How is it already mid-August?!

A couple of safety reminders (don’t worry this is just a reminder!)

  • When crossing highways, stop signs, or other crossings where you do not have right of way, make sure that you cross when YOU feel comfortable crossing, and the gap is big enough for YOU to cross. The group will always wait or slow down on the other side for everyone to cross safely and you should never feel pressured to make it. Never trust someone else’s “clear”.

  • If you feel like you need a refresher on group riding and its associated etiquette, please don’t be afraid to join us on the Lite Rides, regardless of your fitness level. These rides have an increased level of coaching and more explicit expectations. While we try to ensure that all of our rides foster a learning environment, we understand that it may be harder to pick up the finer points of being a predictable, safe rider while you’re riding at your limit. We ask that if you are not a regular Lite rider, to respect the intended pace and learning environment if you do show up.

Picture: Courtney representing ERTC with a 2nd Place at the ITT Provincial Championships! PC: ??

Club Updates: 

  • With the new Indoor Velodrome opening up soon, keep your eyes on this space, as we will be launching a transitional program to help everyone interested get onto the track and be as familiar as possible. Want to get ahead of the curve? Friday Track Nights are your ticket.  As a reminder, ERTC enjoys usage of the track, and rental bikes are included in our membership. 

  • August 23 - Social BBQ  - Location will be messaged out at a future date, and hosted by Michael. This one is an evening affair and rides will not be routed towards the location. Shoot me a message with any dietary restrictions / preferences (Yes, this means that if you can eat meat, but like to eat veggie, we NEED to know so that we get enough to feed the people who don’t/can’t.)

  • Have friends interested in the club? We now offer reduced membership rates for the remainder of the year, so get them on board! This membership rate continues to enjoy all benefits of membership, until December 31.

Ride Updates:

  • Tuesday intervals have now transitioned into cyclocross intervals for the remainder of the year. All other road rides will continue until the snow falls (or people stop showing up cause it’s too cold) Don’t know what all the fuss is about? Don’t worry, we will be doing a CX skills clinic soon enough!

  • August 20 and 27 - CX Skills Sessions  - Hosted by Robin and Jay, all you need is an interest in cyclocross, a bike, and shoes you can run in (and pedals that match). While most of the skills will be better done with a bike with wider tires (IE a CX or Gravel Bike), coming to check it out would be a great first step to seeing if you were into it! 

Racing Updates:

  • Road Season Over :(

  • Last Skinny Tire Event of the Year August 23+24 Last Skinny Tire Event of the Year - Provincial Track Championships

  • CROSS IS COMING!! 

General Reminders:

  • Official Rides are posted on strava. If you haven’t requested to join, please do so here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/2845 if you’ve applied and haven’t heard back, e-mail me, but first, make sure your strava name matches your registration name.

  • Day to day communication and general chatter is via slack. You can join here: https://join.slack.com/t/edmontonroada-7u36621/shared_invite/zt-1t5qvezds-JotWB~e_EJcXrD9NArQarA - this is where you can get real time updates about unofficial rides, talk bikes with club members, and sell your stuff to other club members! If you identify as female and would like to be included in the WoERTC communications and event announcements, please message Heather Curtis on Slack to be added to the private WoERTC channel. Please remember to use the “reply in thread” feature when using slack (especially in the general channel, think about all the group chats you are in, general is like a 400 person group chat) 

  • Remember to review your insurance needs for the season if you registered before March 31st (if you registered after, it will have been an option on your registration. No action means that you will be covered for group rides only. You can learn more here: https://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/insurance-info

  • Have a cool photo from the last week you want featured? Send it to me and I’ll make it the header photo! Cool way to show off what you’ve been up to!