Hi Girls.
Gears Girls is pleased to announce that on Saturday, July 11th, from 8am until 1pm, members will have the opportunity to take part in a "Group Riding 101" clinic being hosted by the Mississauga Bicycle Racing Club (another Gears sponsored road group http://www.mbrc.org/index.php). This clinic will be exculsive to Gears Girls members!
This 5 hour clinic will teach participants the basic skills needed for effective bike handling and group riding. We recommend that all Gears Girls members participate in this course. Topics will include:
#efficient pedaling
#advanced cornering
#advanced braking
#obstacle avoidance
#bumping
#following a wheel/drafting
#paceline riding
#single line echelons
#double line echelons
The cost of this clinic is $40 per person; payment can be made in person at Gears Bike Shop. If you would like to take part in this clinic, please RSVP to gearsgirls@hotmail.com no later than July 7th. NB: Payment must be made by July 7th in order to guarantee you a spot. Space in this clinic is limited so register early to avoid disappointment. Details regarding the meeting location - around Winston Churchill and Burnhamthorpe - (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=sladeview+crescent+mississauga+on&ie=UTF8&z=15&iwloc=addr&om=0) as well as other information about the clinic will be emailed out to participants prior to July 11th.
Feel free to email me with any questions you might have or to RSVP for this clinic.
Mel
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Gears Girls Update - Week of June 29th to July 4th
Hi Girls.
Hope you're all having a great weekend! Here's an update for this week:
Wednesday evening ride:
Gears Girls will NOT be riding this Wednesday (July 1st). But don't let this dissuade you from heading out on your own, or with friends or family for a Canada Day ride!
Friday morning ride:
Same time (9:30am). Same place (Gears).
Saturday morning ride:
Also same time (meet at 8am, ride at 8:15am). Same place (Gears).
Hope you all have a great week!!!
Safe riding.
Mel
Hope you're all having a great weekend! Here's an update for this week:
Wednesday evening ride:
Gears Girls will NOT be riding this Wednesday (July 1st). But don't let this dissuade you from heading out on your own, or with friends or family for a Canada Day ride!
Friday morning ride:
Same time (9:30am). Same place (Gears).
Saturday morning ride:
Also same time (meet at 8am, ride at 8:15am). Same place (Gears).
Hope you all have a great week!!!
Safe riding.
Mel
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Gears Girls Update - Week of June 22nd
Hi Girls.
Hope you all had a great weekend! Saturday's weather was lousy but yesterday was beautiful -- hope you all had a chance to get out for a ride!
Ride Info:
The weather looks good all week!!! Our Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday rides this week will all start and finish at Gears - same start times as always. It's calling for hot, humid temps all week -- remember to bring water (preferably two bottles) and some sort of high energy snack on every ride.
Route Info:
If any of you have a favourite ride or a route you'd like to try let me know. Due to traffic, road conditions, time restraints, etc. we're somewhat limited on Wednesdays and Fridays, but on Saturdays we have options to start at alternate locations. Email gearsgirls@hotmail.com with any thoughts or ideas!
Kit Info:
Thanks to everyone for getting back to me with kit sizes. FYI, if you're still unsure about sizes you should go in to Gears to try stuff on! If I don't hear back from you by Thursday, I'll presume that all is okay. The final order will be submitted Friday morning.
Looking forward to a great week of riding!!!
Mel
Hope you all had a great weekend! Saturday's weather was lousy but yesterday was beautiful -- hope you all had a chance to get out for a ride!
Ride Info:
The weather looks good all week!!! Our Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday rides this week will all start and finish at Gears - same start times as always. It's calling for hot, humid temps all week -- remember to bring water (preferably two bottles) and some sort of high energy snack on every ride.
Route Info:
If any of you have a favourite ride or a route you'd like to try let me know. Due to traffic, road conditions, time restraints, etc. we're somewhat limited on Wednesdays and Fridays, but on Saturdays we have options to start at alternate locations. Email gearsgirls@hotmail.com with any thoughts or ideas!
Kit Info:
Thanks to everyone for getting back to me with kit sizes. FYI, if you're still unsure about sizes you should go in to Gears to try stuff on! If I don't hear back from you by Thursday, I'll presume that all is okay. The final order will be submitted Friday morning.
Looking forward to a great week of riding!!!
Mel
Friday, June 19, 2009
Saturday June 20th Gears Girls ride - Cancellation due to weather
Hi Girls.
I've been keeping an eye on the weather tomorrow and it's not looking good at all! 90% chance of rain and thunderstorms tonight and all day tomorrow. So, with that in mind, we've decided to proactively cancel the ride we had planned for tomorrow (Saturday, June 20).
I would although like to invite anyone who is interested to ride with my husband and I on Sunday (June 21st). Same start location (Hornby Field), same time (8:30am) - refer to the gears girls blog posting below (Gears Girls update - Week of June 15th posting) for additional info and direction. This will be an "unofficial" Gears Girls ride, so feel free to invite your spouses, partners, friends, etc. My only request is that they have a road bike in good working order, a spare tube, and a couple bottles of water. Oh, and if you bring your husbands along tell them no whining and that they can't get mad when we whiz past them on the hills :) Other than that, invite away! FYI, I'm not sure if the bakery in Moffat is open on Sundays - just in case I would recommend bringing along a small, cycling friendly snack.
I know people probably have Father's Day plans so we'll aim to be back at the parking lot for 11:30am. Let me know if you'll be joining us on Sunday just so I have an idea as to how many people we should expect. Should be a fun ride!!!
Hope to see a bunch of you on Sunday!
Mel
I've been keeping an eye on the weather tomorrow and it's not looking good at all! 90% chance of rain and thunderstorms tonight and all day tomorrow. So, with that in mind, we've decided to proactively cancel the ride we had planned for tomorrow (Saturday, June 20).
I would although like to invite anyone who is interested to ride with my husband and I on Sunday (June 21st). Same start location (Hornby Field), same time (8:30am) - refer to the gears girls blog posting below (Gears Girls update - Week of June 15th posting) for additional info and direction. This will be an "unofficial" Gears Girls ride, so feel free to invite your spouses, partners, friends, etc. My only request is that they have a road bike in good working order, a spare tube, and a couple bottles of water. Oh, and if you bring your husbands along tell them no whining and that they can't get mad when we whiz past them on the hills :) Other than that, invite away! FYI, I'm not sure if the bakery in Moffat is open on Sundays - just in case I would recommend bringing along a small, cycling friendly snack.
I know people probably have Father's Day plans so we'll aim to be back at the parking lot for 11:30am. Let me know if you'll be joining us on Sunday just so I have an idea as to how many people we should expect. Should be a fun ride!!!
Hope to see a bunch of you on Sunday!
Mel
Monday, June 15, 2009
Gears Girls Update - Week of June 15th
Hi Girls.
Hope everyone had a great weekend! Our Saturday ride was super - good job to all those who made it out.
Our Wednesday and Friday rides will start and end at Gears as usual. Depart at 6:30pm on Wednesday, and 9:30am Friday. It's calling for rain on Wednesday but I'm no longer believing anything the weather men (surely women wouldn't lie to us) tell us these days so we'll play it by ear. If it's raining we won't ride - but if we're already at Gears we can always head out for a coffee!
Saturday we're going to head north for a ride in the country! We'll meet at Sixth Line and Steeles (Hornby Park) for 8:15am and ride at 8:30am - we'll be riding north on Sixth Line, then west on 15th Sideroad to Moffat. Most direct route to the meeting point: If you're taking the QEW from Port Credit, head west and get off at Trafalgar. Drive north for quite a ways (17kms) - cross Dundas, Lower Baseline, the 407, Britannia, Derry, and the 401, until you reach Steeles Avenue. Head west (left) on Steeles about 1km until you hit Sixth Line. Head south (left) on Sixth Line - immediately after you turn onto Sixth Line there will be a parking lot (there's a ball diamond and athletic field) - we'll meet there. If you're coming from the 401 - exit at Trafalgar, drive north on Trafalgar to Steeles - follow the directions above to the parking lot.
Here's a link to a ride my husband and I did from Hornby Park - our ride on Saturday won't be identical, but it will give you a better idea as to where Sixth Line and Steeles is: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=228491 FYI - if you're thinking about taking Sixth Line...there's a fence up I believe going over the 407 - I wouldn't recommend taking it!!!
The Saturday ride will be approximately 60km return. It's a really pretty ride - and the halfway mark features an awesome bakery!!! Bring some money if you want to buy yourself a treat or a cold drink (great buttertarts!). Also, be sure to bring water, a spare tube, and perhaps a small high energy snack.
Please email gearsgirls@hotmail.com to let us know if you'll be riding to Moffat with us on Saturday.
Feel free to email if you need additional information or directions. Looking forward to riding with all of you this week!
Mel
Hope everyone had a great weekend! Our Saturday ride was super - good job to all those who made it out.
Our Wednesday and Friday rides will start and end at Gears as usual. Depart at 6:30pm on Wednesday, and 9:30am Friday. It's calling for rain on Wednesday but I'm no longer believing anything the weather men (surely women wouldn't lie to us) tell us these days so we'll play it by ear. If it's raining we won't ride - but if we're already at Gears we can always head out for a coffee!
Saturday we're going to head north for a ride in the country! We'll meet at Sixth Line and Steeles (Hornby Park) for 8:15am and ride at 8:30am - we'll be riding north on Sixth Line, then west on 15th Sideroad to Moffat. Most direct route to the meeting point: If you're taking the QEW from Port Credit, head west and get off at Trafalgar. Drive north for quite a ways (17kms) - cross Dundas, Lower Baseline, the 407, Britannia, Derry, and the 401, until you reach Steeles Avenue. Head west (left) on Steeles about 1km until you hit Sixth Line. Head south (left) on Sixth Line - immediately after you turn onto Sixth Line there will be a parking lot (there's a ball diamond and athletic field) - we'll meet there. If you're coming from the 401 - exit at Trafalgar, drive north on Trafalgar to Steeles - follow the directions above to the parking lot.
Here's a link to a ride my husband and I did from Hornby Park - our ride on Saturday won't be identical, but it will give you a better idea as to where Sixth Line and Steeles is: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=228491 FYI - if you're thinking about taking Sixth Line...there's a fence up I believe going over the 407 - I wouldn't recommend taking it!!!
The Saturday ride will be approximately 60km return. It's a really pretty ride - and the halfway mark features an awesome bakery!!! Bring some money if you want to buy yourself a treat or a cold drink (great buttertarts!). Also, be sure to bring water, a spare tube, and perhaps a small high energy snack.
Please email gearsgirls@hotmail.com to let us know if you'll be riding to Moffat with us on Saturday.
Feel free to email if you need additional information or directions. Looking forward to riding with all of you this week!
Mel
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Great ride today girls!
Trying to adjust Angie's seat...where's Scott when you need him!
A well deserved pit stop
Not really wanting to get back on our bikes...
Hey Girls.Super ride today! You all did amazing - especially considering this was the longest ride a lot of you have ever done. Awesome work on the hills along Northshore - our coffee break at Second Cup was well deserved. Even with the few rides we've done this season, you've all shown a ton of improvement - we'll all be speed demons by the time the season ends :)
Here's a link to the route we took today: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=239718.
Ride with you all soon!
Mel
Friday, June 12, 2009
Good luck Gears Girls!
Good luck to all the Gears Girls who will be participating in the Ride to Conquer Cancer this weekend! We'll be thinking about you on our ride tomorrow. We'll look forward to hearing about your adventures next week!
Mel
Mel
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Saturday June 13 - Important ride information
Hi Girls.
This Saturday (June 13) Gears Girls will be offering a couple different ride options. You can choose to ride distances of 90km, 70km, or 40km.
If you would like to ride the full 90km, meet at Gears for the regular 8:15am departure – from Gears, we’ll head to Oakville to meet the ladies riding the 40km and 70km routes.
If you would like to ride the 70km or 40km routes, please meet at the Oakville Whole Foods parking lot (on the east side of the lot, by Starbucks) for 8:45am. The women leaving from Gears will ride to Whole Foods to meet the rest of the group between 8:45 and 9am. (Whole Foods is located at 301 Cornwall Road, Oakville, just off the QEW at the Trafalgar exit).
From Whole Foods, we’ll head west to Burlington and then on to North Shore Boulevard to Plains Road just east of Hamilton. For those of you that haven’t ridden along North Shore Boulevard, it’s a pretty ride along a nice, quiet stretch of road – with some nice rollers and hills that you can practice your gearing and hill climbing techniques on. If you ride to Plains road from Whole Foods, the total distance will be approximately 70km.
For those of you that would like a shorter more leisurely ride, you can head back to Whole Foods at Brant Street (there’s a nice Second Cup on the corner – which has a great patio and view of the water that you might want to stop at). This distance will be approximately 40km.
We're hoping that a number of you give the 70km or 90km routes a try. The ride for the most part is quiet flat – it’s not until you get to North shore that it starts to get hilly. And that section isn’t overly long. It’ll be a nice ride and for those of you that haven’t done any longer rides, this will give you a sense of what the distance is like.
Please email us at gearsgirls@hotmail.com to let us know if you will be meeting us at Gears or Whole Foods.
See you all Saturday!
This Saturday (June 13) Gears Girls will be offering a couple different ride options. You can choose to ride distances of 90km, 70km, or 40km.
If you would like to ride the full 90km, meet at Gears for the regular 8:15am departure – from Gears, we’ll head to Oakville to meet the ladies riding the 40km and 70km routes.
If you would like to ride the 70km or 40km routes, please meet at the Oakville Whole Foods parking lot (on the east side of the lot, by Starbucks) for 8:45am. The women leaving from Gears will ride to Whole Foods to meet the rest of the group between 8:45 and 9am. (Whole Foods is located at 301 Cornwall Road, Oakville, just off the QEW at the Trafalgar exit).
From Whole Foods, we’ll head west to Burlington and then on to North Shore Boulevard to Plains Road just east of Hamilton. For those of you that haven’t ridden along North Shore Boulevard, it’s a pretty ride along a nice, quiet stretch of road – with some nice rollers and hills that you can practice your gearing and hill climbing techniques on. If you ride to Plains road from Whole Foods, the total distance will be approximately 70km.
For those of you that would like a shorter more leisurely ride, you can head back to Whole Foods at Brant Street (there’s a nice Second Cup on the corner – which has a great patio and view of the water that you might want to stop at). This distance will be approximately 40km.
We're hoping that a number of you give the 70km or 90km routes a try. The ride for the most part is quiet flat – it’s not until you get to North shore that it starts to get hilly. And that section isn’t overly long. It’ll be a nice ride and for those of you that haven’t done any longer rides, this will give you a sense of what the distance is like.
Please email us at gearsgirls@hotmail.com to let us know if you will be meeting us at Gears or Whole Foods.
See you all Saturday!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Wednesday night "Hill Climbing 101" with Jen
Hi Girls.
Please join us Wednesday night (June 10th) for "Hill Climbing 101". Pro triathlete Jennifer Coombs-Amaral, Gears Girls team member, will be on hand to take us through some hill climbing basics. Meet at Gears for 6:15pm - at 6:30pm we'll ride west to the Lakeshore and Meadow Wood area. From there, we'll cycle through the neighbourhood and ride a variety of hills. Don't worry, it's not the Alps!!! The terrain (from easy rollers to steeper climbs) will give you a good opportunity to try out some of the gearing techniques learned in Derek's clinic last week. Don't worry if you missed the clinic, we'll review the basics! If you want to check out the area we'll be riding in, you can at: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2896510
Hope to see you Wednesday night!
Mel
Please join us Wednesday night (June 10th) for "Hill Climbing 101". Pro triathlete Jennifer Coombs-Amaral, Gears Girls team member, will be on hand to take us through some hill climbing basics. Meet at Gears for 6:15pm - at 6:30pm we'll ride west to the Lakeshore and Meadow Wood area. From there, we'll cycle through the neighbourhood and ride a variety of hills. Don't worry, it's not the Alps!!! The terrain (from easy rollers to steeper climbs) will give you a good opportunity to try out some of the gearing techniques learned in Derek's clinic last week. Don't worry if you missed the clinic, we'll review the basics! If you want to check out the area we'll be riding in, you can at: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2896510
Hope to see you Wednesday night!
Mel
Check out the ride maps
Hey Girls!
If you want to see some of the rides we've been on you can - check out the "Route Maps" link located to the right of the page. I just got a new device (a handy dandy Garmin 705) that captures all sorts of useful data. I'll be posting our rides (at least the ones that me and my Garmin are on) on the blog regularly.
Mel
If you want to see some of the rides we've been on you can - check out the "Route Maps" link located to the right of the page. I just got a new device (a handy dandy Garmin 705) that captures all sorts of useful data. I'll be posting our rides (at least the ones that me and my Garmin are on) on the blog regularly.
Mel
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Gearing Clinic - Monday, June 1st and Friday, June 5th
Great clinic last night ladies! About 10 women showed up to learn efficient and proper gearing techniques from Coach Derek. For those of you that missed the clinic, there will be another one offered Friday morning at 9:30am - meet at Gears. A short ride will follow the clinic. Derek will be posting notes, so don't feel left out if you missed both clinics. We'll also be working on gearing techniques on upcoming rides...and if you don't know ASK!!!! We're there to help.
Mel
Mel
Monday, June 1, 2009
Welcome to the new Gears Girls Blog!
Hey Gears Girls!
Welcome to the new Gears Girls blog. Here you'll find announcements about rides, clinics, events, technical tips, etc. As the season progresses, we'll also post photos, stories, ride tips and tons of other fun stuff. Please check back often to get the latest on ride times and other announcements. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed to get informed instantly when new posts are created.
Looking forward to riding with all of you soon!
Welcome to the new Gears Girls blog. Here you'll find announcements about rides, clinics, events, technical tips, etc. As the season progresses, we'll also post photos, stories, ride tips and tons of other fun stuff. Please check back often to get the latest on ride times and other announcements. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed to get informed instantly when new posts are created.
Looking forward to riding with all of you soon!
Gears Girls Saturday Ride
Hey Gears Girls.
Awesome first ride of the season on Saturday! I didn't get a count, but I think there were about 15 of us - great turnout! I can't wait to get our custom designed kits - we'll look great riding as a group down Lakeshore.
Feel free to post a comment below...feedback, suggestions, comments, etc. would be appreciated!
Looking forward to our next ride.
Mel
Awesome first ride of the season on Saturday! I didn't get a count, but I think there were about 15 of us - great turnout! I can't wait to get our custom designed kits - we'll look great riding as a group down Lakeshore.
Feel free to post a comment below...feedback, suggestions, comments, etc. would be appreciated!
Looking forward to our next ride.
Mel
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