Hellllllo Bella!

Velo Bella is an all-women's cycling team. The Mid-Atlantic Bellas are geographically dispersed throughout the region, from Pennsylvania down to North Carolina.

For 2009 Nikki of fellow blogging fame is making a push to grow the DC-region team. Why? Velo Bella is about to announce that for 2009 we are going to have an official Triathlon Team! Kona Bikes is working with us to develop a prototype timetrial bike, made exclusively for Velo Bella racers, and we are looking to field an elite/professional team, focused on the Olympic distance. (for a sneak peak at the TT bike: http://www.velobellabb.com/forum26/1695.html, but it will be blue, not white).

So, what is Velo Bella? Well, besides having the absolute BEST kits in the country, our mission is to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle through cycling and laughter. We inspire women to get out and ride a bike, race a bike, and to eventually grow the pool of talent and have a lot of fun along the way.

Not everyone is a racer....we have recreational riders, the racing team, and the pro/elite racing team.

How much does Velo Bella cost? Here's the best part......it's FREE!!!!! Okay, there is some fine print.....

--To be a "recreational" Velo Bella, there is no fee, and no requirement to purchase anything.

--To be an "amateur racer" or "pro/elite" racer, you are required to buy 1 jersey each year (~$65). BUT, you get access to great discounts to a ton of sponsors (such as Kona Bikes, Zeal Optics, FSA, SRAM, Patagonia clothing, Crank Brothers, Sidi, Cateye, Giro). As a racer you can get deep, deep discounts, sometimes over 50% off.

What does it mean to be a Mid-Atlantic Velo Bella? Well, this is the best part. We can make it whatever we want the team to be! Maybe that means a weekly group ride, maybe it means a monthy team dinner, maybe just coordinating races together, or supporting each other across disciplines (we have roadies, tri-gals, MTB and cyclo-crossers here).......it's up to us all to decide!

Please take a few moments to check out our website and forum blogs, and stay tuned for a Happy Hour in the next few weeks (we're targeting Sept 4th or 5th).

I hope you consider riding with Team Velo Bella!

http://www.velobella.org/ or http://www.velobellabb.com/