ERTC Weekly Update - Week of September 17

I interrupt the usual lame small talk for this important announcement:  OH GOD WE NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR OUR CROSS RACE!! You are able to race and volunteer, as  they are split into AM and PM Shifts. Link here: https://www.volunteersignup.org/K9E3B

Club Updates:

1. Wednesday Night Cross continues this week  https://www.facebook.com/events/674829162874735/ it’s the cheapest way to get into cross and upwards of 200 people race across 3 different categories! Register here: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=18640&lan=1&cartlevel=1
   

2. Registration is up for our School of Cross race over at https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=18831&lan=1&cartlevel=1 Check out the tech guide here: http://www.ertc.org/school-of-cross-2018/ and volunteer here: https://www.volunteersignup.org/K9E3B

3. Want to get away this Autumn or Winter and don’t have a bike bag? ERTC rents out bike bags for $50 a week or 2 hours of volunteering a week. E-mail me at president@ertc.org to check if the dates you need are booked and to book it. We have 2 available. They are the Sci’con Aerocomfort 2’s.

4. CX Skill Nights are a go! More information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/242857123240773/

5. Not in the mood for skills practice but want to work on CX intervals? YEGCross is for you! YEGCross is an initiative aimed for those looking to improve their speed on the cross bike, led by Jay and Robin. There is a $25 charge to participate in this group  - pay here: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=18833&lan=1&cartlevel=1 and more information, go here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1635190320143436/

Ride Updates:

1. Thursdays are ALWAYS a go and will run until no one shows up or the snow starts to stick.

2. Saturday isn’t cancelled per se but there is a cross race and it is pretty cold, so check on Facebook before headed out.

3. You should really race / volunteer / drink beer on Sunday at our cross race.

ERTC Weekly Update - Week of September 4

Cross season is in full swing!! Let’s get to it shall we?

1. Wednesday Night Cross starts up this week, due to last week being rained out - https://www.facebook.com/events/674829162874735/ it’s the cheapest way to get into cross and upwards of 200 people race across 3 different categories! Register here: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=18640&lan=1&cartlevel=1

2. Registration is up for our School of Cross race over at https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=18831&lan=1&cartlevel=1 Check out the tech guide here: http://www.ertc.org/school-of-cross-2018/ and volunteer here: https://www.volunteersignup.org/K9E3B

3. Want to get away this Autumn or Winter and don’t have a bike bag? ERTC rents out bike bags for $50 a week or 2 hours of volunteering a week. E-mail me at president@ertc.org to check if the dates you need are booked and to book it. We have 2 available. They are the Sci’con Aerocomfort 2’s.

4. By popular demand we will be ordering more Cat5Gear bags. Price is $72 for fully custom bags, including shipping. We will hold the order open until September 15.  http://www.ertc.org/teamkit/cat5gear-bag

5. CX Skill Nights are a go! More information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/242857123240773/

6. Not in the mood for skills practice but want to work on CX intervals? YEGCross is for you! YEGCross is an initiative aimed for those looking to improve their speed on the cross bike, led by Jay and Robin. There is a $25 charge to participate in this group  - pay here: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=18833&lan=1&cartlevel=1 and more infor here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1635190320143436/.

Ride Updates:

1. Tuesdays are now either Cross Skills with Tim, or Cross Intervals with Robin.

2. Regular Wednesdays are now permanently done for the year, but keep your eyes peeled for pickup rides - maybe come ride and hang out at cross?

3. Thursdays and Saturdays will go until the snow flies!

ERTC Weekly Update - Week of August 20

Time for a no nonsense update! Ok maybe a little bit of nonsense?

CROSS. IS. HERE. We will be slowly transitioning to cross over the next month or so, but our core rides (Ladies Mondays, Thursday Hills, Saturday Group Ride) will continue to go, with Tuesdays and Wednesday transitioning into Cross. Keep an eye out for the smoke, and remember to make your own decisions on when to ride or not.

Club Updates:

1. There will be one last midweek criterium on Tuesday, August 28. Starting at 6:30 this time around, due to the early setting sun. More details and poster when we get them.

2. Midweek Cross Races start up immediately after. Midweek cross is a great way to get your toes wet in the wonderful world of cross racing - casual, short, fun, and a great way to meet people from Edmonton’s cycling scene, as everyone from all the disciplines comes together for cross! https://www.facebook.com/events/674829162874735/?event_time_id=674829166208068

Ride Updates:

1. Tuesday will be a cross-based fitness ride instead of road based intervals. We will be piggybacking onto YEGCROSS’s ride for this. YEG CROSS is a inter-club group aimed at increasing cross fitness. Check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1635190320143436/ they usually meet at 6:00 at Kinsmen, however this is not a group for those new to cross. We will be working on initiatives for those new to cross in the near future.

2. Wednesday will meet as usual in Hawrelak at 6. Rolls at 6:10.

ERTC Weekly Update - Week of August 13

Hooboy it’s been a couple of busy weeks - no updates last week cause it was holiday Monday and you totally didn’t miss much anyway! Anywho, let’s get into it!

• On Saturday, a major incident involving a vehicle and a group of cyclists occured. It didn’t involve our club but affected the cycling community at large. Here are some links:
• https://edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/cyclists-not-at-fault-in-sherwood-park-freeway-collision-rcmp-say-driver-under-investigation
• http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/cyclist-injured-in-highway-collision-speaks-out-1.4783803
• http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/cyclist-collision-sherwood-park-1.4782149

Tiffany, our women’s program coordinator puts how we feel about this incident into words much better than I can: “In the after-math of yesterday's incident, as we are Edmonton's largest road cycling club, we have the ability to be a loud voice. And because of this we ask that everyone please be hyper-aware of the impact your able to make on social media, and in your communities. Please consider perception, be the bigger person/cyclist, and let's work together to ensure there is a positive outcome in all of this rather than simply adding fuel to the very cruel social media fire blazing right now.

Also, We'll ensure that something is organized to support Cycle-Logic, and soon. As the financial impact will take longer to work out for each rider, we'll likely look to organize an awareness ride BUT we need to ensure that it creates a positive impact, rather than a negative one, which requires some strategy. We need to work with other clubs as they will want to do the same thing. The last thing we want is each club doing something different, which could mean motorists see large groups of cyclists out 'clogging up the streets' in different awareness rides. While this wouldn't be our intent, we have to be very careful with perception right now. We will also reach out to those most seriously impacted and see if we can support in the way of prepared meals, etc.

Thank you for your support of our cycling community - we are proud of our members and to be a part of such a supportive cycling community!"

• Cross Camp is Coming! August 18th - A great way to get into cross with skills and tactics, Many of Alberta's finest Cyclocrossers are graduates of this program. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1874844426141324/

Ride Updates:

1. Intervals is at the Research Park - As the season continues, these rides will eventually become cross practice.

2. Wednesday Ride - will meet a Terwilligar Recreation Center for a ride headed west. Map here: https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Terwillegar+Community+Recreation+Centre/@53.4596894,-113.5864035,108m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x53a01fc648be242d:0x3d7a2054ce55493b!8m2!3d53.458531!4d-113.5825294

3. Sunday will have the first cross race of the year, as part of cross camp - come out even if you didn’t attend cross camp for a fun, no pressure race! See cross camp link above.

ERTC Weekly Update - Week of July 30

Aloha and welcome to sunny, hot and humid, tropical… Edmonton? The Tour de l’Alberta saw over 20 ERTC members participate, many of us pushing new speed or distance records! It was a long and hot day, but thanks to excellent organization by Michael MacFynn and Revolution Cycle, it looks like everyone made it out in one piece!

Club Updates:

1. Cross Camp is Coming! August 18th - A great way to get into cross with skills and tactics, Many of Alberta's finest Cyclocrossers are graduates of this program. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1874844426141324/

Ride Updates:

1. Intervals is at the research park - appetite for the 4x5km classic intervals is… lackluster. Let me know if you are interested and we can set it up once a month or something.  

2. Wednesday ride meets at Hawrelak, rolls at 6:10. This is a no drop ride, so keep an eye out for people who may have been dropped without saying anything, as they are usually too out of breath to say it! Pass the message up to the person at the front so they know to slow down. If you’re peeling off to go home - say something! We don’t want to think we lost you along the way!

3. All other rides are a go! Keep your eyes peeled for possibly a ride on long weekend Monday!

ERTC Weekly Update - Week of July 23

Don't stop get it, get it! It’s your weekly update blog post thing with all sorts of useful information!

Club Updates:

1. I am super excited to announce BLINDMAN BREWING as an official sponsor of ERTC! We are still working with them to formalize terms, however expect to see their logo around more often! Check them out here: http://www.blindmanbrewing.com/

2. We are hosting the Castrol Criterium tomorrow night, starting at 7. If you are reading this, you can come and try your hand at criterium racing! It is FREE FOR ALL club members. Please post on the Facebook page if you need a ride out - I won’t be riding out this time, but will be there to race!

3. We hope to see you at the Tour de l’Alberta this year. It’s always been a great event for ERTC to attend and we should be fielding 20-30 people!

4. Cross Camp is Coming! August 18th - A great way to get into cross with skills and tactics, Many of Alberta's finest Cyclocrossers are graduates of this program. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1874844426141324/

Ride Updates:

1. Tuesday’s ride is cancelled in lieu of the Castrol Crit.

2. Wednesday's ride leaves from Millbourne Mall, West parking lot at 6:10 for a SW City loop. https://www.google.ca/maps/@53.4719538,-113.452054,153m/data=!3m1!1e3

3. Sunday’s ride is cancelled in lieu of the Tour de l’Alberta.

ERTC Weekly Update - Week of April 30

1 week in and I’m already procrastinating doing these! Quick recap of the week: Thursday had most likely the largest group I’ve ever seen on a Thursday! For now we will keep it coherent in one group and later on when we have the routes a little more solidified we will split it with 2 different routes so we all end up at Rosso at the same time! Saturday also had a good group out with an equal amount of people opting for the long vs. short options.

Club Updates:

1. The first bicycle skills session is this Wednesday at 6pm, please make an effort to come even if you are a returning member - we would like the more experienced members to help out and it’s a great way to meet our new members! More information here: http://www.ertc.org/learntoride/

2. The second annual “Cinco-De-Biko-De-Mayo” is this Saturday! All you can eat Mexican food is included if you are a current member of ERTC, and $15 if you want to bring a significant other. $10 for a bottomless cup of beer from the keg! (Drink responsibly!) E-mail me at president@ertc.org if you have not received an invite via Facebook.

3. We are hosting an unofficial (No Points) time trial on May 6th. 30km of totally fun times. Register here: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=17865&lan=1&cartlevel=1  tech guide here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQoKxuhWCzhHFD4pznBNM5pn5rxsNAGeGOqZVx_uwyu7PKeJpaLcHKji5lRYuUMvXbEfTg3v78dNo-Y/pub  and we still need volunteers! Register here for volunteers: https://www.volunteersignup.org/F4AKJ

Ride Updates:

1. Intervals will be at the research park until June, and afterwards we will we swapping between the research park and Beaumont.

2. Thursday Hills will be the following route this week: 4x Zoo Hill, 3x Emily Murphy, 1x Victoria Hill, 4x Legislature, (The Rosso, buuuuut if you want to keep going) 1x Grierson, 3x Cameron, 1x Rowland Hill, 1x Scona Hill (Then Rosso.) The new route we trialled last week was a bit inefficient, requiring a lot of snaking about on multi-use trails.