DEC 2005

Velo Allegro Voler Discount Order 12/22/05 - Save $ and get great gear from Voler. The Velo Allegro Voler Discount order goes in on January 9, 2006. Have your order form and check sent in by then. Get the Order Form in Excel (preferred) or PDF format. Be sure to add sales tax to your amount due.

Construction Updates 12/22/05 - Here are updates to two local construction projects that may affect your ride. The PCH/Bolsa Chica Lowland Restoration Project continues. A detour still exists on PCH, but according to the project website, the bridge is expected to be completed by the end of this month and will likely open shortly thereafter. The entire project is to be completed by August 2006. Detour information is here, general project information is here. The part of the Orange County Water District's Groundwater Replenishment System program that closed a portion of the Santa Ana River Trail and created a detour through neighborhood streets from Garden Grove Boulevard to Edna Park is NOW FINISHED (since June 2005). This project continues to require other temporary closures along the trail. It is expected to be completed by mid- or late-2006. Detour information is here, general project information is here.

The Science of Cycling 12/15/05 - The Science of Cycling, by Exploratorium, is a sports science resources focused on the science behind our popular spectator and recreational sport. The Science of Cycling website is also full of and information on the history and unique culture of cycling. Stop wondering "how" and "why" and maybe even find a few nuggets of information to make your riding and training easier.

Funny Literal Cycling Video 12/15/05 - This commercial promoting mobile phone video for Vodafone/Proximus applies cycling color commentary literally. See it here. WARNING: Big file (~6.2MB), requires Flash.

Velo Allegro's "Winter" Weekday Ride Listing 12/15/05 - The Velo Allegro weekday ride listing has been updated to reflect "winter" mode as well as the fact that all rides start at 7 AM.

Beware Of The Deadly Demon Winter Racer 12/06/05 - A great story from Paddy Doran about the those winter champions we love to hate. » Read it! Photo Credit: Borrowed from me55enger.net

SoCal's Annual New Year's Day Ride Is Coming! Celebrate the new year with hundreds (or thousands!) of other cyclists. Info including start time, location, route, and previous ride photos is here.

NOV 2005

Search all of VeloAllegro.org 11/30/05 - Looking for info on this site and don't know where to turn? Now you can search VeloAllegro.org or all of the web by using the search bar at the top of the page, or the SEARCH page, powered by Google.

Velo Allegro's New Website Design! 11/17/05 - Yes, this is Velo Allegro's new website design on now we're calling it officially done. All pages should be in the new format and all links should work. If you find that's not the case, please CONTACT US and tell us what's wrong so it can get fixed. ENJOY! . . .

Velo Allegro Club Holiday Party SAT, NOV 5, 2005 @ 7 PM Seal Beach Rec. Center 151 Marina Dr. Food, fun, and friends. Invitations will be sent via e-mail to current VA members.

Keep It Quiet! 11/02/05 - Buzz Long sent us a link to a handy bike site, JimLangley.net. Jim is a "bicycle aficionado" and is kind enough to share his affection and knowledge with everyone online. Buzz found the Keep It Quiet! pages most interesting and helpful.

Velo Allegro's New Website Design! 11/02/05 - Yes, this is Velo Allegro's new website design. We're still updating old pages to the new format, so for the next few days (or weeks, or months) you might notice weird stuff or bad links. Sorry. Once we make the official "re-launch" announcement, it should be mostly wrapped up and ready for your use. . . .

OCT 2005

Comic Relief 10/03/05 - It's the off-season. How did the year go? Are you mulling over whether you've got what it takes for this sort of thing? Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen - 01 OCT 2005 More at Comics.com

Interbike 2005 Show Write-Up and Photos Now Posted! 10/18/05 - It may be riddled with tons of spelling and grammatical errors, but it's done! Velo Allegro's Interbike 2005 Show Write-Up and Photos are now posted for you to enjoy. go>>

SEP 2005

Women's Skills Clinic 09/01/05 - Once again, Eileen Olson of Erowheels has been kind enough to offer another women's skills clinic. This is for both beginner and advanced riders. Take advantage of Eileen's generosity and expertise - mark your calendar's NOW! WHO: All women looking to improve their cycling skills WHAT: Free Cycling Skills Clinic WHEN: Saturday September 24th, 2005 @ 7 AM WHERE: Meet at the Long Beach Marina parking lot [map link] Come and have fun with other women on your bicycle. Come even if you have attended previous clinics. We will be reviewing and learning NEW SKILLS to make us safer and more confident riders. Bring your girlfriends. For more info, contact Melanie or Michelle, Women's Team Leaders

UPS Criterium Photos...Finally! 09/21/05 - We are proud to announce that we've finally posted photos from the UPS Criterium 2005, courtesy of Allan Crawford. Al's provided photos for 30+ races, 50+, and Elite 1/2/3. We're trying to get more.

Torelli Tire Recall 09/14/05 - On 08/17, Torelli Imports announced a recall of their Verona and Lugano Open Tubular bicycle tires with folding Kevlar beads. Go here for the recall release with all the details from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Originally, we weren't going to mention this because hardly anyone we know rides tubulars, but with the ADT Velodrome getting a lot of action in town, we figure there are trackies who might be affected.

Belmont Athletic Club Special Membership Rates 09/01/05 - Did you know that The Belmont Athletic Club offers Velo Allegro members a special group rate for membership to The Belmont Athletic Gym? The Amount of the discount is based on the numbers of Velo Allegro members who have active accounts. See this PDF for more information [25 KB].

Club Meeting Moved For Holiday 09/01/05 - The next club meeting is 09/12, not 09/05, due to the Labor Day holiday. Topics include the upcoming club party (11/05) and 2006 officers nominations This will be the last official club meeting for 2006. Non-members are always welcome to come and meet everyone. More details below.

Sheila Moon Postcard 09/23/05 - Sheila Moon sent us this very cool postcard as part of her marketing campaign for Interbike. We liked it so much, we had to contact her to get the full story ahead of the show. (cont'd below) Sheila Moon - Illustration by Eric Kilkenny Turns out Sheila is a fashion designer and cyclist. She sponsors cycling clubs like Velo Bella and Velo Girls. She's introducing her line of women's caps, arm, and leg warmers and came up with this postcard to convey the message...with eye catching style. Checkout SheilaMoon.com for more info. -adm

Interbike 2005 is coming! We'll be at the Expo (09/28-30) to pick up and report the latest in industry gossip, gear, and going-ons. Check back here for the story and photos.

AUG 2005

99 Laughs 08/10/05 - Last year, 99 Cents Only Stores congratulated "Neil Armstrong On Winning Your 9th Tour De France" (image). This year, they got it right, but not before David Loosli got top billing over Lance in their 07/26/05 newspaper ad.

More Funny Stuff 08/04/05 - Lance/cycling humor courtesy of yesterday's LA Times' Morning Briefing section: Dad does have a job: Lance Armstrong, a guest of David Letterman on Monday night, said it was important to have his children, son Luke and twin daughters Grace and Isabelle, in France this year to see him win the Tour de France for a seventh time. "They could relate to what Daddy does for a living," Armstrong said, "because every day I go for a bike ride, and the girls are like, 'He's going for a bike ride. With his friends. My dad doesn't do anything.' " * A different perspective: Letterman, pointing out that some people were concerned that No. 7 would be a problem, told Armstrong, "It didn't seem to be a problem. Granted, I wasn't pedaling." * One job possibility: Of Armstrong's next stage of life, Letterman said: "Now that he's retired, he still loves riding a bike. He's going to start delivering Chinese food in New York. You can make a fortune in tips." * Be like Lance: Armstrong earlier was quoted as saying all he wants to do now is lie around the house and drink beer. Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg thanked him for that, saying, "Now, when your wife asks you what you are doing all weekend, you can say, 'I'm going to work out like Lance Armstrong.' " * Another possibility: Of Armstrong's supposed plans to lie around and drink beer, Jay Leno said, "So, he's taking up professional bowling?"

JUL 2005

Comic Relief 07/26/05 - Lance Armstrong wins his 7th Tour de France in a row. But you didn't need us to tell you that. Frazz does tell us why we don't see cycling on TV more often. Ain't it true!? FRAZZ by Jef Mallet - 24 JUL 2005 More at Comics.com

2005 2nd Clothing Order Is In 07/26/05 - Clothing is here and will be available for pick-up beginning Thursday, July 14. Please contact Robbie McGinnis (562.547.5836) to arrange pick-up.

JUN 2005

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MAY 2005

Photos by Michael Forster 05/18/05 - A while back Michael Forster handed me two CDs with photos of the club on a Saturday ride and from the Track Jr. National Championships at ADT Event Center. The CDs got lost in my office shuffle but I recently found them and have now posted the photos. Thanks Mike! Track Jr. Nat's (06/30/04) Velo Allegro Saturday Ride (07/24/04)

APR 2005

National Bike Month & Bike to Work Week/Day 04/26/05 - May is National Bike Month as designated by the League of American Bicyclists. The goal is to celebrate cycling and promote bicycle commuting. Bike to Work Week is May 16-20th. It's expected to earn a lot of attention this year as fuel prices continue to rise. Many companies are beginning to provide incentives for employees to use alternative means of commute, including bicycling. Local and regional public transportation is backing the bicycling the effort. On May 19, you can ride SoCal Metro buses and rail for free as part of your bike to work commute. Save money. Save gas. Get exercise. Ride bikes!

Ride of Silence - Wednesday, May 18, 2005 04/26/05 - On May 18, the Ride of Silence will roll across the country, starting at 7:00 PM. In more than 50 cities in the U.S. and Canada, cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn't aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves. The Ride Of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There is no brochure, no sponsors, no registration fees and no t-shirt. The ride, which is being held during Bike Safety month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those who have been killed or injured. There are several SoCal locations listed for this event. Find them, and additional information, at rideofsilence.org.

Clif Order Info [Archived 04/21/2005. This offer no longer available] To order product from Clif at discount, you must: Fill out one of the official Clif order forms completely, which means you must do all the math, including tax, shipping, etc. Include with that form with your correct payment total (by check made out to Velo Allegro). Give everything to a VA Club officer (for a list, click here). All orders will be sent as a group. Contact Robbie McGinnis for more information.

Free Coffee @ JAX, H.B. 04/15/05 - Jax Bicycle Center in Huntington Beach is offering cyclists free coffee on weekends. From opening (9 AM SAT, 10 AM SUN) until 2 PM or so, drop in to enjoy a cup. Enjoy a couple cups to help make the PCH headwinds a little easier.

Redlands Bicycle Classic 2005 - Photos & Story by Al Crawford 04/15/05 - Al Crawford, with the help of Robbie McGinnis' motorcycling, snapped some great photos of the racing at Redlands (03/30-04/03/05). Below are previews. See all the photos and story here. © 2005 Allan Crawford. All rights reserved.

VA's Robbie McGinnis Contributes to LA Times Article on PCH Construction 04/15/05 - The article is titled "O.C. Wetlands Renewal Project Putting the Squeeze on Cyclists." and ran in the California section of the L.A. Times on 03/16/2005. It features quotes from club prez Robbie McGinnis and includes a photo of Velo Allegro heading up the beach path at Bolsa Chica. More info on the O.C. Wetlands Renewal Project here.

Comic Relief 04/15/05 - YOUR TAXES ARE DUE TODAY. If the previous sentence is a surprise to you or if it brings you to tears, please enjoy this bit of comice relief. FRAZZ by Jef Mallet - 20 MAR 2005 More at Comics.com

RED MEANS STOP! 04/08/05 - Obeying traffic signals is the law. Breaking the law invites a run-in with law enforcement, or worse, a collision. Bicyclist do not defeat cars. There is no honor in the yellow/red light breakaway. Consider your safety and the safety of those around you. Obey the law or ride elsewhere.

MAR 2005

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FEB 2005

Donate Blood. Save Lives. 02/10/05 - We have a direct number to the person who is coodinating the donation of blood platelets for Christina. If you are able to donate please contact Felicia Miller at 562-596-7152. We found that they can also use O negative blood donations.

2005 Club Clothing Available + 2nd Order 02/25/05 - We plan to process a second clothing order March 4. If you would like to order additional clothing please fill out the VA 2005 Membership Form with your choice of clothing. Please mail the order form and full payment to the Velo Allegro P.O. Box 3585, Long Beach, CA 90803 (this info is included on the bottom of the order form) - order forms need to be received no later than February 28th. If you have any questions please call me (Ross Gagnon @ 714.724.9912). 02/10/05 - Velo Allegro's 2005 clothing is now available. Arrange for pick up by appointment at Robbie's house. Call Robbie McGinnis to set time and receive address - phone number is 562-547-5836. (ABSOLUTELY NO CALLS AFTER 8:00PM!!!).

El Dorado Park and Training Races In Danger of Drowning 02/10/05 - A San Gabriel River project suggests making portions of El Dorado park, including the part used by Tuesday night training rides, into "an integrated watershed system." It will be under water! Find out more about the project and how you can help save El Do by visitng the CBR website for more info.

"Girls Only" Skills Clinic 02/24/05 - Eileen Olson has graciously committed to do Part II of Velo Allegro's "Girls Only" Skills clinic. We will build on the skills we acquired from the 1st clinic and learn new ones. All Women (all levels of riding skills) are invited to attend (even if you missed the 1st one). When: Saturday March 5th, 2005 Time: 7 am Where: Meet at the Marina (2nd & Marina streets) Cost: FREE We look forward to seeing everyone again. -Melanie and Michelle, Velo Allegro Women's Team

JAN 2005

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