Ride updates and Social Event Updates!
I know how excited you all are to read this week’s super-duper awesome update!!! The best week was a dicey one due to weather, but we did see 32 people come out for hills night, which might be the most we’ve ever had for a ride in April!
Hey y’all! It’s another edition of the weekly update! First off, welcome to all the new members that have joined in the last week, it’s the time of the season where we get the largest influx of new members! A few of us have spent the last week in Penticton but are back now, back to this… “lovely” weather.
Hooboy, lots of stuff this week, as the road season is in full swing now! Our skill session on Wednesday was a massive success, with over 20 people showing up, with the experienced riders helping the newer ones, it was a great start to the season! Hills night was also a hit, with about a dozen souls tackling the hills in Edmonton. Onward to the weekend, where the last info sessions were a hit, with Michael van Den Ham made a surprise appearance to give a talk about racing.
The spring series races on the Sunday were a true show of strength from ERTC, with over 20 members showing Alberta Racing what we are made of, with an full ERTC sweep of the women's podium with Sarah, Kelly, and Danielle in the first, second, and third spots, respectively. Great job to the ladies and everyone else who rode for us this race!
Couple of things you should know:
- ALL CLUB RIDES ARE NOW FULLY OPERATIONAL. Show up at the designated time and place and ride! Weather policy applies. Rides are only canceled if it is actively precipitating at the time of the ride, or Air Quality index is higher than 7. You will need to be a member to participate.
- April 11 - MEC Club Night - 6-9pm at the southside location, 1624 99 St NW. Show up, hang out with other club members. Get 10% off everything in store, including bikes.
- Skill Sessions on Wednesday - Please show up whether you are experienced or not, if you are experienced, help out someone who isn't.
- A lot of race team members are still in Penticton, so attendance will still be slightly lower than usual.
Until next week, Chapeau!
Hey dudes and dudettes, sorry for the late update, but at least not as late as spring is this year! Lots of fresh, hot updates for you this week. Remember to check the schedule for all official rides. They will all be going starting next week.
First: Our first skill sessions led by Tim Bulger is Wednesday, April 5th. Hawrelak Park at 6. https://www.facebook.com/events/267185987020322 is the event link, please come by whether you are new or experienced! If you are experienced, then please help a new member!
Second: Our final session for racing information is this Saturday, 2PM for the ladies(https://revolutioncycle.com/event/womens-learn-race-3/) , and 12PM (https://revolutioncycle.com/event/introduction-racing-ertc-seminar-2/ for everyone else at Revolution Cycle. Please do your best to attend if you are new the race scene or might possibly get involved next year. Because of this, there will be no official Saturday ride.
Third: Our Hill Night is now officially official! Please meet up at 6:00PM at Hawrelak Park, and wheels in motion by 6:15PM with a couple of laps of Hawrelak Park before hitting up the hills in the best hill ride in Edmonton!
Forth: the first spring series road race is THIS SUNDAY!!!! (April 8) This marks the beginning of the road season here in Alberta. Check this out for the event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1610619902288976 and even if you aren’t racing please sign up to volunteer or if you are racing, bring a helper! Volunteer Signup here: https://www.volunteersignup.org/K33EH
Fifth: a lot of members are headed out to Penticton for the annual training camp, so ride attendance will be lower than usual, however the rides will still be well-attended so do not be afraid to show up!
Sixth: ERTC will be receiving a 20% discount on all 4iiii Products, including power meters. E-mail me for more information!
Seventh: ERTC will be attending Mountain Equipment Co-op's Club night on April 11. stop by, 6-9PM for a 10% discount on EVERYTHING instore. Because the downtown location is being moved, this is at the new southside location. 1624 99 Street NW South Edmonton
Spring is (technically) here! Although riding season is almost here, so close I can almost taste it... Anyways, if this weather keeps up, there will be an official ride on Saturday, as the roads will be clear of snow and grit and most of the water will be gone. It will be a high of 11 of Saturday and this is definitely spring ride temperature, so please keep your eyes peeled for updates on Facebook!
Couple of reminders this week:
Please remember to register for the Try Racing program if you haven't yet, and make sure you qualify, as I will be cross-checking. Link and terms/conditions are here: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=15042&lan=1&cartlevel=1 there are only 6 spots left!!
Second Reminder is our Learn to Race seminar (open to everyone) is this Saturday at 12-2 at Revolution Cycle (Link here: https://revolutioncycle.com/event/introduction-racing-ertc/) and the Women's Only one is 2-4 (Link here: https://revolutioncycle.com/event/womens-learn-race-seminar-2/
Arrrrrggghhhhh… won’t this snow go away?! Last year we were already riding outside at this time (albeit in thermal gear) but at least the roads were clear! Regular scheduled rides will begin once the snow has cleared completely. Up until then, keep an eye on Facebook for pickup rides. Anyways, some updates!
Hey all! As these start to become more frequent, we will be moving back to the website for regular updates, so please remember to check it weekly! I'll be moving back to how I had it last year with a weekly update on the website and an e-mail blast to let you guys know starting March 1. As usual, our blog is right on http://www.ertc.org/ just scroll down, There will be direct links to updates in emails. Just a couple of things for now:
Brrrrrrrr there’s snow on the ground! As per weather policy this means that regular rides are now all OFFICIALLY canceled! Don’t fear though, this doesn’t mean we don’t ride, but rather it means keep your eyes peeled on Facebook for when there will be rides. Don’t be afraid to suggest them on the Facebook page. They will go when the roads or clear, it’s warm, or any combination. Some of these rides may require fenders, or something other than a road bike, and will definitely require big “to see lights” if happening in the evening. I will keep writing updates sporadically when there are important events or information you need to know about! (Which means you get to read these for another 2-3 weeks).
It’s great to see everyone out there still riding! It’s cold and chilly now but just gotta layer up! The bike scene is still running strong with cross as popular as ever, with every mid week cross race breaking previous attendance records! If you haven’t tried cross yet, you can race it on a cross bike or mountain bike, or a hybrid with knobby tires. If you don’t have one, I encourage you to borrow one as it’s easily one of best things to do in the fall!
Aight, let’s crush this out real quick! Lots to say this week. Weather was beautiful, picture perfect, albeit a little cold on Tuesday Thursday, but that didn’t stop some intrepid souls to continue riding! Huge ERTC presence at the cross race on Wednesday (I lost count) along with ERTC absolutely killing it this weekend in Cross! Big ups to (in no particular order) – Buzz Desmarais, Martin Tolton, Liann Cameron, Brandon Langille, Scott Klarenback, Alex Inglis, Carson Kerr, Jakob Claffey, Drew Malcolm, Graham Watts, and Greg Nicholson for flying our colours and making us proud! Sunday was also the Roger’s Harvest Ride which saw some ERTC roadies show up instead of tackling the cross race and was a solid push! Everyone wish Terra, our former clothing manager, a speedy recovery, as she took quite a spill and suffered multiple fractures in her cheek and eye area.
Aren’t the fall colours just great?! While fall means the season is ending soon, it’s definitely the prettiest season to ride in, that special smell, the colours, the cool wind…anyways. ERTC made a great showing at the MEC fondo with about 8 of us braving the sudden drop in forecasted temps, and the rain to ride 100-160km! The women's ride out in Elk Island was also a success, with 11 brave ladies slogging through the wind and the rain for what will be a ride to be remembered!
Aaaaaaaaaaand I’m back to typing these things, expect the usual long-windedness to get to any sort of point. I can’t comment on how the rides were for the last 3 weeks because I haven’t been riding them, and unfortunately it’ll probably be another 3-4 weeks before I do. But fear not, ERTC rides until the snow flies! Lots of stuff to go through this week so let’s get into it. Cross is in full swing so be sure to come out to our cross practice rides on Tuedays and Midweek Cross Races on Wednesdays! Message me if you want a discount code to register. Late season Cross Race Licenses are now available for $75 from the ABA.
So, Albert is still not able to type much with his broken collarbone. Your guest writer this week is clothing manager and web guy. Forgive me, I'm an IT guy, I rarely write anything but code! In the Albert tradition, I am writing this while drinking booze, albeit red wine and not beer.
Tour of Alberta - I'm sure many of us took in some or part (or all?) of the Tour Of Alberta. We are really lucky to have pro cycling come to our province. I saw ERTC'ers at every major point on the course representing in the team colours! Woot!
Velothon - I think we must have had 20-30+ ERTC riders participate. Everyone seemed to have a blast despite the cool conditions. I heard it got pretty spicy at the front with Scott Klarenbach, Mitchell Thomas and Brandon Langille top 3 across the line (I hope I got that right!). Post race beers were had in the Churchhill Square beer garden for some celebration and sharing of war stories.
Coming up (also check the schedule on the website):
Tuesday — Cross ride, meet at Wild Earth at 6!
Wednesday - Weekly cyclocross race at Argyle Park (check the FB for confirmation on location. Registration starts at 6. The pain begins at 7. Last week 120 showed up to race!
Saturday, September 10th, DV100 – The race/ride is definitely one of the biggest in Alberta with a bunch of racers showing up even though there are no points – it interferes with cross a little so it’s a tough choice, but definitely a great event! We have many racers confirmed for this already. http://dv100.ca
Saturday, September 17 - MEC Fondo. Ardrossan. 65K/105K/160K
http://events.mec.ca/event/116436/mec-edmonton-fall-century-ride
Sunday, September 25 - Rogers Harvest Ride. Ardrossan. 20K/60K/100K.
https://velocitycyclingclub.ca/events/rogers-harvest-ride/
Clothing Manager Note:
The weather is getting colder and the club has a limited selection of cold weather gear in stock. We have leg warmers (1S, 4M, 4XL), vest (1L, 1XL), bib tights (2S, 2M, 2L), and winter jackets (1S, 1M, 2L, 1XL). We also have various amounts of our summer gear as well.
Also, for next season, I have had a few people express interest in the aero road suits, which are skinsuits with pockets. They are slightly more money than bibs/jersey at $220, but are what all the pro guys are racing in these days. Ping me at clothing@ertc.org, so I can determine interest in putting in an order.
When we last heard from him in his weekly missive, our president was confessing to being slightly inebriated as while writing. We are denied the gift of his literary genius this week. Alas, someone WITHOUT a broken collar bone takes over, temporarily.
Incidentally, it was gravity, and not the aforementioned mild inebriation, that brought our president into forceful contact with the ground. Speed and gravity, friends. Speed and gravity. Respect them.
And if you haven’t already, wish Albert a speedy recovery. Maybe beg him to recover in time to write next week’s newsletter, hmmm?
Here’s a wrap-up and look ahead:
The Merckx — 2 up TT was as epic as its title suggests, with teams going flat-out on our TT course, battling not for points, but for the sheer fun of it. Thanks to Jakob Claffey for dreaming this scheme up and to our volunteers for keeping track of time. Albert says he’s buying you each a case of beer!
The team was represented brilliantly in the subsequent ABA TTT on the weekend. Albert says he owes each of the racers some beer. Several beers, in fact.
Looking ahead.
Tuesday intervals are cancelled—the ride is now a ‘cross ride, meet at Wild Earth at 6.
Hey, cyclocross season is here! The weekly cyclocross races get underway this Wednesday at Capilano Park. Registration starts at 6. The pain begins at 7.
The Cross series runs every Wednesday until Oct. 5, alternating between Capilano and Argyle Park.
“The ERTC schedule has been fully updated to reflect the multitude of races we have coming up for cross – please take a look if you haven’t already. Tuesdays will be switching from intervals to Cross rides soon.”
Albert wrote that, last week. It is still true today. Here’s more of what he said last week and would have said this week:
Monday September 5th, UCI/WTC Velothon: Billed as “Feel like a Pro” for a day, it’s a 60/100KM “Gran Fondo” through closed Edmonton streets, using the same course the Pros will go through. It’s the first event of its kind in North America, and is sure to get spicy. We have two teams: one in the 100 km event and one in the 60 km event. For those of you who feel you can go all-out for 60 km, give it a go! If you’ve got more in the tank, sign on for the 100! As a bonus afterwards, we can watch the pros do the very same course afterwards, and have a few brews doing it on a holiday Monday! http://tourofalberta.ca/velothonedmonton/
Sunday, September 10th, DV100 – The race/ride is definitely one of the biggest in Alberta with a bunch of racers showing up even though there are no points – it interferes with cross a little so it’s a tough choice, but definitely a great event! We have several racers confirmed for this already, and with a trip to Belize and $14000 on the line in prizing, it is sure to get real rowdy! http://dv100.ca/
Ride Changes:
Tuesday Intervals are cancelled now, replaced with a cross ride. Meet at 6 p.m. at Hawrelak. If you insist on intervals and want company, post something on the Facebook page. Misery loves company, right?
All other rides go as planned.
Another great week for ERTC, and just because the race season is over doesn’t mean our rides are over! We ride right up until the snow flies, and then switch our bikes and keep riding. Tuesday saw the women’s ride go off without a hitch, Wednesday was a great casual ride where we had some new faces, and a few beers, Thursday was another great hills night, where we are still welcoming more new members! Saturday’s 2-up TT was a stunning success as well, with over a dozen of us testing our bodies to the limit. We definitely hope to have more of these in the future over the course of the season so we can gauge how we are improving.
Quick and dirty update! Tuesday was canceled due to the races on the weekend but the rest rides went ahead, with Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday seeing great attendance and great weather! Cross season is almost here, so we will soon be switching Tuesday Intervals to a cross-based trail ride. Look at the schedule for more details, but I don’t think that this will be going ahead till the end of August.
Ok, a bit late this week due to the long weekend, and to top it all off, it’s gonna be really short! Tuesday saw about 10 people for laps at the research park despite the heavy duty weekend we all pulled! Thursday saw another huge group (about 15) tackle tons of hills despite the storm warnings (and we didn’t get rained on until after legislature!). This weekend was the final stage race of the season, the Bowness Stage Race, one of the hardest (if not the hardest) races of the calendar! Despite a strong ERTC showing (Erin, Robin, Graham, Matt, Liann, Brad, Brandon, Spencer, Tim, Scott, and myself) we all had so-so results. This is not a bad thing! Due to our extremely successful early season and the rash of upgrades that everyone got, we are now all perfectly settled into the categories that we are most competitive in, and know where to aim for next year! There are still several time trials left in the season, so the road season isn’t over just yet
Oh man, tons of things to talk about this week, where do I even begin?! Let’s just go in order. Our Tuesday ride was a beauty, with about half a dozen of us crushing out 4x5km intervals in beautiful weather. On Thursday we had around 2 dozen people, along with a special appearance by Joshua Krabbe, who showed up to remind us how fast he got in the mountains of Colorado! Saturday saw a surprisingly large group (over a dozen) despite the huge ride that we were to do on Sunday.
A fantastic week for ERTC! All of the rides were well attended, despite the threat of rain, we managed to not hit any on most of them! Lots of stuff went on this week; I will get into them in a bit. Are you all excited for the Tour d’la Alberta?! We are going to have quite the group there, nearly 25% of all our registered members! We will be doing some photos and maybe some video so it would be great if you came out in your ERTC kit, but it’s by no means necessary. Your presence will be enough!