First Week of the Canadian Adventure July 2014h

The title got me thinking, have I really only been here just over a week?  All the things I’ve seen all in one week?  And all the trails I’ve rode, definitely more than I’ve done the rest of the year.  And I’ve already ticked off the Marmot, the Elk, a brown bear and two black bears.

I joined Matt Page in Gatwick and we flew over to Calgary, got a bus to Canmore and checked into a nearby hostel.  Leaving Whitby at 4am we were in the supermarket looking for some snacks in the middle of the Rockies the same day and it was still light.  Despite sleeping top bunk in a crammed room I slept like a log and the next day we headed to the local café to find directions to the trails.  We rode round the 24-hour of Adrenalin course that was starting the following day.  The trails were super dry and was a great loop with nothing that technical but which would really test anyone riding it for 25 hours!  We half thought we might be racing in a team of 4 with Cory Wallace who was joining us after the race but he joined another team so our only option was a team of two and neither of us were keen to do a 12 hour ride!  Plus there was a lot more to see and the next few days we rode some fantastic trails with Jamie White who was our our Canadian manager/director sportive/driver/ornagiser and all in all a great guy with some good stories to tell and a very impressive mountain biker as he’s done heaps of trails riding in the past. 

Out riding we soon fell into order, Matt or Jamie bombing downhill, me picking my way down then putting in a big effort to catch back up.  My biggest achievement so far in a week was the day I was faster on the descents after a 6 hour outing in which he blew spectacular to the point I half thought we might have to carry him.  I had to joke after that it would go on my CV that I had to wait after a descent for a Canadian MTB er. 

 

Do people really ride off this!!

After the 25-hour race was over we moved from our very comfortable lodgings with a friend of Cory’s along the road to Jasper to his mother’s house.  The drive was spectacular past all the ski towns like Banff and Lake Louise and other places I have often dreamt of visiting.  Having Cory with his local knowledge was invaluable as we pulled over a couple of times to take in the views.  The first stop however was to see Crazy Larry.  A famous character here who is devoting his life to pleasing others.  His bike is labored up with most of his possessions as well as pickers for the litter he collects on the way and a huge bag of balloons for the kids he sees.  He has more energy than I’ve seen in anyone and most of the local races use him to keep the vibe going through the entire event.  Mad as a hatter but heart of gold would sum him in a nutshell and we had to literally drive away while he chatted on otherwise we’d have been on the highway forever!

Next stop was the biggest waterfall I’ve ever seen.  No tourist signs, it was just hidden round the back of a carpark.  We were close to the top and you could stand on the edge and feel the spray coming off it. 

Just round the corner from there we parked up and walked a short way to the edge of a glacier field.  Over the years it has retreated a lot but still looked very impressive and it seems so bizarre to see so much ice when walking around in shorts and t-shirt. 

To top off the drive across Matt and me spotted our first black bear sat happily by the roadside munching grass not really that bothered by all us tourists taking photos of him. 

We got to Vickie’s (Cory’s mam) house in Jasper and the waft of chili wraps came out and made our mouths water.  Since arriving I’d not really played ‘mam’ and so our dinners have mainly been cereal, bread, meats and cheese.  Four nights after leaving home to sit down a homemade hot dinner was heaven and we all ate until we were stuffed. 

The first day Jamie and me joined Vicky and a group of her friends to go hike round Mt Edith Cavell.  The walk was shortened a little as it started raining after our picnic but was still a spectacular hike looking up at a cracking glacier that was creaking and groaning every time the sun was on it and then emerging into these meadows with all sorts of different flowers in.

Vicky Wallace, amazing amount of energy and really made the week special

Picnic in the meadows

The next day Cory took us on an ‘easy’ ride.  We started on flat grasslands lined out on his wheel and it felt like we were back in Mongolia.  Once way out of town we hit the ridge back starting with some technical hiking trails which had me chasing full pelt allowing Jamie to have a rest up ahead.  Further along the trails turned smooth and I had that fantastic feeling of sitting in the slip riding fast and getting eyes and mouth full of dust.  I was in race mode and it felt so good!  That evening we joined another so called easy ride but my legs were pretty stuffed and I found myself a little in No Man’s land in front of a few men but not able to stick on the descents with the others.  On one of the climbs my gears played up and once at the top I was alone with a rider from Montreal.  Neither knew the way and at the next junction we took the wrong one and looped back on our own.  He knew the way so we weren’t lost and on the way back passed within 4 meters of a bear, after a quick glance we peddled hard before he heard us.  The black bears here can be dangerous as they are virtually blind so can get startled if you just ride by them and can charge you.  Most riders carries bear spray and this year there has been more problems as winter was so late and they have stayed in the lower lands for a lot later than usual. 

 

My usual view, the back of these guys!

The following days I eased up a little, did some very useful skills with Jamie and relaxed around the house a bit more.  On the last clear evening before we had rain we had a delicious BBQ up at one of the lakes after a refreshing dip shared with a very tame elk. 

This morning we left Jasper and headed back to Canmore.  The time in Jasper has been brilliant, Vicky; Cory's mam, is such a kind character and with her and Jamie there was never a quiet moment! They take health foods pretty serious too and I've tried all sorts of new things I'll be scouring the shelves for once I get home.  It was sad leaving Jasper and its people and I hope some day to return.  

Singletrack6 starts tomorrow, my legs don’t feel particularly fresh having done so much single track riding but its been way to hard to resist this last week!