Who We Are
The Edmonton Road and Track Club stresses learning, coaching, fair competition and safe, responsible riding. No matter what your goals are—from fitness and recreational riding to racing at the highest levels—you’ll find your place in the ERTC. Members find themselves growing in their own direction, improving fitness and cycling skills, and establishing friendships among a pretty great group of people.
Our goal is to provide you with the structure and support to take your cycling to the next level—whether recreational or competitive—in a safe, enthusiastic, and supportive atmosphere.
We also deliver women’s-only training and social rides that allow new and experienced riders to develop and improve fitness and riding skills.
As an ERTC member you have access to expert coaching, mentorship, the support of a close-knit group of cyclists, and plenty of competitive opportunities.
A portion of you club fee is submitted to purchase you membership (and insurance) in the Alberta Bicycle Association (ABA) .
Many ERTC members purchase UCI licenses and compete in organized cycling events sanctioned by the ABA, and out of province. The ABA co-ordinates with all cycling clubs in Alberta to produce a racing calendar for road, track, mountain bike, and cyclocross racing. Our racers travel across the province and the country, competing in high level racing events.
Non-racing members can be found taking on other cycling challenges like grand fondos, learning to ride on the track at the Argyle Velodrome, or testing their skills in more casual race settings like the ABA’s spring and summer road race series, or Edmonton’s summer and fall mountain bike and cyclocross race series.
How We Roll
The ERTC holds organized training rides almost every day during the cycling season.
All group rides have a designated leader whose job goes beyond riding at the front of the pack. To us, leading a ride means making sure everyone’s prepared for the road and rides in a safe, structured way. Ride leaders circulate through the group offering support, instruction, and advice to newer riders.
The training philosophy in ERTC is to provide training rides at a pace and intensity that suit all of our club members, from beginner to advanced. This means you need to know which ride best suits your needs and abilities—and matches your group riding skills, as well as fitness, to ensure a safe ride.
Curious About racing?
If you’re new to the sport there are plenty of opportunities to ease your way into the racing scene. As a member of the ERTC, you’re entitled to take part in casual road, track, mountain bike, and cyclocross racing events.
Every spring, the Alberta Bicycle Association delivers its popular Learn to Race course, which provides classroom and road-based racing instruction. During the fall, the ABA offers a great Cyclocross Camp that teaches you the ups and downs of cross racing. We highly recommend these courses.
If you want to give racing a try, look into our Try Racing Program for support!
Road Races: The ABA also sponsors a series of spring and summer road races where veterans and those new to the sport can seed themselves and race in a more casual way.
Track Racing: The ERTC has access to the Argyle Velodrome—complete with bikes (just bring your saddle and pedals) on Tuesday nights. The velodrome provides professional instruction for everyone from first-time track riders to more competitive and skilled riders.
Mountain Bike Racing: riders can scratch their racing itch during the summer months with the ABA-sanctioned Fat Tire Tuesday mountain bike races. Pick your category and race for glory—or at least some pretty sweet swag and cookies.
Cyclocross Racing: The season begins in September and the weekly Tuesday Night Cross series draws racers from across the city. This is another casual race setting where competitors seed themselves and learn what it’s like to race cyclocross. Cross the finish line and celebrate with cookies, pop, and wicked cool draw prizes.
Who You Are
Mountain Bikers
The road to success is paved. Road and track riding lets you get both intensity and endurance without pounding your body or your bike. All of the best off-roaders know the value of road miles.
Triathletes
You’re spending most of your time on the bike–spend it wisely. Riding in a group at a varying pace is a good break from intervals. And having a coach monitor your progress means you’re getting the most out of your training.
Fitness Enthusiasts
Participate in a well-organized program where you can go as easy or as hard as you want. The ERTC takes pride in being able to accommodate committed individuals at any level of fitness.
Runners
Take a load off your joints. Recover from or avoid injuries while staying active and working a different set of muscles. Group riding is an enjoyable social way of getting exercise while going fast.
Cross-Country Skiers
Our best crossover athletes have combined both cycling and skiing. Stay active in the summer and build more endurance through an organized training schedule, which is fun to participate in.
Speed Skaters and Hockey Players
Keep your legs and lungs working in the dry land training phase and you’ll get a head start on next winter.
Off-Season Training
Winter doesn’t slow us down much. We ride cyclocross and mountain bikes well into fall. Our main activity through the winter is cross country skiing, a sport that will raise your fitness level and put you ahead of your competitors at the start of the cycling season.