June 2005 Newsletter
International Trails Day
"International Trails Day is a day dedicated to celebrate trails, their development, uses and the healthy lifestyle they encourage."
How are you going to celebrate Trails Day on June 4th? Go out and play!!!
We have free trails maps for the area in the store. Pick one up and explore a new trail.
Find out more at www.internationaltrailsday.com
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Events
SUMMER HOURS HAVE STARTED!!!
Monday to Friday 10-8
Saturday 10-6
Sunday 11-4
Check out the new stuff!
Summer clothing from prAna.
New styles from Keen sandals.
Electra bikes are here!
Map and Compass Clinic
Learn the basics of how to use a map and compass. Cost is $5. Wednesday June 22nd at 6 pm.
Basic Bike Maintenance Clinic Wednesday June 29th - $5 when you sign up. You'll learn how to change a tube, fix and maintain a chain - the basics of keeping you happy on your bike!
Flatwater Canoe and Kayak demos - see below for information.
Mountain Bike demo - see below for information.
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Mountain Bike Demo
 Come and try out a great selection of performance mountain bikes on trail at the Ganaraska Forest. Ride some of the best technology available from Trek, Devinci, Cannondale, and Marin. Call the store to sign up.
When: Sunday June 5th, from 10am to 2pm
Where: Ganaraska Forest Centre
Admission free. Includes sandwiches and coffee.
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From Zero to Mediocre in Three Easy Years
 My voyage from active outdoors person to aerobic athlete want-to-be.
My voyage started three years ago when my friend and business partner introduced me to a road bike. Kieran began road racing when he was 13 years, took 10 years off from age 19-29 and then has been back at it for the last seven years. I thought “Hey this seems fun; how hard could this be?” With a penchant for launching myself in over my head but not drowning, I thought I would give the Masters road-racing scene a try.
For the last decade I have not been much of an aerobic monster; not that I am a couch potato either. I spent the better part of a decade mountaineering in Western Canada, Mexico and Pakistan. I am an active telemark skier and have taught for the North American Telelmark Organization. I spent a great amount of time in a whitewater kayak. Paddling has seen me exploring a number of rivers in Nepal, dozens in Ontario and Quebec and all up and down the Eastern US. This life left me with my 6-foot frame carrying a little over 200 pounds in a somewhat V-shape. Good shoulders for paddling and lugging loads but definitely far from the physique of a greyhound. More public bus than sports car, if you get my drift. My aerobic fitness was best suited for trudging through the hills for long hours at low speed.
So there I am in the middle of winter ’02 thinking; I can get on the trainer and by spring, I should be in there duking it out. I have always been able to achieve most goals so this should be no different. I started a modest training plan on the trainer and got myself to a “training camp” in North Carolina with a bunch of the masters racers from Peterborough. The training camp left me shagged but elated as I had climbed a few passes on my bike without dying and managed one 100+km day. This road-riding thing was coming along! In the 7 days I logged a little over 500km. This darn near doubled my distance logged in the past decade on a bike.
Upon arriving home I began riding with my “peers”. “Peers” is in quotation marks as I was being handled with baby gloves by these slippery serpents of the road. Unbeknownst to me, my friends were logging their easy base miles in NC. I was barely hanging on to their easy pace. Upon arriving home and trying my first “Thursday Night Ride” I got to witness the throttle being cracked open a bit more. The experience did not last long. Off I went all smiles with the boys “Out for a ride”. The route was blurted out as we left town; I did not recognize too many of the road names; but this should not matter as I was with company. Surely someone would help me find home. We rode for about 20km at a fine pace. The whirring of the wheels in the pack was great; the wind in your face a treat and the sense of closeness in the pack surreal. We turned onto Young’s Point road and this thing called an echelon started; the pace picked up, people are telling me to stay close, move up, move over, close the gap, smooth out my pulls etc. Internally my little engine is reaching a state of melt down. My face has reached tomato status, my lungs are searing and I am convinced a puddle of sick will form on my bars. As quickly as it started I was a gasping mess in my own quiet hell; the pack getting smaller and smaller in front of me as I was shed out the back like some faulty part on a production line.
As I came to, and re-entered normal consciousness after recovering from serious oxygen debt, carbon dioxide poisoning and the lactic acid bath of a lifetime it dawned on me I had no idea where I was. The sun was on my left so that must be west, we headed north out of Peterborough; this means Peterborough must be behind me. With this bit of information I tried to re-trace the route. As my deflated body made its way home I came to the conclusion; packs of riders go much faster than one out of shape fellow just recovering from a serious case of whoop ass. I got home shortly after dark and was somewhat comforted when one of the riders called my home to see if I got home OK.
I was invited out for a beer and meal after the ride and discovered through listening to the babble that the ride actually got considerably faster after I was left behind. This social fun and good-hearted banter hooked me for another week. I’ll share more of my suffering next month.
Part 2 Next month!
Find out a little more about Scott at http://wildrock.net/about/staff.asp?ID=6
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Flatwater Canoe and Kayak Demos
 Canoe and kayak demos start this week and will continue throughout the summer on Wednesday evenings at Beavermead. If you are interested in trying out a boat that you are thinking about buying, call the store and let the staff know which one. We will have it at the park for you to try. If you need advise regarding what boat might be suitable for you, drop by the shop and let us take you through our line-up.
If you are interested in lessons, call the shop to sign up!
Here are the topics for this month:
June 1st - Basic Kayak techniques - FULL
June 8th - Basic Kayak techniques - $20 due when you sign up. Limit 6 people. Covering getting in and out, properly holding a paddle, forward strokes, basic turning strokes and bracing for stabililty.
June 15th - How to pack for a canoe trip with Kevin Callan and Andy Baxter. Come and learn tons from two people who have spent a LOT of time canoe tripping! $5 when you sign up.
June 29th - Intermediate/Advanced Kayak Clinic - $20 when you sign up. Limit of 6. Advanced bracing, emergency exit and self rescue using a paddle float. Come prepared to get wet!
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Clothing Coupon
 Buy one piece of spring/summer clothing, get a second at $10 off!
Click on the link below and print the coupon. Then bring it in to Wild Rock to redeem.
Expires June 15th, 2005. One per customer.
Go to print out coupon at http://wildrock.net/newsletter/june_coupon.asp
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