Below are the rides I use in supporting the EBTC program and specifically my Wheeleasy Weekly Wriders (WWW) Program.

For Tuesday Rides, generally we meet at the Victoria Park Oval (12130 River Valley Rd, Edmonton, AB T5N 0E0, Alberta) at 6:00 pm.  I will email and post any different starting times and locations.  Also, please note that for the WWW I will be using this as the basis for fun-learning: art-of-riding-bicycles.

See the comment sections below on specific rides run and notes/learnings as applicable.  Feel free to contribute if you have joined the ride.

• Victoria Park & Environs: Very basic ride leaving the parking lot.  Riding initially into the wind direction, either head towards McKinnon Ravine or Capilano Bridge.  Ride approximately 40 minutes before returning along same route or crossing the river for the return.  A slow putz with those of use who are still trying to get into riding shape or with the group that wants a real work out.  The good news is that it is not all or nothing, you can start with the work-outers and the putzers will always welcome you with open arms (don’t ask us to say welcome as we are still catching our breath).
• Hills, Lovely Whills!: Given that the couch and I had tempestuous relationship this past winter, I thought I had best do some hills on Wheel-easy Weekly Wride.  GROANNNN, hills (or Whills) you might be saying, but wait – this is three rides in one!
  • Ride 1, a cruise in the early Edmonton spring enjoying the North Saskatchewan’s ravines.  Think about how this narrow geographic features were super-markets for the first people full of flora and fauna.  Or how the ravines were tamed by storm sewers under Grout road or traversed by straight a arrow bridge-girders above  (errr, mostly straight).
  • Ride 2, a GO-LIKE-HILL up and down for those wanting to get their heart rates ups while playing beat-Frank.
  • Ride 3, a learn exactly what those gear thing-a-ma-jigs do.  For this group, we’ll take a few minutes to learn about how bikes work and perhaps a few experience riders will provide mentorship while not Going-Like-Hill.
  • Route may include:
    • McKinnon Ravine, cross over the old Provincial Museum for the descent
    • Grout Road, cross over the Legislature for descent via Fortway Rd
    • Bellany Hill with descent along the same.
• Seven Vistas: A beautiful night calls for the ride of seven Vistas (results may vary, use as directed). We will try to hit seven different Vistas of our river valley. Bring your camera and your granny gear as we crisscross the valley riding, puffing and enjoying an early summer night!  First done June 7, 2015.
• Mountain Bike Madness:
  • Wheeleasy Wriders are going mountain biking!  Not the extreme log riding sort of riding but some pretty darn fun trails in the river valley nevertheless.   As a result, if you are riding tomorrow, please bring a mountain bike or at least a bike that you don’t mind getting a bit dusty.  No killer hills and for the few dips, pushing your bike demonstrates your willingness to develop upper body strength (e.g. beginners and newbies welcome!).
  • As always, we will have a couple of different tracks running concurrently.  Thus if you do show up with a road bike I am sure we can arrange something (although all the cool kids are riding mountain bikes this week).
• Cool Glenora Houses
• Follow the River.
• Clareview and Back (via LRT)
• Century Park and Back (via LRT)
• Big Lake Vistas
• Big Lake Vista – Meadowview Road Out and Back
• Pigeon Lake
• St. Albert Historic Tour
• Calahoo (Plan “B”)
• Calahoo (Secondaries 663×779) Hill
• Lone Spruce to Villeneuve Loop
• Sturgeon County – 1%
• St. Albert – North Loop
• St. Albert – 137 Avenue – Grandin Loop
• Johny’s Store Run
• St. Albert Gear Challenge – Part II

For each ride I will try to provide:

• Title, Description and when first done
• A graphic; please print or have available on a smart phone when you come
• Mapmyride.com reference; feel free to access if you have an account
• Email me at wriders@myorgbio.org if you would like the GPX File for any of these rides (e.g. for those who are GPS savvy).

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Big Lake Vistas

• Length, about 20KM mostly flat
• First done: 2013-June-25
• Description: Two prong rides that sees two different aspects of Big Lake.
• See Wriders email for details of where to meet, etc.
• Advanced Riders Option: Skip the city trail section, ride to Highway 44 and return.
• Mapmyride Link

Big Lake Vistas

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Big Lake Vista – Meadowview Road Out and Back

• Length, about 29KM mostly flat
• First done: 2014-April-26
• Description: A single leg of the above Big Lake Vista ride except with a turn around at highway 44.
• Mapmyride Link

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Pigeon Lake Tour

• Length, about 60KM a few moderate hills
• First done: 2013-June-16
• Description: A classic cruise around Pigeon Lake using the inside route.
• See Wriders email for details of where to meet, etc..

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St. Albert History

• Length, about 20KM virtually flat
• First done: 2013-June-11
• Description: A gentle tour of the city’s history, trail system, with a bit of history thrown in.
• This is planned to be a gentle ride because it is after the Calahoo Hill or the MS Ride

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Calahoo (Plan “B”)

• Length, about 50KM small hills
• First done: 2013-June-09
• Description: Done as an alternative to the Calahoo Hill because of bad weather
• This was a loop that included the Sir W. Churchill Hill.

Calahoo_Plan-B
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Calahoo (Secondaries 663×779) Hill

• Length, about 70KM, long 3% Grade climb
• Meet at 0900h – St. Albert North MacDonalds (700 ST. ALBERT RD ,ST ALBERT AB T8N 7A5- corner of Villeneuve Road and St. Albert Trail).
• Ride time, about 3-4 hours depending upon wind, etc.
• Description: an out and back; quiet residential secondary highway; break in Calahoo General Store.
• Everyone please meet up in Villeneuve on the way out to synchronize Trip Computers for ‘Beat Frank’.
• Half ~40KM ride to the Top of the Calahoo HIll and return to St. Albert
• This is an EBTC ride, it is unsupported and open to members only.
• Maymyride Link

PDF of Calahoo Hill Map
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Lone Spruce to Villeneuve Loop

• Length, about 19KM virtually flat
• First done: 2013-June-04
• Description: an out and back; quiet residential secondary highway.
• Maymyride Link

PDF of Lone Spruce-Villeneuve Loop
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Sturgeon County – 1% Ride

• Length, about 15KM with a small undulating hills
• First done: 2013-May-28
• Description: a loop that takes us through how the other half lives.  Mostly quiet residential and rural roads.
• Maymyride Link

PDF of Sturgeon1Percent
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St. Albert – Sturgeon Road – Sir Winston Churchill Loop

• Length, about 9KM with a 50m hill on Sir Winston Churchill
• First done: 2013-May-21
• Description: a loop that is best done in the evening or weekends as Sturgeon Road and Sir Winston Churchill can be busy.  One First/Last opportunity:
  • 1.8km, Grandin Road to Sir Winston Churchill (hill)
• Maymyride Link

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St. Albert – 137 Avenue – Grandin Loop

• Length, about 10KM with small undulating hills, two small climbs
• First done: 2013-May-14
• Description: a loop that is best done in the evening or weekends as Riel Park can be busy.  Best of all, there are lots of First/Last opportunities including:
  • 1.8km, Riel Road/Train Tracks to the first set of lights on Levasseur Road
  • 1.8km, start of bike trail to west side of 170th Street
  • 1.6km, North of 137th Avenue and 170th Street to traffic lights (small hill)
  • 1.6km, Grandin Road to Sir Winston Churchill (hill)
• Maymyride Link

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St. Albert Gear Challenge

• Length, about 10KM with small undulating hills, one moderate climb
• First done: 2013-May-07
• Description: a deceivingly short and easy route that challenges you to anticipate and work your gears.  Lots of small undulations and hills including the Grandin climb.
• mapmyride link (public route)

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Johny’s Store Run

• Length, about 33KM with one moderate climb
• First done: 2014-April-23
• Description: a great training ride albeit with tricky section.  Roads are fair to good with two sections of note that make this an intermediate ride.  First, the ride out to Sturgeon Road on Sir Winston Churchill has a narrow shoulder and moderate traffic.  The second is a 5km stretch of Highway 37 which includes a descent and ascent to Starkey Road.  The shoulder is reasonably wide but in only fair condition; lots of traffic.
• Start and end at St. Albert Place.
• Mapymyride link

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St. Albert Gear Challenge – Part Deux

• Length, about 15KM with small, sharp climbs
• First done: 2014-May-20
• Description: An opportunity for riders to test their gear-anticipation.
• See Wriders email for details of where to meet, etc.
• Advanced Riders Option: Beat Frank Back section.
• Map of the Ride

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