The Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club received $14,000 worth of donations from Samsara Cycle.

By Tommy Osborne

PG Blizzard Speed Skating

$14,000 worth of donations huge boost for Prince George speed skaters

Mar 17, 2026 | 4:00 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club recently received a huge donation of $14,000 worth of cycling gear from Samsara Cycle. Samsara Cycle is a Vancouver based women’s cycling apparel company, and the donation to a northern B.C. club is incredibly appreciated.

“That included jerseys, cycling shorts, and cycling tights, and we were able to donate this gear mainly to our athletes. We have a lot of young girls in our skating club who fit fit the gear they donated, and then also we’re donating the rest of it to other speedskating clubs in northern British Columbia,” said Blizzard Speed Skating Coach Jessica Telizyn.

The donated gear lined the walls of Kin 1’s locker room, where the skaters had the chance to pick out what suited them best. (Image Credit: Jessica Telizyn)

Several Blizzard Speed Skaters trying on their new gear for the first time. (Image Credit: Jessica Telizyn)

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“We were really grateful. It worked out to roughly 184 pieces, which is a lot of cycling equipment, and none of our girls have that kind of equipment,” Telizyn added.

The generous donation is a tremendous help to the athletes, as Telizyn said all the gear can cost around $500 for an athlete, posing a financial barrier for some. Being able to overcome that barrier, on top of receiving gear built to help women cycle long distances, was an opportunity all the skaters enjoyed and appreciated.

“It was really, really wonderful. It’s actually the first cycling gear I’ve ever owned, so it’s a big new thing for me, and I think it’s really amazing that they were able to donate that to us,” said 18-year-old skater Maria Hansen.

“It was really exciting. It was like Black Friday, just rushing in, grabbing all the matching stuff, it was really fun,” said 14-year-old skater Kamea Hudyma.

“I’ve never worn or seen cycling gear, so it was pretty cool to have something donated to us that was something new,” added 15-year-old skater Emily Walsh.

If you’re wondering why a speed skating club needs cycling gear, Telizyn explains this is because cycling is a huge part of any speed skaters training, saying the two sports are like “peanut butter and jam.”

“It uses a lot of the same muscle groups that speed skating does: your quads, your hamstrings, your legs, so it’s a really great way to just get some great aerobic exercise and some fresh air,” Telizyn said.

The value of the gear goes beyond the monetary aspect, as Telizyn explains it’s a huge help in keeping young girls and women in sports, as proper gear designed for women can make sports like cycling more accessible and comfortable.

“It can be really uncomfortable to ride your bike long distances, which is why people wear shorts with chamois (padded liner) and that sort of thing to lighten the burden and make it more comfortable,” Telizyn said.

“Lots of girls drop out of recreational or competitive sports by the time they hit puberty. So this is a really important aspect of making it so our athletes can ride their bikes in the summer and do cross-training for speedskating, but also just making it so that they learn to love and enjoy riding their bike and feel comfortable in their bodies and enjoy exercising,” Telizyn continued.

While the skaters didn’t have the chance to ride in their new gear yet, as the weather wasn’t quite conducive to cycling, they got to try it on and said it felt great.

“This will definitely make a difference in my biking career,” Hansen said.

“It’s really comfortable, especially the jersey. I can’t wait to go riding in it,” Hudyma added.

Everyone involved with the speed skating club wanted to give a huge thank you to Samsara Cycle, as all the skaters say they really appreciate the new gear they received.