Saturday Team Ride 10am - Priddis Departure

Hi Team,
This week the SpeedTheory team ride will leave from beautiful Priddis at 10am on April 30. We'll head over to Bragg Creek via Plumbers Road, 762, 22 and 66. We can stop for coffee before we carry on to the pass on Highway 66 or stop for coffee on the way back. We'll return via 22. Total distance will be about 115kms. The weather looks alright. We'll be riding as a group but with the season approaching it's a nice opportunity to get training in with teammates and hone your skills. We'll collect at obvious points along the route. See you Saturday.

Tomorrow's Race Skills Night Postponed

The Weather looks terrible for tomorrow so let's aim for next Monday May 2nd for Race skills night in Elbow Valley.  Text me and I'll send you the address if you are planning on attending.
Marie 403-837-0921

The Ghost of the Gravel.

Here is the DeadGoat's clickable poster and route for their awesome event.

Here is the link to the course on Strava.

Parts & Pints Swap Meet - Wild Rose Brewery, Saturday, April 23

Parts & Pints Swap Meet & Social is a go this Saturday at Wildrose Brewery. 11 Tables of soon to be new to you bike gear. Doors open at 4pm, admission is $2 at the door.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1233534593327731/

Update-AGAIN-De Ronde Van Cowtown 2016

Just in. Ride is a go! See you there.

Due to the weather forecast this event maybe postponed for a week. A decision is expected at 8pm April 23. Stay tuned to the facebook page for information.

Hey everyone! This Sunday April 24 10am Eau Claire is the De Ronde Van Cowtown 2016 hosted by
Beers Instead of Gears (B.I.G.) YYC chapter.
It's a fantastic social ride (approx 75kms) right in Calgary and includes plenty of hill climbing.
You are never too far from home and under no obligation to complete the entire ride.
Come out and do as much as you desire.
There is a pub finish though...just saying!
Here's a link to the Facebook page for more information
https://www.facebook.com/events/1726034350973973/

2016 Penticton Training Camp Schedule

Date	Start time*	Route	Shorter option	Dinner**
Sunday, 15 May	09:30	A short day at 103 km to get warmed up.  Quick stop in Oliver for water and food.  Then continue up to area 51 and home through OK Falls. http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/552237596	You could turn back at any point before Oliver.	Salty’s Beachhouse http://www.saltysbeachhouse.com 1000 Lakeshore Drive W
Monday, 16 May	09:00	A little harder and shorter at ~99 km.  We start with "The Wall" then up White Lake Rd with a stop at the highway 3A junction for food and water.  We then ride up Green Mountain Rd and down to Penticton. http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/552248334	At the end of White Lake Road you could take highway 3A and 97 back to Penticton.	Pasta Factory http://thepastafactory.ca/ 236 Martin Street
Tuesday, 17 May	08:00	First long day at ~189 km. We will stop in Oliver for food and water then continue to Osoyoos where we climb Anarchist. The climb will end at the Sasquatch.  Descend back to Osoyoos where we stop for lunch at the Timmies. After lunch we will ride back to Penticton the same way we rode out. http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/552249592	You could turn back to Penticton at any time, or just skip Anarchist and wait for the group at Timmies (and have a few donuts).	Bad Tattoo Brewing http://www.badtattoobrewing.com/ 169 Estabrook Ave
Wednesday, 18 May	09:30	Rest/optional day at ~74 km.  We will ride to Summerland then continue on to Camp Boyle.  We will return to Summerland and stop for coffee and food. Keeners can climb Giant’s Head Park Rd in Summerland before the coffee stop. Return to Penticton on a few backroads and along the highway. http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/404553808	Skip the Giant’s Head climb and/or skip the segment to Camp Boyle and wait for the group in Summerland, or ride back to Penticton solo.	Earls 1848 Main St #101
Thursday, 19 May	08:00	Big day at ~195 km with lots of climbing and gravel. We ride to Oliver and stop for water and food. We go up and over Mt Baldy past where the road turns to gravel. Then we’ll climb Anarchist from the back side, descending into Osoyoos for lunch at Timmies again. After lunch we will return to Penticton via OK Falls. http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/553376736	Climb Mt Baldy to the gravel only. Descend back to Oliver and return to Penticton, or continue to Osoyoos and meet the longer route group at Timmies for lunch before returning to Penticton. http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/398334632	Spiros Cubby Hole http://spiroscubbyhole.ca/ 130 Westminster Ave W
Friday, 20 May	08:00	Another big day at 180 km. We ride out to Oliver for our 1st pit stop, 2nd pit stop in Osoyoos.  We leave Osoyoos ascending Ritcher Pass followed by the never-ending road to Keremeos where we stop for lunch.  After lunch we continue up highway 3A then turn left up Green Mountain Rd.  We will regroup at the Apex turn off before ascending Apex. Speedy descent back into Penticton. http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/553380008	You could turn back at any time before Osoyoos. Once you’re over Richter’s Pass you might as well finish the long route. Always an option to skip Apex.	Salty’s Beachhouse http://www.saltysbeachhouse.com 1000 Lakeshore Drive W
Saturday, 21 May	09:30	Travel day for those departing. Optional ride (local climbs) or rest day for those staying.		Hillside Winery and Bistro http://hillsidewinery.ca/ 1350 Naramata Road
For Insured STC members only – alternatively here is the link for temporary insurance /to become an STC member while in Penticton – Temporary insurance cost is $40.00 *All rides start at Denny’s at 939 Burnaby Ave W (Penticton BC) **Dinner is optional and is generally at 6:30/7:00pm, depending on when we finish riding ***can we have a volunteer to assist in arranging restaurant reservations while we are out there? ***

Saturday Group Ride - April 16

Hi Everyone. This weeks group ride starts and finishes at Calaway Park. Departure at 10:15am. Total distance will be around 90-100kms. Everyone is welcome and no one gets left behind. Below  is the route out to Horse Creek Road from Calaway. We will change the route slightly on the way back for variety. Hope to see a big group.

Let's get ready to race!

Hello STC!
Training camp in Penticton is rapidly approaching.  If you are thinking of going, book your room now.  This camp is super friendly, a fantastic learning and training experience and its FREE.  Go.

Ok, I'm going to do several new things this year for those who are interested in racing this year.
Apart from the Wednesday Night Race Series, which is excellent I am hoping to host the following;

Intro to Road Race for Women
This is about a 1-2 hour overview and Q&A about getting started road racing.
We will do this in the Engine Room at Speed Theory (735A 10 Ave SW)
Friday April 15th at 6pm
You must RSVP to marie.michalski@gmail.com
Bring a friend.  Beer is free.

Road Race skills practice

Lets start with 2 dates for those who want to refresh their skills before race season.  I will add more if the demand is there.

Pace-lining, group cornering, climbing strategies, passing, accelerating  and braking safely
Apr 18th (6pm) at North Glenmore Park, Parking lot 2

Crit/tight cornering, attacking, bridging, leadouts, sprinting 
Apr 25th (6pm) Elbow Valley South (along HWY 8)
We are going to start out of town for this one and meeting in Elbow Valley.  There are some very quiet streets, big cul de sacs, and open roads nearby. RSPV and I'll let you know where you can park.

I am also going to be hosting a unique
FRIDAY MORNING TRAINING SERIES
This will be an alternating road/dirt ride. Check the training ride forum for weekly details.
  
Road rides will start at 9am from our place in Elbow Valley.  Plenty of parking at our house and the coffee pot will be on any time after 8am.  From here we can head North, West or South.  These rides will be at least 2 hours but up to 5hrs.  While they will be "no-drop" (we will regroup periodically) they will not be coffee rides either.  These will be training focussed so bring food, water, money, and tubes.  If you bonk, we will make fun of you...
Mark will be providing free pulls!

The alternating weeks will be "dirt rides".  There has been much interest in both mountain biking (my first love) and cyclocross.  SO we head to one of the many cool trails nearby for 2-4hrs of getting dirty.  This keeps things fresh when the pavement gets monotonous, AND you get to work on bike handling skills at the same time.  For these rides we will meet at the trailhead of the proposed ride at 9am.  I will throw in the Nordic Centre occasionally for good measure. As we move closer to cross season we will add in the cross skills!  (This year STC had entered an all-women's competitive team in the 24hours of Adrenaline, and we intend on crushing it!)

So if you have the odd Friday off or work an alternative work week, please join in!
See you out on the road.
Marie

Club Ride South-Saturday April 9 - 10:30 Departure

Hi Everyone, This weeks club ride leaves from the parking lot at 37st SW and 22x. Rolling out at 1030am. It will be about 100k with some longish climbs and fast descents. Not to mention absolutely stunning views. This is a group ride so we'll come together at obvious collection points.We'll probably break for coffee in Turner Valley. Here's a Map My Ride (need account) link to the file http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/373203721 We had a great turn out last week so hopefully even more can make it this week, the weather looks favourable.

Why am I such a terrible climber?

Have you asked yourself this question?  It's something I do every time I hit a hill that's over 5% or lasts longer than 30 seconds.  I hesitate to count the number of times I've settled into a climb, thinking I'm doing well, and looked down at my Garmin to see my legs chopping out 75 rpm.  Then the peloton turns into a herd of goats bounding joyously up the hill.  All that's left is to grit my teeth and swear revenge on the flats should I ever catch them.

Well no more!  I'm announcing my intention to use this great early season weather to explore what it feels like to probe the upper cadence registers while climbing.  Weather permitting, and for the next month or so, I'll be posting Tuesday night rides on the training forum.  I expect most of these to be in-town hill-repeat festivals.  

So have a look and book a spot if you have a predilection for foolishness (I was going to say 'pain' but that's too melodramatic).

Chuck

Update on our Jason Lapierre Fitness park and Memorial.

Here is the latest update I have received from the Parks Foundation. Hopefully we can ensure this will go through. This was originally going to be placed in Mahogany Bay alongside a really cool running track I spent A LOT of time creating and planning, but there have been a lot of issues with that location and the tanking of the economy has not helped. This new location won't include a running track, but it is in a MUCH MUCH higher traffic area, which is really cool. I would like to ensure the creation of this Fitness Park and Memorial, so I hope to funnel any revenue from the races (which may happen due to the city subsidy and different/cheaper location of the Crit) into this since it is crunch time. Please, if your corporation would like a logo on the jersey next year, or you have a good idea, we need to raise some funds soon. In the past we have held a Tour de France pool to raise money, I may resurrect this. (Read Below)

Hi Trev

The final construction drawings are being completed for the fitness park and they will hopefully go to tender shortly. We still want to construct the fitness park this season. There has been a lot of back and forth with the city on this project but the final location will be in Point McKay near the Angels Coffee house - a very highly used area of the pathway system.

I will send you the final drawings once they are approved and forward the installation date when that is solidified. I will also work with you for approval on the final wording for the plaque.  

It is important to note that the pre-tender estimate for the landscape feature that we are hoping to place the memorial has come back at over $30,000. If the actual tender comes back a lot higher, it may affect our ability to construct this particular structure and it may have to be modified (budgets are very tight this year as you can imagine). We still feel this is a very interesting piece that will attract attention so we will do our best to have it installed as planned. The memorial account that your donors have contributed to has approximately $17,000 of funding which will help with these construction costs for the memorial. Going forward, I will work with you if problems do arise.

Please feel free to call if you would like more details.

Thanks – I will be in touch

Parks Foundation, Calgary