RECAP: Sunday, October 30th 2011

Four ladies joined me this past Sunday for the last Bicycle Village Women's Group Ride of the season. The temparature was 33 degrees when I left my car to meet the ladies at 9 a.m. and slowly climbed to 64 degrees during the ride. We road out through the Highlands and worked our way out to Golden. Sarah and Katie were our two newest riders and Katie ventured up Lookout Mountain for the first time. Katie - it does get easier after the first. From the top of Lookout we kept climbing to the Lookout Mountain Nature Center for a pit stop before continuing our climb up past Mt. Vernon Country Club before the much needed, long decent back down to Golden. We achieved 46 miles and the weather was crisp and clear. Jackets and long fingered gloves were essential. Thank you ladies for a great ride. If it weren't for you, I would have been at home lounging and drinking coffee. Thanks for helping me find the
necessary excuse to get our and ride when the seasons change. See you next spring or on the road this winter.

Sunday, October 30th

This is the last ride of the season! The Bicycle Village Women's Group Ride will resume in April or May of 2012. Check out Bicycle Village's website for details about coed weekly group rides that take place year round weather permitting. www.BicycleVillage.com

Happy skiing, snowshoeing, football watching, indoor cycling, holidays and more.....

See you come spring!

Sunday, September 25th Ride CANCELED

We unfortunately have to cancel the Sunday September ride due to ride leader commitments. I will definitely be leading the last Sunday of October and you can count on that ride being a go.

Thank you for your understanding and our sincerest apologies to those of you that were planning on this ride.

I hope you are able to get out for a ride this weekend. Please join Bicycle Village's Saturday coed group rides that take place all year as long as the weather is accommodating.

Cheers!
Ride Leader - Heidi

RECAP: REI to Golden, Aug 31st- Last Wednesday Ride of 2011!

We had another solid turnout for our last Wednesday ride of the season. Six women met me at REI and we weren’t going to let darkening clouds and strong wind keep us from our last chance to ride together during the week! Thankfully the wind didn’t get any stronger and we were able to make our way into Golden. The headwind that we had to battle on the way out gave us a nice push on the way back to REI and we averaged over 17 mph on the return trip. A beautiful sunset sent us on our way home.

Thank you to all of the wonderful women who joined our Wednesday evening rides this season, and especially Rachel, Meggin, Debra, Amy, Jenna and Gloria for the fun ride to end the weekday season!

RECAP: Deer Creek Canyon - Sunday, August 28

Another gorgeous day in Denver and not too many cyclists in Deer Creek Canyon with the Pro Challenge wrapping up in downtown today. Ride Leader Heidi was joined by female cyclists Megan and Chris. This was Chris's first time up Deer Creek Canyon and Megan's first time doing the entire loop. With heat index climbing quickly, we opted to take the High Grade route to get to the school quicker where we could replenish our water and grab some snacks and energy drinks before ascending the backside of City View. All in all we covered 43 miles and survived the heat. The views were stellar as always. What a great way to spend a Sunday. We met several nice cyclists along the way; one guy who hadn't consumed all of his 2 water bottles before reaching the school, which we assumed meant he was part camel. Great job ladies on climbing strong and steady. Hope to see you both out again soon.

RECAP: Aspen Grove to Chatfield Reservoir - Wednesday, August 24th

It was a pleasant evening ride out to Chatfield. Cloud cover made for a not so hot ride, a nice break from the continuing heat wave. I was joined by Bonnie (a regular), Kate, Debra, Jennifer and Megan. Congrats to Bonnie and Jennifer who completed the ever so tough Deer Creek Challenge last Sunday. I hope to participate in the Deer Creek Challenge next year. Our luck with weather has been hit or miss this summer to say the least. Thanks to the ladies mentioned above for joining me on my last Wednesday women's group ride of the season. Hope you all can join Malia to ride from REI to Golden next Wednesday for our official last Wednesday ride of the season. If you are up to doing some climbing and working those legs, join me this Sunday, August 28 to ride up Deer Creek Canyon. The plan is to ride up the canyon and then do City View and come down High Grade. It is roughly 50 miles. We'll meet at Aspen Grove at the Nature Center just off the Platte River Trail at 9:00 a.m. sharp. Thanks for a fantastic season ladies. We'll keep riding the last Sunday of the month through October. Happy riding!

RECAP: Wednesday, August 10 - Parker/Orchard to Aurora Res.

Trish led 3 ladies on the ride today - Bonnie, Debra and new rider, Andrea. Colorado's 5th season - construction - caused a delayed start but the crew headed out around 6:15. It was a slightly uphill battle with a sprinkling of traffic and a headwind that reminded us of spring riding but we all rolled in to the Res in less than an hour. Out there on the 'plains' we had quite the headwind to battle but the scenery was beautiful. As we neared the southwest corner of the res, the gals decided to take a 'shortcut'. While Trish knew the direction she wanted to go, it was the getting there that presented a problem. After hiking our bikes up a short gravel hill, we meandered through the neighborhoods and found our way back to Smoky Hill. With a nice downhill, we managed to make it back to our cars quickly and before sunset.

A nice 25 mile ride (it turned out to be a shortcut after all!) - best to be done on a weekend when there's bound to be less traffic! I hope!

Nice job, ladies!

CANCELED: Wednesday, August 3rd- Sloans Lake to Arvada Res

Sorry ladies but due to the HUGE black cloud over Golden, weather reports calling for 45% chance of thunderstorms from 6-9pm, and the thunder I heard at my house by Sloans, I'm going to cancel today's ride. I encourage to ride on your own if weather holds where you are, but its not in the cards for us tonight for this route.

Bummer, but hope you can join Heidi next week!

-Ride Leader Malia

RECAP: Sunday, July 31 - Cherry Creek Mall to Lookout Mountain

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/43982612

What a day! Fill-in/new group ride leader, Trish, couldn't find a sub for her spin class and had to move the ride time back to 9:30. Thankfully the ladies looked at the site in time!

We had 5 ladies start out with Trish - Bonnie (a.k.a. Mountain Goat), Mary, Chris, and new riders Terri and Debra. Unfortunately, shortly after navigating through Confluence Park, Terri had a flat tire and no way of contacting us for help! SORRY TERRI! The rest of the group slowed and waited for a while but then had to carry on as the heat was already getting to us.

The ride out to Golden was fast paced and fun. Debra, who has just moved here from Illinois, was an inspiration to us as she kept up despite the recent introduction to altitude.

Heading towards the base of Lookout, we all knew that it would be tough. Add in 90+ degree temps and it was REALLY tough. However, we caught our breath and headed up towards the top. Bonnie took the lead and powered up the mountain, earning her the nickname "Mountain Goat". Trish and Mary stuck together with Chris and Debra not far behind. The crew all rolled up to the top within minutes of each other. We rested, refueled and posed for some pics before heading back down.



The ladies pedaled their way back to Cherry Creek Mall where Bonnie noticed a large bulge in her tire that could have easily turned into a bad situation! Luckily nothing happened on the ride and she noticed it before heading out on her next ride!

All of the ladies did an amazing job on the ride! It was a hot one. As we got in our cars to head home, there was talk of ice cream...And on a 100 degree afternoon, it was a great idea!




Debra - you earned the MVP award though. I can only imagine the powerhouse you'll be when you get used to the altitude!

Great job ladies!

RECAP: Wednesday, July 27 - REI to nearly Cherry Creek Reservoir

Our intention was to ride the Denver Triangle and mother nature decided to shake the rain stick over us. With road tires and slick trails, we perservered and got in 22 miles but opted to cut the ride short with dark clouds looming to the west with the threat of more rain. A warm welcome to newcomer Kathy who joined us for the first part of the ride and opted to head take a shorter route. Bonnie, Gloria and Mindi joined me proud and strong for a ride in the rain. We all agreed, a riding venture we would not normally accept but today we road with intention and were proud of the twenty plus miles we did get in, weather and all. Thanks ladies for a little mid week adventure. Hope to see you all towards the end of the month. Trish will be leading next week out in the Centennial/Aurora area and we are uncertain if there will be a ride on August 17th as I will be out of town and Malia is getting married. Congrats Malia!!! Good night ladies! See you soon I hope.

Ride Leader - Heidi

RECAP: Wednesday, July 20th- Sloans Lake to Golden

We weren't going to let a few rain clouds keep us away this week! After a slight rain delay, I had a great group of seven women join me for an abbreviated ride. We had two new women join the group, Mindi and Lauren, who had tried to meet up the past couple of weeks when the weather forced us to cancel. Due to our rain delay, we got a later start and decided to shorten our ride and head out from Sloans Lake to Golden and back. Knowing that we weren't going to get in as many miles as we had hoped, we decided to push the pace a little and got in 20 total miles with an average speed of 17mph- nice work ladies! I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures to share this week- with the uncertain weather, my camera and camera phone stayed tightly sealed in the ziplock bag in my pocket. If I did have a picture it would show you the smiling faces of Sabine, Gloria, Tanya, Amy, Jessica, Mindi, and Lauren wiping the rain water from their sun glasses and loving every minute of it!

Please join ride leader Heidi next Wednesday for a favorite ride, the Denver Triangle.
Hope to see you for my next ride on August 3rd!
-Ride Leader Malia

July 13th Ride- CANCELLED!

Sorry ladies, second week in a row we've had to cancel the ride to due weather. Rain clouds are building out in Golden and mixed in with the severe weather of the past couple of days, we're going to play it on the safe side and call the ride for tonight.
Fingers crossed for clearer weather next week!
-Ride Leader Malia

Wednesday, 7/6 Ride CANCELED

Mother nature decided to wedge her way into our Wednesday ride on July 6th. We had to cancel for the sake of staying dry and not risking the lightening and potential hail called for in the severe storm weather warnings. We'll have to reschedule this ride for later this summer. Thanks to all the ladies who came out anyway. We hope to see you all again soon!

Ride Leader - Heidi

RECAP: Sloan's Lake to Summit of Lookout Mountain, 6/29

What a spectacular evening. We were delighted the temps were not as projected. It was still toasty outside but at least 10-15 degrees cooler than expected. Just starting out this evening, an RTD bus came far to close for comfort. Had I (Heidi) sneezed or something in it's passing, I might not be here to provide this recap. I was joined by 5 repeat riders (Bonnie, Dana, Rachel, Sabine and Gloria). Gloria ran a bit late and managed to catch us in Golden. Nice work Gloria - we were happy you could join us. It was Rachel and Dana's first jaunt up Lookout and they really enjoyed the view, the wildlife and of course the cooler air. All in all we managed 33 miles at an overall pace of 14 mph, and to Heidi's fault, finished at dusk - sorry ladies. We might have to pick up the pace and make sure we hit the road by no later than 6 p.m. so we don't run the risk of pedaling in the dark. Share your comments on the blog and Meetup, how great Lookout is. I feel like some of our potential riders are a bit deterred by the climb. Ladies, Lookout Mountain rocks! It's one of my favorite rides for many reasons; the road is smooth, the scenery unbeartable, traffic minimal and it is a great workout. Hope to see more of you out with us soon!

Good Night - Ride Leader Heidi

RECAP: The Lake Tour- Sunday, 6/26

Six women joined me for a beautiful yet hot Sunday morning ride. Five of the women were new to the group and we quickly were able to find our groove and kept a great pace averaging 16mph over our 48 mile route that included over 1600 ft of climbing- great work ladies! New to the group was: Jenna, a strong climber and ex-college racer; Lauren, who raced an olympic distance tri yesterday but had no problem keeping our pace; Sandra, the self described "weekend rider" who helped me pull through the head wind in Arvada (so clearly stronger than she lead on, thanks Sandra!); Amy, who maintained a solid pace despite a healing wrist injury; and Mia, who held strong and shared with the group that this was her longest ride ever- could have fooled me! Alissa rounded out the group and I'm going to give her the BV MVR (Most Valuable Rider) award, yes the award I decided we need to start giving. Alissa wins the MVR for riding both group rides- the Saturday Intermediate group ride from the Aurora store, covering over 50 miles, and then came out and joined our group today for just shy of another 50 miles- 100+ this weekend, way to go Alissa!

The route took us on some new territory for a lot of the riders. This is one of my favorite loops as it has a little bit of everything: steady climbs, short steep hills, lots of descents and even switchback climb to make it to the top of the Arvada Reservoir (see group pic above).

Thanks to everyone for coming out- what a great way to spend a Sunday morning! Don't forget to join Heidi this Wednesday again meeting from Sloans Lake and heading out to Golden to climb to the top of Lookout Mountain.

Till next ride!
-Ride Leader Malia

Schedule Change - Please Read!

Good Evening Ladies - I made a change to the schedule for this week. We are going to ride Lookout Mountain from Sloan's Lake this Wednesday, June 29 and next Wednesday, July 6th we will ride from Broncos Pkwy near the Centennial Airport to The Pinery which is in Aurora off of Parker Road. Sorry for the change. Hope we have no confusion.

RECAP: Wheat Ridge High School over Dino Ridge via Golden

No need for arm warmers on our ride on Wednesday 6/22! The sun was beating down on the five women who met at Wheat Ridge High School and started off on a fun ride into Golden. We picked up a newbie to the group, Tanya, along the way to bring the total count to six riders and group leader Malia. This route was complete with a couple steady low grade climbs, fun uphill stretches (check out the action shot of Heidi, Sabine and Gloria tackling Dino Ridge) and lots of downhill descents to give our legs a little breather. The group made great time and we finished in about an hour and 45 minutes covering over 26 miles. What a beautiful and fun way to end the work week and make it over the mid-week hump! Thanks to Gloria, Rachel, Sabina, Tanya, Sharon (can’t wait for you to get acclimated and tackle the hills with us again!) and Heidi for the ride!

Didn’t get a chance to ride with us this Wednesday? You’re in luck! This Sunday, June 26th, ride leader Malia will meet ready to ride at 9am at Sloans Lake in Denver. Covering similar, yet extended terrain, we’ll ride “The Lake Tour” route (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/36703330).

Hope to see many of you out there this Sunday!

RECAP: Aspen Grove to Chatfield - Wednesday, June 15

Ten women turned out to explore the route to Chatfield to Chatfield Reservoir. However, after learning out pace, four ventured off on their own and we finished with 6. Special welcome to our newest riders in the group Stephanie, Dana, Nancy, Deb, Gloria and Patti. We road 25 miles and the weather was gorgeous. The light at Chatfield was warm and made riding there after work a true treat. Dana recently moved here from out of state and is riding very strong at Denver's altitude. Great job Dana! For this week, join Malia to ride from Wheat Ridge High School to Golden and over Dinosaur Ridge outside of Morrison and back.

RECAP: REI to Golden, June 8th

Despite darkening clouds and gusty wind, seven brave women showed up at REI for the group ride. Lucky for us, the wind was at our back as we made our way from REI around the edge of Sloans Lake and out 26th towards Golden. Once the group hit 32nd, we really picked up speed and unfortunately Amy got a flat and was separated from the group. I looped back to offer assistance, however, no matter how hard either one of us tried, we couldn’t get her tire to budge to change her tube. Frustrating to say the least, but thankfully Amy’s husband was able to pick her up. Hope to see you back next week Amy, with some new tires too right? (smiles) I caught back up to the rest of the group as they we coming back from Golden. We were making great time and I was having a blast, until Jess claimed our second flat of the ride. Another set of stubborn tires, but we were thankfully able to get her flat fixed and back on the road to catch up with the rest of the women.

The wind died down on our return to REI and we pulled back into our starting point a few minutes after 8pm. I think we used all our luck on the clearing weather and had to take two flats as our penance. Alright, Mother Nature, next time can we bargain for a few rain drops in exchange for a flat-free ride? Many thanks to Bonnie, Mary, Rachel (plastic water bottles from now on, right? smiles!), Megan, Katie, Amy and Jess for a great ride!

Hope everyone will join ride leader Heidi next week as she takes the group from Aspen Grove to Chatfield. Please mark your calendars for Sunday, June 26th where I’ll be taking the group back out to Golden via Morrison and the Arvada Reservoir to test our legs on some hills and a solid 45miles.

RECAP: Wheat Ridge / Lookout Mountain June 1st

What a great start to June. Three ladies (Bonnie, Megan and Sabina) joined ride leader Heidi to climb Lookout. It was Megan and Sabina's first attempt at Lookout and we all had a great climb. The weather was calm and the forcast fortunately for us did not reach the projected 90 degree mark. This may be a challenging ride if you have not done it but it is manageable and rewarding. It you are apprehensive about climbing Lookout Mtn, I strongly encourage you to give it a shot. We hope to see you this Wednesday. Malia will be taking the group from REI to Golden.

Recap May 29th: Sprint Hill Work

A huge thank you to repeat rider Bonnie and new rider Mary for joining me this holiday weekend for some sprint hill work. My first time for this particular route/workout, it took a few questionable turns but we quickly figured out the plan and got down to the nitty-gritty. Out at Invesco Stadium we did one lap to get the lay of the land and one sprint together then we passed the Garmin starting with Bonnie to Mary and then Jacquette for individual timing. Jacquette, Garmin challenged as she is, isn't quite sure if information is accurate but stats are here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/88789547
Bonnie and Mary had one extra lap over Jacquette then we pedaled to REI and rewarded ourselves with some treats before completing the ride back to the cars.
A great workout that really taxes your quads, heart rate and mentally pushes you...I believe more of this workout is to come. ;) ~Jacquette

Denver Triangle Recap

We had an excellent turnout of eight women for our rain "free" ride - finally!. We pedaled the Denver Triangle strong with an average pace of 16 mph and a total of 30.5 miles. We had 3 return riders (Bonnie, Megan and Marissa) and 5 new ladies (Chris, Alyssa, Sabina, Chrissy and Katie). I was incredibly pleased with the ambition and riding ability of this group. The ladies that turned out tonight were exactly what I was hoping for when forming a women's group ride. Great job all on riding strong and steady. The weather was perfect and we finished in the knick of time, just as the sun had set over the mountains. Hope to see you all next week. And join Jacquette this Sunday, June 29th for a sprint workout if you are in town for the holiday weekend. Jacquette will be meeting the group at the Bed Bath & Beyond parking lot in Cherry Creek at 9 a.m.

Group shot at the completion of the "Triangle"

New to the group - Sabina (left) and Chris (right)

Sunday, May 29th - NEW Ride/Route Update

As this last weekend of May is a holiday weekend, we have decided to switch things up a bit and stay more local to avoid crazy mountain roads traffic.

Meet ride leader Jacquette at 9:00am at the SOUTH end parking lot of Bed, Bath and Beyond in Cherry Creek (University and Speer).

From here we will ride to Invesco Field @ Mile High where we'll begin a series of SPRINT HILL work. Bring fluids and energy shots, cash for a break at REI/Starbucks afterwards and your "A" Game. (Cell phone: 303/748-1091)

If you are looking to improve your skills, build strength, gain better understanding of your positioning on your bike and learn more efficient bike handling skills then DON"T miss this opportunity. Jacquette is very knowledgeable, loves cycling and teaching.

Meridian Ride Recap

Six women ventured out after work to ride our first Wednesday Women's Group Ride. Our route was a total of 20 miles, starting from Cherry Creek Reservoir out to Meridian Park and back. Brand new to the group was Trudy and Megan. Megan joined us from the Saturday Group Rides at Bicycle Village. Megan pedaled strong today but ran into a derailer issue on the return. Ride leader Heidi's father came to the rescue and provided Megan with a ride back to her car. The skies gave the impression of rain but luckily the sun popped out and the moisture stayed away and we had great weather for the first Wednesday in May. Back at the car, Megan and Heidi were both excited to blast the heaters in their cars for the journey home. Great job to all the ladies who joined us today. I hope you were pushed a bit and proud of getting in a solid after work ride. We hope to see you all again next week for the REI to Golden ride with leader Malia.

Women's Group Ride Kickoff Recap

The women's group ride is off to a great start. Grey skies and brisk temperatures did not keep away these riders. And thanks to Carla, Heather and toddler Christian for joining us over coffee to meet, greet and socialize a bit before we hit pavement for our first ride. Six of us ventured out to Cherry Creek Reservoir to get a feel for riding as a group and test our bike handling skills and pedal power. Thanks to Bonnie, Marissa and Laurie for the braving the unpredictable weather. Turned out to be bearable. We covered just under 20 miles at an average pace of 15 mph. We road at a comfortable pace today and got to know one another. We will most likely pick up the pace a bit for future rides. We look forward to seeing all who joined us today and more new faces this Wednesday, May 4 at 6:00 p.m. at Village Greens Park, kitty corner to Cherry Creek High School. Jacquette looks great on her new shiny red Trek. Congrats! Jacquette.

Sunday, May 1st Kick Off Ride Update

Hey Ladies!

Due to the uncertain and ever-changing weather (got to love living in CO!), we are offering two options for everyone tomorrow morning.  Looks like temperatures will be in the mid-30's at 9am so if anyone would like to layer up and ride, ride leader Heidi will go out with those women.  The 2nd option is to still meet at Bicycle Village Aurora at 9am and then head down the street to Starbucks on Illiff where ride leader Malia will treat anyone who wants to chat and meet future riders to coffee.  Malia will be able to answer any questions and briefly talk about upcoming rides and where to meet for these rides.

We hope to see you at 9am at BV Aurora, riding or for coffee, tomorrow!

First Ride - Kickoff Event

Spring is in full swing and I don't know about all of you but my legs are calling to get out on my bike more often. 

Join us Sunday, May 1st at 9:00 a.m. at Bicycle Village in Aurora to get acquainted, discuss goals for our group ride, add some miles to our odometer and make some new cycling friends.  We'll gather back at the store after our ride for some treats and refreshments and more time to mingle.

The forecast looks great - partly cloudy with a high of 61degrees.

Bicycle Village Aurora is located at:
2802 S. Havana Street
Aurora, CO 80014
http://bicyclevillage.com/

You're Invited!!!

Bicycle Village invites you to join the newest women's ONLY riding group.  We will explore routes all over the Denver area, starting from numerous locations.  We encourage female cyclists looking to step it up, whether that means riding more often, riding farther, going harder or simply finding motivation from other women.

We are going to have a kick off meet and greet gathering on Sunday, May 1.  We will be riding laps at Cherry Creek Reservoir to get to know one another.

We will post 2 months worth of routes on the Calendar.  So, save the blog as one of your "favorites".

For more information, don't hesitate to shoot the ride leaders an email at: BVWomenCyclists@gmail.com

And please feel free to post your thoughts, ideas, feedback, and excitement for all to see.  Most importantly tell your bike loving friends to check us out and join us in May when we hit the concrete and get our cycling underway.

We will build as we go.  Some of our many goals as ride leaders are to provide you with knowledge, resources and new or improved riding and bike maintenance skills.  We plan to use the blog as a resource to provide you with all kinds of information, clinic opportunities and motivation - so check here often.

We look forward to meeting you and more importantly riding with you!

Cheers!
Ride Leader - Heidi