On Wednesday September 27th at 7 pm, there will be a launch for the Fall line of Lolë women's clothing.

Come out for an evening of fashion, fun and refreshments.

Lolë is a fashion-tech clothing company, designed by women, for women. The company is devoted to women's specific needs in the outdoor clothing market.

Lolë is for women who Live Out Loud Everyday.

If you want a reminder for this event, please email anne@wildrock.net.

Well, summer is quickly drawing to a close and pretty soon we’ll in be trading in our bikes, boats and tans for books, boards and toques.

Bike maintenance clinics will continue into September. Eric and the lads in the bike shop will be teaching two intermediate clinics, Wednesday, September 6 and Wednesday, September 20. Meet at the bike counter at 6:00 for a 2-hour session.

Nordic Walking! Clinics will still be held into the fall on Tuesdays at 6pm, experienced walkers welcome. Stay active through the winter by getting into Cross Country Skiing or Snow Shoeing. Incorporating poles into your snowshoeing will increase your stability on uneven trails, reduce impact and increase aerobic fitness.

ANNUAL HIGH FALLS CLEAN UP!!!! With the end of summer comes Wildrock’s annual High Falls Clean Up. Each summer, hundreds of people from the Peterborough area use the Peterborough Crown Game Preserve for camping, fishing, canoeing and hiking. Unfortunately, this high amount of use often results in excessive amounts of litter being left behind. To keep this treasure looking its best, and to ensure future access for all, Wildrock hosts an annual clean up. Please come out and lend a hand. Drinks, snacks and door prizes will be provided. Sign up at the front cash. Dress for the weather and bring lots of water. Work gloves and trash sticks are recommended. Meet at the Peterborough Zoo’s North Parking Lot at 10:30am, Sept. 24. We expect to be done by 4pm, but even an hour’s help will be greatly appreciated.

Don’t let your paddling skills get rusty with the winter snow! We’ll be hosting our winter pool sessions at the start of the New Year. Spots filled up quickly last year, so be sure to sign up early. To address the overwhelming demand we saw last year, we’ll be exploring new options to expand available spots. If you have any comments or questions, please contact our events manager at graham@wildrock.net.

Please join Wild Rock in supporting the Kawartha Nordic Ski Club's second annual BBQ and Silent Auction. KNSC is a true leader in Peterborough's active community. The club is now improving it's facilities so it has more to offer skiers of all abilities; from Jack Rabbits to racers and recreational skiers alike.

This year's BBQ and Bar will, once again, be brought to us from the kitchens of Brio Gusto and Hot Belly Mama's. The evening's auction items range from ski packages to beer tasting, and from compost to canoes. This is a great time to meet with others in Peterborough's active community, as well as show your support for KNSC. Saturday September 16th from 4 until 7.The event will take place at the Art Gallery of Peterborough.

Tickets $50

Brought to you by:

Lockington Lawless Fitzpatrick

Adventure Outfitters

Create Shade

Art Gallery of Peterborough

Lazer Graphics

and Wild Rock.

On Saturday September 30th, we will have our annual Fall Gear Swap. This is a great time to buy or sell bikes, camping epuipment, canoes or kayaks. There will be another gear swap on November 11th for Snowboard and Nordic skis.

On Saturday October 14, 2006, the Ganaraska Forest in Campbellcroft, Ontario, will be teeming with women, grinding out the gears for a great cause. They will be participating in The Big-O – A Mountain Bike Charity Event for the National Ovarian Cancer Association (NOCA). This recently announced sporting event is quickly shaping up to be one of the biggest all-women mountain biking events in the area.

It has been a while since my last update. Over the last 3 years I have droned on about my adaptation from my past as a kayaker and skill sports oriented athlete to an aerobic athlete. The mutation has been an adventure in spirit and body.

It started 4 years ago with my introduction to road cycling. This led to road racing and even whipping off to 24-hour solo mountain bike races. None of these adventures ended with results that any of the press raved about but I have had fun, met some great folks and learned a great deal about suffering and humility.

Two years ago I began to dabble in Triathlon. At first it was as a joke to hang out with my partner, Kathy Eggenberger, an accomplished triathlete. The first year was spent trying not to drown and just surviving the runs. Last winter I thought it would be safer for myself if I took some swim lessons. I did and have become a truly exceptional mediocre swimmer! I ran with local runners throughout the winter and spring and have slowly learned that I can actually run well. It is still not a passion but the suffering at least now has rewards with faster times.

Early this summer my partner was planning her assault on the Age Group W world Championships in Lausanne Switzerland. This is an Olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40km bike and 10km run) held in the same town as the Olympic Museum in the heart of Switzerland. Part of her planning involved researching the course. When I laid my eyes on the bike course it struck me I would really like to ride my bike on the closed, cobbled streets winding their way through Lausanne the village built on three hills. The only thing between that experience, and me was qualifying to make the Canadian team!

The qualifying race was the Canadian National Championship held in Brampton in July. I was going to be there anyway cheering Kathy on so I thought I might as well enter. I through in a few more runs and swims in the weeks leading up to the event for good measure as well. At most races my age group (35-39) is usually one of the largest and most competitive. I though I had a slim chance of qualifying at best but it was worth a shot. The sun came up on race day in Brampton my age group was tiny. If I managed not to drown or get lost in the Brampton suburbs I was almost assured a spot on the team. Maybe because all the guys my age thought it would be ultra competitive or the course had you riding passed the always-scenic Chrysler Plant almost nobody showed up. Whatever the cause I ended up placing 8th at Nationals. Crazy and almost embarrassing.

Kathy of course qualified with ease in a competitive class in spite of cramping on the run. With the two of us having had successful races we are both off to race in the land of chocolate, watches and banks.

In conclusion, it has been quite a journey. This is definitely not the end of my aerobic pursuits but it is definitely the close of a chapter. I can’t call myself a non-runner and swimmer anymore.

Live coverage for the age group world championships will begin on September 2nd at 02:00pm at www.triathlon.org. You can even track our progress if you had nothing better to do (not sure how this would happen - clean your desk or do some filing to avoid this instead).

I am hoping not to finish last and embarrass myself too badly. I think I will be pack filler so don’t count on reading about me anywhere other than here!

On Sunday October 1st, there is a family cycling adventure on the River Road Trail between Peterborough and Lakefield. The event is on between 10 am and 2 pm and starts at the Trent University entrance to the trail (East Bank). Enjoy healthy treats along the trail. You decide how far you want to ride. There will be special prizes for riders who complete the full trip. For more information, call the Health Unit at 743-1000 x254