W. O. W.

Crazy ride of insanity! I'll update with a post soon but this ride is now in the books!

Sadie is heading home!

Fundraising

Hello!

Thanks for stopping by to follow the adventures of Sadie, Ghiry, myself, and all of my friends. We are having a lot of fun biking, taking in the scenery, attending festivals, and meeting new people. But what is it all about?

For the next 2 weeks it is all about fund raising. You see, I am riding in The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer on August 9th & 10th and I need your help. I've set my goal really high this year and have reached out to a lot of people but I'm not even close to making my goal. This is where you come in!

The goal: $25,000
Current donations: $2,542

Remember, a donation doesn't need to be huge, it just needs to happen. A lot of little donations add to to a lot of money very quickly. So please, click the link and make a donation today. Everything is done online. It's quick, it's easy and YOU are making an epic impact on the fight to conquer cancer!


THIS IS THE LINK --> http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/nhkayakgirl2014 <---- RIGHT THERE!

UPDATE Aug 1, 2014 - Funds raised to date: $3252. Let's keep the momentum going! There are only 7 days until I RIDE! :) Click the link above to donate!

UPDATE Aug 5, 2014 - Funds raised to date: $3352. CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO HELP GROW THAT AMOUNT! :)

UPDATE: Aug 6, 2014 - $3402! Thanks to a "stranger". :D

UPDATE: Aug 7, 2014 - $3502 - Thank you out to Lorna & Eldon! Your donation will show up on my page in a couple of weeks after it is processed. 

Bicycle Repair Man!

Ghiry was so excited to be taking a ride that he didn't even notice Sadie in the truck when he bounded into the back set. It wasn't until we had reached Edmonton that he calmed down enough to realize that her rear tire was hanging over the back of his seat. "Um, Mom, where are we going and why is Sadie in the truck?", he asked. I explained that Sadie had a check up with Bicycle Repair Man tonight and we were taking her to his shop. Though not highly amused to be sharing his space with "the bike", Ghiry was tickled that it wasn't him who had a check up tonight.

Super cute Bicycle Man leaning against a tree in the yard. I couldn't resist! 

While Keith (aka Raving Bike Fiend, Bicycle Repair Man, etc.) popped Sadie up on the stand for her check up, Ghiry headed off to hang with Dani. He reports that he had a wonderful walk up and down the street, enjoyed a cool drink, sniffed the heck out of the back yard, got more hugs than he's had in his life, and generally enjoyed himself immensely. I've been instructed (by Ghiry) that he is not to be left behind on future trips to RBF Cycles. Fortunately, they are super dog friendly so I think I may oblige as long as I'm not heading off on a ride from there.

The concern this evening for me was the state of Sadie's tires, rims, and rear breaks. We have only 2.5 weeks until THE RIDE and I'd had a flat tire on Sunday's ride. My concern was that if it was time to change the tires, let's check the rims to see where they are at before heading out to buy new tires. Keith assured me that although it is probably time to change at least the rear rim, Sadie is just fine for THE RIDE. And despite the flat yesterday, tires are made of 2 layers and I've only got nicks and tiny cuts in the outer layer of the tires so I should be fine. Oh, you can be sure I've got spare tubes on hand just in case! The only real repair Sadie required as a new set of rear break pads. For 23, and having ridden over 1500 km in the past year, she is holding up amazingly well.

Even though I've been cycling for 32 years, sometimes I feel pretty bike dumb. It's like when you buy a car or a computer or a fancy new phone - you aren't necessarily the one fixing it and so, might know little about it. I'm making it a point to change that this year (and going forward). I may never become Bicycle Repair Gurl but at least I'll know enough about Sadie (and all of my bikes to come) that I can talk sensibly about them and know how to check for worn parts.

Repairs completed, Keith was kind enough to give Sadie a quick wash & rinse. Um, yeah, maybe we were riding in the rain during the Community Garden Tour on Sunday, maybe. Sparkly clean and ready to stop on a dime, Sadie and I were both relieved that she only required minor work tonight. Keith is keeping an eye out for some wheels for later in the season and I'm now considering a paint job or a paint touch up for Sadie. Perhaps it is Veronica who needs a new color...

Packed up and heading home, Ghiry already misses his friends at RBF Cycles & Sadie sends out a huge THANK YOU to Keith (she says he's the best Bicycle Repair Man she knows). RBF Cycles is the official repair shop for Sadie, sponsoring her in THE RIDE by providing her tune ups, check ups, and general repairs.

You can sponsor Sadie as well with a donation to The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. She will really appreciate it!

Into the (River) Valley of Death

The North Saskatchewan River looks like a sneaky slippery snake for a reason...

Early this morning I received an invite to ride the river valley. I've only ever been on the peripheral of the Edmonton River Valley - by car, on foot, but  never into The Valley and never on bike. "Sounds like a great idea", I thought, "sign me up!". I responded back, "Yup, I'm in!" - afterall, I've been doing hill training in the glory hills north of Spruce & Stony. I was sure I was ready.

HA!

The evening started with some warm up laps in a neighborhood northwest of The Valley as I awaited the arrival of my riding partner. When Keith arrived, we headed south. I was amazed by how few cars were on the streets of Edmonton at 7pm on a Tuesday evening. Of course, it was a business district and past rush hour so I suppose everyone had already left town.

When we reached the lip of The Valley, I looked down on the beautiful view but never registered just how far DOWN it went. Try it yourself - stand on the lip of The Valley, taking in the beautiful views and you'll find that you don't really think "Hmmmm, that looks like a long way down (and hence up)". And down we went. The wind blowing though my helmet, a huge grin on my face, rolling down, down, and down. It truly is a wonderful trail to ride.

Keith of RBF Cycles is a fantastic trail guide as he rides The Valley regularly and knows cycling. The route that he selected was an excellent challenge and I only felt like doing bodily harm to him once, amazingly enough! All kidding aside, you never realize just how NOT hill ready you are until you ride some real hills.

We crossed the river and rode east along the southern bank for some time (mostly uphill) before heading into the ATC for a break. Sadie took in the scenery while I thought about what I had just done (the steepest hill I'd seen in some time) and chatted with Keith about why his bike appears to fly uphill while Sadie feels like she is a sinking rock (besides my lack of practice) - Keith's bike weighs just about... oh, nothing! Must remember to take photos of Keith's bike the next time we ride.

  The trip out of The Valley and back into the city was easier and I got in some faster speeds than I have been riding and we zipped into one of my favorite stores - Italian Centre Shoppe for a drink before heading home. A huge thanks to Keith who taught me a thing or 3 (heels down, scrape dog poo, if you want to ride fast - you have to ride fast) and makes a great friend, guide, & coach. Sadie & I are delighted to have Keith & RBF Cycles as coach & sponsor for our ride. :) We couldn't ask for better.

And, I'll be back in The Valley soon. You can't keep me down, Hills!!!!

Canada Day Celebration

July 1, 2014 - Canada Day

The alarm was set for 5am but never rang. Fortunately the phone did and I realized that I had set the "weekend" alarm but Canada Day was on a Tuesday this year. It was 6:55 and I was due at Jubilee Park for set up at 7am. With a quick text message to Kerri, Sadie & I were out the door. Arriving at 7:30, we were directed to the Exhibitors Tent on the west side of Jubilee Park. I'd seen it during my ride-by the evening before.

I unloaded the table, trainer stand, and prizes into my space in the tent and headed back up the hill to park. Sadie had offered me a ride back to the tent if I let her ride up the hill in the truck. It was a deal!

Arriving back at the tent, I set Sadie up on the trainer stand and arranged my display of prizes and posters. Ready for visitors by 8 but not officially open until 11, I left the Exhibitors Tent in search of breakfast. There is an excellent pancake breakfast - a steal at only $3 and with Bradley Tucker serenading us with Diesel, Diesel, Diesel, who could ask for more?

 

After breakfast I headed back to the tent to find Sadie - dressed up in her new handlebar grips and streamers - ready for her signs. As I affixed her signs, Sadie talked about how excited she was to meet new people and tell them all about The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer and how she is going to ride 220 km over 2 days in August to raise funds for The Alberta Cancer Foundation. She can hardly wait!

It was a busy day, meeting new people, greeting friends, signing people up for the prize draw (read on for the winners), and handing out bubbles to the kids. I especially liked hearing the children talk about their bikes and biking adventures. I enjoyed hearing the stories from everyone who had ridden The Ride before, those would would like to ride, and those who are interested in biking in general. Although we weren't open until 11, folks were strolling through as early as 9 and we were busy all day. 11 hours, 200+ informational cards, & 75 bottles of bubbles later, it was time to pack up. Driving home, I couldn't help but think about what a fantastic city Spruce Grove is and how many wonderful people there are here in town. I hope to see you all out on the trails soon! Watch for me & Sadie as we continue to train on the trails and streets of Spruce Grove!

Prize Winners:

Irises framed photograph - Tina Boissonnault

Bike Gears framed photograph - Michael Anthony

Bike Water  Bottle - Caitlyn Darcy

Bike Bell - Valerie Rose

Bike Sleeves - Monica Choong

Bike Sleeves - Liz Manuel

70 km Training Ride

It was a beautiful morning when Sadie & I left the house at 6am. The plan was an 80 km ride - the longest training ride to date. I mixed up a bag of hydration/nutrition, geared up, fired up the Map My Ride app, checked Sadie's tires, and away we went, west to the forest trails under a blue sky sunrise.

Hill climbing rides include the roads north of Spruce Grove via either Century Rd. or Campsite. This morning's ride plan was to ride out to Campsite, north to the Villeneuve Highway, West to 779 and then see where we go from there. I enjoy the Campsite road north as it is 8 km from the point I cross the Yellowhead until I reach the Villeneuve - all up hill. Call me crazy but I like to challenge myself to stay on the bike for long hills. So far the 3 rides up this hill have been a success in that regard.

The day began to warm up a bit as I traveled west along the Villenueve. Stopping for a distance break at the corner of Villenueve & 779 though, the clouds started rolling in. Looking back east, sunny blue skies. Looking west, deep grey clouds. Hmmmm, what to do? 25 Km into the ride, watched by the Cows on the Hill, I decided to head south on 779 and pick up one of the west heading roads towards Chickakoo Recreation Area. I remembered that one or 2 of the Bullseye Bike Shop Sunday rides last year took us around this area so why not!

Turning west on Township Road 540, I let Sadie take the lead as we headed towards the purple grey sky. The road travels several rolling hills, a good challenge but nothing too difficult and seeing a sign for Chickakoo, Sadie decided we'd head south again and see where we come out. I'm guessing she was dreaming of 4x4'ing again as the road turned to dirt for about 2km and our pace slowed to a crawl as Sadie hummed along and I concentrated on not skidding out or tipping over. I'm going to have to have a talk with that bike of mine!

Reaching Range Road 13, I realized we were at the entrance to Chickakoo and a left would take us back out to 779. My vote won out and we left the dirt road for pavement again just as Mother Nature decided that Sadie & I must be thirsty flowers and began watering us. We were heading southeast and I could see that the skies to the east were still bright. Reaching 779, I checked my ride distance - 30ish km - that wasn't right. Hmmmm, could I have lost some tracking in the roads west of 779?  I considered riding down to the Yellowhead and heading east on the access road from here or heading straight south into Stony Plain to make a big loop out and around Stony & Spruce but the weather had other plans for me.

As I rode across the Yellowhead overpass, it started to rain again - harder this time. The wind picked up, the sky turned fairly black, and as I reached Wood Ave to Boulder Blvd, the clouds unzipped and drenched me. How much rain was falling, you ask? As I rode along Boulder Blvd, there was a 3 ft wide "river" of water running along the gutter from the curb into the road. THAT much water. And I was soaked from head to toe. There was so much water that not only was it flying up my back off the back tire but also flying off the front tire, hitting the underside of Sadie's frame, and soaking my feet. And, there was a nice little water wing going off the front of the tire as well. It was WET!

I made it safely to the office at the other end of Boulder and stopped for a quick break before heading back out in the rain (although it was now raining much less) to cross 16a, turn south again and take 44th ave over to Boundary Road. Something I would not recommend is riding south on Boundary Road. Yup, dirt again... Sadie really had it in for me today though I think Mother Nature was apologizing here:

I made it out to 79th and headed east towards Spruce Grove, turning north on Golden Spike to cross 16A once again into Spruce Grove. I checked the ride mapper - 40 something km - something still wasn't quite right, I had to have ridden further than that.  I decided to take the forest trail west from Calahoo to the north branch off (MFT) that heads under Grove Drive and out to Grove on the other end. I figured I still had a way to go though I'd been riding for over 3 hours already. Heading east once more, I rode down to Jubilee Park to check out the preparations for Canada Day. Sadie and I will have a table set up to hand out info -  make sure to stop by and visit us!

Looping through Jubilee and back out to Grove, we headed home to clean up, dry off, and figure out how far we had gone (tracking done in the Durango after breakfast).

Ride time: 4.5 hours
Ride Distance: 70.36 km

The map that I created after driving the ride in the Durango:

Riding for 60

It was a fabulous day for a training ride - the sun was out, the birds were singing, the wind was somewhat behaving...

I left the house at 9am, intent on making 60 km today. The longest ride so far had been 50 with quite a few 30-40 km rides in between And, I was doing hills today as most of my rides had been on only mild hills within the confines of Spruce Grove - the city - rather than north into the real hills. With only 48 days until THE RIDE, hills are becoming more important.

I headed west towards the forest of Spruce Grove, zooming through the trees and enjoying the cool of the woods. Perpetually damp, the forest always smells of pine and rotting wood - I love it! I popped out on McLeod Ave and turned north, aiming for the hills of Campsite Rd. As I crossed 16 (The Yellowhead), I had already made 8 km and now the hills began. I was planning a stop at a friend's house for a quick hello along the way. The thing I love about MapMyRide.com is the km counter on the map and the verbal announcement of time & distance traveled. When I look back, I can see that from the distance from 16 to Lorraine's road is 8 km - 8 KM OF HILL! That's right, up, up, up, all the way for 8km. riding it didn't feel that far when I think about it and I had to do the translation to miles to understand it - 5 MILES. I rode 5 miles uphill all the way. Back in the old days it was uphill both ways but these days, if you go uphill, you get to come back down hill if you turn around.

A brief stop-in at Lorraine's house to say "Hi, I've ridden 15 km and I've got 45 more to go", a hug (and a caring "Ho-lee"), and I was out the door, on my way again. I continued west until I found Range Road 275. The plan had been to head south and then west again to 779 and Chickakoo so I'm not sure what possessed me to turn north until I reached the Villeneuve Highway. At the stop, I contemplated what was ahead of me - a hill, a dirt road hill. But, it was the top of the world. I could see that it was the top. I wanted to go to the top!! And so I kicked Sadie into 4x4 and off we went, up the hill.

There is something about being on top of the world with nowhere to go but down on either side. And I suppose I suffer a bit from curiosity - I needed to know what was up there & to say, "I made it to the top". I'm glad that I did as I found that at the top there were fantastic views and an eroded bank with a large birds nest built into the side. Something different that I'd not seen yet on any of my rides around Spruce & Stony.

Now, as enjoyable as an downhill dirt 4x4 ride can be, I opted to turn around and head back to paved ground. Arriving at the Villeneuve Highway once again, I turned east. I've never ridden to Villeneuve before and I knew that The Melan Heads (another Enbridge team) was riding that way today so I was hoping to either catch up with them or see them coming the other way. Off I went past fields, and fields, and cows, and fields. The road is rolling hills all the way down into Villeneuve and although I passed a bike group heading the other way, it was not The Melan Heads. It may have been Target the Tour - a group that trians for Le Tour D'Alberta (something I'm considering for next year).

And along came the second interesting site of the day: An airplane in the middle of a field...

First thought? "Uh, what happened here? Did it have a forced landing or something? Is everything okay? Oh, gosh, I hope nothing bad happened.". Being from a more populous area of the world before moving to Alberta, I've never seen an airplane parked in the middle of a field ON PURPOSE! I soon discovered this was the Villeneuve Airport and I can only guess that the plane lives in the field. Weird.

Arriving at Villeneuve proper, I noticed that there was construction ahead and decided that a turn around before the traffic circle was in order. I made note of the sign that said St. Albert is only another 8 km east of Villenueve and have already planned to ride there next weekend. That should get me up to 80 km with the additional 16km round trip and I'm sure I can find 4km more in Spruce Grove to ride before heading out that way.

Riding uphill west towards Spruce Grove & Campsite Road, I again passed the mystery group of cyclists and then another 15 minutes later, The Melan Heads rolled my way! I waved. hooted, and hollered, receiving a couple hollers back as we passed in opposite directions. Such fun to have amazing bikey energy on a ride!

Rolling south down Campsite road, I enjoyed a much needed break by coasting a good deal of the way as I knew I'd have another 10-15 km to go once I returned to Spruce Grove proper. As the day was getting quite warm, I opted for a ride back the way I had come, through the coolness of the forest but turning north on MFT to swoop under the bridge and check out the new wooden bridge that will one day connect Jesperdale to the forest trails. I dismounted and walked across as this section is still incomplete - perhaps by fall...

As I rode down Longview Drive and again turned south, I hit the park on the north side of Grove Drive just west of King Street and the unthinkable happened... CRAMPS! My inner thighs have a bad habit of holding cramp fests during particularly difficult or long rides. It took 10 minutes of riding gingerly, extending the right leg whenever possible and dropping down to a very low gear to get the cramping to stop enough to continue my ride. I had 5 km to go, afterall!!! And I was determined to complete it! I took a quick spin through The Secret Park, looped over to Century Drive and up Ghiry's favorite Wiggly Trail before I had enough km's on the tracker. It was an amazing ride!

Stay tuned for 80 km this coming weekend.

Up To Date

The ride: Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer

Distance: 220 km over 2 days - August 9 & 10, 2014

Location: Calgary, AB to Okotoks, AB and back again!  

Overnight Accommodations:  A tent village in a field in Okotokes.

The Goal: $25,000

Raised to date: $2,342 - Thank you to all of my current donors!

Days left for fundrasing: 49

The Bike: Sadie the 1991 Specialized Crossroads Hybrid

The Request: Please donate today to sponsor me on this ride.

 

The next event where you can meet me and learn more about my ride: 

 

Canada Day Celebrations - July 1 - Spruce Grove - Jubilee Park - 8am - 11pm

A few events and rides I have participated in on my journey to The Ride:

I organized La Tour De Spruce - May 25, 2014

 

I rode with Critical Lass in Edmonton on Mother's Day 2014

I exhibited at Bikeology Bike Fest - June 14, 2014

Sadie & I went to bike school - May 30, 2014

I had my first 50 km training ride of the year

 

I visited Stony Plain for a training ride  -  Email me if you would like me to visit your town

I will do (almost) anything for a donation - try it and see!

Stay tuned for more to come!

Bike Fest

Today Sadie & I took part in the Bikeology Bike Fest at Churchill Square in Edmonton.

Sadie was there to tell everyone about the bike ride that she is training for. She was so excited to go that she dressed up her front spokes in red, white, & blue Spokie Dokes (June 14th is Flag day back home), her handlebars in pink streamers, and even made herself a couple of signs to wear. My assignment was to pass out cards and tell everyone about The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer that Sadie & I are riding in August 9 & 10th.

Sadie picked out the prizes and I made up the free prize draw slips for our visitors to fill out. It was a beautiful day in the square. The fun began at 12pm with live music - powered by bikes! That's right! A whole tent full of bikes, being pedaled, to power the music. It was fabulous!
There was also a "pedal-a-smoothie" set up where you could hop on a bike and pedal to power the smoothie blender. Your reward? A tasty orange strawberry bike powered smoothie. It was a very popular item and from what I hear, available for events!

There was also a race to determine who could load their bike the quickest onto an Edmonton Transit Bus rack. Rumor has it that all transit buses will have bike racks on the front in 2015 as Edmonton is working towards becoming a bike friendly town.

Right next to me & Sadie, Bicycle Repair Man & Co. set up shop to offer free tunes ups! You may remember Bicycle Repair Man from Bike School. What fun it is to watch the bikes getting spruced up for riding. Many happy faces!

Quick shout out to Diane of Diane & Dan - who rode in the Enbridge Ride last year. And to Sarah - who also rode in The Ride last year and who hopped on her bike and rode on down to visit me. Great seeing you gals. Devon Cruisers Club - always fantastic to see you out and about! Looking forward to riding with you again soon.

And now for the part you have all been waiting for: The Prizes! Winners will receive an email with info on picking up their prize:

Bicycle Bits framed photo: Serge Dupuis

Flowers framed photo collage: Donna Power

Free Country - book signed by author George Mahood: Barry Bartlett

Bike Sleeves: Alex Youn

Bike Sleeves: Leah Higham

Bike Sleeves: Cadence Cardinal

Congratulations to all and I hope to see a few of you at Spruce Grove Canada Day in Jubilee Park where Sadie & I will be set up on July 1.

See you on the roads soon & if you haven't already, please make a donation to sponsor me in the 2014 Alberta Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer!

Fundraising Update

The ride: Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer

Distance: 220 km over 2 days

Location: Calgary, AB to Okotoks, AB and back again! 

The Goal: $25,000

Raised to date: $1,915 - Thank you to all of my current donors!

Days left for fundrasing: 59

Why I rode last year: Why I Ride Blog Post

Why I ride this year: 

I ride for those who have been touched by cancer. 

For those who survived, for those who did not, for those who are still fighting, 

and for those who love them. 

I ride for me as well. 

I ride to be a part of something bigger than myself. 

I ride to make a difference.

Events I am participating in: 

Bikeology Festival Day - June 14th - Edmonton - Churchill Square - 12 - 4pm

Canada Day Celebrations - July 1 - Spruce Grove - Jubilee Park - 8am - 11pm

I'll be attending both events as an exhibitor - providing information on The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. I'll also have a couple of free prize draws (no purchase necessary) at both events. Come out to learn more about the ride, enter the draw, and say hello!

No one has taken advantage of my offer to do (almost) anything for a donation yet. Will you be the first?

UPDATE: an additional donation has come in bringing the total to date to $2015 - THANK YOU!

UPDATE UPDATE: another donation! Total is now $2065 - THANKS!!!

La Tour - A Success!

La Tour De Spruce took place on Sunday, May 25th in Spruce Grove, Alberta and was a HUGE success simply because a fabulous time was had by all!

But where did it all begin? Wanting to bring more attention to my participation in The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, I started the "I'll Do (Almost) Anything for a Donation" campaign and La Tour was born on social media - Twitter & Facebook & Meetup - and out of a challenge between 2 cities - Spruce Grove & Stony Plain. You can read the first part of that story here.When I posted the story to Twitter, Spruce Grove Mayor Stu Houston was not to be outdone by Stony Plain's Mayor William Choy. He responded with this:  

Stuart Houston May 5

@nh_kayak_girl Tammy Like to challenge you Special guide tour - Spruce Groves Heritage trail system with The Mayor will donate to your ride.

"Well!", I thought, "You're on!"  It took about a week to pin down a date and time but by May 10th, we had sorted it out. May 25th, Noon - 2pm - a guided bike tour of the trails of Spruce Grove, friends welcome. Here is where the Social Media came in. I Tweet, I Facebook, I Meetup, I Linkin, I Google+ and I decided to use all of the tools at my disposal in an attempt to make this the biggest event that I could, in 2 weeks time. There was a Facebook Event , Several Meetup Group Events like

Hike n Bike Edmonton, Tweets too numerous to count, Blog Posts, invites out to local bike clubs (Devon Cruisers), shops (Shift Happens & Mud Sweat & Gears), & groups (Edmonton Bicycle Commuters), and word of mouth (no link for that, eh?).  And the results?

~25 riders from Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Devon, & Edmonton! Here is our story:

It was a dark and stormy morning, the clouds threatening rain as I drove to park The Dingo at the Tri-Leisure Center. There was little wind but the sky couldn't make up its mind on whether to rain or not. (Note: I may have taken a bit of dramatic license with the stormy part, it was mostly just overcast and spitting down a very tiny bit of rain occasionally.)

I unpacked my bike, geared up, and rode over to the meeting point for La Tour De Spruce - the south end of Superstore's parking lot in Spruce Grove. As I had been unable to sleep, sit still, or contain myself, I arrived just before 11:30am. Imagine my surprise when I found this waiting in the parking lot! Shift Happens & The Devon Cruisers where already here! They had tweeted their intent on coming but I had no idea how many they were bringing. What a fantastic surprise!

As I wandered here and there, taking pictures and shaking hands, more riders began to appear. We had riders coming in from Edmonton, including Amir who RODE HIS BIKE from Edmonton to Spruce Grove, riders from Stony Plain, including Lynn who rode The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer last year, riders from Spruce Grove, Devon, & even as far as Sherwood Park! The Mayor - Stu Houston - arrive & we had introductions (Are you REALLY the Mayor?! - one cyclist exclaimed, obviously unaware of just how much our Mayor loves his city and how he'll do nearly anything to show it off to the world - as well he should!). After a quick overview of why we were all coming together and riding, a group photo was had & we were off!

With planned stops every 4 km, we started the trail as we had mapped it - heading east on McLeod and north into the woods behind Canadian tire. We set a leisurely pace, allowing for conversation and enjoyment of our surroundings. We had mountain bikers, road bikers, race bikers, cruisers, and casual riders in our group. We even had 3 young folks (not that we aren't all young but these 3 ladies are under 18). Within the first 2 km, we had our first flat tire of the day. Out came the pump but it was determined to be a leak at the stem. And so we lost a rider with a promise to meet up with us again at 2pm.

The shale trails were in peak packed condition for all types of bikes and the weather was beautiful. Overcast with a touch of sun peeping out now and again. There were flowers along the marshy areas of the trail and the trees were in full bud. We soon arrived at the trails that lead behind Central Park and the back side of the Agrena where The Spruce Grove Life & Leisure Expo was in full swing. Doubling back the way we had come, through the forest but taking the paved trails this time, we headed for the bike tunnel & the "broken trail" with the new wooden bridge. This section of trail is under construction but will soon be complete and leads to a sidewalk into the Jesperdale neighborhood.

Taking to the streets, we headed for the Calahoo Road Roundabout (traffic circle) and into the Longview neighborhood. One of the amazing things about the Spruce Grove Heritage Trail System is that it winds through the woods, along main roads, and through residential neighborhoods and parks.  You can always get there from here, as the saying should go in this case. We next rode through Fairway Park, across Grove Drive - continuing straight on the trail through a tiny green park and took a right toward "The Secret Park". If you want to know where this beautiful hidden gem is, email me.

We left The Secret Park and headed east along the trail, crossing Century Road to the Greystone neighborhood and turned left to Grove Drive, took a right on Grove and followed the trail into Jubilee Park where the Mayor had a cooler of Gatorade waiting for us (stashed safely in his truck)! A break here was much appreciated by all as we were to experience the only real hill climb of the ride when we left Jubilee Park and headed west, back up Grove Drive.

We experienced one more small bike issue on the way up the hill - a mountain bike that decided to stick its gears and refused to do anything but be walked. Silly bike, does it not know how much fun a hill is to ride? :)  Crisis averted when the gears began to cooperate again and we rode west towards the Jennifer Heil and our final destination - The Tri-Leisure center for a prize draw, a slow-mo bike race in the parking lot (Pepper won!), and popsicles.

Our route this day took us 23.26 which is about the length of each "leg" between pit-stops during The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. The whole ride is 220 km and pits are every 20 - 30km. Every one of our La Tour De Spruce riders should be very proud of themselves for their completion of this journey!

If you would like to ride La Tour De Spruce route, you can follow the map below or email me  & I would be happy to take you on a tour of the amazing resource available in Spruce Grove - the Spruce Grove Heritage Trail. We can duplicate La Tour De Spruce or I can create a more or less challenging ride for you.

Special thanks out to:

Mayor Stu Houston - Twitter & Facebook  - for leading La Tour De Spruce & for procuring 2 all-inclusive passes for West Edmonton Mall for the prize draw!

Mud Sweat & Gears - Twitter & Facebook - for donating a Bronze Bike Tune up & a Water Bottle for the prize draw!

Devon Cruisers Club - Facebook - for bringing out your beautiful bikes (Bamboo & Nora!) & the amazing folks who ride them (Mark, Kelly, Jocelyn, Holly, Jeff (and I am a bad bad person for not remembering everyones' names)! I'll see you on Wednesday night at 7pm for the next Themed Cruise!

Shift Happens Bike Repair (and now selling bikes!) - Facebook - for coming out to ride (Judy & Pepper) and for transporting the Devon Cruisers' bikes! Can't wait to see your shop when I come out to Bike Town!

NOW! Radio Trucksicle - Twitter - for supplying post-ride popsicles with @Sassy_Cassey  & @NOWCourtneyPop!

Hike n Bike Edmonton - Meetup - for providing Colleen, Evi, Keith, & Amir!

The Boxing Club - Website - for sending Bobbi, John, & Taylor to ride with us! 

Please remember to donate to The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer as I'll be riding 10x the length of La Tour De Spruce in August and need all the help I can get!

Picture album here: NOTE: Some photos were taken by Devon Cruiser Club members, I've tried to mark them and welcome an email with names so I can give proper credit.

La Tour Prep

With La Tour De Spruce only a day away, I figured I would nail down the "stop & regroup" points of the ride. I'd done a bit of drawing on the paper map, comparing it with the ride from Wednesday night, and came up with a stop every 4 - 5 km. Looked good on paper so I hopped on the bike this morning to map it out with the Map My Ride app but not before gearing Sadie out with a borrowed GoPro to compliment her existing Nike cell pocket. Such a leap forward in technology!And when I say "Hopped on the bike" I mean, threw it in the back of the Dingo and drove over to the start to hop on.

I arrived at the Superstore parking lot in Spruce Grove to find barely a soul stirring at 9am. This bodes well for Sunday as I've since driven through the lot in the afternoon and the top (south) end is still fairly empty. Plenty of room for cyclists tomorrow! Starting my app, off I went. I found the trails, that we had ridden Wednesday, fairly easily so anyone who is worried about getting lost, just stick with me or Mayor Stu. We both know where the heck we are going.

Although there was a race or fun run going on this morning, I saw few runners and, for the most part, had the trails to myself. The first spot that I planned for a stop was 4km in. Not a bad distance and plenty of room for bikes to congregate. Off to the next planned stop - not bad, falls in somewhere around the 8 km mark. Hmmmm, and makes sense to stop here as there is a bit of a "hidden" path to find. That will work! Off again towards the next stop. This one is dear to Mayor Stu's heart. We'll call it the secret park and I think you are all going to love it too. I never even knew it was there. This stop takes place at the 12 km mark. Heading east towards the next stop, I made it to Jubilee Park and something didn't feel right. Hopping off the bike, I heard it - PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Yup, a flat.

 

My rear tire was leaking loudly and was flat, flat, and flat. The thoughts running through my head went something like: "Huh! Now how on earth did that happen? What am I going to do? DRAT! My Dingo is all the way back across town at Superstore (my house is MUCH closer to Jubilee than Superstore is). MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! WHAT am I going to do?  ERRRRR, I guess I can try to change it. I do have a spare tube & levers and I did get a lesson from United Cycle last year when they hosted the Enbridge Rider to Conquer Cancer riders for bike night. Can I do that? Well, why not? Okay, I'm going to change my tire!"

And so I plunked down on the grass and started to disassemble Sadie's rear axel and remove the wheel. 

I have to say, I am quite pleased with myself. I remembered everything that nice young bike mechanic showed us and even checked for the source of the flat by running my fingers around the inside of the tire - all the time holding my breath that I wasn't going to impale my finger on something stuck in the tire. I didn't! :) It was a bit more of a project than I had counted on when the pump kept taking off the nib on the end of the tube spout and I kept having to blow up the tire again. Fortunately, in the end, I got enough air in to finish the ride and head back to Superstore to retrieve my Dingo and make a pit stop at Mud Sweat & Gears for a review of my work. THANK YOU GUYS!!!

I tracked the ride at just over 20 km (maybe 21) and now that the flat is out of the way, tomorrow should be a fantastic day! Don't forget to fill out your draw slip before we head out of the parking lot. I've got some great prizes for after the ride. :)

Sunday May 25th

Superstore Parking lot - Spruce Grove

110 Jennifer Heil Way

11:45 am meet time - 12:00 pm start time

Ride: La Tour De Spruce

20-25 km at an easy pace - suitable for kids

POPSICLES!! 

We will be met by the NOW! Radio Trucksicle after the ride for free popsicles

Pre-La Tour De Spruce Ride

I met with Spruce Grove Mayor, Stu Houston for a trail mapping ride of the route for Sunday's ride. This would be my first meeting with the Mayor as we'd managed all of the planning on Twitter & Facebook so far. Social media at its best! Stu recommended meeting at Second Cup in Spruce Grove which is right in front of the parking lot where we are meeting on Sunday to start La Tour De Spruce.

I arrived promptly at 3:55 pm, ready to go but Stu had a surprise in mind. He suggested we step inside Second Cup to check out the route he had mapped out and to sample a London Fog. I've never had one but let me tell you that I will be having more! What is a London Fog, you ask? Well, it looks like the below and as far as I can tell it is an Earl Gray tea (Hello Captain Picard!) with plenty of steamed milk and a bit of sweetness - aka: heaven!

We got out the map and had a look. The Mayor had done his homework! The route he had selected traverses many of the areas where I have ridden but there was quite a bit that I had not seen before. Most of my rides are random, go where the Megrims take me. I've never actually looked closely at a Spruce Grove Trail Map. I cannot believe the many trails that I have missed! Here is what we discussed riding tonight & for La Tour De Spruce:

In agreement that this looked like a fantastic route to scope out, the Mayor & I grabbed our bikes and set off!

We rode out of the Superstore parking lot and onto McLeod Ave (that bottom left section of the map above. We headed right on McLeod for a short distance and then took a left into the forest. This area I was familiar with until we reached the 1km mark and veered off to the right along the "shale" trails. These beautiful orange/red trails are a wonderful color contrast to the green grass that grows along the trail and are hard packed enough for a street bike. They offer a wonderful nature ride through the forest.

And that is all the teaser that you get before Sunday's ride! I'll leave it at: It was a fantastic ride that will be tweaked just a bit from the above/below maps - an easy 20-25 km over 2 hours with a visit by the NOW! Radio Trucksicle for Popsicles at the end! If you want info on attending: click here.

Sunday May 25th

Superstore Parking lot - Spruce Grove

110 Jennifer Heil Way

11:45 am meet time - 12:00 pm start time

Ride: La Tour De Spruce

20-25 km at an easy pace - suitable for kids

POPSICLES!! 

We will be met by the NOW! Radio Trucksicle after the ride for free popsicles

La Tour De Spruce

What: A 2 hour guided bike tour through pristine forests, spacious parks, & trails - intermingled with Modern Urban Development in the City of Spruce Grove - lead by Spruce Grove's Mayor Stuart Houston.

Date: Sunday May 25th

Time: Meet at 11:45am - Ride until 2:00pm

Where: Meet at the South end of Superstore Parking Lot - Spruce Grove.
             End at the South end of Tri-Leisure Center Parking Lot - Spruce Grove

What to bring: Yourself, your bike, your family & friends (please remember to bring your safety gear/helmet)

Why:  1. Biking is fun!
           2. Learn about the amazing Spruce Grove Trail System - you really MUST see it!
           3. Support a local Spruce Grovian in her Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.
           4. Everybody loves popsicles!

Fun extra: We will be met by the NOW! Radio Trucksicle at the end of the ride for popsicles! 

Mothers' Day Ride

Sunday, May 11th, 2014 - Mothers' Day Ride (well, I am a mother afterall!).

I had set the alarm for 5:00am with the intention of hitting the road by 6 but 5am is awful early when it arrives! I managed to slide out from under the covers by 5:30 and make it out the door around 6:50am. My goal was to ride at least 40km (so far my longest training ride this year) and be done by 9 as I had a 10am meeting planned. That would give me just over 2 hours riding and if I could keep a pace of 20km an hour, I would be good. I bundled up against the 34 degree F weather (1 C) and was off. Gear included bike shorts under long pants, long-sleeve dry top under short sleeve dry top with Bike Sleeves (I LOVE THEM!), all under fleece top, and gloves.

The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. Nor were there any people in site! One of the interesting things about Spruce Grove is that early morning rides (on weekends) are like riding through an abandoned town. Everyone seems to sleep in. Not a bad thing, I love having the trails & roads to myself. I promptly headed through the forest and towards MFT (see if you can find it on the map above), opting to ride by MFT and explore one of the newest developments on the west end of the trail system. As I rode, I began formulating my ride plan. I tend to decide where to ride as I ride, heading wherever the Megrims take me.

After riding the new development I headed further west, into the area of the Tri-Leisure Center and then north west towards the Catholic High School. I tend to ride around in neighborhoods, finding my way from neighborhood to neighborhood when the Heritage Trail links them up or riding back out to Grove Drive to move on to the next neighborhood. Once I reached the high school, I decided I'd make my way to Jubilee park, on the far end of Grove Drive, and see if the mud was dried up and cleaned off of the roads in the Greenbury development. I enjoy riding the new developments as the roads are typically new and smooth and there is very little traffic on weekends. This is a photo of my bike's tire 2 weeks ago after riding through Greenbury:

No repeat this weekend, the roads were clean and dry! It was starting to warm up so I ditched the gloves, bike sleeves, and fleece as I enjoyed the sun on my face. A quick stop for a picture of the beautiful spring sky and I was on my way west again towards the Greystone Neighborhood. I've only ridden this area once before so it was "ride and see where you end up" for the next half hour or so.

As I was keeping a good pace between 19.5 - 20 km per hour, I decided I would push for 50 km - a 2.5 hour ride. I had not yet hit MFT or 50 km yet so back to the woods I went! Only 2 other people on the section of MFT though I did see 2 young rabbits and several red squirrels.

I'd brought along my Camelbak with some protein in it and although I'd had a tasty smoothie before heading out, I was feeling the tiredness in my legs from pushing for a longer ride. But I stuck with it and completed the 50 km. You can see the loop that connects start to finish in the map. That is where I was riding around waiting for the Map My Ride app to announce 50 km. :D The end of any goal ride is usually loops around my neighborhood until the selected kilometerage is reached.

Time to pack up and head out to visit a friend and then later into Edmonton for a ladies only bike ride in the city. Stay tuned for another story because yes, I am just crazy enough to take the bike out for a second ride in one day. :D

Spruce Grove Cycling Event

Join me on Sunday, May 25th, 2014 from Noon - 2:00pm for a bike tour of the Spruce Grove Heritage Trails led by Mayor Stuart Houston.

Start at the parking lot of Second Cup, Superstore, etc in Spruce Grove - be there at 11:45am. 

It all started on Twitter  - you can follow the conversation here.

Join the event via Facebook here.

Dust off your bike and come out on Sunday, May 25th from Noon to 2:00 for a bike tour of the Spruce Grove Heritage Trail in support of Tammie MacDearmid Garcia's Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer fundraiser!

Tour will be lead by Mayor Stuart Houston who has promised a donation towards the ride and Frozen Yogurt after the ride. Who doesn't love frozen yogurt! :)

Info on the Enbridge Ride & Fund Raiser can be found here.

Bring your bike, yourself, and your friends & let's make this a fantastic day on the trails!

Ride & Update

The ride: Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer

Distance: 220 km over 2 days

Location: Calgary, AB to Okotoks, AB and back again! 

The Goal: $25,000

Raised to date: $1,210

Days left for fundrasing: 93

KM's ridden outside to date:  105 (65.1 miles)

Why I rode last year: Why I Ride Blog Post

Why I ride this year: 

I ride for those who have been touched by cancer. 

For those who survived, for those who did not, for those who are still fighting, 

and for those who love them. 

I ride for me as well. 

I ride to be a part of something bigger than myself. 

I ride to make a difference.

And so, with a beautiful sky overhead, I set out for a ride last evening. As Sadie (my bike) has been in the shop for her annual tune up, I was fortunate to have the use of a friend's bike. Having ridden no other bike for the past year or 5, I was excited to try out a different bike. I'd had Sadie's tires replaced with street slicks last summer and this bike had knobby tires. Would it feel different to ride? I'd also been using clip in pedals for some time now and these were clip less. Would I notice a difference? Was there really a truth to the superiority of clip-ins? Let's find out! I added air to the tires, threw on my sneakers (runners), and headed out.

I'll fondly refer to the borrowed bike as "the Beast". I hopped on and off we went. The first thing I noticed was the seat adjustment quick release lever was sticking out at just the perfect location to whack me in the leg on every revolution. Easy enough to fix: hop off, adjust the seat, adjust the tightness, crank that quick release in tight and off we go again! I often find myself adjusting Sadie's seat during rides so no big deal. Now on to gear shifts...  The Beast has handlebar gear shifts that twist forward and back. Sadie has gear shifts that consist of 2 switches on each handlebar, one for up and one for down. A quick press of the switch and her gears change. I've never used a twist shift and wondered if there was some trick to it, other than simply twisting forward or back. I felt like I was throttling a motorcycle (couldn't resist throwing in a couple of VROOOM VROOOOM's while shifting). I'm still not sure I had it right and every "click" of the shifter had me wondering if I was breaking something. More practice needed!

Hmmmm, where to ride? Not knowing the bike well, I chose to stick around the neighborhood. I started slow, out to the trail and up Century, heading towards Ghiry's favorite wiggly trail. Somethign wasn't right. The bike felt like it was riding over a series of ruts (speed bumps!), bump, bump, bump. Hmmmm, odd, maybe the sidewalk is much rougher than I thought and the knobby tires brings it out. I decided to forgo the sidewalk for the back ally roads for a flatter ride. Bump, bump, bump, it continued. Now I'm off and checking out the bike. Are the wheels tight? Is the brake catching on one of the tires? What on earth? I found that both the front and back tires on The Beast are "flat", not in pressure but in shape. Oddest thing I've ever seen. They are on the rim, they are inflated, and they are flat! I decided to cut short the ride and headed home after only 4km and a bruised bum. Okay, I might be exaggerating the bruised bum. :D

As soon as I walked in the door, Ghiry was waiting to tell me that a walk is better than a ride any day - mainly because he can go too - and that we should go. I neglected to start the tracking app for him but we did a 1.5 hour loop along the Spruce Grove trails that wind through the forest and down to Grove Drive. An hour and a half well spent and one tuckered pup later, we were home for the evening.

NOTE: Sadie is now back and ready to ride. Stay tuned and in the meantime, donate to keep me on track with my fundraising efforts!

UPdate

Goal: $25,000 by August, 2014

Raised to date: $1,085

Days remaining until ride: 100

Miles logged on outside rides: 107 km (63ish miles)

Bike Status: Brakes were getting very spongy so it is time for a tune up. Sadie has been dropped at the shop. Her name is Sadie in memory of Sexy Sadie the blue Mustang.

Coming Soon: A Tale of 2 Cities (or more accurately a city and a town) - the story of a bike adventure into a new territory.

For now, put on your thinking cap and let me know what I can do for your donation.

UPdate

Fundraising Update: 

Goal: $25,000 - I decided to create a much larger challenge for myself. Help me to reach it?
Donated to date: $935.00

Days remaining: 102
Donations needed per day to reach the goal: $236

A couple of stories:

40 km

I'll do (almost) anything for donations
 
Last Year's Ride