Bike MS Staff seeking spare bicycle parts

The Bike MS committee & staff are in need of spare bicycle parts that you might be willing to donate. We're looking for seats, bars and wheels. They will be used for a promotion/fundraising project that will be revelaed at a later date. If you have anything to donate, please e-mail april.brownlee@nmss.org. Thanks!!

This is the weekly ride schedule, as posted on the Old Tascosa Cycling website. As you know, due to the cost of liability insurance, the National MS Society is no longer able to provide training rides in preparation for Bike MS. Luckily, there are a number of great training opportunities to get you geared up! The weekly ride schedule is below. In the coming months, the Bike MS staff will host some events in conjunction with some of these rides, so stay tuned for more information.



Monday - Gander Mtn, 6pm start. No drop, which means nobody gets left behind.
Tuesday - Hammerfest. See the Hammerfest thread. The opposite of the Monday ride - be prepared to suffer and then get dropped.
Wednesday - Gander Mtn, 6pm start. Similar to the Monday ride with a brisker pace.
Saturday - Hollywood Theater, 1:30 start. Long ride. 50 miles early in the spring, building to 80 in the summer. If the route is too long, there are plenty of opportunities to cut the ride short and many people do.
Sunday - Gander Mtn, 1:30 start. Moderate pace, about 30 miles.

The ever-present panhandle wind is a big influence on the routes. During the summer months, the wind is out of the Southwest. The strategy is to go into the wind at the beginning of the ride and have tailwind on the way back.

Gander Mtn rides typically go west on the I-40 frontage road, out and back. There is also a northern route that includes Old Soncy when we get really tired of the I-40 frontage road.

Hollywood Theater rides go south and west from the theater. The route varies week to week and often is a game time decision. Plenty of opportunities to see Canyon, Happy, Buffalo Lake, and Umbarger.

***NEW***
Sunday - Flower Picker Ride. A very leisurely afternoon ride around the neighborhoods of Amarillo. Diane Broady has offered to lead these rides. The first one is March 21st, 1:30 PM start at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School. You can park in the parking lot. If you have any questions you can PM Diane at Tyme or post to this thread.

Monday and Wednesday rides will officially start after Spring Break (Mar. 22).

The Monday and Wednesday rides will move to 6:30 the first week in April when we have more daylight.

Thanks OTC!!

We're sending a shout out and a big THANKS to Old Tascosa Cycling for the $1,000 check we received from the Outdoor Element raffle. Thanks to everyone who made that happen and everyone who contributed!

Bike MS/Walk MS Team Captain Kickoff Party

Thursday, February 4
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Press Cafe, inside Trinity Fellowship Church

Join us for:

• door prizes
• fabulous "fun"draising ideas
• recruitment tools and ideas
• guest speakers
• how to pitch support for your Walk MS/Bike MS team to your boss or company
• snacks

Friends and family welcome!

Special thanks to Tiffany Carter & Press Cafe for the treats and meeting space!

See you there!

Old Tascosa Cycling Annual Banquet

The Bike MS Staff was out and about this weekend at the Old Tascosa Cycling Club's annual banquet. We were happy to see everyone, excited about the new officers, and grateful for past leadership.

Old Tascosa Cycling is a great supporter of the National MS Society. In fact, they're selling raffle tickets for a $1500 Outdoor Element gift certificate, with part of the proceeds coming back to the National MS Society.

If you'd like to buy a ticket, call April at 468-8005, ext 26 or stop by our office, 6222 Canyon Drive, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Thanks, OTC for your continued support!

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