What’s your name about?

Thanks for asking! Watt is short for wattage, which is a measurement of power often used by cyclists as a way to gauge improvement and measure performance against other cyclists. Riot is an impressively large or varied display of something. Although this word can have some negative connotations behind it, that wasn’t what we were going for. Our team aims to be an impressively large display of female power.

I’ve never ridden in a group and want to give it a try

Awesome! We are so happy you have come to us. We love new cyclists and are super excited to see the community grow. If you’re a woman or self identified woman, we have some group rides taking place the first Sunday of each month out of Bridgeland. Registration is required in advance. This is a great place to get used to riding with a group and learn a few of the skills that will come in handy as you continue to ride. Check out our programs page for full details. If you’re not a woman, check with your local bike shop to see if they have any group rides that leave from the shop. Or check your local MEC calendar, MEC loves group rides.

I’m interested in racing but don’t know where to start….

If you’re ready to jump into your first race, there are a few things to consider.

  1. Bike racing requires a license. These are good from December to December (i.e if a  rider renewed their licenses Dec 2016, this is good until December 31, 2017). That said, there are a few races that will allow you to “test the waters” with a single event license. These are often flagged on the events calendars, but if you’re not sure, just ask!
    • It’s okay if you’re thinking about this in July, you can still get a license, you just many not get as much bang for your buck.
  2. Have you talked to any teams about joining them? Bike racing is always way more fun with friends. Alberta has a ton of teams, here’s a list of a few.
  3. It all costs money, we don’t want to scare you, we just want you to know upfront. A full race license is $170 + $50 insurance if you aren’t with a club/team. Some teams will also charge a fee to be a member (however, they will cover your insurance and provide you with FUN), you may have to buy team kit as well. It’s super easy to spend $700 before you sign up for a race.

I don’t know what Category to register myself in for my license

Everyone starts in the lowest category of any given discipline.
For Road and Track that is Cat 5
For Cyclocross, that is Sport

If you are over 30, you have to option of registering yourself as a Masters (podiums by age category) or Elite (strong is strong, podiums by strongest in the field regardless of age).

Younger riders (under 18) will select Junior and apply themselves to their age category.

I only have one bike, I hear people have like 10….can I still race?

Well that depends, do you have a bike that is legal for the type of race you want to do? There are a number of rules around what you can ride for what type of race. No one expects you to be an expert and your local bike mechanic will be able to help you out. But here are a few quick and dirty rules:

  1. If you race Triathlon, you can’t ride aerobars in a road race.
  2. You cannot race a mountain bike in a road race, however, you can use a mountain bike in a novice cross race
  3. If want to try track racing, the track is for fixed gear bikes only (this is not the same as single speed) which means no breaks and no coasting

If you want to know all the rules, here is the link to the regulations

What’s the difference between a Club and a Race Team?

A club is made up of racing and non-racing membership. In other words, not all members of a club will hold a race license. For a Race Team, all members will hold a race license.

I want to join your team

That’s awesome! Our team is typically by invite only, however, we do occasionally take on riders by request. Send an email with your story over to Erin. If we can’t take you on, we will help you find someone who can.

 

Did we miss something?

Contact us and let us know.