1. WELCOME TO A WINTER RIDE
Welcome to the Worst Day of the Year Ride! This year is going to be better than ever, so get ready for a great ride. You can expect to get three more of these newsletters to help you prepare for the world's best February bike ride.

Along the way, if you have any questions about what to expect, just send us an e-mail. Our team of riding experts is here to help.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Welcome!

2. Good tips

3. About the route

4. Who's coming

5. The weather report

2. GOOD TIPS
We want to make sure you have the best ride possible, so here are some tips from WDYR Headquarters:

* Packet Pickup is the night before the ride at the Lucky Lab on Hawthorne from 4-7 pm. That's where you can get your rider number in advance. On the morning of the ride, you won't have to wait in line to check in, you can head straight to the start tower. And while you're at Packet Pickup, relax and grab a beer! You've got plenty of time to imbibe before hitting the sack for a full night's rest.

* Parking is limited to the side streets. The streets are fairly wide open for parking, but we've got 1,500 people coming to this party. Consider carpooling, riding your bike, getting a ride or taking the bus (#4, #14).

* The course closes at 3:00 pm so please choose a route that you can comfortably complete by then. If you are still on the course at 3:00, the ride's over and your soup will get cold. If you're not sure you have chosen the correct route, you can always switch on the morning of the ride, no problem.

* Come prepared to have fun! The Worst Day of the Year Ride is renown for having great riders who love to have a good time. It's a relaxed ride (though you can hammer the West Hills if you want to) filled with great sites, excellent camaraderie and delicious food along the way. And having fun means coming in costume and decorating your bike! You'll be rewarded for your efforts with Tireflys, and the lucky winners of our contest will receive great Showers Pass rain gear. Cool.

3. ABOUT THE ROUTE
You've signed up for one of two routes, and they're both equally great. The Urban route will take you on a varied tour of Portland. You'll go through industrial areas, the waterfront, northwest, dense residential neighborhoods and along the meandering Alameda Ridge. You'll encounter a rest stop about every four miles.

If you're on the 40-mile challenge loop, you'll get all of that and more. From the REI downtown stop, you'll break off and head to Hillsboro, traversing the West Hills on mostly low-traffic streets. After a rewarding stop at the Hillsboro REI, you'll return to Portland and join in on the Urban course. Or if you're too anxious for cornbread, you can dash straight to the finish line, but you'll only clock 40 if you take the Urban route back.

4. WHO'S COMING
Maybe you've noticed that additional sponsors are coming along for the ride this year. They are offering special deals for riders - check out the Who's Coming page to see what we're talking about. Our sponsors help make the ride happen, and we thank you for supporting them.

Riders are coming from all over the region. We've got people signed up from Medford; Ashland; North Bend; Kalama, WA, and Snohomish, WA. Wow!

5. THE WEATHER REPORT
So far, the skies are looking nice and clear for the February 11th. Our resident meteorologist,. the Icy Monkey, is predicting mild weather, no rain and sunny skies. Hmmm, that sounds a lot like the weather report for the last five years.