hear us ROAR!

Okay, ladies (and gentlemen and promoters). I've been wondering just WHO WE ARE so I pulled up some demographic data from USA Cycling. After a bit of manipulation, here's what I can tell you about the women of the NCNCA. This data is current through today and likely includes some women who aren't actively racing, purchase an annual license for one event, or who are focusing on cyclocross, but I think it's a good snapshot.


USA CYCLING ANNUAL LICENSE HOLDERS (ROAD RACING):

TOTAL WOMEN 599

CAT 1 42
CAT 1 JUNIOR 0
CAT 1 U23 1
CAT 1 30+ 30
CAT 1 35+ 22
CAT 1 40+ 12

CAT 2 98
CAT 2 JUNIOR 0
CAT 2 U23 5
CAT 2 30+ 78
CAT 2 35+ 57
CAT 2 40+ 42

CAT 3 142
CAT 3 JUNIOR 3
CAT 3 U23 4
CAT 3 30+ 111
CAT 3 35+ 89
CAT 3 40+ 60

CAT 4 317
CAT 4 JUNIOR 26
CAT 4 U23 17
CAT 4 30+ 223
CAT 4 35+ 174
CAT 4 40+ 136


PROMOTERS -- Although we all appreciate single-category races, here are some other combinations of note:

W1/2 140
W1/2/3 282
W3 142
W3/4 459
W4 317
W1/2/3 35+ 168
W1/2/3 40+ 114
W3/4 35+ 263
W3/4 40+ 196
W3 35+ 89
W3 40+ 60
W4 35+ 174
W4 40+ 136
W JUNIORS 29


CLUBS, are you recruiting? Here are unattached women who might be interested in joining a team. How do we reach out to these women? Most of us on teams would agree that being part of a team helps improve racer retention.

UNATTACHED 124
UNATTACHED W1 4
UNATTACHED W2 17
UNATTACHED W3 24
UNATTACHED W4 79
UNATTACHED JUNIORS 4
UNATTACHED U23 5
UNATTACHED 30+ 88
UNATTACHED 35+ 66
UNATTACHED 40+ 48


And just for kicks:

CAT 1 YOUNGEST: 20 years old
CAT 1 OLDEST: 50 years young
CAT 2 YOUNGEST: 19
CAT 2 OLDEST: 53
CAT 3 YOUNGEST: 13
CAT 3 OLDEST: 62
CAT 4 YOUNGEST: 10
CAT 4 OLDEST: 69

Team Velo Girls -- Ambassadors for Women's Cycling

Team Velo Girls has been invited to grand marshall the 64-mile Challenge at the Princess Promenade this weekend. This event, in just three years, has become a fabulous, fun-filled weekend of cycling goodness for girls and women of all ages. And we're thrilled to be a part of the magic!

The Princess Promenade was created to get women out of their cars and on to their bikes. It is a fun, inspiring event that gives women and girls a goal to train for, culminating in a parade of princesses along the beautifully scenic American River Parkway bike trail. It is held the first Sunday in October in Sacramento, CA.

After the ride, join Team Velo Girls members at the Velo Girls tent in the fitness expo area for photo opportunities and autographs.

Registration is still open for this event -- details can be found here: http://www.princesspromenade.com/

times, they are a changin'

Fall -- short days and cooler temps! While there's still lots of riding left on our calendar, two of our most popular rides will soon go on hiatus until March -- Midweek Madness on Wednesday nights and Dirty Velo Girls on Thursday nights.

This week is the LAST Midweek Madness of 2009. Roll from Woodside Town Hall @ 6:00pm on Wednesday for a quick, 60 minute high-intensity spin, followed by dinner at Buck's Restaurant. Don't forget your blinkie lights!

Due to waning daylight, Dirty Velo Girls will also meet for the last time this Thursday! Roll from Arastradero OSP in Palo Alto @ 6:00pm followed by girl-time at the Alpine Inn.

RSVP to Lorri@velogirls for either ride. Details on both rides and all our other rides + events can be found on the Velo Girls calendar.

Dirty Girls + Boys Jumping On + Off Their Bikes!

That can mean only one thing -- C-Y-C-L-O-C-R-O-S-S!

Cyclocross is a super-fun, family-friendly sport and all the cool kids are doing it. You can do it too! All you need is a mountain bike or a cyclocross bike. And Velo Girls Coaching Services can help you get started on the right foot. Even if you never plan to race (never say never), the skills you learn will help you become a better rider for both mountain bike and road.

Join us on Saturday, September 26th for our four-hour jumping on + off your bike Cyclocross Clinic. Our guest coach will be John Funke -- one of the best instructors I've ever worked with. He's fun, he's fast, and he can teach you everything you need to race your first cyclocross race (or perfect your skills if you're already a racer). John comes to us with decades of experience racing all over the US and he honed his skills with one of the top cyclocross coaches in the US -- Adam Myerson (of Cycle-Smart Solutions for Cyclo-Cross DVD fame). John is one of the most popular cyclocross clinics in the northern CA and he swears this will be his final clinic. Ever! So don't miss it.

So what are you waiting for? Fixies are so 2008. Cyclocross is where it's at this fall!

Information and registration here: https://old.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=3290

Register Now for GIRLS GOT SKILLS!

Seven years and counting, women from across the US (and Canada) have participated in our corner-stone two-day women's cycling clinic -- Girls Got Skills. This weekend clinic is total cycling immersion for women of all levels, and participants walk away with a renewed love for the bike! Just think, 16 hours of you, your bike, like-minded women, and expert coaches! It just doesn't get any better than that.

During the weekend we focus on fundamental bike handling skills. Paradigms will shift as we teach you how to REALLY ride your bike, understanding the physics behind balance, weight distribution, and gyroscopic force. Don't worry, this isn't high school physics -- we teach you in a safe, comfortable setting that includes lecture, demonstration, and lots and lots of hands-on practice under the watchful eyes of our coaches and mentors. Besides the fundamentals, we'll teach you how to corner at high speed like a pro, climb like a butterfly, and descend like a freight train. We'll also teach you ever-important group riding skills, like how to draft a wheel and paceline with one individual and a large group. And if that isn't enough, we throw in bonus material on nutrition and training with heart rate. We even help you establish HR training zones by performing a short HR test.

This is one of our most popular clinics and it always sells out. There are a few spots left, so I would encourage you to register today:

https://old.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=3032

September 26th + 27th, 2009. Mark those dates now as the beginning of the rest of your cycling career. This weekend is definitely life-changing.

Update your Bookmarks -- Velo Girls Clinics!

Our on-line registration provider, SportsBaseOnline, made some system upgrades this weekend and changed all of the links to Velo Girls membership and clinic registration (SURPRISE!). Please note the following:


Velo Girls Coaching Services Clinic Index:

https://old.sportsbaseonline.com/Series.aspx?id=438


Bike Skills 103 -- Cyclocross Skills -- September 26th -- co-ed:

https://old.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=3290


Girls Got Skills -- September 26th + 27th -- women only:

https://old.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=3032


Bike Skills 101 -- Fundamental Handling Skills -- October 18th -- co-ed:

https://old.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=3027


Bike Skills 201 -- Climbing + Descending -- October 18th -- co-ed:

https://old.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=3028



Registration is open for all of these programs!

Add your Photos to our Flickr Feed!

A picture tells a thousand words, or say I've been told. Velogirls.com is trying to keep our content fresh, new and exciting with the hopes that you'll come back again and again to check out what's up with the Girls in Pink. The best way to do this is to create a community effort, allowing our members to share their Velo Girls experiences through photos.

We've set up a Velo Girls Flickr photo group and would like to invite you to join and share your photos.

Do you have some great photos from a recent ride? We'd like to see them! Post-ride silliness? Ditto! Did you capture the racers in action? Add them to the group pool!

To join the group, just go here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/velogirls/

Once you're a group member, you can add up to 10 photos or videos a day. Please add a tag to your photos: "velogirls."

In the works, we'll feed our Flickr pool directly to the homepage of Velogirls.com so all the world can see all the fun we're having!

Friends, Family, Sponsors....Join us at the Giro di San Francisco

As the 2009 road racing season draws to a close, Team Velo Girls would like to invite all our friends, families, and sponsors to celebrate a fabulous season at the Giro di San Francisco on Monday, September 7th. The team will be out in all their pink fabulousness to contest the Women's 4 race @ 8:00am. The Giro is the last local race for the team in 2009 and, as part of the Bay Area Women's Cycling Association Women's Point Series, promises to bring out the best women racers in Northern California!

Immediately after the race, join friends + fans for a tailgate brunch at the Kenda tent.


RSVP for this event!


Velo Girls love our sponsors! You should, too! Check them out!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# Tri-Flow Superior Lubricants
# Eshutter Creative
# Erik Butler Photography
# Gary Brustin, Cycling Attorney
# Image Arts
# Jan Medina Real Estate
# Discover Chiropractic


With Industry Support From:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# Mike's Bikes
# Kenda Tires
# GU Sports Nutrition
# Simbree Energy Foods
# Voler Team Apparel
# Trashy Cat
# Defeet
# Rack N Road Car & Truck Outfitters
# Action Wipes
# Flex Power
# Protech Skincare
# Beljum Budder

Check your Neck!

September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month.

* Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer. Thyroid cancer is a cancerous tumor or growth located within the thyroid gland (the front of your neck).

* Thyroid cancer is one of the few cancers that has increased in incidence rates over recent years. It occurs in all age groups from children through seniors.

* The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 37,200 new cases of thyroid cancer in the U.S. in 2009. Of these new cases, about 27,200 will occur in women and about 10,000 will occur in men. About 1,630 people (940 women and 690 men) will die of thyroid cancer in 2009.

* Many patients, especially in the early stages of thyroid cancer, do not experience symptoms. However, as the cancer develops, symptoms can include a lump or nodule in the front of the neck, hoarseness or difficulty speaking, swollen lymph nodes, difficulty swallowing or breathing, and pain in the throat or neck.

* There are several types of thyroid cancer: papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, and variants.


Check your neck! Follow the link to learn how to do this at home, or ask your doctor to do it for you at your next exam.