Nothing to do tonight...then come watch the Dark Knight Cross at COP

The top 6 Reasons to come watch tonight:

 

1.       Wild Rose is sponsoring the race.  Yes, it’s like we have our own race, except we’ve done no work to set it up.  It’s like a dream come true.

2.       There will be lots of action, with lots of riders (65 in Category C) and a tight course, so it should be fun to watch.  Kids are also welcome.

3.       I have signed up to race in Category C, so you can cheer me on when I look like I am about to cough up a lung, which will be pretty much the entire race.

4.       There will be beers at some time during the evening, either at the race or at the taproom.  Please don’t let me drink alone.  Kid’s aren’t welcome for this part.

5.       It will make for a good story on Monday morning in the office when people ask you what you did on the weekend.

6.       Secretly you want to do a CX race, and this will be a good chance for you to check one out.

 

Here is all the information you need to know http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/uploads/files/2013%20Tech%20Guides/DK%20-%20Tech%20Guide%2013.pdf.  If you do come down please send me a text on 403 660 9463 and I’ll track you down after my race.

 

Mike

Upcoming Rides

As the riding season gets compressed into fewer hours of daylight (break out your lights everyone), here is what the Draughters have in store over the next few weeks:

 

·         22 September @ 11:00 am - Airdrie TTT.  We will have a masters men’s team, and hopefully a women’s team entered.  Our plan is to ride hard and then go to the taproom.  Once we find out our start time we will let you know our ETA at the taproom, in case you want to join us.  This would be a great time to have a season end beer/soda/water.

·         Face Punch rides are done for the year.  Thanks to everyone who showed up.  You were awesome to train with.

·         25 September @ 6:30 pm – Mid-Week Mayhem.  I’ve ridden one race so far (yesterday was cancelled) and it is really fun and super laid back.  No standings are kept beyond the first 5 places.  Also no issue if you want to ride on a hardtail mountain bike.   Go here for more info http://midweekmayhem.wordpress.com/.  Someone please come out, because no one would go for a beer with me last week, and that’s just not right for a CX race.

·         28 September – Cupcake Cross, more info for the cross races at http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/events

·         29 September – Bici Rodeo Cross

·         05 October – Dark Knight Cross

·         06 October – Cadence Coffee Classic Cross

·         You get the picture, now go dust off your hardtail mountain bike or buy a CX bike

·         12-13 October – I’ll be in touch regarding rides depending on the weather

 

For those people training through the winter I am trying to figure out a cloud based location to share a basic training program.

 

Ride on,

 

Mike

Tour of Alberta and Ride Tomorrow

Please send me an e-mail if you are still interested in watching the stage live today.  The spot I was thinking of going to (the last big hill heading South on the Road to Nepal, just before you turn West onto highway 549) looks to be somewhat accessible by car (I’ve had enough riding in the rain today after our TTT training ride), and the riders would go by twice.  I am planning on trying to be there by 2:30 pm.  If you would like to be part of my ill-conceived plan to go watch pro cycling in the rain, please let me know, or if you have a better plan, that would be good too.

 

Tomorrow there will be a two hour ride leaving at 7:00 am from the SW Corner of the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW).  Hopefully the weather will be better than today, and that will give everyone enough time to sign their kids up for archery lessons, take them to hockey practice, and still make it down for the finish of the Tour of Alberta.

 

Ride on,

 

Mike

 

Viewing the Tour of Alberta

Hi everyone

Last email for awhile. This is about watching the Tour of Alberta this weekend.

Saturday - Stage 4

We are planning on watching Stage 4 (Saturday) from the highest point of Road to Nepal. This will mean the riders will pass us twice, plus we will be able to see some attacks unfold - see orange arrow in picture below.

Tentatively, based on the Tour of Alberta timetable, it seems like they will pass the viewing point around 2:30. However we note that yesterday's stage finished an hour early.  We are guessing that parking at the ditch at 22x and 37street will be full. Our alternative parking spots are: Red Deer Lake Church or Red Deer Lake School/Third Academy, both of which are a little further west on Highway 22x. We will park at one of those spots and bike in. 

If you are interested in joining, please drop me an email.

Sunday - Finish

If you are interested in going down to the Festival which starts at noon and goes until 6 pm downtown, please drop Mike an email (murquhart@stratavera.com).  Information is attached - there will be live bands, beer tent, food trucks, lots of stuff for families to do (bouncy castles, bobsled track etc) plus some amazing bike shops are exhibiting. I understand there will be a chance to compete and show your power output. And there are some bike shops that are bringing down some pretty sweet rides for people to demo. This is your chance to sit on that $10,000 bike you were thinking of buying.

Riders are expected to hit downtown at around after 3 pm, and finish after 4 pm. They are doing a few laps around the downtown area so if you get a good vantage spot, you might be able to see them 3 or 4 times, or see them sprint to the finish once!  

Ciao,

Lorraine

 

 

Screen Shot 2013-09-04 at 10.29.17 AM.png

LORRAINE CHAN CA ICD.D

Partner & Chief Financial Officer

T 403 261-8080 ext 342

C 403 701-3998

F 403 261-8085

05-11 September Draughters Rides

I hope everyone enjoyed watching the Prologue of the Tour of Alberta.  Here is the our own Garry McCulloch with race leader and odds on GC favorite Peter Sagan.  Peter was nice enough to pose for this picture even though Garry has obviously disguised himself as the bellboy (note the luggage cart in the background) and stalked Peter to his room.   When not harassing the pros, Garry is part of the organizing committee for the Tour, and Jeff Booke and Lorraine Chan are on the organizing committee for the Calgary Finish Festival on Sunday.  Once again, here is the website for the Tour http://tourofalberta.ca.  If you can, please tell all your friends, then come out for the stages on Saturday and or Sunday to show support for the riders and the Tour so that professional cycling will have a permanent home in Alberta.

 

 

As for rides this week:

·         Saturday morning I hope to set up a team time trial training ride on Highway 8 to practice for the upcoming race.  If anyone wants to join us, please send me an e-mail.  I was thinking today that Kari, Krista, Donna and Lorraine would be a good women’s team.  How about it ladies?

·         Sunday morning I’m going to go for an early training ride as I have a commitment that conflicts with the 10:00 am ride.  If anyone wants to join me please send me an e-mail.  If anyone wants to lead the 10:00 am ride, let me know and I’ll update the club.

·         Monday night the Face Punch ride will start at the North Edworthy Parking lot at 6:30 pm.  After one easy climb of Edworthy as a warm-up we will go to Mackay Road for 10 hill repeats.  Great training for CX or late season Fondo’s will lots of hills.

·         Wednesday night is a CX race at Laycock Park at 6:45.

 

Ride on,

 

Mike

 

 

Tour of Alberta

Hello Draughters,

 

As some of you may be aware, pro cycling is coming to Alberta! The Tour of Alberta will be held September 3 to 8th beginning with the prologue in Edmonton and the last stage finishing in downtown Calgary. Many of the top teams have confirmed such as Garmin Sharp, BMC, Cannondale, Argos Shimano and Orica Green Edge. Elite riders such as Ryder Hjesdal, Peter Sagan, Cadel Evans, Ted King, Christian Vandevelde, David Millar etc. will all be here.

 

Full information and maps of stages are here: http://tourofalberta.ca/site/

 

Just wanted to make you aware of a few things:

• Stage 4 will include laps around the Road to Nepal/Highway 22/Millarville area (where we ride!) on September 7th. A few of us are going to ride out and watch the pros crush our Strava times.
• Stage 5 on September 8th includes an all ages Street Festival to be held downtown near the finish line around Centre Street and 4th Ave. Several blocks will be shut down and the festival will include live bands, a number of exhibitors, food trucks, street performances, kids bike races etc. A few of us are on the organizing committee and it should be a great time, and absolutely free. This is a fantastic opportunity to support pro cycling in Alberta. Please come and watch. The finish will be a four lap circuit around the downtown area so it should be exciting!
• If you are interested in volunteering on September 8th, Stage 5 to be a course marshal on the downtown circuit, or helping out at the street festival/finish line, please drop me an email: lchan@conroyross.com. You'll get a free shirt and a chance to see the pros up close as they whip by.

Please consider volunteering or attending the festival or viewing the race. And please tell all your friends so that the inaugural Tour of Alberta is a raging success!

 

Thanks,

Lorraine

Upcoming Draughter Rides - 23 August

Here are the rides planned for the next week:

 

·         Saturday – No organized ride, as the Banff Gran Fondo is this weekend.  For those participating, have a great ride.

·         Sunday - the ride will leave at 10:00 am from the SW Corner of the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW), and be about an hour and a half to two hours.  Beer to follow.  This is a no-drop ride, so it is great for new riders.

·         Monday – The Face Punch ride will be a double whammy.  We will meet at the Edworthy parking lot on the South side of the river, and do hills both at Edworthy and Mackay Road.  This will be great training both for longer, more gradual climbs, and short steep climbs.

·         Wednesday – You are on your own for cyclocross training, as I’m out of town.

 

Ride on,

 

Mike

Team Time Trial - 22 September

Gabe and I are looking for two more Draughters to enter a team in the Crankmaster’s 20 km team time trial in Airdrie on 22 September.  Clark, this means you.  For those of you who have never done a team time trial before, I won’t sugar coat it.  We will ride in a tight paceline taking approximately 30 second pulls at the front, before rotating through to recover and repeat 90 seconds later.  For safety we will all ride road bikes, because we don’t really know what we are doing, so having access to brakes will be a good thing.  The goal is to average 40 kph or better, so it should be an approximately 30 minute effort, by the end of which you will be starting to lose consciousness while wondering if your heart is going to explode in your chest.  If that appeals to you, please let me know.  We will try to get out at least once before the race to practice so that we can do the Draughters name proud.  As always, the race will be followed by beers.  Thanks, Mike

Tyler Hamilton Update

I’ve talked to the organizers and confirmed the following:

 

·         They are targeting a riding group of 20-30, which will give everyone a chance to chat with Tyler and should make for a good ride.

·         They are happy to make sure that all Draughters get invited to the dinner the night before, which gives you a good chance to hang out with your fellow Draughters and old Tyler what’s his name, plus you get to chill at the best craft brewery in Calgary and try our new white IPA, ‘The White Shadow’.

·         You will get a tax receipt for your donation, so depending on your tax bracket, it is practically free (to be confirmed by one of the many accountants that ride with the Draughters).

 

Feel free to contact the JCC directly, or I can set things up for you if you want.  Please let me know.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

 

Bike Ride for Relief with Tyler Hamilton

For anyone who is interested in riding with Tyler Hamilton, please see attached.  The route will likely start in the SW at Red Deer Lake School and be the Road to Nepal loop that will be part of Stage 4 of the Tour of Alberta.  It is for a good cause and Tyler is a very nice guy who generously donated his time when he heard about the flood in Calgary.  Please feel free to pass this on.  Thanks and best regards, Mike

 

From: Janine Herman [mailto:jherman@cjcc.ca]
Sent: August-19-13 3:53 PM
To: Janine Herman
Subject: Bike Ride for Relief with Tyler Hamilton

 

Good afternoon,

The Ride for Flood Relief with Tyler Hamilton to raise funds to support Kidsport is coming fast! There are limited spaces available to ride with Tyler on Sept. 2.

I have attached an information flyer and a registration form.

The first 20 people to fill in their form and register will be invited to join us at the VIP dinner with Tyler Sept 1 at Wild Rose Brewery and will be entered into a draw to win one of 5 autographed copies of Tyler’s New York Times Bestseller “The Secret Race, Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France” with a new afterward by the authors.

You can e-mail the registration back to me or fax it to 403-253-7915 or call me to register!

See you on September 2 to support a great cause!

Thanks,

Janine

 

 

Janine Herman |  Executive Director

Calgary JCC

1607 – 90 Avenue SW

Calgary, AB  T2V4V7

T | 403.444.3170

F | 403.253.7915

 

Upcoming Draughter Rides - 16 August

In addition to some great rides over the next week, the jerseys have shipped, so as soon as they arrive I’ll sort out with the people who ordered them how to pay (except Rory, who is star, and has paid already) and pick them up:

 

·         Saturday – Lorraine is planning a long road ride early tomorrow morning.  If you want to join the ride, please e-mail her at lchan@conroyross.com.  This is a good chance for a nice long ride before the Banff Gran Fondo.

·         Sunday - the ride will leave at 10:00 am from the SW Corner of the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW), and be about an hour and a half to two hours.  Beer to follow.  This is a no-drop ride, so it is great for new riders, so don’t be shy.

·         Monday – The Face Punch ride will be hill repeats in Montgomery up Mackay Road.  This is a short but steep hill, so we will be doing repeats at maximum effort but with significant recovery between each repeat.  We will meet at the Edworthy parking lot on the North side of the river, and do a warm-up before the repeats.  And before you mock this ride, four people showed up to do repeats at COP last week.

·         Wednesday – Cyclocross training night.  This can be done on either a CX bike or a hardtail mountain bike, you just need to take off any cages/fenders/rakes/baseball cards in the spokes.  Please e-mail me if you are interested.

 

Ride on,

 

Mike

More Rides this Weekend

The forecast looks pretty good, so if you are in town, please come join a ride or two:

 

·         Saturday – Lorraine is planning a long road ride early tomorrow morning.  If you want to join the ride, please e-mail her at lchan@conroyross.com.

·         Sunday - the ride will leave at 10:00 am from the SW Corner of the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW), and be about an hour and a half to two hours.  The weather forecast is looking good, so I am committing to going for a beer afterwards on the patio at the taproom, so even if you don’t ride, think about coming for a beer.

·         Monday – The Face Punch ride returns, with hill repeats at COP.  We will meet at the bottom of the hill by the skeleton track (Canada Olympic Road) at 7:00 pm. 

·         Cyclocross – CX season is just around the corner, with the first race on 02 September.  I have done my first training session, trying to learn how to jump on and off my bike, and run with it up hills.  I’m pretty sure I looked like an idiot (or more of an idiot than I normally do), but it is really fun, unless you jump on the seat the wrong way.  If you know how to ride CX, please send me an e-mail so that we can meet up and you can teach me.  If you don’t, but want to try, send me an e-mail, and we can train together.  If you have no idea what cyclocross is, watch this, it is awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRZOa_E9Qs8.  Did I mention drinking beer after CX races is very common?

 

Ride on,

 

Mike

Lots of Rides this Weekend

If you are around, please come out and join one or more of the following rides:

 

·         Saturday – Gord will lead a mountain bike ride starting at 8:00 am from the West Bragg Creek parking lot.  It will be the first ride of the year for some of us, so Gord has promised to make it all very ridable.  Lorraine is also planning a road ride that morning, but is going to play it by ear because of the weather forecast, so if you want to ride with her, please e-mail her at lchan@conroyross.com.

·         Sunday - the ride will leave at 10:00 am from the SW Corner of the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW), and be about an hour and a half to two hours, with a quick beer to follow for those who want.

·         Monday – we will be doing a long ride (3-4 hours) starting at 7:30 am leaving from the corner of 37^th Street and Highway 22x in the SW.

 

Have a great weekend whatever you are doing.

 

Mike

Last chance for this year's order of Draughters jerseys...

Attached is the final design for this year’s jersey.  Credit goes to Brad Krusky for the ‘Pan y cerveza’ idea (Google ‘pan y agua cycling’ if you aren’t into obscure cycling trivia).   I will send in the order tomorrow at noon.  Please let me know the size and type for each jersey ordered.  Thanks and best regards, Mike

 

 

Face Punch Ride #6

Hill training is back on tap tomorrow night.  There is a chance of showers in the afternoon, so we will meet at 7:00 pm at the parking lot at the bottom of Edworthy Hill.  This is a family friendly ride, so if you want to bring your kids (if they are old enough to play on their own), they can play with ours (9 and 11) on the playground while we all cough up a lung on the hill.  Hope to see you there.  Mike

Mountain Bike Ride Tomorrow

My apologies for dropping the ball on sending out this invite.  Gord McMorland volunteered earlier today to lead a mountain bike ride tomorrow morning, leaving the West Bragg Creek parking area at 8:00 am.  If you are interested in joining Gord, e-mail him right now at gmcmorland@nationalspinecare.com.   Apparently the trails are in awesome shape.  Have a great weekend of riding.  Mike

More Draughter Jersey Information

When you order, please let me know if you want men’s classic fit, men’s pro fit, or women’s.

 

I talked to Atac Sportswear a few minutes ago, and if we get our order in by 19 July, we should get the jerseys in early to mid-August, so you’ll still have lots of time to rock them in 2013.

 

We are tentatively planning to change the writing on the back from ‘Original Rider 2012’ to ‘Beer, the ultimate recovery drink’.  If you think you have something even better, please let me know.

 

Here is Lorraine with former US National Time Trial Champion Dave Zabriskie, for a better view of the front of the jersey.  These are the type of riders who want their picture taken with you when you wear a Draughters jersey.

 

Draughters Group Rides

Sorry that the e-mails for group rides have dried up recently.  Due to summer vacation we are away every weekend in July, and my dodgy back hasn’t helped matters vis-à-vis the Monday ride.  With that said, this year I was hoping that some other people would be interested in organizing group rides.  If you are one of those people, please send me an e-mail at murquhart@stratavera.com and I will give you the details on how to send out blog posts and a copy of the e-mail list. 

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far, and the weather keeps getting better and better. 

Cheers,

Mike

Draughters Jerseys

I had a quick chat with Cadel Evans during the rest day at the Tour de France, and asked him if we should change the style of our Draughters jerseys.  His suggestion was to keep it the same for a couple of more years, and then switch things up.  Who am I to argue.  For those who have never seen our jerseys, here I am after a ride with Cadel last year, and here is what the back looks like, modelled by Marcel Kittel after a group ride (the real Marcel Kittel is my hero, since he is 1.88m tall, weighs 82 kg, is huge for a professional cyclist, and won his second stage of the Tour de France today). 

If you are interested in ordering a jersey, based on last year, the cost will be about $75 each.  The size chart from the company that makes them is here http://www.bikeatac.com/ordering/sizing.htm.  Please send me your order by noon on Friday, 19 July at murquhart@stratavera.com.

Thanks,

Mike

Monday Face Punch Ride #5

I hope this e-mail finds you safe and dry during this challenging time in Calgary. 

 

My back is still a week away from riding outside, so unfortunately I will not be able to lead the ride tomorrow.  If you are interested in riding, I suggest leaving from King’s United Church at 7:00 pm and putting together a mix of paceline work and hills on the way back.  If you RSVP to me, I am happy to coordinate the group.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

 

Ride like the wind

Hi everyone

 

The forecast for this weekend looks like an early ride on Saturday should avoid the rain, and Sunday looks like a great day. Please RSVP if you want to ride – and also if you have any new route suggestions, I am all ears !

 

Saturday at 7 am: meet at 37 Street and Highway 22x – distance tbd.

 

Sunday at 9:30 am: meet at Westside Kings Church for a Springbank ride – distance tbd.

 

Mike will let you know if he is available for face punching at a later date. His back and his doctor have ordered him to not ride for awhile. Not riding = cranky.

 

And on a final administrative note, there are a few of us riding the Banff Gran Fondo. If you’re riding and would like to do it under the team name of the “Wild Rose Draughters” to experience all of the glory that it entails, just let me know and I’ll link you up to our team.

 

Hope to see you this weekend!

Lorraine

Draughters Update

Sorry for the late update.  Lorraine is in Invermere this weekend for the Branch Out Bike Tour, I’m injured, and a lot of regular riders are doing rides or races.  There is nothing officially organized for this weekend or tomorrow night, but if someone wants to volunteer to lead the Monday Face Punch ride, please let me know.  I will also be sending out a separate note about our next jersey order in the next few days.  Happy Father’s Day to all the dads.  Best regards, Mike

Monday Face Punch Ride #3 is a go

The weather looks like it is going to hold, so we will meet at 7:00 pm at the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW).  Please e-mail me back at murquhart@stratavera.com if you are planning to attend so we don’t leave anyone behind.  Thanks, Mike

Monday Face Punch Ride #3

The weather forecast for tomorrow isn’t much better than last Monday, so we’ll go with the same plan as before.  If it turns out to be a nice day, we’ll meet at the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW) at 7:00 pm, and the plan will be a combination of paceline riding and hills.  If the weather is looking crappy but ridable, we’ll do 6 hill repeats at COP, meeting at the bottom of the hill by the National Sport Hall of Fame at 7:00 pm.  And if the weather is really bad, plan C with be training indoors.  I will send out another e-mail at 4:30 pm tomorrow with the final call on the weather. 

 

Mike

Even more rides this weekend

He’s been on hiatus chaperoning school field trips, doing a little professional development (or remedial education depending on how you look at it) and even some bike racing… but now he’s back with a vengeance…here is a riding agenda for your consideration:

Saturday at 7 am: meet at 37 Street and Highway 22x for a nice leisurely 84.3 km ride led by Mike Urquhart on rural roads (not riding on 22x). There are multiple bailout points, or you could just do as an out and back if you don’t want to go the full distance.

Sunday at 11 am: meet at Westside Kings Church for a nice leisurely ride around Springbank led by Mike Urquhart. Beers at Wild Rose afterwards.

Monday at 7 pm: location to be determined for a mean, nasty Face Punch ride featuring interval training and pain led by Mike Urquhart. Email will be sent on Monday confirming location.

It’s a fantastic forecast for the weekend. Pls drop us an email if you plan to ride.

Thanks,

Lorraine

Tonight's Ride Cancelled

Sorry, but the weather looks pretty horrible.  Here is what I suggest you do instead on your trainer  http://www.thesufferfest.com/video-sufferfests/local-hero/.  Mike

Monday Face Punch Ride #2

The weather forecast for tomorrow is rain during the day, potentially tapering towards the evening.  If it turns out to be a nice day (not likely), we’ll meet at the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW) at 7:00 pm, and the plan will be a combination of paceline riding and hills.  If the weather is looking dodgy, we’ll do 6 hill repeats at COP, meeting at the bottom of the hill by the National Sport Hall of Fame at 7:00 pm.  And if the weather is really crappy, we will all do intervals inside (right?).  I will send out another e-mail at 4:30 pm with the final call on the weather.  Fingers crossed that the rain goes away tomorrow afternoon.

 

Mike

Changing it up a little...group ride Highwood Pass

Hi everyone

Last spam for the week.

Etienne has noted this is the last weekend that Highwood Pass is closed to regular traffic.  We thought we would try to ride it this Sunday. We haven’t quite organized any logistics other than “meet at the trailhead at 11 am on Sunday”. It will obviously be longer than our regular Sunday ride.

Please let us know if you are interested and we can coordinate car pooling and logistics.

Ciao,

Lorraine

From: Poulin, Etienne [mailto:EPoulin@trican.ca]
Sent: Monday, May 27, 2013 10:07 AM
To: Lorraine Chan
Cc: Wilma Braat (wilma.braat@mnp.ca)
Subject: RE: highwood

Where to meet: Drive on TransCanada Highway 1 West of Calgary to Hiway 40 exit. Take Highway 40 exit and Drive South and park at Kovach Pond Day Use Area (this is close to Kananaskis Village).
Time to meet: Should we meet at around 11h00AM at the trailhead? We could car pool if possible.
Description of the ride: This is the Highwood Pass on Hiway 40. From June 15 - Dec 15, it is the highest paved road in Canada, from Dec. 15 - Jun 15, it is the highest paved road in Canada with a great big GATE across each end of it.
In the spring, it is a common destination for bike riders of all shapes and sizes, from knobby MTBs to sleek Cervélos, and even one fold-em-up.
The winter has a lot of people skiing and snowshoeing along it and possibly making a loop with Pocaterra trail in the vicinity of Lookout / WhiskeyJack / etc.
In the late spring, they typically have to plow the top of it to make it ready for cars, so you can do a gate-to gate of 54km each way for a weekend or two before the opening. Even before it is plowed, many people do it but have to hoof through anywhere from 100 to 3,000m of snow.
Other people will park at other places along Hiway 40 well before the gate, say back at K-village or even Canoe Meadows and make a Century out of it.
The enclosed tracklog is from the North Gate to the Summit and back, 17.1km each way. But you can certainly go on without a tracklog, it would be very difficult to get lost.

Face Punch Ride #1

As mentioned in Lorraine’s earlier post, starting tomorrow I will start hosting a Monday night training ride at 7:00 pm featuring interval training, and other fun stuff.  There will be no punching each other in the face, but coughing up a lung will definitely be an option.  Given the crappy weather forecast tomorrow, we will keep it simple.  The ride will start from the Edworthy Park bottom parking lot on the south side of the river.  We will do a warm-up loop on the bike path, and then seven hill intervals up Edworthy (you can do more or less depending on where you are with your training).  In the future I will try to make the ride location more interesting, but I don’t want to get caught in a thunderstorm 30 km from a vehicle tomorrow.  If you plan to come, please send me an e-mail at murquhart@stratavera.com.  

Thanks,

Mike

So many rides to choose from...!

Hi everyone

Hope you had a great long weekend. Don't let today's rain fool you...this weekend's forecast looks good for getting in some rides.

On Saturday, an early morning ride on the Road to Nepal, and then looping around the Leighton Art Centre. It's just over a two hour ride with some nice hills. It'll be a early morning start before 8 am meeting at the ditch at the intersection of 37th Street and Highway 22x. Please email me directly if you are interested at lchan@conroyross.com.

On Sunday, it's the usual:  11:00 am from the SW Corner of the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW) for a nice 90 minute ride or so, followed by beers at the Wild Rose Brewery.

Mike is also pulling together a regular Monday at 7 pm evening ride that will change format each week, but will involve interval training, hill repeats and punching each other in the face. If you are interested, please email him directly at murquhart@stratavera.com. 

Lorraine

It's the long weekend

Hi everyone,

We’re out of town this weekend in the Invermere area – so if you are in that neighbourhood and hoping for a ride, drop us a line!

We’ll be back the following weekend.

Have a good one folks…rainy as it may be.

Best regards,

Lorraine

Group ride this Sunday at 11 am

Hi everyone

It almost seems like spring is truly here! Another gorgeous forecast for the weekend. 

Same time same place. 11 am on Sunday leaving from Westside Church (3939 69 Street SW). Big Mike Huth will be leading the ride out this week.  Hopefully you can make it. Big Mike’s email is mhuth@tresconsoles.com!

Best regards,

LORRAINE CHAN

Group ride - this Sunday at 11 am

Hi everyone

Same as last week! If you are interested in a ride, please meet at the SW Corner of the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW) at 11 am this Sunday.  The ride will be approximately 1.5 hours at a nice “beginning of season” pace,  followed by beers at the Wild Rose Brewery (or due to the wind last Sunday, a nice hearty hot soup).Please drop me a note if you are going to try to make it.

It’s an amazing forecast for the weekend. Don’t waste it! Hope to see you there.

Lorraine

Group Ride this Sunday, 28 April

There is a reasonable chance that spring may have finally sprung, so we’re tempting fate and organizing a ride this Sunday. 

As one would expect, this year the timing of our Sunday rides is oriented around going for a beer afterwards.  The goal is to be at the taproom at 1:00 pm, so even if you can’t join the ride, or you need to ride earlier, always feel free to join us at 1:00 pm for a beer.

This Sunday the ride will leave at 11:00 am from the SW Corner of the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW).  The ride will be approximately 1.5 hours and it will be a no-drop ride, so we will accept no excuses about your current fitness level.

See you on the road,

Mike

Wild Rose Brewery Draughters

For those of you not familiar with the Draughters, we are a “Completely casual cycling club for men and women in Calgary. All abilities are welcome - the only caveat is that you must be over 18 as beer is often involved.”  Instructions on how to join the club are on our blog at draughters.blogspot.ca.  If you are already a member of another Alberta Bicycle Association club, there is no need to sign up again.

The plan this year is to start off with a regular no-drop Sunday ride and for those who have the time and interest, and who doesn’t, going to the taproom afterwards for a pint.  In addition, various enthusiastic individuals have talked about setting up a longer Saturday ride, a women’s only Wednesday night ride, and a Monday night hard training ride.  That will come later on, as will ordering jerseys again.

Everything will continue to be posted on our blog.  I will also be sending out weekly e-mails, as that seemed to work best last year.  For those of you who do not want to be on the e-mail list, please let me know.  I have no interest in clogging up your inbox and will not be offended.

Now go sign up,

Mike 

How to sign up for the Draughters in three easy steps

Here are instructions on how to sign up for the Draughters.  Everyone needs to sign up as a recreational rider at a minimum to ensure we are insured for group rides.  If you are a member of another team, but want to join a ride, there is no need to sign up (but you should buy me a beer). 

Recreational riders:

Go to the  ABA website and purchase a general membership by:

a.      Clicking on the button saying you have joined an ABA sanctioned club

b.      Choosing the 'Wild Rose Brewery Draughters' on the pulldown menu under 'Club/Home Track'

c.      Choosing the General Membership for $40

d.      Skipping everything else except for reading and checking the boxes for the Waiver and Declaration

e.      Check out
f.       I will receive your membership card in the mail and give it to you at the next group ride you are at

For riders who want to race in the WNRS

Go to the Crankmasters website and buy a Calgary Crankmasters secondary club membership for $35, which entitles you to go on all Crankmasters group rides and race in all 15 races in the WNRS.

For riders who want to ride in ABA events

Follow the recreational rider instructions, except under 2)c. choose the Citizen Cycling Licence or UCI Licence.  Only do this if you are planning to ride multiple ABA races, as there will be day licences available for many events if you only want to do one or two events.

Great Rides in 2013

There will be some Wild Rose Brewery Draughters at the following rides in 2013:

http://branchoutbiketour.com/ at Panorama (near Invermere, BC) - June 15, 2013
http://www.granfondohincapie.com/ in Greenville, South Carolina - October 26, 2013

There will probably be spectator events organized around the Tour of Alberta, the first ever UCI sanctioned pro cycling race in Alberta http://tourofalberta.ca/site/

And a bunch of us can't make the Highwood Gran Fondo, but we want to ride the Highwood Pass one weekend so we're probably going to do that one day. Check out the route, and the event looks great (unfortunately it conflicts with a triathlon date)
http://transrockies.com/gran-fondo-highwood-pass/

Cadel Evans, Dave Zabriskie and George Hincapie do not officially endorse Wild Rose Beer, but they probably would if they drank it