Charity rides- the new golf tournament

Check out this article in the Vancouver Province  newspaper the other day. In it they ask, "Is cycling is the new golf?" It is an interesting proposal given the recent surge of interest in road biking. For me the answer is yes- I put away my clubs 4 years ago as I discovered a new love for cycling.

The question I would ask as well is then, has the cycling charity ride become the new charity golf tournament? I have attended many golf tournaments, some as grueling as 100 holes in one day. I must say they can be a lot of fun and a great excuse to walk through some great scenery. However, now that I have ridden in a few charity rides, I can say that I can get a lot more scenery in a day than at any golf tourney!

Both golf and cycling events do a great job at raising funds for many worthy charities. One thing I love about a fundraising cycling event is that the effort needed to pull off a long ride makes me feel like I've accomplished something special. It is also a fun challenge to match the hard work of riding with hard work raising funds for the event. As well, it's hard not to sponsor a rider when they tell you they are going to clock a couple hundred clicks in one event for a charity. If a rider can donate that kind of effort, I can donate some money!

Whether you are a regular rider at charity cycling events, or if you are considering your first one this summer, on behalf of all the great non-profit organizations- Thank You! Your effort to ride and raise funds really encourages our effort to reach out in our community.

If you want to make this your summer to try to Skatelife GranFondo, now's the time to sign up! Click here for registration info and much more. See you this summer!

Get ready now for cycling ahead

 

Five ideas to get you prepared for Skatelife's GranFondo June 21-22.

 

Depending on where you are spring may or may not have sprung already. Whether you are seeing daffodils or snowbanks here are five ways you can prepare for Skatelife's GranFondo, June 21-22!

1. Get your bike tuned up. Avoid the warm weather bike tune up rush and take your bike to your local bike shop now for some servicing. Then your bike will be ready when the roads are ready.
2. Got an indoor trainer? Start spinning! whether it's a trainer, rollers, or even a cycling trainer at your local pool, getting some regular spinning now will prep those legs for the rides to come.
3. Get active. Shake off that winter rust- even if you can't pedal, with an exercise routine. A regular, brisk walk, run, swim, etc will get your heart back in shape- an important muscle for cycling.
4. Build up your core. Strong core muscles are surprisingly important for strong cycling. Find a few excersises you can work on at home that develop core muscles (abdominals, lower back and hips). You will find greater power, stamina, and comfort on your bike with a regular core work out now.
5. Watch some cycling videos. Nothing gets you excited to get on the road like a fun video. The spring classics are coming up soon if you want to watch some races. Or, enjoy a film like Breaking Away if you have a couple hours.

Get ready for a fun cycling season- and a great time at the Skatelife GranFondo!

Jerseys are on their way!

Is your jersey collection looking a little too 'retro'? Does your jersey stand on it's own after a ride? Has it developed new pin striping rings under the armpits? Tired of all the comments from that old Livestong jersey you got a few years back?
If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions then this summer's Skatelife GranFondo has a treat for you!

Check out our new jerseys for this year's ride! They come from Hayman Sport in the Okanagan, and they are great quality, stylish items guaranteed to make you faster! (or look like you are faster!)

All participants raising funds as Silver or Gold riders will get a jersey as a big thank you for helping support Skatelife's important work with young people.

If you are coming and would like to pick one up- they are available for $85 and come in sport fit and race fit.

Or, you can pre-order one right now by emailing skatelife@younglife.ca.

 

It's training time!

The weather has turned & it's the perfect time to prep for a great weekend of riding this summer at the Skatelife GranFondo.Preparing now for your ride will allow you the fitness and endurance you'll want for the event.

We've searched the internet and found some great articles to help your training, so stay tuned in the coming days and have fun riding!

Excerpts from- 
 Training For Gran Fondos, Part 1: Endurance

•    By Curtis and Kristi Eastin, Chris Jones

•    Published Feb. 23, 2010

•    Updated Dec. 15, 2012 at 11:23 PM EDT

From Velo News

“Since we’re speaking of training for endurance and not for “speed,” your most important ride will be your long ride. It is important not to mix your weekly endurance rides with speed, strength and power workouts. Avoid the local group ride on these days.

Find a friend who likes to ride steady i.e. you can still hold a conversation — yes, even uphill and on your favorite town-line sprints! Avoid those friends who insist on half-wheeling you. The objective is to train not only your muscles and your cardiovascular system — both of which receive benefits from strength, speed and power workouts — but also to train your digestive system and your ability to use energy efficiently.

The key is to plan and build up the miles slowly and consistently and enjoy your cycling!”

Register to Ride the Skatelife GranFondo

Registration is now open for this summer's Skatelife GranFondo, June 22-23.
Simply click on the registration link on the right to set up your rider page and you'll be ready to ride!
This year we are offering three rider options: Gold, Silver and SLGF Rider.

Thank you for joining us as we raise funds to help Skatelife reach out to young people across Canada!

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!

Fueling the Fondo- Coffee time

Cafe for Contemporary Art

A big thank you to Cafca- the Cafe for Contemporary Art who will be keeping us fired up at the Skatelife GranFondo, June 23-24.

If you are in North Vancouver, don't miss the best coffee in town. They are at 140 East Esplanade- half a block east of Lonsdale.

Check them online here, or see you there!

Wild horse crossing / Horse power

Wild peloton action close to Logan Lake

Wild Horse Crossing

The other day I was talking about the Skatelife GranFondo route to someone who regularly travels through the area. I thought it was a bit unusual that the first thing he mentioned about the roads was to 'watch for the wild horses on the road between Cache Creek & Merritt'. So I looked into it & turns out he's right. The highlands around Logan lake are home to over 250 wild horses. I don't think they will be any trouble, but it would be fun to see them during the ride. Keep your eyes peeled!


Horse Power

Everyone has their own system to prepare for a long ride like the Skatelife GranFondo. If you are looking for another pre-ride training idea, or need some guidance in your training, check out this article from Bicycling.com.   They suggest a variety of rides each prep week including a long ride, a steady ride, and a speed ride to build strength & endurance for the event. Check it out.

A couple route pics

A couple weeks ago I took a drive through the Skatelife GranFondo route & took a couple pics of the terrain. It was a pretty overcast day in late April. When we ride it- June 23-24 we'll see deep blue sky & bright sun!

Dry open terrain between Kamloops & Cache Creek- Day 1 preview

A sign of things to come on Day 2- except we're going up, and it's more than 2 km!

After the peak, it's all open ranch land

the final stretch gradually descending into Merritt

The roads are pretty quiet & decent quality for secondary highways. It will be a great out of the way loop to ride. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Elevations!

After checking out the actual route of a ride, the very next thing I want to figure out is how many hills am I going to be climbing?
Thanks to Map My Ride we have all the details of this summer's Skatelife GranFondo elevations.
Day 1 from Merritt to Cache Creek is actually not a strenuous day of huge elevation changes (save that for day 2!). We will actually lose altitude over-all. Check out the general altitude chart with the expanded categorized climb chart following it.

Overall elevations for day 1

Climbing details

Day 2 is the big climb day. After a 12km warm up from Cache Creek to Ashcroft it's up, up, and away on a 17 km ascent to high country ranch land- and a surreal open pit copper mine. You'll feel like you'll have ascended up into an alien landscape!
Not to worry, from the peak its a great & beautiful cruise South- East for the remaining 70km back to Merritt.

Day two elevation overview

Climbing details

A Great Ride!

The first annual Skatelife GranFondo is in the books!
Thank you to all of our riders- it was a great adventure.
Thank you as well to all our sponsors & donors! At this year's event we raised $5000 to help Skatelife reach young people across Canada this summer!
A big thanks to Adam Trodder for his great help as our support driver in the VOS.
Thank you also to Rockridge Canyon for the awesome accommodations.
Here are some pics from the event... Enjoy!

Skatelife GranFondo

Skatelife's GranFondo is just over a month away!

Skatelife's first charity ride, June 18-19 is a ride through the beautiful Okanagan valley from Penticton to Princeton BC- and back again.

Stay tuned here for all the updates & info for this summers amazing cycling event!
Also, click on any of the highlights to connect to detailed route info & elevations, Rockridge Canyon accommodations, and more.

Interested to know more about Skatelife's work with young people? Check our website at skatelife.ca.

Skatelife is a part of Young Life of Canada's mission to youth. Find out more at younglife.ca.

Be a rider! Sign up on our registration page.

Or, sponsor one of our SLGF riders. click here to make an online contribution.

Give us a call any time.
604 807 3718

Thanks for joining us as on this great ride for a great cause!