Our club members on The Board at the ABA and Shawn Bunnin is our new President!

The ABA AGM was last Saturday. It was great to see club members Darcy Gullacher and Charles Bougie run for spots on the board and racing committee. Rob Armstrong of the Crankmasters also ran for a position on the board.  Congratulations to all for successfully being voted in.

Darcy Gullacher and Rob Armstrong are now on the Racing Committee
Charles Bougie is now a 'Member at Large' meaning he has voting rights directly on the board.

Another big change (the biggest change for the ABA) is that Deadgoat Shawn Bunnin has vacated his seat at VP of Racing and was named as President of the ABA. Congratulations Shawn for stepping up and accepting this position.

The club thanks all of you for your support of Alberta Cycling and your dedication to our sport.

'Cross After Dark

STCer's,

This Saturday night is probably THE coolest 'cross race on the calendar: the Dark Knight 'Cross put on by the fine folks at Cyclemeisters at Canada Olympic Park. Yes, the race is at night. Yes, it is dark. Yes, it will be the most memorable race you will do all year. No ABA points on the line, seed yourself, dress yourself and your bike up, and have a good time. Unfortunately, I've got a another commitment on Saturday, so I'll probably need to pass this year, but I hope a good number of STCer's show up to fly the flag.

Sunday morning is the Cadence 'Cross Classic, also at COP.

Start the roll call below!

STC at Cupcake Cross!

Tour of Alberta Prologue Photos

Hey everyone,
I was taking photos from the Speed Theory corner, just by the 300m sign. Here is the link of the gallery I posted in Flickr.

Prologue photos

Thanks,

Dan

Team discounts at Club Member's businesses.

Brent asked me about posting a note that his girlfriend would like to offer a discount of her services to club members. I thought it would be pretty cool if we had a page dedicated to this sort of thing.

So if you are a current club member and own or work for a business that would like to offer our club members a discount, then email speedtheoryteam@gmail.com and we'll post it here.

Here is the is first one:

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Stephanie Zacharuk, Brent's girlfriend.

10% Off all Physiotherapy and Chiropractic Services at Coach Hill Chiropractic and Sport Therapy

Stephanie graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with her Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology, followed by her Masters of Physical Therapy. Stephanie is a lifelong athlete with a passion for helping people, making physiotherapy a perfect fit for her lifestyle. Prior to finishing University, Stephanie played CIS volleyball with the U of S Huskies. Stephanie's interests include general orthopedics, sporting injuries, post-surgical rehabilitation, and injury prevention strategies, with a focus on returning people to an active, pain-free lifestyle. She enjoys the creative aspect of restoring movement and normal body function to people on an individual basis. As a dynamic, outgoing person, Stephanie can often be found skiing, running, rock climbing, ice climbing, or road biking.

You can find more about me and the clinic here:  http://www.coachhillchiropractic.com/

Stephanie Zacharuk, MPT BSc. Kin
info@coachhillchiropractic.ca
403-249-4544


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Tour of Alberta prologue spectating and cheering!

Erik and Darcy at today's Pro Ride w/ Garmin Sharp!

Jenn Turcott is going to stake out a place for us to watch! There are now 4 members of our team doing the 'Pre-Race' before the Pros. Dennis Bland, Erik Cramer, Matt Joss, and I.  Make sure to be screaming like crazy. The pre-race now starts at 4:30pm and riders go at 30sec intervals. So if you can get to the hill as early as possible, that will up your chances of getting a good spot to watch and being able to cheer.

Jenn is going to aim to be there by around 3pm, so the earlier you can get there, the more company she has.

Here is the email from Jenn:

Ok so I think the best spot to accommodate our team is on the second to last turn where the bobsled starts are. 

I rode the route this morning and that spot has the most shoulder space along the climb. I'm thinking if we stand on the east side of the road, you can see the riders coming up around the corner and the TV cameras are more likely to pick us up.

My friend on the local organizing committee said, from his understanding, there will be no barriers until the last 200m. 

TOA posted information about parking and probably good to post on our blog:

CALGARY, ALBERTA (August 29, 2014) – The 2014 Tour of Alberta’s race route for the SUBWAY Calgary Prologue will cause minor road closures and parking restrictions near Canada Olympic Park in Calgary on Tuesday, September 2, 2014.

Canada Olympic Park Drive SW will be closed and monitored by Calgary Police Services from 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM; motorists are to expect delays.

Further, half a kilometre of the west end of Paskapoo Drive SW will be closed by Calgary Police Services from 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Residents in this area will still have access via the eastern entrance of Cougar Ridge Manor SW.

Shuttle and Parking information for the SUBWAY Calgary Prologue:
Parking will be available in the west parking lot at Canada Olympic Park via Valley Ridge Drive.

Overflow parking is available at the Sunnyside Home and Garden Centre (3439 69 St NW). Shuttle services from the Sunnyside Home and Garden Centre to Canada Olympic Park will run every 15 minutes from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Spectators are also encouraged to take the LRT to the 69 St. station, where shuttles will also be running.

I'm aiming to be there by 3pm. I'm not sure if i'm going to drive there (easier to carry stuff plus, don't have to worry about where to leave my bike. If I go early enough I should be able to find parking. ​

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Jenn Turcott

Crankmasters Team Time Trial Challenge

One of our teams from last year

Is anyone interested in forming a Speed Theory team for Monday's race?

The tech guide is here - some important details to read there.

I'm tired and out of shape but would be interested if anyone else is. Saturday midnight is the closing time. Post a comment if you are interested.

Group ride with the Garmin-Sharp team for the Tour of Alberta!

On Sunday, the entire roster of riders from Garmin-Sharp for the ToA will be signing autographs and then going on a mass group ride with fans!

The ride starts from Bow Cycle on Sunday at 11:30am.  They will be there from 11am on to sign autographs and then the ride starts at 11:30am.

It is scheduled to be a 1.5hour ride finishing up at Bow Cycle again.

This is your chance to attack Tom Danielson!

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Midweek Mayhem is putting on a 'Learn to Cross' clinic.

If you are going to try Cross this year... email Brent NOW and do this clinic!

Details here!

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Second Round of 2014Clothing. THIS WILL CLOSE ON AUG. 28th!!

The second round of clothing for 2014 ordering is open now. We will close it out fairly quickly so we get it early Oct in time for a lot of the CX season and still when the weather is sometimes favourable to outside riding.

We aren't changing the design for next year, so if you need something for indoor training over the winter and want it to be useful for the Spring, then you can be rest assured we won't change the design of the club kit.

Here is the link to the Clothing Order. This will close on Aug. 28th at midnight!

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Cross Season is approaching! You need to register for the Wednesday night series soon!

Thank you Jared for the awesome race report. That is an accomplishment very few people can imagine. the dedication to your training leading up to this event has been remarkable to watch. Please don't forget to read the race report below.

The club that offers the Wednesday Night CX Series in town is called Midweek Mayhem and is run by Brent Topilko. It is an awesome resource for Calgary cyclists and I encourage you to give it a try if you have ever though CX racing looked cool. A good progression is to do the Midweek Mayhem series the first year, and then both the Mayhem and the ABA weekend races the next year.

Registration for the Midweek Mayhem starts Aug. 25th. Info here.
The CX schedule for the Wednesday nights is here.

If you have waited until now to join the club, we always offer a 'CX Membership' which allows you to race the ABA races as part of STC. Here is the link for STC CX Membership.

Leadville Trail 100 Race Report (yes, a running report)

Leadville Trail 100 mile running race

August 16, 2014, Leadville, Colorado

 

My alarm went off at 2:30am.  After a quick shower and some oatmeal I was dressed and ready to roll.  Tanya and Ian loaded up the gear for a massive day(s) crewing for Chris and I.

 

We arrived at the start line at 3:45am and lined up around 5th row.  The energy of the field was incredible.  4am and the shotgun went off.  The first few km's are downhill as we exited town.  I took the time to look back and saw a snake of headlamps stretched out in the dark.  Up ahead I could see the leading lights up the road.  It was an incredible feeling to have this race actually starting.  Chris and I had planned on running together for the first half.  We averaged ~5min km's for the first half hour.  With the downslope it was a good starting pace.  In no time we were at the dam and turning right up a short, steep rocky slope.  I was passed by about 10 guys up this slope.  The  hill ended and we entered the trail surrounding Turquoise lake.  I cruised along with a group of about 10 guys doing just over 9 min miles.  The pace felt good, I was eating well, the sky was still dark, the single track was fun (lots of little ups and downs)... All was going well.

The sky started to lighten up as we ran into the May Queen aid station (1:58, 13.5 miles, and 43 place). Tanya and Ian were waiting for us with fresh fluids.  I filled up, gave Tanya my headlamp and we were off towards Sugarloaf pass.  Almost immediately after leaving May Queen we turned onto the Colorado trail.  It is an amazing bit of trail that totally reminded me of running in Canmore.  There were roots, rocks, twists, turns... loads of fun.  We popped out of that trail after a few miles and started climbing a gravel road which then turned off onto a steeper, rocky fire road.  The slope was steep enough that we power walked.  There were a few guys running, but not us.  Eventually we rounded the top at a bit over 11,000 feet.  Down Power line trail we went.  At first it wasn't too steep, but by the last couple km's it was a nasty downhill with tons of washout.  The mountain bike race went down this trail last week; I was much happier doing it on foot.  A guy watching said we were 62 and 63 place.  We chuckled at this info so early in the day.

After a short jaunt on a paved road we made it to Outward bound aid (aka a Fish a Hatchery) (4:04, 24.5 miles and 60 place).  Tanya and Ian were again there with smiles, fluids and good vibes.  After a refill and a porta-poti stop we were off.  The next 2 km were through a cow pasture.  The grass was cut, but the footing was, well, like running through a cow pasture.  I was happy to have that end.  I had picked up a peanut butter and banana sandwich at the Outward bound aid.  The thing took me almost an hour to eat.  It was like paste in my mouth and almost impossible to swallow.  Not good.  The course follows a paved road for a few miles, then follows a pipeline right of way, the whole time going slightly uphill.  Chris and I trudged along.  We slowed for a few walk breaks, but kept plugging forward.

Eventually we hit the Half pipe aid (5:02, 31 miles, and 51 place).  There is no crewing here, but we did have drop bags.  A volunteer helped my re-fill my hydration pack and we were off again.  By this point I had eaten 3/4 of a pb sandwich plus about 1 gel and 1 bag of stinger blocks per hour.  Not bad for food, but I had wanted a bit more in me... Ahh well.  After Half pipe, the trail keeps going up, but not crazy steep.  However it was steep enough that we had to power walk a fair amount.  Mentally, this part was very hard.  We had already covered a lot of distance, but we still had a ton to go.  I was feeling tired.  While there was never a question of stopping, I was becoming very scared of what I still had to do.  Eventually we hit the top of this part (Elbert).  The trail turned into a beautiful flowy single track which was a ton of fun.  It took us down around 1,000 feet into Twin Lakes.

Twin Lakes is a beautiful town and the aid station was my favourite on the course ( 6:49, 39.5 miles and 52 place).  You make a grandeur entrance to the station via a steep rocky trail.  Tanya was there with my fluids and food.  I had planned on eating a bagel w/ Nutella, however after the previous pb sandwich debacle, I only took gels, stinger blocks and a snickers bar.  Some more sunblock and we were off.  Immediately upon leaving Twin you have to cross a grassland area with a bunch of bogs and a river.  The bogs were almost knee deep in places and there was no avoiding soaked shoes.  You finish off this part with the river crossing.  There was a safety rope which was very necessary as the water was knee height and flowing pretty fast.  The water was also refreshingly cold.  I splashed a bunch over my head.

After the river the trail turns upwards. With wet feet we started the climb up to Hope pass.  Twin lakes is 9,200 ft while the pass is 12,600. The trail is steep.  The air is thin.  The trail is steep.  Chris and I trudged up the trail at a steady pace, but not blistering fast.  A couple guys with hiking poles went by.  I was envious.  I doubt poles would be any better for me, but anything looked good at that point.  I decided it was time for some serious fuel and opened the snickers bar.  I took a bite which proceeded to turn into a Carmel paste in mouth.  I couldn't swallow the damn thing.  I spat it out and gave up on that pleasure.  Heading up Hope was as I expected.  It was steep and hard.  However, I found myself really enjoying it.  I felt strong and my legs felt good.  I mitigated the lack of real food with more gels and stinger blocks.

About 800 ft shy of the top of Hope there is an aid station (8:47, 45.1 miles and 38 place).  The food and drink is carried up to the aid station via llamas.  Those were incredibly strong animals as they carried a ton of stuff up there.  At this aid I grabbed a glass of water and a cup of soup broth.  In and out quickly we continued the final bit up.  This part was tough.  There were some rock stairs which were gruelling and the grade continued to be steep.  However, like everything in this race, you eventually make it over.  The next part of the course is a 3,000 ft drop down the south side of hope pass.  I took this section very slowly, mainly due to a) a goal to conserve my quads and b) I am not a great descender.  It took about 10 feet into the downslope before Chris started to pull away.  We would be going solo now.  We made in almost 70 km together.  I wasn't too far into the descent when the race leaders were coming back up.  I gave each one a "good job" and every single one gave an encouragement comment back to me.  What an amazing group of competitors.  After dropping 3,000 feet the trail  turns off into a single track which takes you into Winfield.  I really struggled at this point.  I was tired and had some twingy calf cramping.

The Winfield aid station is the half way point (10:05, 50 miles and 41 place).  The first thing you do is weigh in.  I was down 5 pounds on the day.  They said no problem.  The guy beside me was 15 pounds down.  They took him to a special area to make him get his fluids back up.  I spent a much longer time at this aid.  I ate a cup of soup broth, a cup of Ichiban and drank three cups of coke (mmmm, my secret weapon).  I refilled my fluids from my drop bag and started my trip back.  I made in about 20 meters before I remembered I needed gels.  They were worth turning around.  After a good fuelling I was back onto the lower single track.  I was running better and had more energy.  The best part was that my legs felt great.  I had not beaten them up at all yet.  Once the trail turned back up Hope I felt I was in a groove.  I was moving well, passing a few people and saying good job to everyone coming down the trail on their outbound voyage.  I was able to re-catch some of the people who had passed me going down this hill.  This time I was not feeling jealous of anyone's hiking poles.  I liked the choices I had made.  One other item to note here is that runners are allowed (actually encouraged) to have a "Pacer" run with them for the second 50 miles of the race.  Being as  Chris and I only had Tanya and Ian down with us, we had to forgo the Pacer until the final aid station. 

After 4km of climbing and ~3,600 ft of elevation gain I hit the top of Hope (again).  Over the top and down the 800 ft to the next aid I went.  I tried to be more aggressive going down, but it wasn't working very well.

At the Hope aid (11:53, 54.9 miles, place unknown as the timing mat missed some people) I had another cup of soup and two cups of coke.  From there I continued my descent.  Wow, it was ugly.  I was slow, clumsy and slow.  It felt like a parade of people passing me the entire way down.  Even though I was frustrated with my running, the trail itself was gorgeous.  At the bottom of Hope I hit the river and bogs again.  Feet are now soaked and muddy.

Right after the bogs is Twin Lakes aid (13:35, 60.5 miles, and 44 place).  Tanya had the perfect set up for me.  She sat me down on a lawn chair, swapped out my wet shoes/socks for dry ones.  What an incredible feeling.  My pinky toes both had big blisters, but we left them to pop on their own.  Tanya had pizza and a huge coke for me.  I devoured them both.  

  

 

Off I went with a full pack of fluids and gels.  The trail goes up and up from Twin.  The first few km are hiking speed only, but it then tapers off a bit.  With the food in my belly I am feeling good.  And, the best part, my legs are still not hurting at all.  Up over Elbert and then it was a nice easy downhill grade.  What was a tough grind on the way out has turned into an amazing section coming back.  I ran the entire way through Half-pipe aid (15`33, 69 miles, and 43 place), through the pipeline right of way and almost back to Outward Bound (fish hatchery).  Only the cow pasture and the fading light slowed me to walk those 2km.

I entered outward bound aid (16:42, 75.5 miles, and 42 place) and was happy to see Tanya and Ian.  They told me Chris was still doing great and left looking strong.  At this aid Tanya dressed me for the night.  Despite my protests she made me put on a warm top plus my running jacket and gloves.  I thought it was overkill...  an hour later I realized that Tanya was right.  After more pizza and another bottle of coke I was off. I had been waffling all week as to what headlamp to use.  A uber lightweight one or the one that can light up the entire bloody mountain.  Being as I was still going solo I took the big boy, and I loved it.  After a couple km on a road the trail turned back to the Powerline climb.  I was feeling really good thanks to the pizza and coke and pushed it up the 1,000 foot climb.  I caught a few runners with their pacers.  Again the cheering and support that all of the racers gave each other was amazing.  At the top of Powerline I had the good fortune of catching two guys who were good going downhill.  I followed their path down the steeper rocky section down Sugarloaf pass until we hit the gravel road.  They stopped for a breather, but  I kept running.  The final part of this descent felt like home.  I was able to run the technical singletrack at a good pace and was loving the trail.  It was pitch black, my headlamp lit up the trail, the roots and rocks seemed to be perfectly placed for me... I was having a blast and flying through the trail!  Best of all, I was about to get my pacer.

The final aid was May Queen (19:32, 86.5 miles, and 31 place).  I arrived here about 30 min ahead of my fastest estimate.  My amazing crew was ready for me nonetheless.  Tanya had another bottle of Pepsi and a cup of soup for me to eat there.  She reloaded my pack with fluids and then changed roles to pace me in for the final 13.5 miles.  For the first 4 miles I led through the single track around the lake.  I hiked the up hills and ran the rest.  Tanya`s presence and company skyrocketed my emotions.  Once we came to the boat launch Tanya could sense I was getting quiet.  She stuffed some licorice into me and then moved to the front.  For the next 4k I simply stared at her shoes.  I don't remember much, but she kept the pace high and we burned through the distance.  Once you leave the lake it feels like you should be done.  But you are not.  What was effortless downhill 22 hour ago is now a never ending uphill grade.  Tanya would only let us slow down if it got really steep and we ran almost all of it.  About 3 km from the finish we caught up to a familiar gate.  Chris and Ian were grinding up the final climb as well.  What an incredible way to finish the race.  Chris and I have run and biked countless km's together over the past three years and here we were back together within a spitting distance of the finish.  I couldn`t have asked for a better ending.

The finish line was beyond words.  I had a stupid grin that I couldn`t get off my face.

22:09`23, 100 miles, and 27 place. 

Words cannot express my gratitude to Tanya for everything she did during this race for me.  Chris had an amazing race which I am super proud of.  This 100 mile voyage wouldn`t have even started if not for inspiration from Ian`s Dad, Don Watts who raced Western States 100 in 1986.  I was honored to have Ian with us.

 

 

Now its time to get back on the bike.

Leadville 100 Mile Trail Run

Team member Jared Green and Chris Hooper just completed the Leadville 100 trail race in 22:09 and 22:12 respectively and placing 27th and 28th overall. Yes running, not riding! Congratulations you guys, have a beer!

JayLap Crit Primes and Omnium prizes and cash.

I have received a few email questions asking how and when the prize money will be awarded for the Omnium and the Crit Primes. I plan to do this soon, but the first priority is spending some time with my family which were very supportive of the countless hours volunteering for this great event our entire club hosts, and getting my real work under control which was neglected in the weeks leading up to the race. The Omnium cash and Crit cash primes will be eTransfered to you using the email address you registered with through Zone4. Look for an email with the password on the same day the eTransfer is sent.

For the Crit Primes, if your name is Jay Keddy, Erik Loewen, Rory Winder, or Superman Bailey then you will be receiving cash for your Crit prime. Congratulations on your sprints! If your name is 'Eat my' Dustin Andrews or Adam Boyko, you won a Professional Bike Fit and your Certificate Package can be picked up at SpeedTheory during Store hours. Your prize is transferable so you can give it to someone who may not be as 'dialed-in' as you two.