pgr connected july 2014

PGR CONNECTED

Monthly Newsletter 2014-July

PGR CONNECTEDMonthly Newsletter 2014-July

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Racing tipsby Sara McCartney (PGR Racer, XC)

2014 is my first year doing competitive mountain bike racing. So far I have participated in two races – the River Valley Rumble in Edmonton and the Organ Grinder in Canmore. While I am not an expert, I thought I could pass along some of the wisdom I have learned in my short 2-months on ‘the circuit’. 1. Ask questions. Mountain bikers LOVE to talk about mountain bikes. They

don’t even need much encouragement, sometimes even “nice bike” will start a long conversation about bikes, bike maintenance, biking techniques, bike trails, bike anything! They will be more than happy to share their knowledge with you, so don’t be afraid to ask.

2. Start out at a local race. My first race was here in Edmonton. I rode Terwilligar Park many times and was fairly comfortable with the terrain and confident in my ability to ride the course. By comparison, Organ Grinder at the Canmore Nordic Centre was significantly more challenging and had some sections that were very different from the trails I was use to. One section even reminded me of the downhill trails in Whistler. Had this been my first race it would have probably been much more intimidating. Which brings me to my next point...

3. If possible, pre-ride the race course. This is true even for local trails. As a new rider you will be much more confident (and faster?) if you know the course and are not surprised by any hills or technical sections. Pre-riding will also help you to prepare yourself mentally so you don’t freak out when you first encounter a steep, technical decent and you have another rider right behind you.

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Newsletter Highlights

• Racing Tips• Cycle for Autism• Silverstar with Most Epic Adventures• PGR Races• Race Training with Xpress• Racer Spotlight• Shop PGR


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Silver sponsors4. Do downhill. It is a ton of fun and teaches some great techniques that carry

over into cross country. Also, when you are racing cross country, you won’t have anyone trying to pass you on those steep, technical descents.

5. Be courteous. When someone does want to pass you move over (as much as possible) and let them. When you are passing let the other rider know you are passing and what side you are passing on.

6. When training, do hill climbs. Yes, they suck, but during the race you will be happy to have the leg strength, lung capacity, technique and will power to make it to the top of the hill. While this is something I continue to work on, I have noticed many of the hills are starting to look smaller and more manageable which, in my honest opinion, is half the battle.

7. Biking is mainly about body position and commitment. Yes, you do need to train, but if you don’t get your body into the correct position or if you don’t commit and try to bail halfway through something, you will eat s***. This is true for technical sections, climbing and descending.

8. Trees don’t move. Enough said.9. Have fun. You will get better by biking more, and you will only want to bike

more if you are having fun, so don’t forget to enjoy yourself ! Sneak peek of next month’s issue - PGR at Panorama

Sara at her first XC race Sara practicing her DH skills at PGR’s Whistler Trip


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cycle for autismby Angie Loewen (PGR Racer, DH)

In November of 2003 my husband and I were blessed with our beautiful daughter. She was born at 32 weeks due to some complications during my pregnancy. Although healthy, had a low birth weight of only 5 lbs. She was an angel, we named her Trinity.Although she seemed to be developing well, she had some complications with her speech and was assessed by a speech pathologist at the age of 2 ½. She was then assessed by the preschool assessment team at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital where we were told she had been diagnosed with Autism. She was immediately enrolled in a preschool early education program at Scott Robertson Elementary where she would learn to speak, play with other children, develop fine and gross motor skills and behavioural skills. The therapists worked with Trinity full time, five days a week. She graduated early education after 2 years and was then enrolled into the STEP program at Scott Robertson Elementary. The STEP program was a specialized therapy and education program specifically for children with Autism.She was in the program for half days the first year, then half days for the second year while she attended Kindergarten. She was making great gains with the help of the wonderful educators and therapists at Scott Robertson. Trinity was still struggling in some basic skills and was held back from Kindergarten for another year. She was able to catch up to her peers and is now an amazing 10 year old girl with an amazing imagination! Trinity loves to play with other kids and enjoys biking, swimming and playing minecraft. She is the most amazing person in my life, and I am proud to be her mom!Just recently, Prairie Girls Racing participated in the 2014 Cycle for Autism and raised $340. The event was held at Gold Bar Park and had an amazing turnout with many participants and teams. The event raised over $35,000.00 to fund Autism research! Trinity came along for the ride and had a great time! She is hoping to one day be an official member of PGR and plans to attend our events and learn biking skills so she can ride in the mountains!

Cycle for Autism

Trinity learning bike body positioning at Xpress Racing training session

Trinity at Grande Prairie - Race to the River


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silverstar with most epic adventuresby Angie Loewen (PGR Racer, DH)

What can I say about Most Epic Adventures? Well; I can assure you they live up to their name! I recently went on a trip to Silverstar Mountain resort with them and it was one of the best bike trips I have ever had! Not only was it very affordable, the staff were excellent, friendly and knowledgable! They made every effort to make sure that everyone was having a good time and safe. They also rode bikes with everyone and took whoever was interested in going after a long and awesome day of riding to the beach for a BBQ and volleyball game!

The bus ride was comfortable and fun, also had an amazing bike carry system which kept our bikes and gear safe at all times and it was awesome that the bikes were able to travel fully assembled! The trip allowed for people to make friends and just have a great time in general.

All in all I would say that the trip was most epic and I will definitely be making future trips with them!

partners


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race training with xpress racing

PGR had a second training session with Xpress Racing, focusing on line choice and body positioning for cross-country biking. After the valuable pointers, Cameron Starchesky (Xpress racing) lead a ride through the Edmonton River Valley where they quickly learned the most important lesson - don’t forget bug spray.

racer spotlight - Dee Turner (DH Racer)

Hey bike people! I am new to the PGR Team and wanted to introduce myself - My name is Dee and I moved to the west for school in 2007 and fell in love with the mountains and quickly shifted my East-coast skiing style to powder slashes on a snowboard. Needing something to get the adrenaline moving in the summer and seeing how many opportunities the mountains provided, I picked up mountain biking in 2011. Since then, I have done a fair bit of cruising through the river valley, progressing to out-of-city trails and bike parks. Now I help to lead recreational women’s group rides around Edmonton and really love developing confidence and skills within this community. Stepping into the world of competitive mountain biking was very intimidating to me, but I am enjoying it! I entered my first race, 2013 ADF Gravity Cup in Hinton, and placed 2nd and was hooked. I was drawn to PGR for the camaraderie, the coaching and the support for bigger and harder races. Plus, watching a group of rad chicks crush a line is pretty awesome – and gets me primed to push my own limits!!

Weekday Training with Xpress Racing

PGR CONNECTED

PGR Races

Kootney Krusher and Organ Grinder

Jenna Wilkie (PGR, XC) and Nicole Barby (PGR, XC) participated in two races - British Columbia’s Kootenay Krusher on June 7, 2014 and Alberta’s Organ Grinder on June 8, 2014.

At the Kootenay Krusher, Jenna Wilkie and Nicole Barby entered the 25km ladies solo category. Unfortunately the two racers were unmatched thus drawing on PGRs main focus - We want to see more women racing! The two podiums winners received for first place ( Jenna Wilkie) a Kootenay Krusher custom made belt and for second place (Nicole Barby) a bike themed scarf. The Kootenay Krusher was a thrilling race, with a breathtaking scenery and tight single track, definitely a race for 2015!

At the Organ Grinder, Jenna Wilkie and Sara McCartney entered the Female Pair category and Nicole Barby and Michael Ball entered the Mixed Pair. The race was grueling and enjoyable in Canmore’s Nordic Centre. A great race for a double header weekend! A special thank you to all race organizers, sponsors and volunteers.

Edmonton River Valley Off-Road Triathlon

Karine Orser (PGR, XC) participated in the June 21, 2014 Edmonton River Valley Offroad Triathlon. She had a great start with a strong swim in the lead pack. During the mountain bike portion Karin crashed in a technical section, resulting in a broken shifter cable, stuck in the highest gear. Although she did not complete the race, PGR was very happy to see her in the triathlon!


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New PGR tee designs. Check them out at prairiegirlsracing.ca


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Race To The River - Downhill Provincial Championships

PGR had a successful DH race the last week of June! Grande Prairie’s Nitehawk Ski Hill hosted the Downhill Alberta Provincial Championships, and the four PGR girls participating received medals! Due to rain, the Sunday race was cancelled based on safely concerns. Times from the Saturday practice runs were used name the winners. Darlene Paranaque and Angie Loewen were named Senior and Master Women’s Provincial Champions, respectively (Gold). Katie Longhurst won Silver in Senior Women, and Deanne Coish Bronze in Senior women. This marks PGR’s first podium sweep of the year! Congrats Girls!

Check out our sponsor dirtygirldesigns.ca for some sweet biking apparel.

HUGE thank you to all our sponsors this bike

season! PGR sponsorship support goes a long

way in motivating and engaging women in the cycling community. This

organization wouldn’t be possible without the

generous support of our sponsors. For more

information on sponsorship opportunities, please

contact us at [email protected]

PGR CONNECTED

shop pgr

Show your support for women in the mountain biking community by purchasing a PGR biking tee. We have all sorts of designs in all sorts of colours, for women and men! All proceeds are used towards services and resources for women in the mountain biking community!

See our online shop here:

http://prairiegirlsracing.spreadshirt.com/


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Connect with us!

http://prairiegirlsracing.ca

instagram@prairiegirlsracing

twitter @prairiegirlrace

facebook.com/prairiegirlsracing

For information on becoming involved and/

or volunteering with PGR contact us at admin@

prairiegirlsracing.ca.

Prairie Girls Racing and Most Epic Adventures will be hosting a Beginners Downhill trip to PGR’s sponsoring resort – Panorama Mountain Village. We will be departing from Edmonton on Friday, August 22 from Edmonton and returning on Sunday, August 24, 2014. We can pick up individuals from Red Deer, Calgary and Canmore. RSVP on PGR’s Facebook Page to learn more and to receive event updates!

pgr connected july 2014

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