Mrs. Scola went to ProPedals for a pair of bike shorts and came back with a new bike! It's a beauty! We all took turns lifting it and saying "Wow!" (see photo of Mrs. Cutts). It's much lighter than mine. Mrs. Scola loves it... and I want it! I may have to give Jean a call and see if she's got another one.

We did the 20 mile ride again today. Conte's was out of Root Beer-- but other than that, it was another perfect day!

--Ms. Russell

Each MS 150 rider needs to raise a minimum of $250 in pledges in order to participate in the ride. We have a Team ELF fund-raiser scheduled for August 21st for anyone who would like to participate. We will be selling 50/50 tickets at the Trenton Thunder baseball game that evening. Half of the money taken in goes to the winning ticket holder, the other half will go to the National MS Society, and will be divided up between the accounts of all the riders who participated in the fund raiser. You get into the stadium free that night-- but don't get much of an opportunity to watch the game ;-) . If I remember correctly, we sell tickets until the end of the 7th inning. This is usually a really good fund-raiser! If you are interested in helping out, let me know and I'll make sure you get the information closer to that time. This is something that our non-riders can help with too. The more people we have selling tickets, the more tickets we sell!

--Ms. Russell

It's not even the end of June and we've done our first 20 mile ride! Mrs. Previ, Mrs. Scola, Mr. Shinn, and I left from the Elementary School parking lot and tried a new loop out to Medford Lakes and back, with the required stop for snacks at Conte's before returning to school. I noticed a new ice cream shop in Medford Lakes-- I confess I went back later and had the Krazy Koffee Milkshake-- YUM!

Next ride: Friday morning, 8:30 AM.

--Ms. Russell

If you are considering riding in the MS 150, June 23rd (that's this Friday for those of you who have already lost track of what day it is) is the last day to register for the ride at $35. On June 24th, the registration fee will increase to $45. You can register online at http://www.nationalmssociety.org/pae/event/event_detail.asp?e=6654. Register as a member of Team ELF.

--Ms. Russell

A couple of biking tidbits I came across as I was plowing through the piles of magazines at home:

"Biking four miles instead of driving keeps about four pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe, according to Environmental Defense."
--Sierra, July/August 2006, p. 11

"The best sports drink could be the one you haven't guzzled since 4th grade: chocolate milk. So says a study in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. Cyclists who drank low-fat chocolate milk after biking until fatigued were able to endure more pedaling for 50 percent longer than those who drank Endurox R4, a recovery drink, and about as long as those who drank Gatorade. Some experts believe the chocolate milk's high carb-to-protein ratio may effectively refuel tired muscles. We hope they'll call us when they test ice cream."
--Backpacker, August 2006, p. 63

International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism? Yikes!

--Ms. Russell

Today's ride was almost 18 miles, and just a tad faster at 12 mph. Here's our route (looks a little like the Big Dipper...). Looks like we may be hitting the 20 mile mark sometime next week!

We're serious about this biking thing! So far, 5 new bicycles have been purchased, and there have been three training rides since June 8th, with the next scheduled for Friday. Seven of us have been riding together, and we hear that Ms. Larsen is riding on her own down the shore. Today's ride took us to the end of Carranza Road and back -- 15.2 miles at an average speed of 11.2 mph. A good start... and later this summer we'll look back at this post and think, "15 miles, that's nothing!" Team OMS... a force to be reckoned with!!

--Ms. Russell

After several revisions to the team roster, I'm pleased to introduce Team OMS:

• Mr. Creely
  
• Mrs. Cutts
  
• Mrs. D'Amico
  
• Mrs. Dent, Team Manager
  
• Ms. Errickson
  
• Ms. Foster
  
• Mrs. Grosser
  
• Mrs. Guelich
  
• Mrs. Hall
  
• Mrs. Hermans
  
• Mrs. Kochel
  
• Ms. Larsen
  
• Mrs. Moran
  
• Mrs. Mundi
  
• Mrs. Patti
  
• Mrs. Previ
  
• Mr. Ramos
  
• Ms. Russell
  
• Mrs. Scola
  
• Mr. Shinn
  
• Mr. Thatcher

Some team members are planning to ride the whole 150 miles of the City to Shore bike tour in September. Others will be with us for 25 miles of the route. Some team members may not ride at all, but will help out in other ways. But wow-- what a response! As Mrs. Grosser observed, we have lots of spirit!

--Ms. Russell