Sept 27 Midweek Mayhem

Kids having fun.

Sweet Ride

Thanks Tom for organizing such a great day!
Although I wish otherwise, I think it maybe the last big group ride of the year...
Cheers everyone
R

Social Ride - All riders THIS Sat. the 24th !!

The 100 kilometer-er - Year end Social Ride - Saturday, Sept 24th
Ok, it’s a little more than 100km but it sounds better in round numbers. The 111-er doesn’t roll off the tongue as easy.

Total group ride. Like Highwood pass a month or so ago, everyone and their dog is welcome. This is a non STC sanctioned ride so bring anyone and everyone you want.

Go as hard or as slow as you see fit. Hammer the hills, or ride with your slower buddies. And by slower buddies, I mean me.

As Jimmy Buffet would say (if he was a cyclist) “The weather is here, my bike is so beautiful , the skies are so clear let’s go riding today”… ok whatever. The forecast is for 21 degrees and sunny.

This ride is awesome, beautiful scenery and lots of hills to cause some suffering - if you so choose. There are two crossings that you need to be cautious about on Highway 22.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/51194176/?open_ive_done=1

If you are not so keen to do the entire distance there are lots of shorter routes. See here

The 70 kilometer - er
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/51194652/?open_ive_done=1

the 85 Kilometer- er
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/51194802/?open_ive_done=1

Or simply do an out and back and turnaround whenever you want.

You can ride out to the start to add in another 70 km or so for giggles

Meet Time: Saturday - Sept 24 9:30
Roll out time: 10:00 am
Location: Bragg Creek Coffee Shop (I owe them for a sausage roll.. they don’t take visa)

TNDR - Sept 22

Here is the route for Thursday: Please See the post on TNDR or Facebook site for guidelines...

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/51237848/?open_ive_done=1

It is different format from last week in terms of a race but a “winner” could be the person with the most “sprint” points at the end.

(quick version is head down to the river, up and down some hills, loop the university then head for refreshments)

Start at Moose McGuires/Redwater parking lot across from the Hospital. Off 16th Ave, 29th St NW.

Warm-up by heading south thought the Hospital, down 29th Street, across Memorial to the bike path along Edworthy park. This part should be straight forward and give people time to warm up. At the bike/pedestrian overpass cross back into Westmont and make way over to 19th St. (wide open new pavement/bike lane).

At 8th Ave (or 6th) take a right down to the end and begin a series of 3 Hill Sprints. Very straight forward and should be fun as the roads are fairly wide. (Sprints points for the first two or three over the top on each.) After the last one head up 19th Street west eventually coming to Crowchild. This is a natural re-grouping spot as we have to wait to cross Crowchild.

Once back on the other side of Crowchild its across 7th Ave, up 29th and back over to West Campus Way. Here is a good place to have a sprint to the children’s Hospital (Mega Points).

After a quick re-group it is two laps of the University as outlined. Only caution is between the Engineering parking lot and the connection with Campus Drive we have to ride from the road on to the sidewalk. This means Slowing down/neutral though this area! (Besafe or be buying a new rim) Then once back on 24th Ave it’s a drag race sprint on the second lap to the closed road called Collegiate Rd. (Ultra Mega Points)

Then I figured riding back the way we came thought the Hospital or depending, another lap of the Uni. It is approximately 29km long but with 5 good sprint points I think it should be fairly fun and give alternatives to riders who don’t want to sprint. Person with the most points wins free beer and bragging rights. (Panache and flair will garner more points then anything else.)

If I get time I'll flag the sprint lines.

Cheers - see you there.

"The rules are:
1) Obey the rules of the road (stop at lights, signs, etc).
2) You need a headlight and rear flasher. Keep the flasher on steady as it will be a distraction in a group ride setting if it is flashing.
3) Be smart and don't take stupid risk. DO NOT PASS ON PATHS.
4) it is OK to be competitive and there are great sections along this route to hammer, sprint, etc. See above.
5) This is totally unofficial and unsanctioned. Come at your own risk.
6) Encourage others to attend.
7) All bikes (fixed, single speed, road, cross) welcome."

Midweek CX Series

What a race! Ok, so it's probably like every other Tuesday night cross race, but this past Tuesday was my first; and it was FUN!

It was a huge hammer fest - all out - for 5 laps. It is important to be at the front of these races, so I positioned myself about 10th at the start of the B race. It was really good that I did because 20 seconds later the pack encountered the first hill. It was tough going, and there was a corner on the hill where many people had to hop off because the person in front of them had slowed. After this hill the race was strung like spaghetti and everyone was hammering as hard as they could to regain position!

Lots of hills, straight sprints, and corners. At one point early in the race Derek passed me and I did my best to stay at the front. All I remember is trying to keep my mouth open so air would get forced into my lungs. This was totally the hardest race I've been in - and also the best!

I believe that Derek ended up 4th and I was 8th. Darcy was racing as well, but I pretty much collapsed after I crossed the line and didn't see his finish. Clarke and Kyle were racing the A race and had to suffer quite a bit harder from what I gather!

My brother, Phil, came out and took some pictures. Check out the rest of the album!

Fun poll for a pair of STC shoe covers... play fair!!

OK guys, I came across the complete prize money list for the 2011 TdF. Of course I went over the numbers and thought it would be fun to have a fun poll.

NO LOOKING ON THE NET, and if you have seen this list, you can't play!

Here is the question:

How much did Thomas Voeckler make in total prize money (in Euros) for the 2011 TdF?

Tiebreaker: How much did Cadel Evans make in total prize money (in Euros)?

No 'Price is Right' rules are in effect.

Answer like this:

1.) Thomas: 50 Euros

2.) Cadel: 150 Euros

Winner gets a brand new pair of sweet STC Shoe Covers !!

Any club member can play!, Leave your answer in a comment. Do not look at other's answers before leaving yours!

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For our members with an interest in youngsters being athletic for life.

Most of our club members have young kids, plan to have them, or look forward to when their children have them. I just saw this opportunity to listen to Dr. Norris. Sorry for the short notice. I went to a talk by Stephen about 4 months after I moved to Calgary, so about 10 years ago and really took a lot away from it. I still remember a lot of the key points from this talk. He is a very experienced coach and a resource for all parents wondering what their kids should be doing (athletically speaking) at different ages. STC will cover the entry into this as I think it would be an important talk for most parents like us. Make a comment if you can come and I will have you registered. Please, if you plan to come, please give me advanced notice (in the comments or email) so I can have you registered.

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On September 14, 2011 in the Glencoe Club Ballroom, nationally renowned high performance and excellence in sport consultant, Dr. Stephen Norris will be delivering a “not-to-be missed” presentation highlighting the latest information on physical and athletic development for our children. Dr. Norris will capture his audience with his passion and enthusiasm while delivering a life changing message vital to being active for life.

LONG TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT MODEL
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 7-9 PM IN THE BALLROOM
GUEST SPEAKER: Dr. Steve Norris
COST: Non-Members $5 each
Parents and Athletes invited

Come and learn about the new Canadian Long Term Athlete Development.
This is a seven stage model based on the physical, mental, emotional and cognitive development of children and adolescents. Each stage reflects a different point of athlete development. The LTAD model positively affects the quality of training and competition by taking into consideration factors such as developmental age and critical periods of optimal trainability.

What a story !!

Last spring I started up a 'beginner/getting back into it' spin class on Tuesday evenings. I really enjoyed it as it was another opportunity to instruct cyclists with a vast array of histories and goals. While going around the class and introducing everyone to everyone, one of the new spinners said 'Yah, I used to ride here... penticton several times a year', I said 'oh cool, I know Penticton very well, our team just got back from a training camp there, where abouts did you ride mostly?'. He said.. 'No, no... I used to ride from here TO Penticton several times a year' WOW !

It was great watching him get back into the swing of things. He started the class with a steel 6-speed Miele that was rusted to his trainer where it had been attached for 14years and finished with a new Trek ready to crush the roadside !!

He was taking the classes as his son and son-in-law had heard all the cool stories of the Calgary-to-the-Okanagan bike trips and wanted to experience them with him. Cool family! Anyway, he currently owned a place in Vernon, so they planned a Calgary-to-Vernon tour and joined my classes to prep!

Last week was 'Le Tour de Vernon' and I was privileged enough to be invited to take part on the first leg from Calgary to Banff. I meant the entire family and really enjoyed myself (despite the torrential downpour about 75% of the way ?!?!) The energy from such a tight family was so positive I was excited to be part of it.

I got the day by day account of the adventure on email on Tues and I wanted to share their 'Day4', it was pretty eventful!! You'll get goose bumps reading it, I guarantee !!

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"Day 4 started out cold at Plus 2 at the top of the pass but warmed up to the middle teens by noon. We stopped in Revelstoke for lunch and a recharge. Ryan was on fire and still feeling stoked from conquering the pass the day before. When we left Revelstoke, the wind had picked up and we had to stay together and pace lined until we reached Three Valley Gap where Ryan got a flat tire. I had the tube out and was just inspecting the rim when a rock started falling down the mountain. It was knocking trees down that were in it’s path. We just stood there for a few moments until a rock about four feet wide hit the road and exploded. There were rocks flying everywhere and we started to run. Chuck had made it to the water and I was about four to five feet from him when a rock the size of a basketball hit the water right between us. At that point I thought that this was going to be my last stand. I looked up at the mountain and thought that the whole rock face may come down. It was just hailing rocks by this time and I remember hearing two cars getting hit and wondering if it had gone through the wind shield or where it had hit them. It finally stopped with all three of us alive and no injuries other than some skinned knees and arms from running through the trees. The road was impassable with rocks and trees everywhere. We walked back to the bikes to see if they had survived the incident. Trev, there were rocks all around the three bikes, but not a mark on any of them. I guess it just wasn’t our time, although I would say it was one of the scariest moments in my life. The end of day 4 brought us into Sicamous all together and in one piece."

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Holy cow !!

Cool steep hill in Fish Creek Park.

Mark, Tom and I found this crazy steep hill in Fish Creek Park last night while I was testing out my new camera that is linked to a GPS. My Garmin read 26percent grade, but Tom's only read 17, so I guess it is officially only 17.

Can you imagine some of those stages in the Giro and Vuelta that are over 20% for a kilometer or more ?!?! Crazy.

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Lower Springbank Road

Note:

They have started construction on Lower Springbank. It will be awesome when it's done ( I assume it will be wider and safer for us). But in the mean time, there are big trucks, graders, gravel and large, husky ladies stopping traffic.

Although passable, I recommend an alternative route.

Cross seizoen is hier!

I really suck at cyclocross, but it's always a good time (well, except for that one time last year when I cratered head-first into the ground at the Brian Kullman 'cross. That wasn't a whole lot of fun...). Here's a shot of me and Derek at last night's race, and Derek was having a "great" time in his first ever 'cross race.

If you missed signing up for the Midweek Mayhem 'cross series, you're out of luck for this year, except for the drop in dates late in the season. But, there's still lots of ABA 'cross action to come.

(Photo: Don Noot)

Spray Lakes Loop Ride .... logged it.

Well, that was a tough ride. Tomonator, Harley, Mike H, 'MC' Godfrey and I met at the Canmore Info Center at 9:30am in about 2 degrees. We had a tailwind as we rode the old Provincial ITT route along the 1A in the dawn. We headed toward Highway 1 after the Exshaw plant and only had to be on there for about 2km. We then turned directly into a killer headwind on Highway40 for the next roughly 45km to the gates of Highwood Pass.

We hung a right into the Kananaskis Lakes area, but instead of heading to Pocaterra, we hung another right about 3km later toward Spray Lakes and Canmore! Into a pretty brutal headwind, we entered the gravel portion of the ride. We were at 93km already and had 61km of gravel to go !! Holy cow.

156km later we were sitting at the Drake Inn enjoying a burger and a couple beers and talking about a massive ride that brought into some amazing terrain and beautiful scenery!

Here is the Garmin GPS log of the ride.

TNDR is here...

There is a new bike ride/race coming to town. It is the Thursday Night Dark Ride or TNDR. It will be going every Thursday night at 9:00 PM until the weather craps out. This is an urban night ride that will incorporate streets, paths, parking lots and more. Distances will range from 30 - 40 KM and will end at some type of pub or casual restaurant for a pint.
... so put the kids to bed, finish studying/working and come on out for some late night racing fun.

The rules are:

1) Obey the rules of the road (stop at lights, signs, etc).

2) You need a headlight and rear flasher. Keep the flasher on steady as it will be a distraction in a group ride setting if it is flashing.

3) Be smart and don't take stupid risk. DO NOT PASS ON PATHS.

4) it is OK to be competitive and there are great sections along this route to hammer, sprint, etc. See above.

5) This is totally unofficial and unsanctioned. Come at your own risk.

6) Encourage others to attend.

7) All bikes (fixed, single speed, road, cross) welcome.

Facebook Group

Route Map


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CONGRATULATIONS to FRANK WOOLSTENCROFT !

Frank went sub 33min (chip time) for a certified distance 10km road race today !!

Congrats Frank, that is mind boggling to me and absolutely braggable. The club will have a shirt made up for you !!

Results here!!

WOW!

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