Gathering since 1983, the Elbow Valley Cycle Club (EVCC) has grown to just over 600 members attending cycling events not just in Alberta, but also internationally.
President of the club, Don Hollingshead, was in attendance at the inaugural meeting of the club and has witnessed its growth over the years. He started cycling in his teens in Toronto and continued when he moved to Calgary in the 1970s.
“Like many outdoor clubs, EVCC evolved from a group of 20 something [year-olds] riding self-support multi-day routes with camping gear attached to bikes in early 1980s to today with 60 and 70+ year old members riding carbon fiber light weights at Gran Fondo’s,” he said. “We have active members in their late 80s.”
EVCC is the largest recreational bicycling club in Western Canada, with members of all ages, including youth.
Hosting approximately 250 events a year, the club rides mostly in the Calgary area, consisting of road, urban, and mountain bike rides of one day and multi-day duration, as well as social events.
Multi-day tours take the club to the Shuswap, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Maritimes, California, and Mexico.
The Club’s premier event is the annual Golden Triangle, which is a three day ride from Castle Junction to Radium, Golden, and back.
That event is coming up in the last weekend of May and attracted around 450 cyclists for its 30th anniversary, according to Hollingshead.
Other large road rides include the Spring Fling out of Springbank Heritage Hall and Canola Fields Fondo from Madden.
“The goal of the club is to provide cycling opportunities for people and social opportunities,” Hollingshead said.
The club initiated a four-week cyclist proficiency education program for members last summer.
Club members keep busy in winter months with skating and virtual rides using smart trainers.
To keep members in the loop, register for events, and make payments, members are linked in through the Wild Apricot App. Members also use a route mapping app, Ride with GPS, free for everyone in the club to link riders' smartphones to the routes.
EVCC is not a racing club and no timed events are held.
The club starts riding in early Spring as soon as weather permits and the busy season runs from May to September.
Ride distances range from 20 to 200 km, and the average pace of rides varies from 18 km/hr to 30 km/hr. Rides are graded in categories from easy to advanced+, based on pace, distance and elevation gain.
Hollingshead noted the Club advocates for a better cycling environment.
Currently, they are advocating for a connecting trail from the Elbow River bridge in Calgary on Highway 8 to the Glenmore Resevoir pathway system.
To join the club, go to elbowvalleycc.org/New-Member-Application.
