Still lots of riding left this year

First, I’m sending out this message with everyone’s e-mail addresses showing so that Andrew, Gord, Gerard and anyone else who organizes rides can update their mailing lists, as we’ve had a few people join recently.

 

Second, for those who didn’t get Gord’s note, we are doing a MTB ride tomorrow morning at 8:00 am meeting at the West Bragg Creek parking lot.  It should be a beautiful morning and a great ride if you have the time.

 

Third, cyclocross season started this morning with the Natural High CX in Okotoks.  Clark and I represented the Draughters well by not coming last (or even close to last, for that matter).  Etienne has a new bike and will start racing soon.  For anyone else interested in CX racing but unsure of what it entails (lots of people start on Mountain Bikes), I’m happy to host a CX skills ride in the park by my house on Wednesday nights.  I have no skills, but have watched some YouTube videos.  Maybe we’ll bring my iPad to the park.  Please e-mail me directly if you are interested.  And seriously think about trying CX.  It’s super fun and now that Clark and Etienne are racing, I won’t have to go for beers by myself after races, yeah!

 

Fourth, I’ve stopped doing the Face Punch rides on Monday nights so that I can spend more time with my boys.  If anyone wants to pick up organizing that ride or organize another ride on Mondays, feel free.

 

Finally, the design is done for our new jerseys (no snide comments about how long this has taken, this is a volunteer run team and all complainers are encouraged to volunteer) and they look awesome.  Contact Carber if you missed out on ordering and want the most stylish cycling kit in Calgary.  It’s a combo of part of the Electric Avenue Lager label on the front and the Natural Born Killer psycho goat on the back.  If none of this makes sense to you, you need to immediately go buy beer.

 

Ride on,

 

Mike

 

2014 ABA Casino

In case anyone is interested and available.  Please let me know if you do volunteer, and I’ll make sure there is beer in your near future…

 

From: Heather Lothian [mailto:heather@albertabicycle.ab.ca]
Sent: August-08-14 12:19 PM
To: Heather Lothian
Subject: 2014 ABA Casino
Importance: High

 

Dear Presidents of ABA-affiliated clubs:

 

I hope all of your are enjoying the cycling season, and things are going well for your respective clubs.

 

I’m writing in regard to our upcoming casino in Calgary, August 17^th and 18^th. To those of you who have already signed up to work a shift, a big thank-you. A substantial number of positions, however, remain to be filled at the casino. I would reckon that if each club contributed one volunteer, we would fill our remaining vacancies.

 

Casino fundraising constitutes substantial revenue for the Association, allowing us to continue with operations and programming at current levels.

 

Please have a look at the schedule/sign-up form here: https://www.volunteersignup.org/78DP9

If you, or members of your club, are able to contribute one or more shifts, we would be most grateful.

 

Finally, all workers are entitled to a free meal at the casino. Those working a count-room shift may arrive at 11pm, and will have time to eat before the counting begins.

Also, for those travelling from outside the city, we can compensate for mileage from the casino proceeds.

 

Thanks,

 

-Andy Holmwood

ABA President

403.707.8116

 

 

Action Requested: Team LoChanRulez $1,000,000 challenge for the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer

The Story:  Team LoChanRulez was formed in memory of my late wife, Lorraine Chan, an avid cyclist who succumbed to cancer on 22 April 2014.  To date, our ragtag team of 4 riders has raised more than $50,000 due to the overwhelming generosity of family and friends.  However, as our donations have slowed and with the Ride only four days away, we’ve asked ourselves what Lorraine would do?  The answer is clear, she would have set the bar even higher and so should we.  Our renewed goal is to convince 50,000 people around the world to donate $20 each.  That would push Team LoChanRulez past $1,000,000 and make us the top fundraising team for this year’s Ride.  What better way to pay tribute to Lorraine and the loved ones we all have lost to cancer through the years?  

 

Why you should donate:  It is always fun to be part of something ambitious and bigger than ourselves, and hopefully for many people $20 is an affordable amount to donate to this very worthy cause.  Cancer research benefits people around the world no matter where it is done.  In Lorraine’s case, the team at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre collaborated closely with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.  When information and research is shared, we are all one step closer to winning the war on cancer.

 

The Ask:

 

1.       If you have donated already, thank you again, you can skip to 2.  If you haven’t, please follow these nine easy steps (I didn’t provide a link so you know this isn’t a phishing e-mail or something else malicious): Google ‘Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer’; click on the website link; click on ‘Alberta’ at the top of the page; click on the green ‘Donate’ button at the top of the page; click on the circle by  ‘Search for a Team’; type in ‘LoChanRulez’; click on ‘Find a Participant’; click on ‘Mike Urquhart’; click on the green ‘Donate Online Now’; and then donate $20.

2.       Please forward this message on to 2 or more people who you know are people of action.  We only have four more days after all, and it should only take 8 rounds of forwarding to hit $1,000,000.   In particular, send it to people who aren’t in Calgary.  Lorraine and I lived overseas for 10 years, so hopefully we can make this go viral globally.

3.       Check the website periodically to see how we are doing towards the $1,000,000 goal.

 

On behalf of Team LoChanRulez and Lorraine, thanks for your support and have a great day,

 

Mike Urquhart

 

 

Jerseys, Rides and Beer

For everyone who hasn’t responded to Carber about buying jerseys and shorts, please do so as soon as possible.  We will be ordering soon and you don’t want to miss out.  Surprisingly (to me anyway) there weren’t many takers on the skinsuits, so you won’t have to block the image of me in a Draughters skinsuit from your mind any time soon.

 

The WNRS is a sprint double elimination tomorrow night for those who are interested.

 

Andrew and Gerard are unable to organize the Saturday ride for the rest of the month.  I will lead an early ride this Saturday leaving the Westside Church Parking lot (3939 69 Street SW) at 6:00 am.  Please let me know if you want to join.  We will adjust speed and distance based on who comes out.  This will be a no drop ride.  If someone wants to organize another ride later in the day, please let me know.

 

Gord will organize the Sunday MTB ride separately because that’s just the way he is.

 

I can’t do the Face Punch Ride again until Stampede.  If someone wants to fill in for me over the next few weeks please let me know. 

 

For the month of June the Charity Pint Program at the Taproom supports the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, so get your friends together and drink lots of Electric Avenue Lager and Natural Born Keller.  Go team LoChanRulez.

 

Finally, please keep registering with the ABA.  I now have 10% off cards for the Taproom for all registered team members.

 

Ride on and rain, rain, go away,

 

Mike

 

Draughters Rides

Gord is out of town this weekend, so things need to be shifted around a bit.  Further to Andrew’s recent note, if anyone is interested in doing the Highwood Pass on Sunday, please let him know.  If there are no takers, Andrew and I are going to do Highwood about 3 hours earlier, so if that is of interest to you, you can also let us know.

 

On Saturday I will lead a group ride from Bragg Creek to Elbow Falls.  We will meet at 8:00 am in the parking lot of the Bragg Creek Shopping Centre.  This will be good training for anyone riding the WNRS next week, which will be a road race on the same route.  Please let me know if you are planning to attend.  I’m happy to leave earlier if that is of interest to people.

 

Finally, the Face Punch Ride will be hill repeats at COP on Monday.  We will meet at the base of the hill at 7:00 pm.  Last week we had 7 people out and the training was awesome (and then we went for beers, which was great too).

RE: Draughters cycle ride - June 8th - Highwood Pass

Any interest?

 

If not, Mike and I are going to head out at an earlier time

 

Andrew

 

From: Andrew Wrenshall
Sent: June 01, 2014 7:32 PM
To: 'Gerard D'Mello'; 'Michael Urquhart'; amacnichol@progressenergy.com; 'Brian Anderson'; 'Carber Goodlet'; 'Clark Shommer'; 'Donna MacNichol'; 'Draughters Blog'; 'Etienne Poulin'; 'Evan Dann'; 'Gabriel Ollivier'; 'Garry McCulloch'; 'Gary Spicer'; 'Gord McMorland'; 'Janet Te'; 'Jim Brent'; jlurquhart@shaw.ca; 'Justin Chadwick'; 'Kari Gregory'; 'Kelsey Smart'; 'Lewis Gitelman'; 'Mike Huth'; 'Mike Shackleton'; monica.sloan@jksholdings.com; 'Murray, Krista (CA - Alberta)'; 'Nick Galasso'; 'Pam Hauck'; 'Paula Emery'; peritusyards@shaw.ca; 'Rae Ann'; 'Rick Green'; 'Rick Mazurkewich'; 'Rory O'Connor'; 'Stephanie Maxwell'; 'Veronica McCulloch'; Wilma.Braat@mnp.ca; 'sonjas@shaw.ca'
Subject: Draughters cycle ride - June 8th - Highwood Pass

 

Anybody interested in cycling Highwood Pass next Sunday, from the North side.

 

Option 1:

Park at King Creek , where the road is closed.  It's a 36km round trip, 480M climb.   Approx. 2:30 hrs round trip. 

Sonja and 2 others are planning to do this.  She did it last weekend and loved it.  Saw bears, moose etc

 

Option 2.

Park at Mt Kidd RV park.  82km round trip, 820 M climb.

 

We can meet at 9am, at the Petro-Canada gas station on Hwy 1, decide who wants to do which option and car-pool from there.

 

Let me know if there's any interest, so we can plan accordingly.

 

Andrew

Face Punch Ride #2

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Andrew led a sweet road ride yesterday morning and Gord led an awesome MTB ride this morning.  For those who couldn’t make it, hopefully you were able to ride somewhere.  Tomorrow night the plan is to meet at the bottom of Edworthy on the South side of the Bow at 7:00 pm.  We will do a warm-up, and then do 5 intervals up Edworthy.  You will have the choice of going at your own pace, or for those who are game, do a group race up the hill, with the fastest person leading the group the following interval.  Please e-mail me if you plan to attend, so that I know who to expect.  Stephanie is already confirmed. 

Draughters cycle ride - June 8th - Highwood Pass

Anybody interested in cycling Highwood Pass next Sunday, from the North side.

 

Option 1:

Park at King Creek , where the road is closed.  It’s a 36km round trip, 480M climb.   Approx. 2:30 hrs round trip. 

Sonja and 2 others are planning to do this.  She did it last weekend and loved it.  Saw bears, moose etc

 

Option 2.

Park at Mt Kidd RV park.  82km round trip, 820 M climb.

 

We can meet at 9am, at the Petro-Canada gas station on Hwy 1, decide who wants to do which option and car-pool from there.

 

Let me know if there’s any interest, so we can plan accordingly.

 

Andrew

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Draughters Group Ride - Sat May 31

PLEASE email me in advance, so we don't miss anybody.

Thanks, Andrew

 

Meeting point:  9am – Car park at 37^th st SW & Hwy 22X

Route: South to Leighton Arts Centre – West on 274 Ave to Hwy 22 – West on Plummers Road – North on hwy 762 – East on Hwy 22X to Car park.

Distance:  Approx. 60Km

 

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Rides this weekend

Thanks Gerard for stepping up to set up the road ride.  Just a friendly reminder to everyone to sign up for the Draughters through the ABA before the ride on Saturday.  Thanks to everyone who has signed up so far.  I will bring membership cards to Saturday’s ride.  For those people who want to come for a ride to see if the Draughters is the club for them, I will also be bringing single day waivers so we stay on side with all the ABA rules. 

 

There will also be a mountain bike ride this Sunday.  Gord is away this weekend, so if anyone wants to organize that please let me know asap.  Carber, buddy, pal???

Draughters - Sat ride - May 24th

I will be away this weekend.   Is anybody else interested in organizing a ride?

Andrew

RE: 2014 Group Rides and Jerseys - Sat Ride

I plan to beat the rain and do an early morning Sat ride, if anybody is interested.

Sat 7:30am – Car park at 37^th st SW & Hwy 22X

Route: Road to Nepal – Millarville Farmers Mkt – Hwy 22 North – 274 Ave W via the Leighton Centre

Dist:  Approx. 50Km

Andrew

Wednesday Night Racing Series starts next Wednesday, 21 May

The details are here http://www.c4racingwns.blogspot.ca/.  This year there will be three divisions for men, and two divisions for women.  This is a very fun and relatively safe (i.e. most people have jobs, kids, and a general desire not to crash) way to try road racing.  The first race is an Individual Time Trial, and then the format changes every week.  While there will be lots of people next Wednesday with time trial bikes, aero helmets, skinsuits, and shoe covers, this is absolutely not necessary.  I started out doing the WNRS with just my road bike three years ago, and it was still lots of fun.  Okay, as fun as riding as hard as you can for 13 km can be (my training has sucked over the winter, so it might not be too much fun for me next week).  If you do want to try the WNRS, please remember to sign up for a Secondary Level membership with Crankmasters.  So in summary, super fun, only $35 for 15 races, beers after races at the Taproom, cash prizes and a year-end party with free beer and water bottles, what more could you ask for?

 

 

2014 Group Rides and Jerseys

For those who aren’t aware, my wife Lorraine was diagnosed with cancer last fall and passed away in April.  Lorraine did a lot to help organize the Draughters and set up rides, and frankly I’ve struggled to get things set up on my own.  The good news is that a bunch of Draughters have stepped up to help out.  So here is the plan for 2014:

- Andrew will set up a Saturday morning road ride most weekends.  If someone wants to volunteer to help him out when he is out of town that would be great.  In my previous e-mail you can see all the e-mail addresses of your fellow members, so feel free to set up a “Draughters” mailing list if you want.

- Gord will set up a Sunday morning MTB ride most weekends.  If someone wants to volunteer to help him out when he is out of town that would be great.

- I will set up the Monday evening Face Punch Ride (so named because it is mostly interval training, which Lorraine used to say is as much fun as being punched in the face).  If someone wants to volunteer to help me out when I’m away that would be great.

- Anyone else who would like to set up a ride, please let me know, as I need to tell the ABA for insurance purposes.

- Don’t forget that Wednesday night is the Wednesday Night Racing Series for all you old-timers out there (i.e. 30+ years old) who are interested in a fun and friendly introduction to road racing.

Carber has graciously volunteered to organize jerseys this year.  The good folks at Wild Rose are helping us with a new design consistent with the cool new packaging of Wild Rose beer.  Our jerseys are already cool, and they will now be even cooler.

Finally, I have started team LoChanRulez for the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer this year.  Thanks to all those who have donated so far, and if anyone wants to ride with the team, the more the merrier.

Ride on,

Mike

2014 Draughters Sign-up

Below are instructions to sign up for the Draughters for 2014.  As a minimum everyone needs to purchase a general membership to ensure we are insured for group rides.  

Recreational riders:

Go to http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/ and click on the Membership button on the left.  Once you provide your personal details:

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

b.      Choose the 'Wild Rose Brewery Draughters' on the pull-down menu under 'Club/Home Track'

c.      Choosing the General Membership for $40

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

e.      Check out
f.       E-mail your Zone4 receipt to mikeu@shaw.ca.  I will prepare your membership, and trade it for $10 when I see you on a group ride (the $10 is to cover the cost of setting up the team with the ABA).

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.  E-mail your Zone4 receipt to mikeu@shaw.ca.  I will prepare your membership, and trade it for $45 when I see you for a group ride.  The $45 is $10 to help cover the cost of setting up the team, and $35 for race insurance which the team is invoiced directly by the ABA.

Thanks and I look forward to seeing everyone out this year,

Mike

Going the Distance - Fundraiser for Local Charity

Please see below, in case you would like to support Justin in his ride across Canada.  We met Justin last summer on the Tyler Hamilton ride.  For those of you doing the math, he needs to average 200km per day for 30 days.  Wild Rose is also going to help him out, although hopefully not during the ride.  That could get ugly.  Feel free to pass this on if you know anyone else who might be interested.  Thanks, Mike

Hi All!

As some of you may already know, this summer I’ll be attempting to ride my bike from Vancouver to Halifax in 30 days. I am doing this ride as a means to raise funds for a local charity called Two Wheel View. TWV uses the bicycle as a tool to deliver high quality programs which serve youth over multiple developmental years – a “cycle of success” that begins in local neighborhoods and extend to communities abroad. TWV engages youth 11 to 17 years of age in after school “Earn-a-Bike” programs and bicycle expeditions in Canada and abroad.

100% of the funds donated to Two Wheel View via Going the Distance will be used to establish a perpetual scholarship fund to be awarded annually to deserving youth as means to participate in a Two Wheel View bicycle expedition program abroad. Please help us reach our fundraising goal of $50,000!!

The establishment of this scholarship will help to fund youth who show interest in learning about the themselves and the world around them from the seat of the bike, but do not have the financial means to do so.

Also, if you are a user of social media, by following and sharing my social media outlets, you can help me get the word out! Please check out my website and follow my blog and on Facebook & Twitter as I prepare for this adventure.

For those of you that might have a child in this age group and would be interested: Two Wheel View is leading Bicycle Expedition programs for youth ages 14-17 this summer in Alberta, Argentina and Quebec. On these trips, participants learn leadership, teamwork and communication skills; are involved in the daily planning of their trip, are exposed to new communities and cultures and encouraged to connect with their natural environment. If you’d like to learn more about these opportunities for a young person in your life please let me know.

  

www.goingthedistance4twv.com

Twitter  /  Facebook   /  Blog  / Donate!

 Please let me know if you have any questions or would like any further information about the ride or Two Wheel View’s programs, and please pass this on to anyone you know that would be interested in supporting this journey!

Thank you all so much in advance for your support!

Justin

Ride Tomorrow

I apologize for being slow in setting everything up officially with the ABA for the Draughters this year.  I will try to get that sorted out over the weekend. 

In the meantime, the forecast looks good and Andrew has wisely suggested we go for a ride.  So if you want to ride with Andrew and I tomorrow, we’re meeting at 2:00 pm in the parking lot at the corner of 37^th Street and Highway 22X.  We’ll likely do something like Road to Nepal, Leighton Art Centre, or the like.  If you are planning on joining, please send me an e-mail so that we know who to look for.  A reminder that my cell number is 403 660 9463 if you are running late and want to let me know.

Gord McMorland is going to lead our mountain biking rides this year (thanks Gord), Carber is taking care of clothing (thanks Carber) and I’m going to try to convince Andrew to try to lead the road riding (Andrew???).  If anyone else wants to volunteer for anything please let me know.  I look forward to see everyone out on the road and trails this year. 

Mike

Membership has its privileges

Draughters,

 

First of all, I’ve edited the distribution list down to those people who have actually come out for a ride or event in the last year, and whose name I actually recognize, so congratulations, you made the cut.  Please take a look at everyone on the distribution list, and if you think I’ve missed anyone, or you know of someone that would enjoy riding with us, please let me know.

 

More importantly, as ambassadors for Wild Rose, you and a guest are cordially invited to the grand opening of our new brewery this Wednesday.  If you can attend, please RSVP to the address on the invitation.  I hope to see you there.

 

Thanks and best regards,

 

Mike