Team Girls Gone Riding #1 Newsletter

Hello Ladies: First off...welcome to new teammates....Patti, Lisette, and Tami. We are up to 22 team members! Way to go...

Take a moment to read through this and keep it as dates etc. are in it. I am also going to recap what was discussed this past weekend at our first meeting so that those who could not make it can catch up. Thanks to all who came out. I am very excited about the months ahead.
PR+GGR+FOX-TV

BEFORE I do that..though...Those of you who can be available at 8:25 a.m. on Wednesday, February 4, at the FOX-TV parking lot located

511 W Adams StreetPhoenix, AZ 85003
should come out and join us for a segment on Team Girls Gone Riding.
Wear your The Ladies jerseys or the 2008 Bike ms Round-Up Ride jersey. Bring your bike and helmet. If you need to borrow a jersey...let me know. The feature will be about the movement of getting more women to ride, The All-Women Girls Gone Riding Ride on Feb. 21st and of course, Bike ms Round-Up Ride on March 28-29. Please consider joining us if you can get away that morning.

Girls Gone Riding Ride - February 21

We discussed the All-Women's Ride scheduled for February 21st. Any teammates who either want to ride or volunteer, may. Those teammates who contribute by doing either will receive their division of whatever the ride produces financially. We officially have three riders who have paid and registered. I have attached the registration form once again.

We also need volunteers--men for rest stops and anyone to help haul supplies. I have also attached a volunteer form and waiver. Anecdotally, I have been told by many that they plan on riding so I suspect we will have peope show up that day. I just want to be prepared so that we can give a decent and safe experience.

Another meeting to finalize this ride is scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, so that we have some idea where we are with help. I am also inviting volunteers to come. I will be sending.

I have attached a request letter for businesses for those of you who would like to help solicit for gifts to be sold in our silent auction at the BBQ.

Fundraising:

We are attempting to raise most of our funds through two events. However, I encourage you to send emails to your friends and family to give to the society on your behalf. However, if you want to do something on your own to raise money, please do consider doing so. Today, I held a chili lunch for employees where I made some chili and brought it in. Everyone was invited to eat and donate to our team. Everyone said they would contribute and already I received more than $75 in donations from just three people. It was fun and everyone enjoyed sharing lunch.

Training:
We are riding every Saturday with LaVerne's group, Sunday with the MS Training group and of course,other times during the week. Rider Loren Locher and I will be leading a short beginner ride on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 9 a.m. from Ahwatukee. Please email me if you would like to join us. Details about starting location etc. will be sent this week. Here's my email sheryl@girlsgoneriding.org

Hope to see you all on the road soon!

March Ride info:
We will have a team tent in March at the MS ride. It's a gathering spot, a place where goodies are offered to us and some folks will even sleep in it. I will also have an RV at the site. Please let me know if you intend to camp in the tent or if you would like to reserve a spot in the RV. You will be asked to commit by the end of February.

Important Dates:

February 8, Laveen Country Challenge ride, benefits Laveen Lion's Club (Reg form attached) FUN RIDE!
Feb. 11, GGR All-Women's Ride meeting, NMSS Office, 6 p.m. (Reg Form attached)
Feb. 28, Bike ms Kick-Off, Ride, Food and Fun! Discount Tire Headquarters, Scottsdale
March 14, Cabernet, Blues and BBQ BARBICURE, Sheryl's house.

Women's Cycling Clinic

I attended a women's cycling clinic last weekend at Tribe Multi-Sport in Scottsdale.  It was hosted by the Tribe Women's Racing Team and the information that they shared with us was unending!!  I was so impressed by the quality of the information that I wanted to share it with your ladies.  It would be impossible to blog on every subject they covered in one post so I'll be blogging over several days in order to share this helpful information. 

The clinic was Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 to 4:00 both days.  There was a questionnaire to fill out when I registered, asking how long you had been riding, how many days and miles per week you ride, your age etc.  This would place you in the appropriate riding group for Saturday's ride.  We did the normal Saturday morning Tribe ride which is challenging but very doable.  I ended up riding with a faster group that they had originally placed me, but that was fine by them.  It was a hard group to keep up with but you know what they say, "If you wanna get faster, ride with faster people".  I can't say that I want to be necessarily faster but I do want to be a stronger rider and stronger translated to faster...

After lunch, Michael Sasek, owner of "Motivate Fitness Refined" shared information on the importance of resistance training for cyclists, which I have found over the last several months t be incredibly helpful in my stamina.  Resistance training also plays a very important role in injury prevention.  Just some leg press and a few squats or lunges every week will give you a little extra strength to tap into when you're power starts running low.  Motivate Fitness Refined offers sport specific personal training and kettle ball classes.  You can find these at www.azmotivate.com.

One of the other points I found particularly helpful was the stretching class.  Cyclists use the hamstrings, calves and hip flexors more than any other muscles.  Stretching each of these muscles after ever ride will help reduce soreness and fatigue.  After cycling and working out for an entire year with little to no post ride stretching I only wish I had been given this information early on in my training.  I would have gladly lived without the soreness and hobbling around for several days after an intense ride.  STRETCH GIRLS!!  It's well worth the few minutes that it takes...

On day two we did a pedal stroke analysis, a bone density test, a "bioimpedance" analysis, (body mass index, basal metabolic rate, lean body mass/fat mass, etc.), a nutrition class, worked on riding in a pace line and a rotating pace line, a core strengthening class and basic and advanced bike maintenance.  So much to share...