Girls Got Skills sells out with an international participant list!

Girls Got Skills! This is the clinic that started it all -- our cornerstone, two-day women's cycling skills clinic. In this fast-paced, git er done world, there's just something very special about setting aside two whole days for yourself, learning, enjoying the sport, sharing the company of like-minded women, and thinking about nothing but you and the bike. Ah, bliss!

I designed this clinic in 2003, based on the skills training I had developed for our very first racing team. We've made some refinements over the years, but the content is still basically the same: individual bike handling skills, group riding skills, and climbing + descending. We throw in some fun and informative special topic discussions to fill out the complete cycling experience. Since our first clinic in 2003, more than 500 women have participated in Girls Got Skills!

Over the years, the women who participate in Girls Got Skills have primarily been from Northern CA. We've had a random participant from Hawaii, Virginia, and southern CA, but the majority of our participants are local to the bay area. Bicycling Magazine recently recognized Girls Got Skills as one of the top camps for women cyclists (right up there with offerings from Chris Carmichael). And suddenly, more than 50% of our participants are from out of the area. In June, we'll ride with women from Oregon, Arizona, British Columbia, and every nook and cranny of California. Pretty cool, no?

Girls Got Skills is sold out. A waiting list has been opened. The next session will be September 26th and 27th.

And if you want just a little taste of the cycling goodness only Velo Girls can provide, there's still space available in our co-ed Bike Skills 101 clinic on Saturday, June 6th. This 4-hour clinic focuses on individual bike handling skills and you'll ride away feeling safer, more confident, and more connected with your bike. You might have some fun, too!

Details and registration for all our camps and clinics can be found here: https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/Series.aspx?id=438

Bikes + Burgers = Fun!

Join Velo Girls and Mike's Bikes for a fun event next Saturday, June 6th at Mike's Bikes in Palo Alto -- the Big Huge Bike Drive BBQ! We're collecting bikes for Mike's Africa Bike Drive, and we're going to have a lot of fun, too! Join us for these fun events throughout the day:

12:00 - 2:00 Free BBQ

1:00 flat changing clinic

2:00 co-ed group ride led by members of Team Velo Girls (road + mountain)

4:30 flat tire changing contest

5:00 raffle

More info at http://www.mikesbikes.com .

Can't make it to the event, make a tax-deductible donation to the Africa Bike Drive here: http://mikesbikes.com/itemlist.cfm?category=293

Today is the last day to vote for Velo Girls!

Velo Girls has been nominated for the San Francisco Chronicle's Bay List 2009! Please click on the banner above to vote for us in the Bay Area's Best Sport and Social Club category. Voting ends on May 29, 2009 -- yeah, that's today!

Is Bicycle Racing in your Future?

If you've been riding your bike a while, you've probably thought "what next?" many a time.

At first, we go longer. We start with 10 miles, then 20, and before you know it you've ridden over the mountain to the coast. Maybe your goal was to ride a century or even a double century or to complete the California Triple Crown.

Then, we go faster. Now your goal might have been to complete a 5-hour century or a sub-8 hour Death Ride or a sub-25 minute Old La Honda.

And then we might explore multi-day riding, like the AIDS LifeCycle, and Undiscovered Country Tours trip down the coast, or even some self-supported touring.

But at some point, you probably hear a little voice whispering in the back of your head: "I wonder if I could race?"

Bike racing isn't the easiest sport to gain entry to. It's confusing. How do you find the local race calendar? What about joining a club? How do you learn the rules of the sport? What type of race should you try? What if you wear the wrong thing? Not to mention the fact that bike racing can be a dangerous sport.

And so most of us forget about that little voice and just keep doing what we've been doing.

But I want to help you fulfill that dream of racing. I want to unravel the mysteries. I want to teach you the secret language. And I want to make sure that you don't crash yourself or anyone else out in the process. There's an easy way and there's a hard way to do anything. I'm going to teach you the easy way to race your bike.


BIKE SKILLS 302: RACING SKILLS & TACTICS
May 23 (separate clinics for women and men)

This four-hour clinic will teach you all the individual bike-handling and group riding skills you'll need to race your first (or your 10th) criterium or road race. In addition to skills & drills, you'll receive expert coaching on race preparation and logistics, and an introduction to tactics. We'll finish the day with a training race followed by a de-brief. Pre-requisite: Bike Skills 101 or equivalent experience.

Register online: https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=3033



TRI-FLOW WOMEN'S DEVELOPMENT RACING PROGRAM
Dunnigan Hills Road Race -- June 29th to August 15th

Introduced in 2006, this award-winning 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, we'll teach you everything you need to know to begin road racing and then we'll support you at your first race. This program is limited to eight riders each session. A solid level of fitness is required. Program includes team kit (shorts and jersey), USA Cycling License, race registration, 12 group training sessions, and a group training program. Since 2006, more than 60 women have competed in their first race as part of this program, many still racing in Northern CA as CAT2 - CAT4 racers.

Register online: https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=3026

Get high with Velo Girls!

You heard that right! Velo Girls wants to get high with you. Altitude, that is. By special request of my coaching clients and Velo Girls club members, I've put together a fabulous altitude training weekend June 19th - 21st in Markleeville (home of the Death Ride). This is some of the most spectacular riding in California, and I'd love to experience it with you.

This is a co-ed camping weekend with daily mileage options from 25 - 75 miles (and lots of climbing). I've designed this camp to help prepare participants for the rigors of endurance riding at high altitude.

Your registration includes camping on Friday and Saturday, SAG on rides, cycling nutrition by GU Sports Nutrition, Saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Sunday breakfast, and lots of fun with cool folks! Thursday and Sunday camping are also an option for anyone interested.

You're responsible for your own camping gear and transportation to/from Markleeville, but I'll play matchmaker with other participants to encourage carpooling.

Registration is open now! Space is limited so I would encourage you to register early.

https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=3283

Racing and Touring -- it's all good!

Whether you want to race your bicycle or tour with your bicycle, Velo Girls Coaching Services has some great programs on the calendar for May.

Bike Skills 302 -- Racing Skills + Tactics
May 23rd (sessions for men and women)

This four-hour clinic will teach you all the individual bike-handling and group riding skills you'll need to race your first (or your 10th) criterium or road race. In addition to skills & drills, you'll receive expert coaching on race preparation and logistics, and an introduction to tactics. We'll finish the day with a training race followed by a de-brief. Pre-requisite: Bike Skills 101 or equivalent experience.

Register for Bike Skills 302 here!



Bike Touring 101 (co-ed)
May 30th + 31st

Have you thought about touring on your bike but don't know where to begin? We'll unravel the mysteries of supported, fully-loaded, and semi-loaded touring for you. This new program includes a two-hour seminar on the topics of equipment, bicycle choice, what to bring, how to pack, camping, cooking, safety, and choosing your route. Then, we head out for a weekend of semi-loaded touring with a 50-mile hilly option or a 25-mile rolling option, both ending at Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel in Pescadero, where we'll have dinner, spend the evening, soak in the hot tub, and sleep. The next day, we pack up and return to the start. This is a fully-supported event and includes ride nutrition, dinner (Saturday) and breakfast (Sunday), SAG, and your accommodations at the hostel.

Register for Bike Touring 101 here!


Whether you want to go fast or you want to go long, I hope you'll join us for some cycling fun in May!