Last Weekend for Team Mode Clothing Orders
Dynamic pricing has already lowered the price for our Bib Shorts to $159 each. One more Red Jersey order will push that price down to $134 each. And two more White Jerseys will push their price down to $134 too.
The store will be closing down on Monday. After a brief period it will be back open for any late-comers in on-demand delivery mode with basic pricing for all items.
Velocity Logo-ed Trucker Caps
Our BMX group has a local contact who embroiders the Velocity logo onto black trucker caps (fabric up front with mesh material in back).
Pricing would be in the $20 range. Maybe less if we can get a large enough order organized.
Interested? I’ll start collecting names over the next month to assemble an order for us. Email me with “Trucker Cap” in the subject line: coaching@velocitycyclingclub.ca
Attention MTB Riders: The Canadian Rockies 24HR Returns This Year!
The old classic 24 HR Mountain Bike Race re-launches in Canmore this August 27-28th at the Canmore Nordic Centre!
You can race Solo, Duo, Team of 4 to 5 or a Corporate team of 6-10 riders. The club could be eligible for a team entry discount of 30%. Talk it up. Spread the word to your fellow MTB racers in the other clubs too.
Read more details here: https://canadianrockies24.com/
Yes! Our First Outdoor Ride
The forecast looks promising for a ride this Saturday. We’ll meet at the Strathcona Olympiette Centre at 11am for an easy 60km loop to start the season (eager riders can start earlier, ride out, or tack on some extra time at the end).
Planned Ride Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/2944734468205591924
I’ll need your name and an emergency contact to have a proper Emergency Action Plan if anything should go wrong. Please pre-register on this form:
It may have been a while since you’ve done some group riding. Please remember some of our best practices:
- All riders in the group have a responsibility to point out road surface irregularities for the benefit of riders behind them.
- Do not just fixate on the wheel immediately in front of you, but also watch up ahead. You will be less surprised when something happens in the group ahead of you.
- When riding at the front on a downhill you must continue to pedal. If you just freewheel, the riders behind will have to brake to avoid running into you. Not all roads are safe enough for others to simply overtake you.
- When riding at the front be aware of the wind. For example, if the wind is from the right, move towards the right side of the shoulder. This makes more room for the riders behind you to seek shelter without being in the traffic lane. Safer for all concerned. Same applies for a cross wind from the left. Move towards the left without moving too far into the traffic lane. It gives riders more room to follow without riding in the gutter.
- If you must spit or drink it is best to do so when you are at the back of the group. This is mandatory during COVID times.
- Half-wheeling is not necessarily dangerous, but it is poor cycling etiquette. A sign of experience is an ability to ride the pace of weaker riders in the group, not just full throttle. If you are feeling strong take a longer pull on the front rather than a faster pull.
- Group crossing of major roadways and highways has the potential for catastrophe. As you approach a major intersection drop a couple of gears so that when the time comes you will be able to quickly accelerate to cross the road. Do not get bogged down in your big ring. Pay attention, no time for chatting. It is most important that the group acts as one, so communication is important. Someone at the front of the group must verbally take charge and tell the group when to wait and when to go and how far to go, i.e. halfway, all the way.
- When you overlap wheels in a group you are at greater risk. Do you trust the rider whose wheel you have overlapped? If your front wheel gets bumped, you will crash most of the time.
- Usually we ride in a social double paceline. Ride 2-up, side-by-side, and you can chat with the rider beside you. Don’t half-wheel (see the above)! On the front, each rider will drop back along the same side that they have been respectively riding. The left rider drops to the left. The right rider to the right. Make a clear hand signal to the riders immediately behind to indicate you’re letting them come forward.
- At other times, in a fast riding or really strong headwind or crosswind scenario, we ride in a double line echelon. As the name implies a double line echelon has two lines of riders. The faster line where the riders move forward in the group and the slower line where the riders drop back. Regardless which line you are in, it is important to always be on a wheel. As well the only time you accelerate is when you are at the back of the group and moving across to join the line of riders moving forward. When you reach the front of the forward moving line of riders it is important that you do not accelerate. If each rider accelerates before moving over to join the drop back line of riders, the whole group will continue to speed up until the echelon blows apart … not what we want!