ORIGIN STORY

Petrina Tulissi has been involved in the sport of cycling since 1995 and skipping over a few decades to share the "short version" of the story with you, she returned from coaching on a project in Europe realizing that there were few ways to prepare a young North American rider for what to expect at a European race where they line up with over 100 racers on a tight twisty course with a caravan.  Combine that with the question of "how do we get more junior, U17, and U15 women to race?" and those thoughts turned in to “how can we do a junior women’s only race where the racers have an opportunity to learn and develop, work on more advanced skills, and meet friends so that they will have a familiar face at any race they may attend?”  That question led to e-mails to 4 race organizers asking, “Would you be okay with 60 or more junior women racing your races?” They were quick to reply with enthusiastic “yesses”!  So, the passionate Tammy Nishimura was quick to jump on board to help with logistics and the Strive Cycling Stage Race was rolling and heading to the start line with the well seasoned organizers leading the way!

PELOTON RACES

The Peloton Criterium races have been organized by Calgary race team, Peloton Racing and Momentum Cycling for several years and have had the honour of being the Provincial Criterium Championship races for several years in a row.

Troy Delfs and his race organizing team have been involved in road cycling for more than 30 years and bring oodles of knowledge on how to run a race that keeps racers coming back.

MIDWEEK MAYHEM

The midweek criterium series has been an important part of the Calgary race scene for over 30 years.  

​It has changed locations and had different organizing groups, but since 2011  Brent Topilko and Kyle Husband have been putting on an excellent race series for riders to learn the craft of racing, practice skills, and push each other to become faster and stronger.

CRANKMASTERS

The Calgary Crankmasters Cycling Club has been around for over 30 years and their Wednesday night races are a staple in the community.  

Dawn Heinemeyer and her team are excited to help advance women's racing by being a part of this exciting project and providing opportunities for women of all ages to become a part of the cycling community.  

Dawn leads women's only rides and workshops, click on the picture to learn more.

TOUR DE BOWNESS

The Tour de Bowness will celebrate its 21st anniversary in 2024.  The first race of this weekend is a road race in the neighbouring community of Cochrane.  The second race is a hill climb and the third a criterium.

The race has evolved in to a community festival with events for all ages.  Creating a true celebration of the sport, this 3 stage omnium race culminates with an urban criterium surrounded by a party feel that draws out spectators and is in thanks to the hard work of Bob Grunewald and his team at Bow Cycle.

TAMMY NISHIMURA

Tammy Nishimura is a dedicated local cyclist, living in Calgary, Alberta. Having herself discovered competitive cycling later in life, she is committed to supporting female cyclists starting from a young age in an effort to support the future of the sport that she has become passionate about.

She remains competitive as a Cat 3 racer, and completed the 2023 season ranked 28th according to Bridge The Gap’s Canada Cup standings ... but watch out Alberta juniors, Tammy has been training hard and putting in the work to challenge you at the local races.

Outside of Tammy's race results, her enthusiasm for the sport and passion to get as many women involved as possible, is priceless. We are very grateful to have her as an important part of our team!

PETRINA TULISSI

Petrina competed in elite sports for over 15 years and has been coaching cyclists, triathletes and para athletes for over 25 years. She has won provincial road championships, a national tandem track cycling title, and competed in pro races, but watching her athletes gain confidence on the road, in their packs, and in their abilities is the best reward of all! 

Driven with passion for the sport of cycling, she is constantly searching out opportunities to help elevate the skillset and sport knowledge of her athletes.