But not far away.  We can be found at www.bikealberta.com

Please update your bookmark!

Cheers,
Your BikeAlberta Team

Bow Cycle is introducing No Drop Monday Night Rides. All licensed riders are welcomed to join us for a casual ride leaving Monday nights at 6:30. Non-licensed riders are invited to join our riding club, The Bownesians, to take advantage of these rides.

Check out http://bownesianmondays.blogspot.com/ for more details.

Provided by the Alberta Bicycle Association

You can join Phil on the bike in support of the Canadian Sport Centre Calgary (CSC) and the Alberta Bicycle Association (ABA).

June 17th – Phil will lead 30 cycling enthusiasts on a fully supported, fun-filled scenic ride. A private dinner will follow where Phil will share his insights and predictions for the 2009 Tour de France. A suggested minimum $1000 donation (tax receipt available) to the CSC/ABA is required to enjoy the full day with Phil Liggett. You can receive more information or register to ride by contacting ridewithphil@gmail.com

June 18th – Phil is the special guest of honor at an evening fundraising reception. During this meet and greet, Phil will provide remarks and a Q&A. A $50/person donation (tax receipt available) will allow entrance to this fun and lively evening, all to benefit CSC/ABA’s support of Canadian athletes on the road to the podium. For ticket requests or more information please contact meetphilliggett@gmail.com

One of the biggest spring classic races it going down tomorrow: Paris-Roubaix.  The “Hell of the North” is 259kms with 59 sections of cobbles.

Now with the beauty of the internet many Albertans can enjoy watching this Queen of the Classic LIVE!  Here is a couple of ways how:

Cycling.tv

With your paid subscription to cycling.tv, you can enjoy the race live and on demand (post race).  $44.99 USD gets you three months of full access to the live and on demand events.  Bonus is you get commentary from Magnus Backstedt – winner of Paris-Roubaix 2004.

http://www.channelsurfing.net/

You may get lucky with this bare-bones video streaming site.  There usually is links to Pro Tour races but I’ve found it’s is a bit hit & miss with the connection.  The good news is that it’s free!  Plus it’s good to track down hockey games too!

MyP2P

A third option to try is MyP2P – a great source for all kinds of live streaming video.  And too with this website, viewing is completely free.

So now set your alarm, get up early, and enjoy watching Paris-Roubaix live with a strong cup of coffee!

Provided by the Alberta Bicycle Association

April 9, 2009 – Penn West Energy Trust, the largest conventional oil and natural gas producing income trust in North America, has become a sponsor of the 2009 Alberta Bicycle Association (ABA) Canada Games Team. This support will go directly to preparing Team Alberta cycling athletes competing in the Canada Games in Prince Edward Island from August 18-29, 2009.

Penn West Energy, with its head office in Calgary, prides itself in supporting valuable community initiatives such as amateur sport. The Alberta Bicycle Association President Alan Schietzsch is delighted to have Penn West on board. “Penn West is a great supporter of amateur sport and the Canada Games – I am happy that such a large energy company has seen the potential in our cycling team,” stated Schietzsch.

Nicole Collard, Penn West’s Manager, Public Affairs stated, “We are proud to sponsor amateur sport because we feel it positively impacts personal growth, sportsmanship and active lifestyles. The Alberta Bicycle Association supports athletes of all ages and competitive levels in an exciting sport and we hope it encourages further interest in cycling -whether it be as an enthusiast, an athlete or as a spectator of the games.”

The support will go directly to members of the ABA team at the 2009 Games taking place in Prince Edward Island from August 18-29, 2009. Penn West Energy is a major sponsor of the Canada Summer Games.

For more information regarding the Alberta Bicycle Association visit www.albertabicycle.ab.ca. For more information about Penn West visit www.pennwest.com

With the racing season just around the corner and the weather finally cooperating – get your legs and lungs ready by coming out to a unique roadriding experience – De Ronde Van Cowtown.

Inspired by Belgium’s toughest one-day race, this 78km ride will take you up and down 18 of Calgary’s most popular (and obscure) climbs and through some of Calgary’s nicest neighbourhoods.

There are no prizes accept bragging rights.  There are no rules accept the rules of the road.  Glory is available to all who complete the course!  Info here on Facebook.  Map here on Google.

Look for the yellow arrows!

In keeping with the live video of racing from around the world theme, I’m happy to inform all you MTB racing fans that you can watch the opening round of the UCI World Cup live [here]

Watch the world’s best MTBers duke it our in the opening round of the MTB World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

The Women XCO start at 03:15 Mountain Time – Saturday, April 11, 2009 & the Men fire up at 06:30 Mountain Time.

Check out the pre-race updates from Canada’s own GeoffKabush: “Rode WC course, ok, steep, will be a sh*$ show if it rains, world’s worst descender won national race last week which tells you a lot”

To check out the “Roughly Eighteen Questions” w/ Kabush, click [here]

From Cycling Tips:

So it’s not really related to cycling in Alberta but many Albertans enjoy watching the spring classics!

Learn how to watch Gent Wevelgem live on Cycling Tips’ website

The live feed(s) can be found [here]

Enjoy!

Provided by Coaches Association of Canada

Campbell’s® Chunky® Soup, the Coaching Association of Canada and TSN give top recognition to one of the country’s most dedicated coaches

TORONTO (April 2, 2009) – Today para-cycling coach Stephen Burke of Calgary, Alberta was named winner of The Chunky MVC: Most Valuable Coach – an interactive, integrated contest launched by the Campbell’s® Chunky® brand, the Coaching Association of Canada and TSN last November to celebrate coaches across Canada and build awareness of the fundamental role coaches play in their communities.

As a coach with the National Cycling Centre in Calgary, Coach Stephen Burke has dedicated his 11-year career to cycling and working with athletes with disabilities. Coach Burke has also served as assistant coach at the Paralympic Games in Sydney in 2000 and was also head coach at the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004.

“This campaign has generated a high level of support, recognition and excitement for coaching in Canada and we are especially proud of our Chunky Most Valuable Coach winner, Coach Stephen Burke,” said Jacki Nelson, Spokesperson, Campbell Company of Canada. “Canadians have rallied behind this dedicated coach to recognize all that he has done for the Calgary community. It is clear that Coach Burke has touched the lives of many people through his compassion and commitment to his athletes.”

Coach Stephen Burke was one of four finalists selected in the Chunky MVC search which generated over 500 nominations from individuals across the country.

Canadians were able to view a video profile of each finalist at www.chunky.ca/mvc and cast their vote online for their favourite coach from March 2nd to March 29th. The winner of the Chunky MVC award was determined by the highest number of votes received.

As the Chunky Most Valuable Coach, Coach Burke will receive the grand prize of a Chunky MVC Tribute Day. The Tribute Day will include a Big League Breakfast with a TSN Coach Squad member and a nationally recognized coach or athlete from the winner’s sport, along with a VIP Training Camp to honour the winner’s team, an award ceremony and a Chunky soup and chili feast. A $5000 grant will be presented on behalf of Coach Burke to the community sports organization of his choice. The Tribute day will be filmed and featured as a :30 sec commercial spot to air on TSN later this spring.

The TSN Coach Squad was developed to highlight the importance of coaching and features TSN personalities who are experts in their respective sports, including Glen Suitor (football), Pierre McGuire (hockey) and Jack Armstrong (basketball).

“This remarkable coach has demonstrated true commitment and dedication both on and off the field, opening a whole new world for athletes with disabilities through his Olympic Oval Para-Cycle program,” says John Bales, Chief Executive Officer, Coaching Association of Canada. “Where others might see physical limitations, Stephen sees young athletes and inspires them to recognize the same in themselves and to strive towards their goals. This recognition is highly deserved.”

Campbell Canada and the Chunky brand are committed to helping Canadians lead healthy, active lives, through their support of coaching initiatives across the country and by offering nourishing food choices for busy Canadian families.

The Coaching Association of Canada supports Campbell’s® Chunky® soup and chili as Real Food Recommended by Real Coaches^TM as part of a balanced diet in accordance with Canada’s Food Guide. All Campbell’s Chunky products contain no artificial colours or flavours, eight varieties proudly carry the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Health Check^TM symbol and five Chunky soup varieties now have 25 per cent less salt than their original recipes.

About Campbell Company of Canada
Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Campbell Company of Canada is committed to providing Canadians with convenient, tasty and nourishing food choices. Campbell Company of Canada is a subsidiary of Campbell Soup Company, based in Camden, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.campbellsoup.ca.

About the Coaching Association of Canada
The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is a not-for-profit amateur sport organization with the mission of enhancing the experiences of all Canadian athletes through quality coaching. CAC and its partners deliver a leading-edge coaching system whose goal is to have an impact on 1,000,000 athletes through the training of 100,000 coaches each year in the National Coaching Certification Program. Visit www.coach.ca for more information about coach education and training.

The Alberta Bicycle Association is excited to announce the appointment of Rick Thiessen as the new Provincial Head Coach. Thiessen comes to the ABA with rich and successful coaching background. As an NCCP level IV Road & MTB Coach Rick is a graduate of National Coaching Institute. Thiessen has coached National Trade Team (Lazy-Boy), Provincial Teams (Alberta and BC), and acted as the assistant coach at PacificSport National Cycling Centre Victoria.

To complement Rick the ABA has also appointed John cools to head up the Alberta Provincial BMX Team. Cools is the patriarch of the legendary Cools BMX Family and has coached numerous National and International BMX athletes. Christine Miller, multi year member of BMX Team Canada, will be coaching the Development Group of Team Alberta.

Alberta Bicycle is thrilled to have three such highly qualified individuals at the helm of the Alberta High Performance program.

To find out more about the Alberta High Performance Program visit the HP Program link.