Hi BalaRoja! I've been racing and coaching women racers and race team since 2002. I'm happy to share some info with you. There are many women's teams in Northern CA (not the case in 2002 when I started Velo Girls). Each team is a little different, so I would encourage you to chat with lots of teams. Some teams are invitation-only and some have open membership. Some focus on one specific level of racer (pros, development, masters, etc) and some focus on one specific area of cycling (road, track, mountain bike cyclocross).

Most teams are recruiting (accepting members) NOW for 2010. While it's possible to join some teams at any time during the season, many teams put their rosters together in the fall to aid with planning.

Here's a listing of the local (Northern CA) clubs:

http://www.ncnca.org/docs/clubs/

In addition to dedicated women's clubs, there are also some co-ed clubs with a good women's program.

While I agree that the Early Bird training series is a good experience, I would recommend that you participate in the clinics ONLY -- not the training races. The training races tend to be a bit dangerous and I do not recommend them to my clients or my team. For one thing, they're so early in the year that most folks don't have race fitness yet. Also, because the fields are comprised of almost entirely new racers, they tend to be a lot sketchier than other races. In my opinion, it's just not worth risking a serious injury (from a crash) that would put a damper on a good part of your early season racing + training.

Velo Girls also has a fabulous 6-week learn-to-race program designed for women just like you. The next program starts on January 11th. This is a small-group, team-oriented program (no more than 10 women) and includes a day-by-day training program, expert coaching, mentoring from Team Velo Girls members, and two group work-outs each week. I've been teaching women how to race their bikes since 2002 and I take all the "pain" out of the racing process. The culmination of the program is the Snelling Road Race where you'll get to race with the coach, Team Velo Girls members, and the other development racers.

Please, don't hesitate to ask questions, either here on the forum or in a personal email. I'm happy to share information with you, whether it's about one of my programs or about other specific teams.

Lorri