Sorella Forte Membership Give and Get

Being a member of Sorella Forte has numerous benefits: camaraderie of a great group of women who share a passion for cycling, access to Sorella training rides and clinics, race mentoring, an attractive team kit, race fee reimbursement and sponsor product discounts. Membership also means giving back to the cycling community through volunteering and leading rides. Below are descriptions of what you get for being a member of Sorella Forte and what we expect of you to give back.

Annual Club Meeting

We know it is difficult for busy women to find time to attend club meetings. That’s why we only have one official “club meeting” a year. We strongly suggest you make every attempt to attend. Beyond that, we’ll keep you posted on important club matters via e-mail throughout the year.

Bike Shop Sponsor

River City Bicyclesis our bike shop sponsor. As a member, you are eligible for a club discount ID card that entitles you to a 15% discount on most products. Discounts on bikes vary, so please check with RCB for specifics. Please respect our sponsors’ wishes and abide by their rules.Also, be discrete when you show the ID card when making a purchase. Your current card expires September 1, 2012.

Colleen McClenahan Massage

Sorella Forte member Colleen McClenahan, a licensed massage therapist, offers members a 15% discount on 60- and 90-minute massages at her two convenient locations at 7409 SW Capitol Hwy, Suite 206, Portland, and The Bodhi Tree, 2161 NE Broadway, Portland. Contact Colleen at 503-816-4179 or colleenmcbike@yahoo.com.  Please bring your current Sorella membership card to your first appointment.

Wenzel Coaching

If you are interested in coaching and/or training plans for bike racing, triathlon, cyclocross, running or general fitness, we get a discount from Wenzel Coaching. Discounts range from 15-25% depending on the level of service. See www.wenzelcoaching.com for more information or contact Sorella member Rhonda Morin rhondamorin@wenzelcoaching.com or Anne Linton, annelinton@wenzelcoaching.com.

Hammer Nutrition

Hammer Nutrition representative Jeff Tedder is a club sponsor. He offers 15% off products with a 25% special order discount at year’s end. He also provides us with Hammer clothing at a substantial markdown. Contact Jeff at sharkattack97219@peoplepc.comor 503-473-7650. His Web site is www.SolidCoreTraining.com

Gracie’s Wrench

Gracie’s Wrench offers club members opportunities to expand their knowledge, confidence and independence with our bicycles. Owner Tori Bortman offers periodic free group sessions to Sorella Forte members and a 15% discount on tune-ups, introduction to maintenance, basic review and wheel-building classes. Individual project time is also discounted from $50 per hour to $40 per hour. The schedule of classes can be found at www.gracieswrench.com/classes.  Contact Tori Bortman at gracieswrench@gmail.com.

Member Misconduct

We value our sponsors and we expect that members act in accordance to sponsor requirements (see the back of the membership card) and Member in Good Standing rules (see below). If members act irresponsibly toward the sponsors, at events or when representing the club or team, members risk the loss of privileges and removal from the club or team at the board’s discretion.

Club Communications

We rely almost entirely on Yahoo Groups for all club communication (training rides, upcoming meetings, clinics, race reports, and announcements). PLEASE make sure you are signed up and are automatically receiving notification of new posts. We highly recommend you choose to receive the e-mails individually rather than in digest form. If you need assistance, please ask us.

Club Rides

We offer club rides on regular basis. Watch for Sorella Yahoo Group e-mails with details about the rides. You also have the option of joining the River City Women’s ride every Saturday throughout the year starting at 9 a.m. Sorella Forte is contracted by RCB to lead these rides. Zan Gibbs is the RCB ride coordinator. We often need leaders and/or co-leaders as these groups can get rather large. The bonus is that ride leaders receive a $25 gift certificate from RCB. These are easy to moderately paced rides (30-40 miles) and no one gets dropped.

Free Racing!

As in previous years, the club will be purchasing team passes for PIR and the Mt. Tabor series. These are all beginner-friendly races and the team wants to encourage members (novice and experienced alike) to take part in these local weekly races.  Assuming you are eligible* just show up, sign in and race!

Additionally, the club will reimburse eligible* members’ entry fees (up to $50/year) for any organized charity ride. You must be wearing a current team kit during the ride to receive reimbursement.

* Member in Good Standing (MIGS)

To be eligible for most team benefits, including the reimbursement program, free race passes, and most sponsor discounts, you must be a “member in good standing” as outlined below.

1. Pay yearly membership dues and submit (annually) the membership application and ride release form;

2. If you have an e-mail address, please sign up with our Yahoo Groups list to receive all club communication (training rides, meetings, clinics, race reports);

3. Wear team kits at races and club training rides. If racing, out of respect for our sponsors, you must wear the “most current” team kit;

4. All members must perform a minimum of twovolunteer duties. You may either lead two club rides, volunteer at two Sorella events or one of each. Watch for Yahoo Group e-mail for details on events. There are also eligible events listed on the Sorella Web site

There are several options for rides. Each Saturday the ride begins at RCB. Or, you may lead a ride from any start location during another weekend in the month. Just announce it, post it on the Yahoo calendar, and be there! After the ride, you must e-mail a ride recap to the group.

5. You must act in a sportswoman-like manner at races and generally set a good example for the biking community, especially when kitted up in Sorella gear!

6. You shall not endanger the safety of yourself, teammates, or others in a race and/or during a team/club ride. Wear a helmet every time you ride a bike.

Club Duality

A Club member may not represent another team or club while they are an active Club member of Sorella Forte utilizing the Club’s benefits. If a Club member does choose to affiliate with another club, she is required to take a leave of absence from Sorella Forte. At the time of her leave, she will forfeit all Club benefits such as, but not limited to, sponsor discounts, RCB discount card-holding status, and the wearing of the Club’s uniform at races and events. The Board of Directors reserves the right to make decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Officers / Board Members / Contacts

We’re doing our best to make this club fun and relevant to your cycling needs. Feel free to contact any one of us with questions or concerns:

President: Rhonda Morin rhonda@sorellaforte.com

Treasurer: Martina Ralle martina@sorellaforte.com

Secretary: Bonnie Rosenfeld bonnie@sorellaforte.com

Membership Coordinator: Elaine Bothe elaine@sorellaforte.com

Volunteer Coordinator: Barb Fisher barb@sorellaforte.com

Member at Large: Katy Pranian katy@sorellaforte.com

Club Rep: Courtney Gould courtney@sorellaforte.com

Emeritas: Shari Matyas and Colleen McClenahan: shari@sorellaforte.com ;  colleen@sorellaforte.com

See you on the road!