Day 15 Banff to Irricana, Alberta

 110.1 miles, 3,540 ft ascent  First Imperial Century Ride of the Tour

The day started poorly, but cycling went well, as we had excellent dry cycling weather and a tailwind.  It had rained two days in Banff.  Last night I heard the rain stop at 23:30.  What a relief to have no rain while breaking camp this morning!  Most cyclists had wet clothing.  All cyclists had wet tents on the outside and some had tents that were wet inside also.  Sleeping bags were either damp or wet.  Morale was very low, due to wet/cold conditions with temperatures in the lower 40sF this morning, and the fact that two of our tour members, who had tested positive for COVID, have to quarantine for 5 days per health requirements of the Province of Alberta.  We actually lost 4 riders, the two to testing positive for COVID, a cyclist spouse of a rider with COVID, and a cyclist who was sick, but who had tested negative for COVID.  We began the tour with 21 cyclists, lost two in the first few days, and now lost 4 more, reducing our number of riders to 15 hearty souls.

 

My wet gear just before breaking camp in Banff.

 

 

Riders went out late, due to the difficult  conditions. The scenery around Banff was clearing, with clouds engulfing snow bedecked mountains.

 

 

Our route included paved trails.  Electrified mats are used to inhibit wild animal movement within the trails, but it is safe to walk our bikes across the mats.

 

Riding from Banff to the outskirts of Calgary was also beautiful, especially with a blue sky overhead!

 

I was personally disappointed not to have seen a grizzly bear while biking through the mountains of British Columbia, and a European tourist helped ease my pain by photographing me with this bronze grizzly as a substitute for the genuine article.

 

Yet more spectacular views heading to Calgary.  These photos reminded me of scenery in the Alberta TV series "Heartland", a favorite in our household.

 

                                

                           

                         

 

In the end, after a poor start, it was a great day of riding filled with spectacular views.

As a side note:  Something strange is happening with my hydration during this tour.  Evidently because of the Canadian weather, my liquid consumption is half what it would be in Tennessee while riding.  For example:  I normally drink one water bottle every hour while riding in Tennessee.  Today in 7 1/2 hours of riding, I consumed 2 bottles of water, but did not appear to be dehydrated at the end of the ride.  

Spirits of all cyclists  had risen by the end of the day.  Tents and sleeping bags had been dried and all riders were able to retire with dry gear for the night.

Note:  On days with long rides, riders are exceptionally busy with maintenance on gear and bicycles, as well as with getting meals, sometimes being part of the cooking crew, etc.  At those times, the blog may be late in appearing, as I don't have the necessary time to prepare posts until very late. Today was such a day, and there will be more like today.

Come back for tales of more adventure!