For the past three years, Velo Girls has promoted one of the most popular bicycle races in Northern California. This year, we've got an all-new course and some all-new expenses from the City of Menlo Park and the Menlo Park Police Department. The future of this race is in jeopardy unless we can secure an additional $7,500 in funding.

If anyone is interested in saving this race with a sponsorship, please contact lorri@velogirls.com. Sponsorship is available for the full amount or for multiple sponsors at a lesser amount.

It's that time again: your chance to be immortalized as the designer of our 2009 club jersey. So get your fashion groove on and start drawing! We'll run the contest through December 15th so you've got plenty of time to submit your entries.

Click here to see details of the contest: prizes, deadlines, design templates, etc.

Our popular climbing & descending clinic, scheduled for Nov 8th, sold out and by popular response to a waiting list, we have decided to offer a second session of the same clinic in the afternoon of the same day, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Registration for the second session is now open!

Sign up here for this, or other upcoming clinics.

Due to popular request after news of a sold-out Bike Skills 101 course on October 26, we are offering a second session of the same course in the afternoon of the same day! Registration for the afternoon session, which will take place from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, is now open.

Register now for this, or other upcoming clinics.

What a season! To date, almost 400 riders have participated in our various skills clinics. It's so gratifying to hear the feedback and follow-up from participants who credit our clinics with changing their cycling lives and helping them achieve their goals.

"It was a great experience. As I look back at all I learned, I can't believe how much I took away that I never expected. Great job - thanks so much for offering to everyday cyclists!"

"We were all there to learn something regardless of skill level -- a good non-threatening environment."

"Given the reputation of the Velo Girls, my expectations going into the clinic were very high. That being said, the clinic exceeded all of my expectations. I couldn't have been more pleased with what I learned and with how the material was presented to us."

"There were so many things that I learned that after riding for 20+ years I never knew about - it was fantastic to better hone the skills."

"I felt like the tips and suggestions I got that were specific to me were very useful. Even though I was sharing the coaches' time with the other group members, I felt as though I was getting my own little coaching session too."

"We had the most excellent training over this weekend and a great value for the money spent. I can go on and on. This weekend was life changing for me and I think the group as a whole. Thanks for doing what you do, you help make lives better."

"I was very, very impressed, and of course motivated to ride even more as a result. Certainly one of the best coaching/teaching experiences I have ever been a part of (of any kind)."

"Thank you for developing such a wonderful program. I am sure many, many women have found their passion/new hobbies as a direct result of this incredible program."

Register today for these upcoming clinics:

Bike Skills 101 - Individual Bike Handling Skills: 10/26 (co-ed)
Bike Skills 201 - Climbing & Descending: 11/8 (co-ed)
Bike Skills 301 - Group Riding Skills: 11/15 (co-ed)

More details and other registration options

Interested in riding with other VeloGirls in the South Bay (Cupertino, Sunnyvale, San Jose and vicinity)? Join us!

Date: Sunday, 9/14/08
Where: Meet at Monta Vista High School at the main entrance parking lot at 21840 McClellan Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014

Meet and briefing at 8:30am and roll at 8:45am. See our calendar for other ride details. Rain cancels.

Due to popular demand, we've expanded our clinic offerings for summer and fall 2008. We introduced our new 4-hour "Bike Skills" modules earlier this spring and have experienced sell-out clinics each weekend. Whether you're a new rider trying to flatten the learning curve, or an old dog who wants to learn some new tricks, we guarantee that you'll ride away a safer, more efficient, and more confident rider.

Register today for these upcoming clinics:

Bike Skills 101 - Individual Bike Handling Skills: 8/17 (women), 8/17 (men), 10/26 (co-ed)
Bike Skills 102 - Mountain Bike Skills: 9/13 (co-ed)
Bike Skills 103 - Cyclocross Skills: 9/13 (co-ed)
Bike Skills 201 - Climbing & Descending: 9/21 (co-ed)
Bike Skills 301 - Group Riding Skills: 9/20 (co-ed)
Girls Got Skills - 2-day Women's Cycling Clinic: 9/6-7

More details and other registration options

Congratulations to Lisa Guevara and Lloyd Tepper on their recent marriage. They're one of three couples who have met on the Velo Girls Singles' Rides over the years! How cool is that?

Interested in leading our singles ride? Contact lorri@velogirls.com. Who knows, maybe you'll meet the love of your life, too!

Join Velo Girls at Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose this Friday, May 30th, for a special evening of track racing for the whole family! The theme for the night is the Hellyer Hoedown - a little country & western shindig (with some bike racing thrown in for kicks). We'll provide BBQ and beverages, some rockin country tunes, and the best track racing in CA! So thrown on your cowboy hat and come spectate a fun night of racing.

The party starts @ 6:00pm. Racing from 7:00 - 10:00pm

More details: ridethetrack.com

Click here to see the rest of the photos from the event.

Through rain and sun and wind, dozens of Velo Girls members trained together for 10 weeks, under the expert guidance of Team Velo Girls members Winnie Homer-Smith and Elizabeth Simmons. This past Sunday marked the graduation ride, followed by a lovely lunch at Winnie's Burlingame garden. Post-lunch, everyone made helmet decorations to adorn themselves on Saturday's ride.

We plan to ride out as a group on Saturday, so please meet at the Velo Girls tent in the expo area at 7:30am for a group photo. Leave yourself enough time to park and register (we recommend you arrive at 6:30am). Pace groups will depart after the photo.

For more information, contact winnie@velogirls.com

All that's left is the speed!

Saturday, March 8th marks the 3rd annual Tri-Flow Menlo Park Grand Prix. Velo Girls has been busy with all the finishing touches to ensure that the race is a HUGE success.

Pre-registration numbers almost 600 athletes. Many of the races are sold out and waiting lists have been started so if you plan to register at the race please arrive early.

A new addition for the 2008 races is Michael Hernandez as race announcer. Those in the northern California racing community know Michael as one of the most prolific racers in the district and he'll wax poetic on the mic throughout the day.

Menlo Park is the first race in the Bay Area Women's Cycling Association Series, so come out and watch the women mix it up at 8:00am and 10:00am.

Also new for 2008 is the addition of the Cycles Gladiators Uninhibited Racer Series -- rewarding the most animated racer in each race throughout the day -- guaranteeing that races will be fast and aggressive.

More details here.

Avogadro's Number: According to the great oracle, Tanyapedia, the volume of an ideal gas is directly proportional to the number of atoms or molecules it contains. When applied to cycling, Avogadro's number suggests that the volume of an ideal team for the Snelling Road Race is directly proportional to its members: Sarah, Lorri, Tanya, Lala, Kim, and Dana. I could say something here about gas, and perhaps laying off the Mexican food before a race, but I won't. Let it suffice to say that this is what I was thinking about (what it means to be a team, not Mexican bean fuel) as we drove away from the race course on a drizzly Friday afternoon discussing Avogadro's number, and why we, a group of women who clearly knows "things," sometimes remain silent out of fear of appearing dumb.

Read more...

Introduced in 2006, Velo Girls Tri-Flow Women's Development Racing Program is designed to help you bridge the gap from club rider to team racer. In a six-week series of workshops, clinics, and rides, you'll learn everything you need to know to begin road racing, and receive support you at your first race.

Click here for the story on USA Cycling.