Bike Riding (4)
Mountain Madness Tours, Edmonton Bicycle and touring club and HI Wilderness hostels go on a bike ride
Written by Ben JohnsonMountain Madness Tours combined forces with Edmonton Bicycle and Touring Club and HI Wilderness hostels to take 9 amazing people on a 4 day bike ride from Jasper to Banff.
On Friday morning we loaded the van and trailer and drove to Jasper. We started the day out at Edith Lake and rode the back roads through Jasper Park Lodge to the Icefields parkway. We continued onto the Marmot Basin turn off and rode up the first big hill of the day. We continued on to Athabasca falls Wilderness hostel located just opposite the Athabasca falls, settled in for the afternoon, relaxed and ate a huge meal.
Saturday morning we took off into the mountains for the first big day of 109km's from Athabasca falls to Rampart Creek. We slowly and steadily climbed through Sunwapta Falls past Beauty Creek wilderness hostel for some great views before climbing the short but steep road up to the Sunwapta Canyon viewpoints for a well earned lunch. After lunch there was a short descent then another steady climb past the Columbia Icefields up to Sunwapta Pass. From here on it was an exhilarating downhill stretch, followed by some flat, rolling terrain through some spectacular mountains to Rampart Creek wilderness Hostel. The locations of these hostels are truly amazing and have to be seen to be believed. We unpacked our gear, relaxed in the sauna and cooled off in the river. We grabbed some food at the all you can eat buffet at Saskatchewan River Crossing then back to the hostel to watch the sunset and meet some new friends over a few drinks around the fire for the night.
Sunday morning we set off again for a 93km ride which would take us to Lake Louise and that much closer to our final destination. We rode through Saskatchewan river crossing then started heading uphill again for the less steep but much longer climb up towards Bow Summit where we stopped for lunch. From here there is a short hike where you can check out the amazing view of Peyto Lake and the endless chain of mountains that we had been riding through all day. It was pretty much all down hill from here to Lake Louise Hostel where we relaxed in the sun on the deck for a bit before eating some food then going for a quick hike around Lake Louise before sunset.
Monday was the last day of our adventure and spirits were high as we set off for Banff. It was a shorter day today but no less spectacular. We made our way down the 1A to Banff and finished of underneath Cascade Mountain where we packed everything away and started driving back towards Edmonton.
Great people, amazing scenery and memories that will keep us all happy for a long time to come.
Check out the photos of the fun below.
Mountain Madness Tours goes on a 300km bike ride from Jasper to Banff
Written by Ben JohnsonMountain Madness Tours and 17 enthusiastic bike riders from local cycling club Cyclelogic embarked on an epic bike ride from Jasper to Banff on the weekend.
We drove up to Jasper on the Friday night and transported all their bikes in our secure enclosed trailer and sprinter van. Bob's Bus transported all the people and luggage and Curtis from local tour operator Backside Tours came along for the ride in our skydive shuttle mini van as an extra support vehicle.
The weather in Edmonton was rubbish but everyone was excited and by the time we arrived in Jasper the sun was out and the spirits where high. We got our bikes ready, a huge feast arrived thanks to Evil Dave's Grill in Jasper then we settled in for the night.
Saturday morning it was overcast and cool but everyone was raring to go and off they went. The group cycled just under 300 km's that day through the mountains in a variety of weather conditions but the weather couldn't stop the energy of the group as we slowly but steadily got closer to Lake Louise and Banff. We were parked every 10 km's or so by the side of the road to provide extra clothing, food and snacks along the way and a few people jumped in the van for a breather and got a ride a few km's up the road till they where ready to ride again.
We arrived in Banff weary but happy with our achievements and ate and drank till late. We packed up the bikes and the next day drove back to Edmonton.
It was an epic tour for sure and one that I can't wait to repeat next year.
Check out the pics below and other pics on our bike tour page to give you some ideas of what we can put together for you and your friends.
Cyclelogic and Mountain Madness Tours go on some sweet bike rides in the mountains.
Written by Ben JohnsonMountain Madness Tours is now geared up and ready for bike tours. We have a brand new enclosed trailer set up specifically to carry up to 11 bikes safely and securely to your ideal destination. Keep reading for a summary of our Epic bike tours we went on during the summer of 2010.
June 2010
Well Mountain Madness Tours was finally ready for bike tours and what better way to get started than with a bike ride from Jasper to Banff in one day. That's right you read it correctly, 13 awesome cyclists from Cyclelogic bike club in Edmonton rode the 280 or so km's in around 14hrs or so from Jasper to Banff in one go.
We packed all our gear and bikes into the trailer and we piled into the vans and headed off to Jasper. The next day it was on. It was the summer Solstice. Officially the longest day of the year (sun lit hours anyway). They took off into the mountains and rode and rode and rode some more. Up and down big mountains and past amazing scenery along the Icefields parkway to Lake Louise. Mountain Madness Tours was there as support with our 2 vans every 20 -30 km's or so for snacks and supplies, and when people were getting tired they jumped in the van for a quick rest and a few cheeky km's travelled in the van to get them back with the group. Most people finished at the junction of the Icefields parkway and Hwy 1, but several people kept on going and arrived in Banff before sunset. There was a quick soak in the hot tubs before a huge celebration dinner in Banff. We packed up everything and headed back to Edmonton the next day. What a tour. What a group.
August 2010
Cyclelogic got together for an impromptu day trip to Banff for another cycle tour. We rode from Banff up to the top of Mt Norquay then off to Lake Louise via the nice quiet rolling roads of the Bow Valley Parkway. We had a late lunch at Lake Louise then headed back to Edmonton.
September 2010.
A great group of riders from Cyclelogic gathered in Nordegg for a sweet 100km round trip past the majestic Abraham Lake and down the road a bit further heading towards the Columbia Icefields. We then turned around for a challenging ride home in some interesting weather. It was a great weekend away with the ride actually being a small part of the tour, the most enjoyable part being hanging out with great friends, cooking and eating a huge feast and watching cycling movies on a huge screen.
September 2010.
Towards the end of the month we ventured off into the Mountains possibly for the last time this season. This trip was 2 months in the making and everyone was psyched for some interesting bike riding. 14 people jumped in the Mountain Madness vans and we filled the trailer with bikes and headed for Castle Mountain. A great feast was prepared and we ate very well in preparation for the task ahead. Our mission was to complete the famous Golden Triangle route from Castle Mountain to Radium to Golden and back to Castle Mountain again. Weather and road works changed our route slightly but all was good.
The next day we were up and at it riding from nearly the first pedal stroke uphill towards Radium Hot Springs. We officially finished the day at Radium Hot Springs 105 kms later and a few people kept riding to Invermere. We stopped here for a great coffee and hot chocolate break and collected a few more bike riders before leaving the last 2 legends in the group to ride the last big hill up to Panorama. More epic food and entertainment was had after the first full day of riding.
The next day was a perfect sunny day and the riders were off on another journey to Fairmont and back. The near perfect day ended up in the hot pools at the base of Panorama’s ski hill with an amazing backdrop of Mountains, blue skies and yellow, orange leaves on the trees. Winter was fast approaching but not before a perfectly pleasant summers day.
The Last day of our ride was a challenge for most as the weather took a turn for the worst but they all bravely soldiered on to ride another 100 or so km's to Vermillion Crossing where we stopped for lunch. Most people jumped in the van here with a couple of brave souls finishing the ride back into Castle Mountain. We had nice hot showers at the hostel and packed our stuff and headed back to Edmonton.
Another awesome ride in the Mountains had finished. Till next time....
It was time for a mountain bike tour and on a mountain bike tour we went. River Valley Cycle's mountain bike racing team the Sect was on a mission to have some fun and race at Whistler in BC for Crankworx, the most awesome mountain bike festival around.
We piled all the bikes and gear into the trailer and set off on a road trip and a half to Whistler BC. What followed was a great week of perfect weather and lots of epic mountain biking down the many long, perfectly engineered trails from the top of Whistler Mountain back to the village at the bottom. There are trails to suit any level of experience and even during this busy week the mountain seemed relatively uncrowded.
There was so much to do in Whistler. When you got tired of riding your bike you could sit back and take in the amazing atmosphere and watch the best riders in Canada in action as they competed in various races throughout the week. There was a great day of cheese rolling races where crowds of people ran down a ski hill in the hope of catching a wheel of cheese that is rolled down before them. It is complete carnage and really cool to watch. There is also a super safe and easy form of rock climbing called Via Ferrata. ‘’Via Ferrata" is Italian for "Iron Way" and is an engineered vertical pathway with permanently fixed cables for protection and metal ladder rungs to ease your movement over the rock. Instead of taking the chair lift, we negotiated our way across Whistler glacier using crampons and an ice axe to the base of the Via Ferrata route. Using the special lanyard system we clipped into the cable and climbed our way to the summit of Whistler Peak.
Check out the route we took by clicking this link. http://www.whistlerguides.com/files/Via-Ferrata-Route.pdf
To finish it all off you can take the breathtaking 4.5km long Peak to Peak gondola between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. It is the highest lift of its kind at 436 metres above the valley floor and has the longest unsupported span of over 3 km’s.
Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do with what happens to you!
