Inclusive road cycling group offering a diverse riding option within ERTC.

“All the physical comes from the mental.” — Clara Hughes, Olympic medalist (cycling, speed skating)

Women of ERTC (WoERTC) is a distinct group with ERTC catering to all those identify as female*. If you’re interested in any of the following this group is for you:

  • Riding and/or training in an inclusive group with riders who have similar goals and face similar challenges

  • Gaining confidence in many areas: fitness, bike handling skills, bike maintenance knowledge, the ability to enjoy other regular club rides

  • Build confidence in your skills while riding in a welcoming environment

  • Challenging yourself with others to support and hold you accountable

  • Gaining the knowledge, skills, fitness, and confidence to try racing or improve your racing.

  • Having other group ride options in addition to the regular club rides

  • Meeting others who identify as women who love to ride

“Women’s Only” refers to all trans, genderqueer, and cisgender women. And if this definition doesn’t align with your identification, but you identify with the focus of this group, come join us! We value inclusivity over the requirement to be fully defined by this statement.

RIDE OPTIONS:

  • Weekday WoERTC Evening Ride: Mondays at 6pm

    • When: Starting late-April/Early May (weather dependant) until end of September. Ad hoc rides into October weather depending

    • Ride types: city circuit, hills, country ride, skills training (drafting, cornering, speed work)

    • Who: Open to all current ERTC members identifying as women*

    • Info: We utilize Slack for route info and Strava for ride RSVPs. See Communication below for more info.

  • Support at regular ERTC club rides. If you’d like to try a regular club ride but are uncertain about distance, pace, or anything else – we will pair you up with another WoERTC rider whose role will be to partner with you on that ride to guide you and help you feel comfortable. This rider will know the route and will be skilled at group riding so as to help you out in whatever way you need.

  • Larger women’s only* ride events open to women outside of ERTC throughout the season. These rides have been a hit with female cyclists around the city. Distance and destination will vary – but rides will likely be between 75-100 km and at a pace inclusive of most riders. Previous rides include the Crepe and Shakes Ride, Rapha Women’s Ride (aka the Cinnamon Bun Ride), Elk Island Rides, and Women’s Fat Bike rides.

RIDER REQUIREMENTS

In order to ride with the WoERTC you must:

  • Be a regular or secondary ERTC member.

    • Secondary Memberships:

      • To qualify as a secondary member, your primary club must be registered with the Alberta Bike Association. Memberships with groups like the Alberta Tri Association are not covered by the same insuring body and therefore do not quality.

      • To race with us, secondary memberships will only be allowed if your primary club is not a road riding club in nature.

    • Not sure you want to join? We have a one-ride policy, which means you can ride with us for one ride before making your decision, as mandated by the Alberta Bicycle Association. If you want to ride with us for this one ride, please sign the Waiver here.

    • Membership is not required for larger inter-club women only rides that we organize.

  • Have a road bike, helmet, and appropriate clothing

    • For safety reasons, mountain and time trial bikes are not allowed on group rides.

    • Cyclocross bikes and touring type bikes are acceptable but can provide some challenges. If this is the only bike option you have, email women@ertc.org and we can chat about your bike option and experience level, and determine together if it might be a fit.

    • Pedal-assist e-bikes bikes are acceptable in some cases. The WoERTC guidelines for pedal-assist bikes aligns with the ERTC guidelines.

  • Have a passion for cycling – not matter what your level!

  • Have a desire to share that passion with other cyclists!

COMMUNICATION

  • All ride route are confirmed weekly in the WoERTC Slack Channel.

    • Once you are an ERTC member, Join Slack here and direct message Heather Curtis to be added to the private WoERTC channel.

  • All ride RSVPs are coordinated through Strava. For information on how this works see our Schedule for more info.

    • Ensure you RSVP for each ride you’re attending. If you’re not listed, we won’t know to wait for you!

THE RIGHT FIT

Although we cater to many levels of riders, our group might not be a good fit for you if:

  • You don’t have a road/cross bike in good working condition

  • You are brand new to cycling or group riding and haven’t taken a learn to ride course.

    • You should be (mostly) comfortable riding for 2 hours (with breaks). Early season rides are typically 35-40km, and mid-later season rides can be around 55km (and closer to 2.5 hours in the long summer evenings).

    • ERTC provides a 4 week Learn to Ride series of courses in May – free to all members.

    • If you aren’t able to attend the Learn to Ride sessions and you’re new to group riding but a confident cyclist, email women@ertc.org and we’ll arrange for you to try a ride to see if you’re comfortable with the group and average pace.

QUESTIONS? Email women@ertc.org