Join Best Buddies at the 2009 Amgen Tour of California

For the third year in a row, Best Buddies is teaming up with the Amgen Tour of California. The 2009 Amgen Tour of California will take place February 14-22. The nine day stage race features world champion riders and world famous teams. Starting this Saturday in Sacramento, the course heads south through the redwoods, winds through scenic wine country and along the coast, for a grand finish in San Diego on Sunday, February 22.

Come out and stop by the Audi Best Buddies Challenge promotional tent located at the finish line at each day of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California! Our staff will be on hand to answer questions about the Hearst Castle event, in addition to great raffles and give-away items!

We look forward to seeing you on the route,

Jeremiah Angel
Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle

Versus footage of last year's "Buddy Up" program at the Amgen Tour of California:

New B-52's album to be released March 25

We are really excited to have the B-52s playing at this year's Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port. This is a big year for the B-52s. Next Tuesday, March 25, they'll be releasing their first album, Funplex, in 15 years.

The New York Times had a great interview and look at the new album this past Sunday. Read it here.

Pre-order Funplex through Amazon.com

Buddies are the Stars at the Amgen Tour of California

As Best Buddy Austin Thornburg left the stage at the start of stage two of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California, it was he, not George Hincapie—a Tour de France stage winner—who faced a sea of adoring fans seeking autographs and journalists after interviews. Austin was at the Amgen Tour as a part of Best Buddies Buddy Up program in which five of the top professional teams had each donated a stage to a Best Buddy.

The Slipstream/Chipotle, High Road Sports, Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast, CSC, Jelly Belly and Bissell professional cycling teams teamed up with Best Buddies Rachel Lofton of San Francisco, Michael Thorne of Monterey, Trevor Lucken of Sacramento, Austin Thornburg and Nick Douglas of Bakersfield and Amy Lewis, Travis Raefield and Breanna Barlow of Taft.

Each team had a Buddy join one of their riders at the start of each stage for the sign-in ceremony. It only took a few minutes into stage one?s ceremony—at which Rachel joined Sliptream/Chipolte's Christian Vandevelde, a two-time member of Lance Armstrong's Tour de France winning teams—for everyone watching to realize that Lofton was the star.

"Each day it was an incredible moment. These Buddies were the stars. They were ones being interviewed, signing autographs and getting cheers from fans," said Richard Fries, marketing director for the Audi Best Buddies Challenge. "This is what Best Buddies is about. We remind others—in schools, in jobs, in society—that an intellectually disabled person is special, is a star and is capable and deserving of anything and everything that you and I are."

After Austin cheered on Hincapie as he and his team, High Road, headed out for more than 100, twisty, hill miles through Wine Country, he headed to Sacramento for an exciting finish up Capitol Mall. He then joined Governor Arnold Schwarzenagger on stage to present the leader's jerseys for that day.

For stage three, Nick buddies up with KBS/Medifast rider, Nick Waite—a former National Champion. On stage four, Michael of Monterey joined CSC's German superstar Jens Voigt, and on stage six, Amy and Trevor will team up with Jelly Belly's Nick Reistad, while on stage seven Travis and Breanna will join Bissell's team leader, Ben Jaques Mayne.

The teams have also donated a spot in their team cars for each stage, so if you are going to be in the area for stage six and seven, drop by the Audi Best Buddies Challenge tent in the expo at the finish of each stage and register for the ride and for your chance to win a ride in the car. A special Tour discount on your fundraising commitment is also available for those who register at the event.

Watch Team Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital on the road to the Hearst Castle

Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port now a century!

That's right, the 2008 Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port is a little bit longer and will now be 100 miles. After eight years of 90 miles from Boston to the Cape, riders will have to push those pedals a few more miles before they can enjoy clam, lobster and The B-52's.

Check out the route map

For those looking for a shorter ride, the 20-miler is still available. See you on May 17.

ABBC: HP - The B-52's to play

Are you ready for a little "Love Shack" Hyannis Port?

That's right, the B-52's have agreed to perform at the 2008 Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port. The hit-makers behind "Love Shack", "Rock Lobster" and dozens of other chart toppers will be performing for participants in the ninth running of the event which will be held on Saturday, May 17 2008.

THANK YOU ALL!!!

Dear Riders,

What a great ride! The fourth Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle proved to be the most successful fundraising event in the history of our organization. We can’t take credit for that--it’s you who made that possible.

You should be proud of your commitment to people with intellectual disabilities. Your hard work fundraising and training for the ride proved that you care passionately about Best Buddies and our mission. This event would not have been so successful without your contribution.

Based upon your recommendations last year, we worked hard to enhance and improve the ride overall in the key areas you recommended. For example, last year many riders suggested that we invite professional cyclists to participate in the ride and that we should look for a classic rock group to perform. As a result professional cyclists from teams, T-Mobile, CSC, Kona, Tibco and Jelly Belly participated this year along with Cheap Trick as our musical entertainment.

How did you feel about the professional cyclists participation or Cheap Trick? In an effort to continue to improve, please take a few minutes to fill out our anonymous SURVEY . The results generated from the surveys help us make improvements and enhance all aspects of our future rides. Once you've completed the survey you'll be sent a confirmation email containing directions to the picture gallery of this year's ride.

Whatever the distance you rode, and whatever the amount you raised, take heart in knowing you have made a difference in the lives of so many people with intellectual disabilities that Best Buddies serves. Thank you so much for your support of people with intellectual disabilities. We are incredibly grateful and look forward to seeing you next year!

Speaking of next year the 2008 ABBC: HC will be on September 6, the weekend after Labor Day. We know that it’s a long ways off, but if you had fun go ahead and REGISTER !

With respect and admiration,

Mark Lewis, Ride Director

Michael Collins, Ride Operations Director

Richard Fries, Marketing Director

Dylan Taylor, Regional Ride Director

Alan Sakell, Rider Financial Coordinator

CSC send David Zabriskie and Lars Michaelsen to the ABBC: HC; but the real stars are the Buddies

David Zabriskie and Lars Michaelsen of CSC join the ABBC: HC, but the real stars are the Buddies

Now you'll have the chance to ride along with a few more pros as David Zabriskie and Lars Michaelsen of Team CSC are all set to ride in the 2007 Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle. Zabriskie, the only American to win a stage in all three Grand Tours (Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana), is the reigning United States National Time Trial Champion and a past wearer of the yellow jersey in the Tour de France . The recently retired Michaelsen is a past stage winner of the Vuelta a Espana and twice placed fifth in Paris Roubaix .

The two CSC riders will join an all-star cast of cyclists at the 2007 ABBC: HC. T-Mobile's Belgian legend and Olympic medalist Axel Merckx, Olympic medalist Mari Holden, two-time National Champion Kimberly Baldwin, Kim Anderson and Aaron Olson, along with Jelly Belly pros Alex Candelario and Mike Jones and Kona's United States National Mountain Bike Champion, Ryan Trebon, will be riding.

Yet the real stars on the road to the Hearst Castle won't be the Tour de France veterans or the Olympic medalists, they'll be the 30 intellectually disabled Best Buddies program participants--the Buddies. Buddies like Michael Kelly, of Los Angeles, who will return to once again ride the full 100 miles with his Buddy, James Stankard of San Francisco.

Thanks to everyone's hard work fundraising, you've helped put smiles on the faces and friends on the minds of hundreds of thousands of people just like Michael who ordinarily might not have those opportunities. This year Best Buddies programs will impact more than 350,000 people with intellectual disabilities world wide, and it’s you we have to thank for that!

On behalf of Best Buddies International, we thank you for your fundraising efforts. Keep it up, and we will see you at the ride!

North California Training/ Group Ride - Saturday, August 25 - 9AM

This Saturday we will be having another BB Training Ride. Ride distance will be approximately 40 miles, terrain will be hilly and pace steady.

We will be leaving the Fort Baker/ Bay Area Kid's Museum parking lot at 9AM.

Directions to lot:

BB Bay Area Training Ride - Saturday, August 18 - 9AM

This Saturday we will be having another BB Training Ride. Ride distance will be approximately 30 miles, terrain will be hilly and pace steady.

We will be leaving the Fort Baker/ Bay Area Kid's Museum parking lot at 9AM.

Directions to lot: