We're heading from Waves to Wine!

This year the Fast Friends are coming full circle and participating in a ride to benefit the cause that brought us all together in the first place.

On day one, we'll start from AT&T Park in San Francisco, head over the Golden Gate Bridge (SadieKate is really looking forward to that!) through Marin, up Highway 1 past Stinson Beach, and then we'll cut inland for the overnight at Sonoma Mountain Village in Rhonert Park. Except since we're a bunch of pampered princesses who prefer soft beds & indoor plumbing, after the festivities at Sonoma Mountain Village we'll head off to a nearby motel for the night. On day two we'll head from Rhonert Park thru wine country to Healdsburg and finish at Lake Sonoma.

We'd be grateful for your support!
Here's a direct link to the team Amici Veloci fundraising site:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/goto/amiciveloci

You could contribute to our team, or, click on the name of a team member to sponsor her individually.

We thank you so much for your help in the fight against MS.
SadieKate, V, snapdragen, aka_kim, Trekhawk, Ninabike, Emerald, mtkitchn, and jobob.

You NEED an AV jersey ! :) Order deadline July 18

Goodness gracious, the Fast Friends are at it again.

Here's your chance to finally own a lovely and highly coveted Amici Veloci jersey. Or vest. Or jacket. Or armwarmers. Or all of the above! ;)

Order Form (excel version) --> Please, if you can, use the excel version of the order form, it will make order processing so much easier for our good friend snapdragen!

Order Form (pdf version)

Payment is by PayPal only. See the instructions on the order form.

New for 2007 - Women's sleeveless in Club Cut! Yay!! No annoying elastic at the bottom!

Here are some photos of our model in the womens short-sleeve club cut jersey, with and without the matching armwarmers. The jersey will be slightly redesigned for 2007 to include the bike journal and Team Estrogen logos.

Got Questions?
Check out these threads on the bike journal and the Team Estrogen forums. Your questions might already be answered there. And if they're not, please go ahead and post 'em on one of these threads.

Fast Friends support RAAM

I am just brimming with pride over my friends. Somehow I missed the fact that someone I had grown to like and respect via a cycling forum was riding RAAM was again this year. I had the opportunity to meet and ride with Bernie Barge of Team JDRF when a few friends, my husband and I rode in the San Luis Obispo Wildflower Century this year. It turned out there were no wildflowers (well, hardly any) but there sure was a lot of heat, 103 degrees of it to be precise. We were all sick with it, but I was in particular stress. Bernie stuck with me through thick and thin and we made it across the line. During the ride when we were slowly grinding away in the heat and wind, I found out that Bernie was racing RAAM again so last night I did a little sleuthing around on the ‘net idly looking for his team information, only to find that we could stake claim to time stations to not only support Bernie and his team, but to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Being the enthusiastic yakker that I can sometimes be, I emailed a few friends as test cases and they were all game to chip in and get time stations. Taking this as a good sign, I posted on the women’s cycling forum at http://www.teamestrogen.com/ and emailed a bunch of folks I knew through http://www.bikejournal.com/. Wow about sums it up. I am speechless with the generosity that flowed.

As of Thursday night we have 10 time stations:

§ Lake Henshaw, CA
§ Williams, AZ
§ Collins, MO
§ Greenville, IL
§ Putnamville, IN
§ Troy, OH
§ Parkersburg, WV
§ Rouzerville, PA
§ Delaware Memorial Bridge, NJ
§ McKee City, NJ

Thanks to the generosity of these wonderful folks, we’ll help defray team costs and support the Research Foundation with any leftover funds.

§ Veronica* and Thom
§ Jobob*
§ aka_kim*
§ pkq
§ Fredwina
§ TrekHawk
§ Pansy Palmetto
§ Yellow and Mr. Yellow
§ Tenbrooks
§ Melissam
§ ShubieGA
§ BikerZ
§ WrenchBoy
§ Adventure_Girl*
§ Triskeliongirl
§ GT

*Amici Veloci Bored Members

I was hoping to fund one time station and we have 10. What a tremendous group of people I’m honored to know.

Team JDRF, we’re at your back and we’ll be ready for those calls anytime day or night.

Vada velocemente! Go fast!

Show me your Buff money!

The gang has decided they'd like custom microfiber Buffs - so we can fly the AV colors even more. We’re ready to collect your funds so here are the details. There will be limited quantities (and this is a one time order) so the early bird gets the Buff.























Design and Colors
The Buff design is still to come but we’re envisioning something with an allover chain ring design – using our signature gazelle chain ring of course – with “Amici Veloci/Fast Friends” in the borders. Buff’s designers in Spain will be working on the design very soon. There is enough interest to order two versions: one with a black background and one with red.

Price:
$18.50 per Buff -- includes uninsured USPS postage to US locations
Australia, New Zealand and UK orders – add $3.20 per Buff
Canada – add $2.20 per Buff
All others – email me and we’ll figure it out.

Ordering
Best method: PayPal to sarahandbubba at sbcglobal dot net.
2nd best because it’s via snail mail: Cashier’s Check or Money Order (request address through the buddy list)
Order info: name, address, email, QUANTITY OF EACH COLOR (black and red available)

Quantity available
Quantities are limited. Operators are standing by. This means that you are only guaranteed a Buff if you order now. I expect the deadline will be around Nov 26th but I’ll know more once I get a sample design.

Order early, order lots.:)

Changed to Sunday, Nov 19 – Mt George/Atlas Peak road ride

Come explore more of the remote roads of Napa. We’ll start in Fairfield, ride up Wooden and Gordon Valley roads, over Mt George to Napa and then up Atlas Peak. This is part of the spring Davis 200k brevet route.

Distance and climb: 60 miles (out 30 and back 30) and about 4,900 ft.
Start: Safeway parking lot in Fairfield at Waterman/I-80/Hilborn
Route Map: click here
Eats: Corner store/gas station at 20/40 mile points as we go through Napa both ways
Time: 10 am.

Oh yeah, rain cancels.

Nov 4 - St. Helena/Pope Valley road ride

I've been asked to coordinate another ride in the wine country hills.

I mapped out this route which should be very nice for the fall color of the grape vines, the salamanders on Ink Grade and fewer goobers (uh, boat traffic) by Lake Berryessa --about 54 miles and the actual climbing will probably be about 4,000. Our core group is about average club pace - some faster on the climbs and some faster on the descents. We all get there together.

Goobers and Grapes -- www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=12207

Parking: Library and Adams St east of Main St in St. Helena. Both are dead end streets and recommended by both the Police Dept traffic person and the St. Helena Cyclery.

We'll find chow in St. Helena. There are always a lot of votes for Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen but suggestions are always welcome.
www.cindysbackstreetkitchen.com/index.php

9:30 am on your bike start - rain cancels (OK, we're a bunch of fragile flowers, you can say it).

Edited Friday at 4:19 pm - Weather looks fine. We're on!

Let me know if we should expect you.

SK

Iron Mtn Road Ride - Sunday, Aug 27

Edited to add: 8 am at the parking spot indicated in the link.

We've got plans in the works for a morning ride up Mormon-Emigrant/Iron Mountain. If anyone has words of wisdom about conditions, weather, etc., please add your 2 cents.

Route info from Beautiful Vista