Ride to the Chickakoo recreation area north of Stony Plain. If we get the timing right there will be beautiful fall leaves to view in the Glory Hills and beautiful lakes along this route. We will meet in the west parking lot of the Husky at Hwy 60 and Hwy 16 at 11:00 am and start riding at 11:15 am. The route will be on quiet paved roads north of Hwy 16 and will be 62 km. There will be a few hills in the area approaching Chickakoo and 300 m of packed gravel road to get to the picnic site in Chickakoo. This short bit of gravel can be done with a road bike. There is no food or water available along the route therefore carry your own to sustain you. There are outhouses at Chickakoo and Muir Lake rest stops.
Coordinators: Scott Keast, Char World
Details TBD
Coordinator: Bernie Lee
Details TBD
When: Arrive at 9:30 am for a 10:00 sharp start
Where: Elk Island National Park – Tawayik/Oster Lake Access Road (Parking/Picnic area at end of access road)
Skill Level: Levels 2+ to 3+ on a scale of 5
What to bring: Something for Food Bank, your own beverage, lawn chair
Ride Leaders: Greg Pommen and Tilly Jensen
Sign-up at: https://goo.gl/forms/HeLHdiDZGow3MkQN2
Come join us for a cycle followed by a free picnic lunch on Saturday, August 25 at Elk Island National Park. There will be two ride options:
1. Fat/Mountain bike route: Tawayik/Oster Lake route (20 km in total, https://www.alltrails.com/expl
2. Road bike route: This is an out-and-back route going north through the park towards Lamont and, if you’re up to it, to Chipman (the turnaround point for 70 km). Because it is an out-and-back, you can make the ride as long or short as you like by just turning around! Maps will be distributed but you can check it out at: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/24420923
We’ll have a picnic at the end of the ride. Caesar salad, potato salad, hot dogs*, condiments, and homemade cookies will be provided. In exchange for your free picnic lunch, please bring something for the Edmonton Food Bank. Let’s beat last year’s collection of 60 kg. Bring your own beverage, a lawn chair, and mosquito spray!! If you have firewood, please bring some so we can sit around a fire if the mood strikes.
Jim Lochhead is going to use his almighty connections to help get us some great weather for the event … keep your fingers crossed and see you out there!!
Greg and Tilly
*Specify special dietary needs on the sign up sheet
Details TBA
ack again for 2019, the ever popular Caroline Camping and Riding weekend from August 9 to 11.
Caroline is a small town about 250 km Southwest of Edmonton in the western foothills, besides cowboys, it is famous for being the birthplace of Kurt Browning. It has nice, fairly quiet roads with good rolling hills. The plan is to stay at the Caroline Municipal Campground which is just east of town on August 17 to 19; ride the 18 and 19. The campground has showers, electrical hookups and lots of green space. I will be taking my trailer which will serve as a base of operations. People would show up Friday evening and we would ride Saturday and Sunday starting at about 9:00 am. Below are the two planned rides:
Caroline – Rocky – Everdell Distance: 88 km 306 m of elevation gain. This route goes north out of Caroline, over to Rocky Mountain House, past Everdell and then to Clearwater Trading – where there is awesome Ice Cream and a great porch to eat it from – and then back to Caroline. https://ridewithgps.com/
Caroline to Sundre and back – Distance: 78.32 km, 408 m of climbing. This is a great ride. We head south out of Caroline to TWP rd 344 turn left, then to RR53 and south to Sundre, there are 3 good hill climbs and then we end up at the Subway restaurant in Sundre (1.4 km east from the intersection where Hwy 22 turns east). After a break we will head back to Caroline on Hwys 27 and 22 and a couple more hills. People will need to carry enough water and food to travel 40 km. https://ridewithgps.com/
After the ride on Saturday we can lie around and relax, have a BBQ later in the afternoon. I will bring some firewood for a campfire (please feel free to bring some as well). People would need to bring camping gear and food along with their cycling equipment. Generally speaking people bring enough to eat and then a little to share for Friday’s and Saturday’s pot luck. I would need to know your camping needs (trailer, tent, length of trailer and preference for 15 or 30a hookup). The campground is $20 per night for tents and $35 for trailers.
I am sure we can arrange some carpooling for the trip if needed. It would be possible that one could drive out for the day, it is about 2.5 – 3 hours and that could be accommodated; it would feel like a very long day. There are also some motels in the Caroline area if camping is not appealing. The cost would be transportation out and back, camping at Caroline, food and snacks.
Caroline also has some great fly fishing. There is a good chance that I might go fishing for a couple of hours early Saturday and Sunday morning or Saturday evening and would be happy to take anyone along that fly fishes and has chest waders.
I would like to hear from people who are interested as soon as they can. Let me know about your camping needs, if you are able to carpool or need a lift out there. I haven’t worked out a min or maximum number of people, I think about 30 people made it out in 2016 – there is lots of space. Please contact me at timdosko(at)gmail.com
Here are the google directions to Caroline from Ellerslie road and QE2: https://www.google.ca/maps/
The Sunday Target the Tour rides and the 24th Tour de l’Alberta are finished for another year! Join EBTC friends for the annual fun ride around Pigeon Lake followed by a post-ride BBQ at Mulhurst!
Date: Sunday August 4, 2019
Total distance: approximately 65 km
Meet at Mulhurst Bay at 09:30 for a 10 am departure
Parking is available off the main street at a small park and sports field which also has washrooms available.
Come out and ride/eat your way around Pigeon Lake! RSVP not required….show up at 09:30 for a 10am start at Mulhurst on Sunday August 4. Ride Leader: Anne-Marie Adachi aadachi@telus.net
This ride is available on Ride with GPS.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Fantastic news … registration for the 25th Anniversary TdA is open. What’s the TdA you ask? Well, the Tour de l’Alberta (TdA) was started in 1994 by Don Peddie of the Edmonton Bicycle & Touring Club (EBTC) as a club ride for members to celebrate the Tour de France in our French communities and to promote recreational cycling by participants of all ages and abilities. On its inaugural ride, the club saw just over 20 cyclists ride 100 km. Since that day in 1994, the ride has grown to its current state of over 1300 cyclists with four different ride options: Family Ride, 50 km, 100 km, and 160 km.The TdA is one of the largest one-day cycling rides in Western Canada and is a staple on the local sporting event calendar. The Tour has introduced new riders to the sport as well as returning participants from previous years. EBTC offers three Sunday rides to help you train for the TdA: West End Target the Tour, Ardrossan Target the Tour, and the Sunday Afternoon Rides.
Not sure if you want to register yet? Well get to it because there are early bird incentives for EBTC members!! If 150 EBTC members register before May 31, they not only get a preferred rate of $85 but will also receive a free pair of 25th anniversary socks branded with the EBTC and TdA logo. Additionally, 1 of those 150 EBTC members will be the lucky recipient of a VIP upgrade valued at $275!! And get your friends to register because if total registrations exceed 750 by July 1, another EBTC member will be eligible for a VIP upgrade. So there are two VIP upgrades up for grabs. Spread the word!
Saturday July 20, 2019
10am to 3pm Coordinator, Craig Brown
Location, Vermilion, is an easy two-hour drive east of Edmonton on highway 16. The ride will start and finish at the Vermilion Heritage Park Community Oven (5324 50 Ave). Take the Vermilion overpass ramp off highway 16 and proceed north (left) on Highway 41, turn west (left) at the second set of traffic lights, 50th Ave. There are Coop and Esso gas stations on this corner. Proceed west for two blocks and the Museum, Community oven and Senior centre are all in a row. There is parking available at the oven. As you are traveling on highway 16 toward Vermilion, watch the road from Mannville to Vermilion as this will be the final 25km of ride.
Cost, $15 per person for pizza and non-alcohol drinks. Pizza and possibly other treats will cook in the wood fired oven as riders return.
There will be a support vehicle(s) to carry extra water, any personal items and snacks, with room to pick up a couple of riders and bikes if anyone is unable to finish.
Description, The ride will leave Vermilion and proceed south on highway 41 to secondary highway 619. Turn right (west) on secondary highway 619 and proceed west to secondary highway 881. Turn right (north) and proceed to highway 16. Turn right (east) and proceed back to Vermilion. Take the overpass to the Heritage oven the same as you drove in the morning.
This 100km route is not difficult, but there are some rolling hills and the two secondary highways 619 and 881 have narrow shoulders. With luck the prevailing westerly wind will help everyone home the last 25km. These roads are generally quieter, but we do live in an Agriculture and Oil area, so you may encounter some larger equipment.
Should anyone wish to camp overnight the Vermilion Provincial Park campground provides a variety of options from tents to full hook ups. https://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/central/vermilion-pp/
Summer Park phone: 780-853-4372, Winter phone: 403-742-7516
Please contact Craig with any questions and please confirm attendance so we know how much pizza to make. If you are interested, please look up, Vermilion Heritage Park Community Oven on Facebook to see some of the delicious foods we bake in the oven.
The annual tradition continues – and what better way to continue your season than a “bike & eat” event?
Rated as an easy ride, the Ft. Saskatchewan Brunch Ride is a good event for those of you who are just starting to get into cycle touring, as well as the “old-timers” who want to start the cycling season with a fun ride. The roads are mostly flat, with a bit of a longer hill when you enter Fort Saskatchewan. Distance is 26 km each way. To a novice, this can sound intimidating, but we take our time and stop if we need to, so as long as you are reasonably fit, it is fairly easy to complete the ride. Plus, there’s the added bonus of that great brunch in the middle of the ride! (The challenge is in getting back on the bike after the brunch!)
The ride starts from Clareview Community Centre & Arena 3804 – 139 Avenue. The new restaurant for 2019 is TBD. You can also bring your own lunch & eat at the nearby recreation complex or go to the town park. Come and join us and start your cycling season off the best way possible.
DETAILS:
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 2019
TIME: Arrive at 9:30 AM. – leave 10 a.m. SHARP
Where: Meet at northeast corner of parking lot Clareview Arena
3804 – 139 Avenue. (Note that the parking lot is shared with Cardinal Collins High School, and you will see that sign first.) Access from 137 Avenue – turn left on 38 Street, then left again on 139 Ave to parking lot (approx. 36 Street).
Cost: Between $10 – $20.00 for the meal – or bring your own lunch.
Dist/Rating: 50 km return, Novice, easy Coordinator: Maureen Lanuke (780-690-7068), or mlanuke@shaw.ca
IF WEATHER IS IFFY, CHECK THE EBTC FACEBOOK PAGE THAT MORNING TO CONFIRM THAT THE RIDE IS STILL ON