March 2002

03/27/02 - Velo Club Monterey gets Kudos from Sea Otter for Volunteer Work
Thanks to all the Velo Bellas that helped out at the crit and Information booth! Sammarye sent this letter of thanks to all volunteers:

"Hello to All Velo Club Monterey Volunteers -
Your participation in our event was just outstanding, and most valued by all of us here at Sea Otter. Your organization provides excellent support for this event. You are all so well-organized, efficient and willing to assist the Volunteer Coordinators - working with your organization was a real pleasure. Scott - your willingness to participate in the Kelli raffle ticket sales at the Info Booth was so very appreciated. I acknowledge how busy and hectic that area can be, and yet your group functioned smoothly, with skill and poise.... and sold raffle tickets as well. Gordon - your course marshals were just top-notch and most excellent. Your organizational skills were so appreciated, and everyone's attitude and enthusiasm for the crit was just first-class. Hope you will all be on the same part of the course next year. Outstanding job!

I truly have never worked with a better group of volunteers, and as a new SO Coordinator, I appreciated each and every one of you....I hope to see you all again next year. And, I welcome all comments and/or suggestions for improving everyone's experience next year. Thank you, again!

Sammarye Lewis
Volunteer Coordinator, 2002 Sea Otter Classic
Publicity Coordinator, Cat's Hill Criterium, 2002

03/02/02 - Congratulations to Sue Palmer-Komar for winning the Sea Otter Road Race
Sue is Susy's teammate on TalgoAmerica. She took advantage of the Saturn vs. Genevieve battle, and slipped away to win the crown event of the Sea Otter Classic Stage Race. Her win along with her fine showing in the time trial propelled her to 3rd overall in the 3-day event.

03/25/02 - The 2002 Sea Otter Classic just completed
We manned (womanned?) the info booth in style, schmoozed our sponsors, rode around on our vintage Stingray, raffled many prizes, gave away water bottles and raced our asses off. Velo Bella made 5 trips to the podium that weekend!

03/25/02 - Velo Bella T-Shirts
You asked for them, you sure wanted them!. We sold out of the cap sleeve T-Shirts, but we still have some tank tops available. These P@zzo-designed shirts won't last long, so order yours today. We will be placing another T-Shirt order soon. If there's any style or design you would like to see, let us know and maybe we'll include it in our next printing. All proceeds from merchandise sales go directly back to our racing program.

03/18/02 - The Redlands Classic - Congratulations to Susy Pryde for finishing 5th overall
Susy is a Velo Bella member, and although she races for TalgoAmerica, she's a Velo Bella at heart and will be sporting the Velo Bella gear at some NCS mountain bike races. We look forward to watching Susy race with her new team and wish her the best of luck on the upcoming season. Maybe we can convince her to send us some race reports!

03/01/02 - Velo Bella Clothing Ordered
Thanks to everyone who got in on the inaugural order. We can't wait until our fabulous P@zzo-designed clothing arrives. We expect the shipment sometime in April and will contact everyone as soon as we know the exact date. If you would like to order Velo Bella clothing but missed the first order, send us an email and we will notify you of the next order. The next order will be organized immediately after the first order arrives, and we will focus on meeting the long-sleeved minimum; just in time for the blustery cold Monterey summer. And a reminder to those who ordered skinsuits..we will be posting details on the Skinsuit Virgins Training Ride to be led by Tam Hennessey..stay tuned.

03/01/02 - Why Velo Bella?
Velo Bella started because a few of us local racers wanted to do something to jazz up our race season. We needed the inspiration and motivation that only a really fun jersey could provide. Fortunately we found the artist known as P@zzo and through many intense collaborative Morgan's coffee sessions, the whimsical design was born. The design was so fun and so popular it took on a life of its own and before we knew it we had a website and sponsors and clinics and an exciting opportunity to invite newcomers to the sport we love. We have no idea where this will take us now, but we do plan to enjoy the ride.