Skatelife GranFondo 2013!

It's never too early to think about a good ride!
The SLGF 2013 poster is here- and more info is coming soon.
Next summer's dates are June 22-23, 2013. Set the dates in your calendar and put the weekend on your Christmas list.
Check back in regularly for more details...

Day 2 pics

Day 2
It was hard to imagine anything more epic than day one's amazing morning scenery, and the afternoon's storm of the year.
But day two was unforgettable with a massive ascent, wild horses, a one hour downpour, and warm sun to get us home.

Check out the photos below...

Geoff Ratzlaff is the real reason for the success of the trip! Thanks Geoff for all the back up work.

Imre Kovacs, takes time for a photo before crushing the mountain

Dean, Peter & Alex representing Team Puke

Only 103 km to go

Shawn Hoffarth grinds up the mountain

RJ Dueck earning the SLGF black & blue jersey

Peter Sinclair pretending he has a flat so he can make his 2nd place in the 'King of the Mountain' look even more spectacular

Torrential rains prove to be the only thing that can get the whole SLGF team into the Van of Shame!

Amiel Flett- Brown mentally prepares himself for the final leg of the tour

Another happy VOS visitor

Another great showing from the Marvin Penner & the Vernon Wheelers

Marvin happened to roll into the Merritt Starbucks parking lot at the front of the pack, & unwittingly takes the coveted SLGF yellow jersey for first overall

Peter takes the SLGF green sprinters jersey

Dave Stew uses the front seat of the VOS to get him to the top of the climb first, and is awarded the SLGF poka-dot king of the mountain jersey

Amiel takes the SLGF fastest young rider white jersey

Alex is deeply moved by RJ's acceptance speech of the SLGF painful endurance black & blue jersey

We did it! A great ride

Congratulations to all nine Skatelife GranFondo riders for completing the 285km tour from Merritt to Kamloops to Cache Creek to Merritt.

The tour had it all- sun, rain, wind, more rain, thunder storms, did I mention rain?
Even despite the weird weather, the ride was awesome!

There are lot's of pics to be posted ahead- check it out.

Start your plans now to ride in Skatelife's GranFondo 2013, June 22-23, 2013!

Day 1 Pics...
Merritt - Kamloops - Cache Creek
If you want any of these pictures emailed to you let me know.

The SLGF'12 Team

Group rides are awesome

A double paceline

Whether you regularly ride with a group, or this is your first group ride, we want to make sure this weekends Skatelife GranFondo is a great group ride for everyone.
There will be lots of time for us all to ride as a single group, as well as time for us to ride in smaller groups determined by rider strength.
The biggest rule is that no-one needs to ride alone. If you are feeling slow, we'll make sure someone sticks with you, or you can make use of the support van. The purpose of the ride is not to isolate riders in the pack.

To give us a fun experience & to increase our efficiency we will ride in a paceline as much as possible. If drafting is new to you no problem. We will help you with some practical tips. Also, I've linked an article about group rides from our friends at Just Giver Cycling Club. We will be using the same guidelines for our ride.
Of course there is also lots of fun to be had through the weekend with some sprints, hill climbs, etc when you wanna go hard.


Can we find one more...

We have a great number of riders this year with 9! It will make for a good group ride.
I was thinking, wouldn't it be great to add one more rider to make a nice round 10?
If you have an idea of who this rider should be, let us know & we will work hard to fit them in as #10.
Start bugging that friend right now & we'll see what happens!

See you Saturday!

speed metal & fast eating

Peter is only smiling so he can get more mud in his teeth (photo IanHylands)

Congratulations to SLGF rider Peter Sinclair for a great showing in this weekend's Test of Metal race in Squamish.
Despite a day-long downpour, Peter laid down a speedy 3.05 hr ride to take 28th place overall in a field of over 900 competitors!

Nice work Peter!





Hungry to ride? What to eat during the SLGF.

On a long ride like the Skatelife GranFondo the last thing you want to be dealing with is bonking from either too little or too much food during the day.
Here are some helpful tips from ultracycling.com on how to eat on the big day.

On the morning of your ride

"Novice riders tend to either eat too little before a big ride, fearing an upset stomach, or else eat too much, fearing that they will bonk. Today is not the day to figure out what to eat before riding! You should experiment in training, and on event day have a tried-and-true plan of familiar foods and fluids. Some cyclists prefer a light breakfast the hour before a century or brevet; some prefer food at the starting line; others have learned to wake up at 4 a.m., eat a bowl of oatmeal, and then go back to bed.
Drink plenty of familiar fluids up to two hours before the ride so you have time to absorb the water and urinate the excess. Drink one more glass 5 to 15 minutes before you start riding. If you are used to having coffee or tea in the morning, do so today as well.
Don't forget to bring your foods and fluids that you prepared the night before."

Some of the scenery to come this weekend.  
(photo Notice Quiet Nature Photography, ©Sherry Robinson 2009)

If you want to pack your food in the van for the day, bring a bin to put your stuff in. The van will make several passes past the group through the day so food will never be far off if you need it.
We will also make a brief stop for lunch in Kamloops after 90 km. Our stop will be close to a few shops & cafes so you can pick up something to eat, or pack a lunch to keep in the van. 

See you all next weekend!