Last days of prep for the big ride!

Here's an article from Velo News with some good tips for riding just prior to a GranFondo. It's all about tapering the effort down to allow your body rest prior to a big effort.


"Tapering before your Gran Fondo is important. Trying to get in a last minute 100-mile ride to boost your endurance in the week prior to the event will not help. You’d be better off tapering to make sure that you are rested before a long challenging ride.

Make sure you are well rested before a Gran Fondo.
How best to taper?
•Do your last endurance workout 4-8 days before your Gran Fondo.
•Avoid “big gear” workouts for 1-2 weeks before the event.
•Avoid exhaustive aerobic workouts for the three days prior to leaving for your Gran Fondo
•Intervals (LT) are OK in the last week, but should be avoided in final 2 or 3 days before you depart for the event
•Use an active recovery ride (very, very easy) in the days before, or simply rest if riding isn’t an option
•Treat the first few kilometers of the Gran Fondo as a “warm-up” to get your legs accustomed to the effort

If you’re looking to peak for your Gran Fondo event you’ll want to reduce volume in the week before but maintain your intensity. High volume makes recovery more difficult, and lower volume allows the rest required for replacing glycogen stores, while giving you time to psych yourself up for the hard efforts ahead. As your schedule permits, you’ll want to continue to ride, but keep in mind that you’ll benefit most from decreasing the duration of your intervals while maintaining intensity."

Article from

Training for Gran Fondos, part 5: Tapering and tips

• By Curtis and Kristi Eastin, Chris Jones
• Published Jul. 20, 2010
• Updated Dec. 14, 2012 at 3:36 PM EDT

 See the entire article here.

Route adjustment = better day 1 riding

New day 1 route around Skaha Lake (image Map My Ride)

Our Skatelife GranFondo "route consulting committee" has come up with a slight adjustment for the day 1 route which will offer quieter roads and better scenery for the first 19 km of the ride.

The new route will lead all our cyclists from our start point in south Penticton along the east side of Skaha Lake to Okanagan Falls. From there the main group will begin the ascent to the Hwy 3a Junction

A great ride around Skaha Lake (photo The Doctrine Training and Racing)

and beyond toward Keremeos.

We will provide the first rider check point at OK Falls where cyclists can grab snacks, adjust their gear, etc if they want. Of course our luxury support vehicles (Van of Shame) can offer 'assistance' to riders at any point up the ascent toward Keremeos.

On Sunday's return home we will stay on Hwy 97 from the 3A junction in to our finish in Penticton.

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!

SLGF Brochure

The Skatelife GranFondo Brochure is here!
We have a great route planned taking us from the Okanagan Valley to the Similkameen Valley and back. Our registration page will be online by the first week of March, so book off June 22-23 now and get ready to ride!

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!

SL GranFondo. Day 2 ride, June 19

Day 2 of the SL GranFondo is generally a shorter & easier ride. Our slow ascent from Keremeos to Princeton day 1 turns into a gradual descent along the Old Hedley road beside the river. From Keremeos to the Oliver junction is the most difficult portion of the ride, including a a Cat 3 climb. Then its all down hill to the finish back in Penticton!

Day 2 route courtesy Map My Ride 2011

Day 2 elevations courtesy Map My Ride 2011

SL GranFondo. Day 1 ride- June 18

June 18 route. Courtesy Map My Ride, 2011

In case you don't have an account with Map My Ride, here is some detail about day 1 of the SLGF, June 18.
The route leaves from Penticton along the east side of Skaha Lake. We'll make our way down to Osoyoos through Oliver riding a mix of the Hwy 97 & backroads. This stage of the ride will be a great warm up as the route gradually descends to Osooyos.
Coming out of Osoyoos is our most challenging climb- a long ascent that is largely cat 3. From there we coast into Keremeos, and finish with a gradual ascent to Princeton.

June 18 route elevations. Courtesy Map My Ride 2011

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!