First of all, I want to take this opportunity to introduce Jay Smith(She/Her) as our XC Ski Program Coordinator and Coach. Jay will be taking the reins in coordinating our XC skiing programming, with other members of the club including (but not limited to) Mike, Kurt, Aaron, Robin and others supporting her as pace leaders for group skis, or as assistant coaches. If you want to contribute please let Jay or I know. Jay will also be leading and hosting both Skate and Classic Technique Lessons for us. These lessons will assume some familiarity on skis (more than a season). Lessons will have a small fee associated with them, however group skis are totally free!
Some more about Jay:
Jay is an experienced nordic ski coach and instructor, with NCCP and CANSI training. As an instructor, she believes in teaching good technique through intuitive body awareness. Her favourite technique is skate, her favourite terrain is hilly, and she loves technical descents.
Second - Trek Night is CONFIRMED for January 30th, from 6m-8pm. If you’re new here, or need a reminder, Trek Night is hosted by Hardcore Bikes (10008 Whyte Ave NW) and on that night we are treated to ERTC-only discounts on Trek and Bontrager such as shoes, helmets, tires, carbon wheels, lights and radar. There will be snacks and alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages, so it’s a great excuse to hang out with clubmates in the dead of winter. Expect discounts to be in-line with what we had next year. Please RSVP here so we have numbers: https://forms.gle/SM6EHzpbRhRBUe8Q9
Photo: Some Fresh Grooming on a Night Ski PC: Greg
Club Updates:
Thanks to Adrian Richards for putting together a strength program for us! There are 3 commitment levels and you can review them here: https://www.ertc.org/winter-strength-training - Adrian is currently on holiday and will be back at the end of January.
The new Jakroo webstore is in progress - we will be throwing the links up once that is all ready!
Velodrome Updates:
Activity Messenger Linkie: https://activitymessenger.com/org/4494/
Please continue to RSVP on both Activity Messenger and strava, however only RSVP on Activity Messenger if you are certain you are able to attend, and if you must bow out, to let somebody know ahead of time, as slots are limited to ensure a good experience for everyone and to ensure we are not in violation of safety regulations. We recommend only RSVPing for sessions 1 week in advance, as it has happened where people RSVP for multiple sessions in advance and have forgotten / no showed.
Additional time and certification session discussions with the AVA are underway, as many other clubs are requesting additional time at the velodrome as well. We will have updates for you when we have figured something out.
Ride Updates:
Watch Slack and Strava for pick-up rides, check out the Rolling Fatties channel: #rollin-fatties-winter-biking https://edmontonroada-7u36621.slack.com/archives/C063ZMK1YRE for discussion on trails and rides.
Racing/Event/ABA Updates:
You can now register for your 2026 UCI Race License (This is especially important if you are attending any events early season) as part of the club registration process. Details up top!
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)
Starting January 19, 2026 the Reply in Thread Policy will apply in ALL channels. You will be reminded to reply in thread if you dont.
Our weekly zwift ride is now up and running! Check out strava for instructions on how to join.
Our off-season channels on slack are (click the link on the device you access slack with):
#zwift-and-winter-training https://edmontonroada-7u36621.slack.com/archives/C0210LNB59Q
#velodrome-and-track-discussions https://edmontonroada-7u36621.slack.com/archives/C027D7U7N68
#rollin-fatties-winter-biking https://edmontonroada-7u36621.slack.com/archives/C063ZMK1YRE
#cross-country-skiing https://edmontonroada-7u36621.slack.com/archives/C02JU12FW3Y
Have a cool photo from the last week you want featured? Send it to me via email (I need the resolution) and I’ll make it the header photo! Cool way to show off what you’ve been up to!