Saturday – April 23,  a pack of VeloRaptors helped R4R get to 98% of its goal of $180,000. Both the fund raising and the the cycling aspects of the ride were a great success.  The weather was perfect, rest stops were appropriately spaced and well supplied, and of course the VeloRaptor riders were excellent company. The R4R organizers offered a variety of routes and most of us chose the 68 mile route from Suisan City to Sacramento. Although Paul L. (in bright yellow) started in Oakland, completing over 100 miles.   

Some of us stopped for a libation before boarding the train back to Suisan City.

Kevin M. (in street clothes) provided SAG support. I should note that VeloRaptor Tom (below) and his grandson were among the top 10 overall fundraisers! 

While we all wish for a bit more rain, VeloRaptors have been out riding in 2022 enjoying the good weather. Here are pics from a few of our riders.

In February a group enjoyed the brilliant displays of wild mustard in the hills north of Livermore. 

Then on a windy Saturday in March several hardy VeloRaptors were spotted at the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse.

As the members of our club are of a certain demographic, there seem to be a lot of Steves in the mix. Four of them (front row) and friends did an alternative Wednesday ride up a very green Mt. Diablo

You may not know that a new section of the McLaughlin State Seashore recently opened near the Berkeley bike bridge over I-80. This new section of park is named Brickyard Cove and 3 VeloRaptors happened to be the first cyclists into the park on it’s opening day.

On Saturday (9/25) several VeloRaptors joined with riders from Oakland Rotary 3 for a ride on the Two-Bridges route, over the Carquinez and Benecia bridges.

The group encountered a couple of glitches during the ride that made it a bit different.

Find the full story here .

Krish: I did it! My goal for a few years, realized before it is too late. Proudly wore my Velo shirt. Climbed 4300ft, brutal. Harder than Mt Hamilton!

On Saturday, Sept 18, 10 VeloRaptors pedaled in support of BORP. Despite COVID interrupting the normal event for the second year, the group was able to raise over $12,000.  These dollars go a long way in providing sports, recreation and fitness programs to people with physical disabilities, reaching over 1,000 folks in the Bay Area and beyond.

It was a beautiful day for the ride, with cool temperatures and the group completed a metric century.  Their route circled the East Bay in a counter clockwise direction, starting in Moraga, riding down Redwood Road to Castro Valley, over the Dublin Grade to Pleasanton, up to San Ramon, Danville, Alamo and Walnut Creek, before working our way back to our starting point via Lafayette and Orinda. Post ride libations were enjoyed at the Canyon Brewery in Moraga.
To make the day truly special, the rain gods blessed them with a very tiny shower during the night. 
The effort was led by co-captains Steve Goldenberg and Randy Mellin. Othe particpants were: Steve Blair, Tom Willging, Pauline Fox, Chris Scrivani, Howard Neal, Kathy Tate, Kevin McTighe, Robin Brumell, and our beloved SAG driver Dennis Cathey.

Here we are at the Valley Java Cafe in Castro Valley.

Joe Shami was recently remembered by Trek in an on-line magazine focussed on 22 riders changing the world with bikes.

Follow the link below to the article, look on page 45.

https://view.publitas.com/trek-bicycle/tk21_catalog_summer-quarterly/page/1?utm_source=bm23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Read+the%C2%A0stories&utm_content=Read+the%C2%A0stories&utm_campaign=US+Consumer+Direct+20210810+Summer+Quarterly&_bta_tid=36707044195476430485120480876352462818307732493238836757541245828002537154346605244788489366671140368393&_bta_c=69zzn957ionkb1hcx320w62cxnbhr

The title says it all, Joe Shami was killed while riding near his home in Lafayette. Joe was a long-time VeloRaptor and participated in many rides. He will be missed.

RIP Joe.

Here is a link to a TV news story.

https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/86-year-old-bicyclist-hit-killed-by-car-in-lafayette-doing-what-he-loves/amp/?fbclid=IwAR0BBjtW4wK1cxob0HiMnL0NuRy-HGb-mJC3jcAeAmIkfa4Dl44O9eG5qvw