't it worth the hassle? Lots of times we ride with pain or suffer through a hot hilly day. We need to do the same with asking for donations. 100 people at $10 each hits your goal. I would like to urge everyone to get out there and make a difference in someone's life. Yours, the people you know, and all those people fighting MS who not only appreciate your efforts, but may one day see their disease become a non-factor in their lives.
Thank you all for doing this and for being on TeamCBC. Now let's all go have some FUN!
June 2010
Summer is here!
Welcome to training time. It is now less than 100 days to the Bike MS event and we are going to kick off the training wheels and get down to work. This month TeamCBC has three rides in a row (thanks Greg!). We are going to be working on group/team riding and pace-line riding to get everyone more proficient in a group environment. Every year there are accidents at the Bike MS event. This is more or less to be expected due to the number of riders and the different levels of proficiencies those riders possess. What we want to do is get you comfortable riding in a group, and get you relatively proficient in handling pace-line riding and group dynamics. This minimizes risk, which may help alleviate those nasty accidents from occurring.
So...Let us help you continue to improve your riding skills! We will have trainers and ride leaders on our different levels of rides. Please listen and follow the directions of these folks, as they generally know what they are doing and can help. All our rides (except the faster 72 mile rides) focus on group riding, that means staying together the entire route and practicing pace-line skills. Paces announced prior to the beginning of the ride will be adhered to, so if you find yourself riding in a group that is too slow, or not as proficient as you may be, please assist in the training on that ride. Then move up to the next level on the next ride. We ask your participation so when it comes time to ride amongst 2000 other riders in New Bern , you can do so safely and efficiently.
While I am thinking about it, start getting that fundraising going! If you need assistance in figuring out the best way to go about fundraising, we have several people on the Team who would gladly assist you in developing a process etc. Please e-mail me or call me and I can connect you with someone who can help. Everyone's goal should be $1000. Some will exceed that goal and some will come up short, regardless we all need to start the process and get there!
Good luck with fundraising, and as always, see you on the road.
May 2010
Greetings:
Well, I am a little late in getting this out, but it has been a busy month. The Raven Rock Ramble was, as always, a great ride. Thanks David! The new Cara "Ride for their Lives" in Sanford was a success as well. Now we can get on to more TeamCBC business!
I will have bibs, shorts, and gloves to demo at the ride on the May 16th. We are thinking of ordering some or both of these items. Please take a look and let me know if you are interested. The bibs/shorts will be a cash up front, as we don't have the coffers for that. The chamois inside is nice and I am sure Brian will have some great designs! The gloves are also pretty nice. We'll see what the cost is and if they are affordable we'll get a few. Also, the last day to reserve a jersey before we order some is this Sunday (16th). Please let me know!
Sundays ride features Greg Combs as Velo Smart demonstrating his Retul video fitting system on our fearless leader, Greg Shuck. Come out to the ride and get some miles in, then see how a bike fitting really should be done!
Keep an eye on the calendar below. We have several TeamCBC rides in June and July, as well as numerous supported benefit rides in the area. My wife likes the idea of Gears and Cheers. Wine or beer after a ride just sounds good! Just a personal editorial.
So gear, rides, and fun is in the offing for the month of May.
See you on the road.
April 2010
Greetings Earthlings:
Those of us on Planet CBC greet you and invite you all out to our rides. We are riding together about once a week. Some rides start from the Carolina Brewing Company's parking lot, and some start from other venues who are happy to see us as well! All are well attended, and have proved a lot of fun!
Something new this year are our training rides. These are shorter rides that focus on one particular aspect of building stength and/or endurance. Our first training ride was held earlier this spring and on intervals: how, when, where and why. You can read a write up on the forum. We will be conducting training sessions for the remainder of this year focusing on interval training, hill repeats, and everybody's favorite, climbing. So, watch for the announcements.
This month Maura requested that we add a small loop ride that remained close to the brewery. This is for folks who want to ride, but have been injured, have children in tow, or are just starting out. The roads around the brewery, all the way down to Novartis, are paved and open for riding (just not all of them for cars). The big loop is almost three miles long, or you can do the 1.5 or so loop instead. This route is highly recommended for people who want to get started, but cannot do the longer 16 or 26 mile distances. And, of course, you can loop as many times as you want.
Just a quick mention, there are three charity rides in the next month that TeamCBC members have either designed, managed, or run.
The biggest one is David Cole's Raven Rock Ramble on the 2nd of May. Great ride, so well-received that it is already full.
On Saturday April 17th is Ride the Buck. Bob Troxler invites you down to Broadway for a great ride and festival afterwards. I did it last year, and the ride is well done and fun.
On Saturday May 8th is CARA's Ride for Their Lives. Bob Dillon and Bob Oderkirk (me) helped design the routes and frankly, have ridden these roads a hundred times. The best part....no cars (ok, maybe one or two)! On top of that Greg is kind enough to donate beer for the ride, so CBC beer and food after the ride!
And finally, another incentive to join this year's TeamCBC at Bike MS. Between April 1st through April 20th, you can register for Bike MS 2010 and receive a $15 discount on the entry fee ($20 instead of $35) by entering the discount code: bike2010. This cuts the entry cost by near half. So take advantage of this discount and join the team
That's it for this month. Please come out and support local rides that Team members have been a part of. Good causes and good fun. And remember...always proudly display those TeamCBC colors!
See you on the road.
March 2010
So now that it's March, daylight savings time, and a little friendlier weather, time to get those bikes out and tuned up for the ride season! This year we've got two individuals willing to help TeamCBCers and their bikes get ready for spring riding.
First, welcome Greg Combs from VeloSmart as a sponsor. He is offering great discounts on bike parts as well as bike fittings. I have done the bike fit with him, and Greg is very good. He takes a video of your pedaling motion and can fix a lot based on the computer imaging. The bigger the order (multiple people) the better the discount. Here are some discounts:
- 25% off fits services (Retul and Video Analysis) also, Functional Movement Screening and Corrective Exercises
- 10 to 25% off all accessories:
- Super Feet and Aline Foot Beds
- Vittoria , Ritchey, and Geax Tires and tubes
- Profile and Ritchey handle bars, stems, aerobars, and seat posts
- San Marco, Flow, and Adamo saddles
- HED (also aero bars) and Ritchey wheels
- Titec, Bellweather, BBB products (all type of BBB accessories: chains, cogs, etc.)
Additionally, Fred Kozak, our team mechanic is back again for another fine year of ride support. Like last year, Fred will be coming out to some of the rides to do onsite analysis and quick repairs. He is willing to make adjustments and do basic work at no cost for all TeamCBC members, and says, "I'm willing to do more involved work at highly reduced prices when compared to local bike shops." Contact Fred to schedule a time to review your needs and potential cost.
Keep an eye out for him!
We will have a ride schedule up very soon, so please stay tuned for your Spring CBC ride soirees!
See you on the road.
