Hey everyone, after a smoky weekend with cancelled rides, I thought a review of our smoke policy was in order. After some consideration, we will be using PurpleAir exclusively - https://map.purpleair.com/1/mAQI/a10/p604800/cC4#9.01/53.5181/-113.2308 - and looking for values over 150 in determining if rides will be cancelled or not. If you wish to replicate it for yourself, the settings we are using is the US EPA PM2.5 AQI method with the LRAPA correction factor. Special Air Quality Advisories issued by Environment Canada will also provide additional consideration when making a call. We will no longer be using Environment Canada’s AQHI. Without going into too much detail, moving away from the the National AQHI allows us to be more responsive to quickly changing air quality conditions. Ride leaders will continue to review how this affects our rides and if we feel that this is too restrictive or not restrictive enough we will revise it (Yes, we are aware of the provincially calculated AQHI as well.)
All ride cancellations will be communicated primarily through Strava, which will push real time updates to your phone as long as you RSVP. We will endeavor to make ride calls on air quality cancellations an hour out from ride time, as while they can change quickly, they don’t change that quickly (unlike rain, whereby if it is threatening but not actually raining, we will ride.) Rides that are on the cusp (areas that are reading 135-165) will be assessed by your ride leader based on where you are riding, and the wind direction, and forecasts, however, in general we want rides to happen and want to balance getting out there and your safety. In general, no updates means the ride is happening.
All rides that happen that are not official rides (ie, “unofficial ride/pick up ride”) are unsanctioned by the ABA / ERTC and there will be no liability coverage in event of an incident. These rides may also have variable routes with unclear expectations of pace or regrouping spots. These rides can and will happen from time to time and we cannot discourage you from attending these rides if you so wish. You are always welcome to use Slack to propose unofficial rides during any time (and not just cancellations).
Club Updates:
The membership cards are here! If you have been attending rides you may have already gotten one, but if you haven’t they will be carried by all the ride leaders so if it is your first ride, just ask, they will probably have some on them! We will not be mailing these out to you, so the only way to get one is to show up on a ride. Remember to fill out the emergency contact portion of the card. While club leadership has access to your emergency contact information, having it on your person allows anyone else to call someone you trust without contacting us first. This membership card also serves as your proof of membership when getting your discount at the physical location for Hardcore Bikes and Healthcare Solutions. The QR code will lead you to the private site where you can find the discount code for online shopping at 7 Summit Snacks Healthcare Solutions, and when booking online at Flexion.
The clothing float order is finally in! New to the club this year and want new kit NOW? Check out our webstore at https://www.ertc.org/teamkit - all items ordered this way are available for immediate pick-up. You will be contacted upon completion to coordinate a time for you to pick it up.
If the webstore does not have the size or items you need, you will need to order from the Rogelli online shop here: https://www.rogellicanada.com/ertc - orders placed this way will ship directly to your home and have a time delay as items ordered this way haven’t been made yet. The cut off times and estimated delivery dates are listed on the website, however we have very little control over the delivery date. The cutoff date for the current order is May 30. You can join the #clothing channel on slack to receive more frequent clothing updates and ask any questions you have about materials, quality and fit, or to arrange a try-on session.
We have another exciting event announcement just for WoERTC! Yoga in the Park! Come join the Women of ERTC on May 24 at Ezio Faraone Park for a relaxing evening of yoga with stretches/poses geared towards cyclists.
Note: this event is only open to those who identify as female.
RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/woertc-yoga-in-the-park-tickets-866886961237
Ride Updates:
Gravel Ride Interest - interested in gravel rides? Fill out the Poll here: https://forms.gle/n6pivgYdN7DcKMM79
All rides are a go, however Saturday’s longer ride may be a tempo or a race pace ride depending on ride leader availability, but there will be 2 rides on both days.
As mentioned before, being a long weekend, feel free to use slack to propose a ride on holiday Monday during the day, you’ll probably get some takers!
ERTC Track Fridays Continue with another session this Friday (May 17) 7-830PM.
Can’t make it out on Fridays but want to try the track? The AVA will be hosting a public “Try the Track” Session May 19 from 12-2PM. Note that this ride will NOT be on strava (as we are not running it), so hopefully you’re reading this to know about it!
Race Updates:
The 2024 Try-Racing Program is now live! You can learn more about our program and sign up here: https://www.ertc.org/tryracing noting that there is no cost to you (other than your already paid membership, of course)
Interested in racing? Scott Klarenbach, Vice President of ERTC, seasoned Cat2 Racer, and all-around fantastic human will be hosting a virtual racing information session about how to get involved in ABA (provincial level) racing (and who knows, maybe move on to national and international levels of racing?!). Please come armed with any questions you might have about racing and signing up to race. You will see invites via all the avenues.
Interested in racing midweeks? Check out https://www.emrcracing.com/ and https://www.karelo.com/register.php?BID=534&BT=10&Ev=21665 to sign up. All Try-Racing Members get entry for free.
The next official ABA race is local - the Alex Stieda Classic. Today is the last day to sign up to receive an early bird discount. https://www.juventus.ab.ca/tasc
General Reminders:
Official Rides are posted on strava. If you haven’t requested to join, please do so here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/2845 if you’ve applied and haven’t heard back, e-mail me, but first, make sure your strava name matches your registration name.
Day to day communication and general chatter is via slack. You can join here: https://join.slack.com/t/edmontonroada-7u36621/shared_invite/zt-1t5qvezds-JotWB~e_EJcXrD9NArQarA - this is where you can get real time updates about unofficial rides, talk bikes with club members, and sell your stuff to other club members! If you identify as female and would like to be included in the WoERTC communications and event announcements, please message Heather Curtis on Slack to be added to the private WoERTC channel.