June 3rd Race. Hosted by Speed Theorists.

For the first time in the history of C4 action, another club will host the mayhem. Kyle Marcotte, Kaille Boyle, Mike Healy, Thomas Yip,and I will be the volunteers on the night. We will do a practise loop of the course, since it is a new one for everyone and we don't want any mishaps. We will start the warmup loop EXACTLY at 6:30pm. We will then converge on the corner of BearsPaw Road and Nagway Road.

We will go through the rules of the day, depending on who shows up.

The loop is 8km, and very rolly.

Here is the course we will do twice. It is a technical ITT since there are lots and lots of corners and it is very rolly. Pacing will be key so you don't blow up on the second lap:

Back at it...(thanks to the weather gods)...

From all accounts it looked like a great night. While I was away chasing six year olds around a TBall diamond you guys were working hard out there. I know there was a little confusion with the course and it sounds like it was about 13.3km but the time are impressive none the less. So without further adieu the results...

I have also heard that there was a bit of a "wild life" encounter with a local denizen of the prairies and that can't be helped. Happily they wandered on their way and Rob escaped unharmed. Big kudos to the volunteers for the week, Randy Szasz, Mark Perry, Wes Zaniecki, and Rob Onodera. Some of these guys would have ridden if they had the chance so please try and bring out a volunteer if you can so I can let them. Anyway, good job and next week it's Speed Theory's turn to put on a race and I'm quite interested to see what they come up with.

We're back on the wagon...

...and the crazy bus but that's another sotry. We're back this week with a standard TT at our Dunbow road location. The start area is just east of Deerfoot trail along Dunbow Road and roughly across from Heritage Pointe. In a standard TT you can ride all the TT gear you can afford, steal, or better yet create. You can also ride your road bike.

View Dunbow Meeting Spot (DMS) in a larger map
Please try and spread the parking out or even better ride out to the start as we're trying to minimize the impact on the local population.
The course runs straight east out and back and the road condition is good but there is a bit of gravel on the shoulder as is almost always the case this time of year

View Dunbow Meeting Spot (DMS) in a larger map
Your host for the evening will be Crankmaster el Presidente Randy Szasz. Sign on starts at 6pm with the first racer off sometime about 6:30. Remember to shout your number at the finish as we're terrible guessers and we might just start making things up. We'll also need just 2 additional volunteers this time, one for the turnaround and one for the start or finish. It will be a nice night so I heartily encourage dragging out a freind, neighbour, or helpful hobo. See ya Wednesday.

***Tonight's Race is Cancelled***

It is with a heavy heart that I have to cancel the race for tonight. This is the first race that I've had to cancel and although it is suprisingly mediocre weather downtown, I just got a call from a friend that lives in the south and she has reported that the snow is starting to accumulate and that it's windy and 2 degrees. My apologies for the late notice, I had really hoped it would improve enough but it's just not pretty out there. We'll gear back up next week for a regular TT at the Dunbow location and if the weather doesn't improve, I'm moving to somewhere warm like Tuktoyaktuk.

Racing Tonight still on...for now...

...but wear your waterproof woolies. Perhaps just wear a wetsuit. Regardless, the weather lookes fairly dismal for tonight but I don't trust the weather people one bit. I know it's my fault for saying that the weather looked okay and that jinxed it. I searched and searched for a weather forecast that looked promising and only the Latvian National Weather Service offered a good forecast for Calgary tonight and I'm not sure they have a good handle on our weather. As I'm typing this they're reporting hella-heavy snow in High River. I'll post later this afternoon if it looks terrible beyond what an arctic seal could endure.

First Road Race this Wednesday.

Since we use the format of alternating TTs and RRs then it must be time for a Road Race and a Road Race we will have. Starting easy this year we'll be heading back to the Millarville course that we used so effectively last year. The meeting spot is the Priddis Meeting Spot (PMS) at the junction of highways 22 and 22X. Racing should commence a little bit after 6:30 so try and be there between 6:00 and about 6:20.

View Priddis Meeting Spot (PMS) in a larger map
We will begin to split into three different groups for these races based upon experience and ability so think about what you think would be best for you. I do have an idea from the first TT but have found that TT results are not always an indicator of RR category. We'll give it a try on Wednesday. The race starts at the meeting spot, races south along 22 before turning right on 549 towards Millarville. We then turn North along Range Road 33 and right again on Plummers Road following that back towards 22 where we either turn South for another lap or finish just before we hit 22.

View Priddis Meeting Spot (PMS) in a larger map
As usual, I'm looking for at least two volunteers to help with the turns. It's a great way to see the race and a valuable service to keep the series running. I can use anybody, no experience required. I'll keep an eye on the weather but it looks OK at this point and we'll go in anything as long as it's still safe.
See ya Wednesday.

First Week Results

Wow, oh wow what a turnout. Dodgy weather, difficult course and still they come. It's great and congrats to all those that showed up as in the end it was a fairly pleasant evening. Anyway, Big thanks to David Morgantini and Wes Zaniecki for leaving their bikes in their cars and helping out. Now to the results and to my suprise the times were really impressive. I'll have to find something harder if you guys keep going so fast.

Great to see the new riders and hope to see you at our next outing next week. We'll meet at the Priddis Meeting Spot (PMS) for a RR around out Millarville course. We'll be putting riders into categories next week to keep things even and I'll recalculate the TT results once I figure out how people will split out. I'll push out the details in a few days. See you next Wednesday.

Merckx Race Tonight

Batter up! We're looking good for tonight and hopefully the weather will cooperate. Please try and arrive by about 6:30 so that we can get the first rider off at 7. Wear your woolies as it will no doubt be a little brisk but you're not made of sugar so let's ride. I will only really cancel it if there is serious snow, lightning, hammering rain, a plague of locusts, or an asteroid strike. Please remember to sign up with Karelo before the race if you can as it facilitates our end of things immensely. I am also still looking for 3 or so volunteers so bring a helper (victim) and I'll put them to use. See you tomorrow!

Ready for launch ... May 13th is the day ...

... it all begins.

Welcome back for the 2009 Calgary Crankmasters Wednesday Night Series.

We're locked and loaded with lots of fun, excitement, and oh so sweet pain. It all starts next week, Wednesday May 13th at 6:30pm. The race...a 10 mile (16km) Merckx TT on our brand spanking new course. It all starts from the Woodland Meeting Spot (WMS).


The Woodland meeting spot is located at the junction of Woodland road and highway 1A just west of Bearspaw and before Lochend Road. There is a side road there (Twp Rd 255) off of Woodland where we'll set up. Ample parking is available along 255 and on Nagway road just to the east off Bearspaw Road. And of course, you could always ride out to the site from Calgary. Please try and spread the parking out so that everybody isn't all parked at the same spot in order to keep things low key with respect to the local population.

View Directions to Twp Rd 262 in a larger map
The course starts just west of Woodland Road and heads west along 1A towards Cochrane. After a few kilometres and just before you start to head down the hill into Cochrane we turn right on to Big Hill Road, around the corner and straight north on Range Road 40. A short time thereafter another right turn onto Twp Road 262 heads you back eastwards towards the finish about a kilometre before you get to Lochend road. It's a short ride back to the start from there.

View Directions to Twp Rd 262 in a larger map
A Merckx TT harkens back to the good ole days of box rims, leather helmets, and the great men of cycling history. No aero helmets, bars, wheels, or fancy schmany bikes for this outing. Just a road bike, road bars, and road wheels. It's not like there is any wind out there on that stretch of road.

I'll need at least 3 volunteers for this one so bring a friend and I'll put them to work. It's pretty easy work and nothing beats standing out there in the howling wind watching cyclings grind their way forward. As for the weather, we'll play it by ear and I'll update the blog as we go. Showers don't scare me but driving rain, snow, locusts, and whatever else this province produces does.

We'll see you then.

Introductory Meeting This Wednesday May 6th 6pm, Edworthy Park!!!

That's right, we're almost ready to launch. For those returning to the series and those new to the series we are holding an introductory meeting at Edworthy Park this Wednesday May 6th at 6pm. We'll try and snag picnic area 3 or 4 if available. Since we are utilizing the club race format for the series everbody interested in racing will have to be at least a secondary member of Crankmasters, an option we offer for the low low price of $35 if you are a member of another Alberta club and $70 for primary membership in Crankmasters. For that you get the Wednesday Night Series and all the other club races that Crankmasters has to offer. We are using Karelo this year for sign-up so see http://www.calgarycycling.com/ for details and fancy links to click on and all that. I'll be on hand Wednesday to answer any questions or email me at c4racing@gmail.com for more information.