Trying it for the first time. Awesome!

Emily starts the 4.2km Time Trial. 5...4...3...2...1...GO!!

Jaya is ready to hammer!

We had several club mates giving bike racing a go for the first time this weekend. It was great to see. However, what was even better was watching other club mates lending advice, encouragement, and even gear. I am sure every new racer will be back for more.

Lisa has an instant groupie!

With the three different disciplines offered over the weekend, a club mate could ease themselves into the scene. I always recommend trying out a Time Trial first. This way you aren't around a bunch of other riders during your first event. It is just you against the clock and the course. You get to experience the atmosphere of an event and above all meet more of your club mates which can be potential training buddies. The next on Saturday's agenda was the Criterium, which I always recommend to volunteer for one first, or go into Calgary's excellent Midweek Series to learn how to do these before doing a weekend event. On Sunday, there was the Road Race, which teaches cyclists to work together, get to an intensity previously thought achievable, and find out how cool the team sport of cycling really is. Of course you can never forget what makes this sport so family friendly! The Little Critters Crit! Watching the children experience the crowds and the pure joy of cycling down the middle of the street is always the climax of the weekend for me. My Mom would always tell me to go ride on the yellow line when I was growing up, but it was never when the roads were fenced off?!!?

I had a great time this weekend and got to hang out with quite a few people from the club. I was totally pumped to see the size of the Women's peleton in the road race was bigger than the Men's Cat1/2 pack!  This is awesome and I hope this trend continues. If you are a women in the club and need a gentle nudge to try out an event, we have some very encouraging women you need to talk to! Email me and I will put you in contact.

Spectators line the finishing stretch as Rebecca hammers it home.

I am hoping that a couple other club mates post here about their weekends. Congratulations to several riders who had some great personal achievements this weekend. Chuck is leaving the Cat5 ranks with an awesome 2nd place in the Criterium. Lawrence showed that if you are fast, it doesn't matter what Cat you are in and got 2nd in his first Cat 4 Crit. Megan rocked the free world and got second in the Crit, Road Race, and Omnium, all while providing awesome encouragement to Rebecca, Allison, and Emily who were trying out their first mass start events. Thank you Megan! Waleed (winner of our STC Prologue) got 3rd in the road race. And finally Marc, who seems to be unstoppable this year with a 1st in the Cat1/2 Time Trial, 4th in the Crit, and 3rd in the Road Race. This was all good for FIRST in the Cat 1/2 Omnium. It was awesome being part of his team and Dave and I are still walking on clouds. I tell you, we feel like that Omega-Pharma dude in the background!! Except Dave and I would be much much further in the background :)

From Huffington Post Online.