Heads Up: Pentiction training week May 13-May19

This year’s bike training week in Penticton is running from Sunday, May 13 (Day 1), to Saturday, May 19 (Day 7). For those of you who have never heard of, or participated, in this bike training week, here’s a brief over view:

• Seven days of cycling in the Penticton area.


• The rides range from 60km to 230km and you can make them as easy or as hard as you want.


• There are two ride options every day - one long and one short. The long rides range from 80-230ish km while the short rides range from 60-160ish km.


• If you are uncomfortable riding alone, make sure you ride with a buddy. If you are tentative about coming because you don’t want to be caught by yourself for 30-40km (expect this to happen throughout the week regardless of skill level), invite a friend you regularly ride with to join you for the week.


• There are NO coaches, support vehicles, chefs or massage therapists (or any therapists for that matter).


• If you come, know how to at least change a tire on your own and bring the necessary tools and supplies to do so.


• On Saturday, May 12, at 2 p.m., the Bare Bones Duathlon is being put on by the Penticton Triathlon Club. For those cyclists who own a pair of running shoes and get off on pain (don’t all cyclists?) it would be a good way to kick off the week of training.

Next steps for you: If you are coming, book the time off work and then book a place to stay. Rental houses/apts/condos work the best and a lot of times are cheaper because you can jam in a bunch of people and it usually comes with a full kitchen and laundry. Over the next few weeks/months I’ll get into details about what to look forward to during the week, the seven days of riding and post a summary document that gives a check-list of sorts.

Fine print: To ride with us during the week, you have to be a Speed Theory member, an Alberta Bicycling Association member OR purchase insurance for the week, which is nominal and we’ll set up a link to purchase it in the next few months prior to May 13. No insurance, no riding with the group. Your bike must be in working order, safe to ride and you must ride with the safety of the group in mind. These rides range from 60km to 230km so we can be on the road for a long time with only access to the tools we carry and sometimes with no phone coverage. We’ll support each other each day, but understand a certain level of independence is important.

I’m hosting an information session about the Penticton week at the Speed Theory store on March 26th, after one of Trev’s spin classes at 8:15pm. If you have questions, post them in the comments section and I’ll answer them there for everyone to see. If you need to get a hold of me directly, e-mail me at ryanandkylaatgmaildotcom..