Hi all,

The current situation regarding Covid-19 has put a halt on any kind of organized cycling in Sask, and the country. We have no idea when we will be able to start riding in groups again. 

Spoke n' Hot in 2020 will probably be a very different experience. It's unlikely that we will be doing the Monday evening Group rides. Theresa and I are leaning towards some weekend experiences but we will not be planning anything until we have some idea of when the social isolation is coming to an end. I will, of course, keep you updated via Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, carrier pigeon, whatever!

That's it for now. Stay safe, get outside and ride, and make sure you wave to anyone else on the road!

Mark and Theresa

Hi all,


Congratulations to all of you who took part in the Ride don't Hide today. That was a tough headwind to deal with, but the return was pretty cool!


For a change, we fancy going for a ride in Lumsden and area. We'll meet at Lumsden High School. Obviously it's a bit further to drive but it's quite pretty around there and they have two ice cream shops on Main street. :)
It will take a little longer to get there but the road works are pretty much done, unless you're coming from the south end! 

Groups 1-3 will be heading out to Seven Bridges, then through town and out towards Craven. Nice rolling hills and nothing too dramatic.
The other Groups will be doing a little bit of Hill work in town and towards Deer Valley.

There's a bunch of names that you will become familiar with after the evening is concluded. Garbage Hill, The Old Highway, The Retreat Hill, James st. Your Ride Leaders are familiar with them and they are a ton of  " fun"!!

We can start a little later as Sunset is at 9:14 and we're not riding too far. So, meet at 6:15, Ride briefing at 6:30 and on the road by 6:45.

I'm watching the weather. 40% chance of rain. As usual, I'll post a Go, No Go at 4pm if there's any question. Otherwise see you at the school. Parking is generally pretty good but feel free to park on a side street or wherever.

See you tomorrow,

​Mark.

​Hi all,


Along with some other Spokies we had the pleasure of hosting the 7th Spoke n' Hot triathlon out at Echo this weekend. The weather was a challenge but it held off raining for the event and was a success overall. It's exciting to see athletes challenge themselves to swim in open water, bike around Echo AND then do a 3k or 5k run. Congratulations to all participants!

The weather looks a lot better for Monday evening. It's good to see the Groups settling in, learning how to ride with each other and have a good time. Let's meet at the Tourist Info parking lot as usual, ride briefing at 6:15, on the road by 6:30.

As usual, if the weather takes a turn I will monitor and post a Go/ No Go by 4 pm.

See you tomorrow,

Mark and Theresa.

​Hi all,


It looks pretty good for tomorrow night. High of 22C with light winds expected in the evening.
Meet at 6pm at the old Tourist Info booth parking lot. Ride briefing at 6:20 and on the road by 6:30.

Hopefully you've thought about the Time Trial last week and how you did. I know that some of you were quite surprised by your performance! It's important to remember though that "with great power comes great responsibility".You might be fast in a Time Trial when you're on your own but are you fast AND safe? 
One of our riders approached me and said she was dropping down a Group because she wanted to learn more about riding safely at a slightly slower pace, allowing her to relax a little. This is totally appropriate, and I wish the men would approach riding in the same manner!

Riding is about more than just speed. It's about fresh air, friendship and a common bond. Take pride in how you performed last week, tuck it in your pocket, and think about what you want to achieve with Spoke n' Hot. If you decide that you want to move up a Group, talk to your Ride Leader, see what she thinks and then decide. There's lots of season and learning left!!

Mark

Hi all,


We like to do a Time Trial at the start of the season and again at the end. The idea is that you can get an idea of how fast you are now and how much you've improved by the middle of August.

It's a pretty simple format. We line you up individually and send you off every 10 seconds on a marked 10 km course. You go as hard as you can, sweat a bit and stun yourself by realizing that yes, you are a Bad Ass! It takes a little organizing to make it happen. We preload our iPad with Timing software and give you all numbers. You stick them on your helmets and ride. We'll have a little warm up in the area before we ride.

What we have found is that some of you are a LOT faster than you think you are and this is the ideal opportunity to find that out.
A couple of years ago we had one rider who insisted she was a Group 4 rider who had the fastest time overall! 
After all is said and done, you will know what you can do. You may decide to stay where you are or go up or down a Group, the choice is always yours. We'll have the results by the end of the ride and we can let you know right away.

We've normally used Hwy 734 by the Brandt house but I've found a new location that should work out a little better for us.
Head out on Arcola towards the Bypass. Go under the Bypass, past the Bypass entrance and then take your next left to the Service road, then take an immediate left again. You'll see the truck and you can park along the road there. 
We will be using the south service road as there is little traffic, the speed limit is 70 and the pavement is fabulous. I'll be out there a little earlier and will mark the course for you. It's a simple out and back. 

And that's it, it's fun and educational!  

See you tomorrow at 6.

Mark and Theresa.

Hi all,

Mon is looking pretty good. We've enjoyed going out on the east side service rds and they are a nice change,So let's meet at the old Tourist info booth parking lot by CTV at 6pm. Ride briefing at 6:15 and on the road by 6:30. We'll vary the distances by Groups so everyone will have a good ride!
It should be a lot of fun and we' think you'll enjoy it!

M&T

​Hi all,


Saturday morning looks pretty good for a ride. It will be cool'ish but sunny. Theresa and I will be at the corner of Tower rd and Hwy 1 at the old Tourist information booth parking lot. It's right opposite the CTV station. There's some parking there or you could always park at the Husky and ride there, or just leave the car at home!

We have a simple loop that we do that is about 42 km out to Balgonie via Hwy 46. A little bit of climbing but pretty easy overall. T & I will probably carry on a bit further than the loop by heading south to do something like 60km or so..not sure yet, depends on the wine consumption on Fri night!!

Anyway, all are welcome. This isn't a supported ride so make sure you've got all you need. If you have a Garmin computer you can download the route file attached but it's pretty simple.  Call  me if you have questions..306 540 8110.

Mark.

Hi all,

Welcome to Spoke n'Hot 2019! 

Monday night. Dutch Cycle 6pm to 8pm.

Monday night will be our Annual Tech night hosted by Freddy Vandelinden from Dutch Cycle. Exclusive to registered Spoke riders this is your opportunity to learn a little more about your bike, particularly how to fix a flat tire. 
Freddy has been teaching Spoke riders how to do this every year and you will be amazed at how simple it is to change a tire AND how much more confident you will feel about hitting the road. It's a must do for new riders! It is also mandatory that you carry the equipment that you need to change a tire when you ride. Freddy can supply everything you need on Monday night.

The format is very much hands on. Please bring your front wheel  with you. After a demo on helmet fit and tire changing by Freddy we will split into small groups of two or three and, led by one of our Ride Leaders, you'll fix your own wheel. It's fun and occasionally frustrating but you'll have a good time and laugh quite a bit. You'll leave Dutch with the confidence of knowing that you can look after yourself on the road and you'll have made a couple more friends

Dress casually, you'll be sitting on the floor unless you bring a stool or cushion.

Hi all,

Tomorrow night is our Registration Celebration, starting at 6pm at Dutch Cycle. It's a casual way to meet the Ride Leaders, renew friendships from last year and maybe win a $200 Gift Certificate! Freddy and the staff are keeping the store open just for us, we can have a visit with each other and shop at the same time! 

We're excited about this year. We have a lot more riding options and we're going to make the best of them, including  exclusive access to our new ByPass before it opens to the general public! Over on the east side of Regina we're going to take advantage of the great new service roads and the options to ride through Emerald Park, White City and Balgonie.
Add the gravel option and we're confident that you'll have a fun season on two wheeeeeels!! 

See you tomorrow,
​Mark and Theresa.


​

Good evening all,

Well that was a tough couple of months as we exited Winter! But it's done with. mostly, and we can look forward to getting back on our bikes and getting outside again.

We're excited about 2019, there's a couple of new aspects to Spoke n'Hot that we think will make being a member even more fun! But first, some of the old stuff!

Ride Leaders.
We're thrilled that all the Ride Leaders are returning to Spoke n'Hot this year. It's been a long term goal of ours to increase the number of women Ride Leaders and we are now in a position where we have strong experienced women cyclists teaching women. Paul, Terry, Alan and I hope you'll keep us around though!
The roads last year were challenging...
As you know, we had very limited options on where to ride last year and it was getting boring.So it's a huge relief to see the improvements over winter. We will definitely be mixing up the rides with new destinations and experiences. Expect to see less of Condie and Hwy 734.

And now the exciting new stuff!

Gravel riding.
Theresa and the Ride Leaders have been really enjoying getting out on some of the gravel roads, and we have a lot of them. There's a huge  buzz in the cycling world about gravel and the choices it gives riders. So, we want you to be a part of that, if you so choose! We will have a couple of introductory gravel rides so you can see what it's like and we'll give you tips on how to ride and where to go. Please note that you can use a mountain bike for this. Then we will be offering a Gravel option on some of the Mondays to those who are interested which will be led by Maria. As always, if you have questions, call us!
Saturday morning ride.
Saturday mornings, we'll be hosting a Spoke n'Hot/Spokesmen ride. Mixed Groups, no drop, fun ride that will end in coffee somewhere!.We really want you to have another option to ride.
Social media.
I'm not very good at this aspect of Spoke. I can update the blog and let you all know what's going on but I'm fairly useless at sharing our stories. Theresa and Erin have volunteered to take over this aspect of our Club. Follow us on Instagram@Spokenhot and watch our Facebook page for more.

​Registration is now open and we will be having our Annual Registration Celebration at Dutch Cycle on Monday April 8. 6:00. Come out and meet fellow riders, the Ride Leaders and our incredible sponsor ( and occasional Ride Leader) Freddy Vandelinden!