Bike to Work July 18!

I received this email from INCOG and thought the information was worth passing on.

Bike to Work July 18! Bike to Work Friday, July 18 and join us between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on the RiverParks East Bank Trail by the River’s Edge Café (near Denver Avenue and Riverside Drive). Commuters traveling by bike are invited to join us for free snacks and an opportunity to discuss going green and saving money all summer long.

We will also have a random drawing for your choice of a $100 gas card or a $100 gift certificate to a local bike shop!

Questions? email transportation@incog.org or visit Bike2Work to learn more about the new commute tracker. Sponsored by Green-Traveler, the City of Tulsa, and the Mayor’s Fitness Challenge.

Special thanks to the River Parks Authority.

Team Bandaid #1 at the Tour De Cure

This is a belated report on Team BandAid’s outstanding performance at this year’s Tour de Cure. As a team we raised over $8,401 for the American Diabetes Association. Team BandAid also had the top two individual fund raisers in Richard Harber and Nancy Jefferson.

The team competition was a hard fought contest this year with four teams raising over $6,000 each. The second place team was Sun and Ski Bikes (almost $6,900), followed by Oklahoma Heart Institute ($6,700 just nipping into third place at the end of the fund raising period), and Bartlesville Pedalers & Friends ($6,550).
The Tour de Cure also had an outstanding year…raising over $70,000 (40% increase over last year) and with 189 participants (compared to 146 last year).

Special thanks should also go to the Team BandAid members who were part of the organizing committee: Justin Oxford, Nancy Jefferson, and Richard Harber.

TdF Internet Feeds

I record Versus' live coverage of the Tour de France everyday, but I can;t seem to wait until the evening to find out who wins. Luckily for me, my company does not monitor or restrict Internet access and there is a website called www.cyclingfans.com that provides a listing of Internet feeds available to the public. This means that each morning I am able to watch video streaming of le Tour while replying to Email and getting some work done. This week I have been watching Eurosport's coverage of this race from www.justin.tv and it has been quite entertaining. check it out if you can.

Volunteers Needed

Mark Saturday, July 19th & Sunday, July 20th, 7:00 a.m. as the date Team Bandaid sponsors the 20 mile MS training ride. Nick will bring two tents – one for a rest stop and the other for the end of the ride. We need volunteers to man both tents and two trucks as SAG vehicles.

As the ride is only 20 miles, your volunteer time will be short and sweet and still allow time for you to ride later in the morning!

Please call Juli at 527-6584 (julijcj@cox.net) or Nick at 633-7113 (nick_hoffmann@ml.com) to let us know if you will be able to help.

The tent takes two people to setup so we will need at least 2 people at the rest stop and 2 people at the finish.

Hotels in Pryor, OK

Hotels in Pryor, OK appear to be filling up fast. At the time of this writing, Comfort Inn has 3 rooms available (all smoking), the Microtel has no availability, and the Days Inn appears to be left with only smoking rooms. So if you are interested in staying in a hotel in Pryor, you might want to make your reservations ASAP.


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By the way, I fully appreciate that I need to find something else to link to in this blog other than Google maps.

Bike MS Training Rides

The Bike MS Training Rides kicked off today, July 5, at 7:30 AM. These rides will occur every Saturday and Sunday from now until September 7. The schedule (aong with the planned mileage for the ride) is available on the right-hand side of this blog. Remember to arrive a little early, sign the waiver, and wear a helmet. Once the training rides are at least 20 miles long, they will be sponsored and supported by participating teams. All training rides begin at 7:30 AM and depart at 21st and Jackson (just West of the Arkansas River).


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Le Tour 2008

I should be out on the first official training ride for the Oklahoma Bike MS Ride, but the Tour de France kicks off today and I was compelled to watch. If you have Versus--channel 251 on Cox Digital Cable--I recommend tuning in to watch the biggest race of the year. Click here for the full TV schedule.

July 4 Ride Report

About 35 people gathered on Friday morning for the anual Team Bandaid 4th of July Ride. From 21st and Riverside, we headed West on Avery Drive and continued on W Hwy 51 to Mannford, OK. Winds were calm, the sun was out, and termperatures were "mild" for July in Oklahoma. A couple of groups formed up on the highway and the whole ride rejoined at a convenience store in Mannford.

Once everyone had a chance to refuel, we headed back East towards Tulsa. A decision was made to take a detour on the ride home and we turned on to Coyote Trail. It was a great way to kick off training for the Oklahoma MS Ride. Thanks to everyone who came out to ride.

4th of July Reminder

Don't foget about this Friday's "4th of July Ride". We will meet at 21st and Riverside (East of the River) at 8:00 AM. This is a self-supported ride so please bring plenty of fluids and food. Distance will be 50-70 miles (or some other length of your choosing). If you have any questions, please contact Juli or Nick.


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Training Ride Starting Point

It is my understanding that the official Bike MS Training Rides will begin on July 5-6. The rides that weekend will be 10 miles long. Last year was my first year to participate in the Bike MS Ride and I wasn't sure where the rides would start. So, for any first year riders out there, here is where we meet for these rides. You should also note that this is NOT the starting point for the July 4th ride. I hope to see everyone there.


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Bike for Sale?

A few people are looking for a used bike for friends and/or co-workers. If you have some gear that you are interested in selling or if you are looking to buy something in particular, let me know and I will add it to the blog.

4th of July Ride

We are organizing a 4th of July ride. We will meet at 21st and Riverside at 8:00am. Probably head down Avery and go from there. The distance will be around 50-70 miles in total, but don’t feel like you have to do the entire ride. This is a self-supported ride, so you will be on your own. We will have a leader or two in the group as well.

Any questions, contact Nick Hoffmann or Juli Couch-Johnstone.