First 3 days of riding in Penticton!

Ladies and Gentlemen....it begins!!  Spring!  At least it has in Penticton B.C.  We are going to try something different this year.  The first 3 days will be easier days with the intent of keeping the group together with the exception of hill/climbs.  On the flat sections the group will stay as one giving everyone a chance to practice the edicates of riding in a group.  I also hope this will allow more people to ride more days through the week or better yet, everyday.  All climbs are a free for all everyday with meeting spots at the top.

Each day we will meet at the Denny's at 939 Burnaby Ave W.  Just google Penticton Denny's for directions.
Be sure to be prepared everyday.  Bring tubes, a pump, 2 bottles, food and maps of the days ride.  It is also highly recommended that you find a riding buddy.  If you do not have one don't worry, we'll make sure your looked after.

First day is Sunday May 11th.

May 11th, Day 1 9:30 am:  A shorter day at 103 km to help everyone get warmed up.  We will make a quick stop in Oliver for water, food and facilities.  Then continue up to area 51 and home through OK Falls.
Day 1 ride here.

May 12th, Day 2 9:00 am:  A little harder and slightly shorter at 99 km.  We will start with "The Wall" then up to White Lake Rd with a stop at the end of White Lake Rd for food, water and facilities.  We will then ride up Green Mountain Rd then down to Penticton.
Day 2 ride here.

May 13th, Day 3 8:30 am:  This is the first long day.  We will again stop in Oliver for food and water then continue on to Osoyoos.  There will be no stop for food in Osoyoos before Anarchist.  The climb up Anarchist will end at the Sasquatch as always.  We then descend back to Osoyoos where we stop for a full lunch at the Timmies!!! Best Timmies in all of Canada, especially if it hot out! ;)  After Tim Hortons we will ride back to Penticton the same way we road out.
Day 3 ride here.

I hope to have more rides posted in a couple of days so stay tuned.

Harley.

2014 Tour of Alberta Sept 2-7

The preliminary stages of the ToA are now up at www.tourofalberta.ca

No mountain stages this year, but the prologue is in Calgary. Possible Jasper/Banff stages next year.

Sibbald Creek 20km ITT, April 20th.

Sunday 11am - Sibbald Creek 20 km ITT - Start time is 11am sharp so plan on being at the meeting location no later than 10:30am to allow for registration and a warm up.

Off highway 1, 33km West of Calgary, 16km past Highway 22 (Cochrane/Bragg Creek turnoff), take exit 143 Hwy 68 (Sibbald Creek Trail). Park on right (north side of Highway 1), race begins a few minutes up the hill. Please do not park at the start/finish line.

This event is put on by the Crankmasters. You must be part of their Secondary Membership to take part in this. You should be part of this anyway if you plan on doing the Wednesday night Series

Here is where you will be parking.

Have fun! This is a low key event and a great introduction to pure bike racing if you have not tried it. This is a 'Time Trial' where you are riding on your own to see how quickly you can cover 20km. So the intimidation factor is extremely low. Just show up and tell them you are new and they will take care of you.

Penticton Training Camp is coming!

The 9th Annual STC Penticton Training Camp is almost upon us!

I noticed in the Training Forum some posts about Penticton accommodation. Let's bring this out onto the main page so everyone going to Penticton can see it regularly.

Comment on this post if you are looking for roommates, or a private house, or anything that would help you getting you and your bike to Penticton.  Also, comment on this post if you are going for your first time and looking for riding buddies of similar ability.  Harley, Sarah, and Ernie will do a super job of hosting the camp, but they can't be in all locations at all times. Do what Harley suggested at the AGM: know the daily route, carry the correct amount of nutrition, and know how to change a flat yourself.

I will get on Ernie and Harley to start posting the routes soon, but for now, use this post to start the chatter about Penticton, even if you just want to post that you are excited to get away from this city with the never-ending winter for awhile!

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Follow up from Jenn Turcott's talk at the AGM.

Please show  your support for Cycle Tracks!

On April 16^th, the recommended Cycle track network will be coming to the Standing Policy Committee on Transportation and Transit and members of Calgary City Council will be voting on it.

Council passed a motion to ask Administration to provide Calgarians with more transportation choices in Calgary’s busiest area—the Centre City—and to determine an updated East-West-North-South separated Cycle Route Network through the Centre City. Funding for this transportation plan has already been allocated

This is an extremely important vote. If it loses, it will set back safe cycling in Calgary for years.

Unfortunately Council has been hearing a lot of negative and false information from their residents regarding cyclists. They are being told that cyclists do not pay taxes because we do not own vehicles (vehicle registration is collected by the Provincial government and none of that revenue goes to cities); that we live in a car city; that winter last six-months of the year and people shouldn't ride bikes in winter to very hostile comments of people saying that we should be run down.

Council is leaning towards not supporting Cycle Tracks. This is where we NEED your help:

Contact your Member of Council and the Mayor—we need to let our members of council know that cycling is important to Calgary. It will provide safe and alternative modes of transport in the Centre City.

·         Contact your Councillor

·         Contact the Mayor

Tell your friends to write/call too!

Visit the City’s page on the recommended cycle tracks

Join the ‘Calgarians for Cycle Tracks’ Facebook page

Calgary cannot build anymore roads into the Centre City and alternative modes of transportation are desperately needed. The Cycle Route Network will provide 3% of transportation funding to cycling which currently contributes to the 3.5% of people commuting into the Centre City via bicycles.

Providing cycling infrastructure is extremely cost effective and saves on infrastructure repairs and is dramatically cheaper than building a c-train line or a grade separated interchange (approximately $80 million per).

Furthermore, more cyclist will be encouraged to commute into downtown through the separated cycle tracks—cars, bikes and pedestrians all have their place and are separated creating greater safety for all three.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and contact your Member of Council.

Jenn

Shot from Harley's ride in the NW today.

First 'On the Road' fun of the season, Crankmaster 20km ITT, THIS Sunday. April 6th 11am. UPDATE!

UPDATE:

Steps to race on Sun if you are an STC member:

1.) Realize there are going to be a ton of people there doing this for the first time, so if you are one of those people, don't be intimidated to come and try it out. If you are a club member and have done this in the past, and you see someone who is obviously a first-timer, introduce yourself and give them a hand. You DO NOT need STC jersey or shorts. Wear whatever you want.

2.) You need to get a Crankmaster SECONDARY membership. This makes sure they know you have the right insurance in place to take part in these events. This secondary membership is also the entry fee for the amazing 15-event Wednesday Night Series. So once you lay down $35, you are good to show up at 17 races! Now THAT is a good deal! Follow this link and purchase the SECONDARY membership. They also have a great social night at the end of the series to celebrate another year.

3.) On Sunday, pump up your tires, check your brakes, and show up at Hamilton Blvd and Highland Park Ln, just north of 567 and east of highway 2 in Airdrie. It will be obvious once you get there. Try to get there no later than 10:30am.

4.) Have a great time and go hard!



Don't worry if you haven't been on the road yet this year. Most of us are in the same boat. Come up to Airdrie for this year's first 20km Time Trial.

If you are new to the club and would like an introduction to cycle racing, this is the perfect opportunity. In a time trial, you start at 1 minute intervals and cover (in this case) 20km as quickly as you can. There is no peloton riding and drafting isn't allowed. It is perfect if you want to get outside, meet people, and test yourself at the same time.

Dan is going to ride from Calgary, do the event, and ride home. Dan, do you want company? If so, post it in the training forum.

Don't worry if you feel like you are in no shape to race yet, everyone is in your situation. They hold the exact same race on Aug. 8th so it is really cool to see your time difference after a summer of riding outside.

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LOTOJA 2014 Janet wants company!

Strawberry Summit

"At Dawn on Sept. 6th 2014 over 1,500 cyclists from across the U.S. and five foreign countries will pedal away from Sunrise Cyclery in Logan Utah for a one day, 206-mile (328km) journey to Jackson Hole WY in the 32nd Annual LOTOJA Classic. Held every year since 1983, the popular, one-day bicycle race has cyclists ride through some of Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming’s most challenging, yet spectacular terrain. They climb three mountain passes within the first 110 miles that total nearly 10,000 vertical feet before crossing the finish line at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort within sight of the iconic Grand Teton.” (taken from a Mountain West Cycling Magazine).

Registration is done by LOTTERY and it opens TODAY until April 9th, it would be so cool to have a Speed Theory Possé down there. I have trained in the area and the Teton pass is spectacular, the climbs are nasty good and the descents fast and pretty technical with 1500 riders. What does Janet hope to do it in…? 101/2 - 11 hours and “Sucking a lot of Wheel”. I scoped this out last year and my intention is to fly down 2-3 days before the race to get acclimatized and then perhaps fly out of Jackson the next day, they have a small airport right there, accommodation at the start line is good at the Best Western, I will be booking my room later this week as the rooms get booked quickly and you can always cancel.  I will be trying to organize a support vehicle, so if you go to www.lotojaclassic.com and you want to jump in use my name. and as a support vehicle info. ML 350 license # BCM 0290, dark grey. It is a lottery your card is only charged once you are accepted.

This is the Strawberry Summit that I climbed solo last year in 42C it was a gooder and the descent is fast, I guess during the race this is the one to attack on both ends to separate you from the pack and stay on a wheel.  Then you only have Geneva Summit, Salt Water Pass KOM and then a few canyons to climb out of that make Norquay look pretty doable…., Giddy Up!

Janet

Update on Clothing Order. May 2nd is the day.

I just heard from Champion-Systems that the clothing is scheduled to ship from the fine craftsmen of Italy's best clothing house (read: China) on April 28th, and will be arriving on May 2nd. Which is perfect, since you will get in a few rides in your new shorts and jerseys before hitting up Penticton!

I will need some help that weekend with the sorting. Do you want to make it May 2nd evening? It would take me all day, but with 4 to 5 people it takes like an hour. The club will provide the beer and wine to make it go more smoothly! If the weather sucks, we can do it in The Engine Room and then hammer on the bikes for an hour or so watching a Spring Classic after and kill two birds with one stone.

Who's in?

Trev
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Penticton STC Training Camp!

STC Penticton Training Camp 2015

Classics season has started! Belgian spring has arrived! Time to start planning our Penticton training camp.

Dates will be May 10th - 16th 2015

UPDATES from 2014:
First three days of riding.
First three days of group dinners.
Days 4 through 6 of riding.

If you have a spouse or family member or a direct friend that is coming just to ride on the designated routes with the ride leaders, a link will be coming to get their temporary STC membership so that we can pay your insurance to the ABA.

Ride ideas welcome! Please send any ride ideas that you would like to see to Harley

We talked about Penticton at the AGM and it seems a TON of people are going! There will be more info on this as the time draws closer. For now, keep an eye on the webpage for Harley or Ernie to post more info in the coming weeks.

Post a comment here if you are looking for a roommate during your time here!
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STC AGM / Get together

Club, our Annual Meeting / Get Together is March 20th at 7pm. The get together will be at Speed Theory Calgary, which is at 735A 10th Ave. SW.

How we do our annual meeting is more of a 'party' than a 'meeting'. Free food and beer/wine and good company!

If you are thinking of joining the club, please come down and meet us! We use this get together for people to see if they like our vibe!

I give a quick year in review, what worked, what didn't and then:

1.) Harley and Ernie will talk about the awesome Penticton training camp in May (below's post).
2.) Darcy will talk about the Third Race in the JayLap weekend (Aug 8th - 10th).
3.) Marie will talk about the women side of things.
4.) Trev will quickly talk about the state of our awesome Jason Lapierre Memorial Public Fitness facility.
5.) Harley will talk about his now famous Thursday night skills sessions. (Which are probably the best opportunity for Masters to learn real road group cycling in Alberta)
6.) Mike and Ernie will talk about the Wed. Night Series. (May 21st - Aug. 27th)

It seems like a lot, but we approach it like a conversation in a party, not like a condo board meeting, so plan to attend!

Today's "casual ride at an easy pace"

Yea right. We were like 6 caged animals busting loose at Bearspaw this morning. Harley led us out of the parking lot and around the first corner at a very casual pace. Then boom! We were moving at 42 kmh right away. I was thinking, this is not the early season Harley and I got suspicious. At the first hill Harley moved aside and we had our second surprise of the morning. Sarah dropped all of us on the hill and when she slowed down at the top and we caught her, our questions about her secret winter training was met with "you will never know".

Things settled down for a few minutes however changed abruptly when Glenn Miles suddenly joined the group having time trialed solo from downtown Calgary. The pace never let up again after that. Chuck was always up to the pace and kept things moving along into the stiff south west wind. Our sixth rider, Ryan showed some good pace and was able to stay with Glenn and Chuck on the hills.

On our way west, we settled into two groups. Glenn, Chuck and I seemed to have a similar pace going except for the hills of course where I usually get dropped. We had a good echelon going along Horse Creek Road where the west wind gave us some challenges in staying tight. Chuck almost got sucked into my vacuum at one point. Some random cyclist dared to pass us when we thought we were going really fast and of course Glenn had to bust out of the formation to chase him down.

That rider decided to drop a few gears when he heard Glenn wheezing behind him and he took off again. On Cochrane hill Glenn and Chuck dropped me again and were nice enough to wait for me at the top. I was having none of that politeness and took the opportunity to get up to full speed as they watched me go by. The 30 kmh tail wind on the 1A got me up to a good 50 kmh time trial speed and I tried to stay away from the two. It worked for most of the way, they caught me with a few km to go, Glenn went by me with snot pouring from his face, we had fun!

Harley said he fell apart on Cochrane hill, Sarah needs to share her winter training protocol with him. It's really no surprise that after being on the trainers so long through this tough winter that an opportunity to test the legs on the road results in a good hard ride.

Let's see some more people out and keep an eye on the Training Ride Forum.
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Commissaire Course March 23rd 2014

Club, there is a commissaire course coming up on March 23rd in Calgary. It is a one day course where you learn the rules of road, track, and CX racing to a level you could act an official. As a club that hosts several events throughout the year, and advocates volunteering for the community, we always offer to pay the registration fee if you want to take the course.

If you sign up, just shoot me an email and I will refund you the registration fee. It is an interesting course for sure. Last year Thomas, Marcy, Stephen and I all took it and we found it to be extremely interesting and useful.

Here is the link to the ABA calendar of events where you can sign up.

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Sad News and a Loss for Calgary and it's athletic community.

On Friday morning I woke up to an email from my friend Kathy Taerum informing me that one of the pillars of Calgary's athletic volunteer community had passed away.  Jim Clampett was embedded in the Calgary athletic community devoting endless volunteer hours at the finish line manning the timer and handling the results at numerous running events including the Calgary Roadrunners Cross Country Events, The Saint Patricks Day 10km and the Ice Breaker.

I talked to Jim last Saturday about Calgary Road Runner political stuff, racing, and so on. One of those conversations that never ends, it just picks up and drops off at every event or function we crossed paths, which seemed like all the time. A conversation I didn't know would have such a sudden end.

Jim timed my event, the Nose Hill Cross Country 4/8km race. I volunteer host this for the Calgary Road Runners each year. The most recent was on Feb. 8th two weeks ago. It was bitterly cold and extremely windy. While I was flagging the course, through the back of my mind I was hoping that all my volunteers would show up for marshaling, manning the community hall, and helping with registration. One volunteer I didn't even have a single second thought about was Jim, who arrived early as always and was there right to the end.

Jim was a tireless advocate for athletics and a person I would always point out to my daughter for his never-ending volunteering and enthusiasm for being able to help out. I will miss Jim and hope I can continue to lead by example the way he did right to the end.

I model Speed Theory Cycling in a lot of ways after the Calgary Road Runners, the club Jim was intricately a valued and long-time board member.

Many in this club will want to know when the memorial service is. The Calgary Road Runners will update their announcement page here as soon as the details are announced.

Jim at the timing station on the left. Weaslehead XC race Feb. 22nd 2014.