Kristin and I arrived in Banff a couple of days before the
race. We drove down from St. Albert and
stayed in a hotel in Banff. It was nice
to see some sights and relax a bit before the race. We drove the “long way” by going down the
Icefield Parkway and stopped at Bow Summit to take a look around at Peyto Lake. Beautiful views.
Peyto Lake
It was nice to take our time and stop whenever we
wanted. As we were driving that road we
reflected on the time we toured that road from Jasper to Banff in 2012. That was our first bike tour where we met
Laurent who first introduced us to the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Kristin was actually the one most interested
in the route and did the initial research and reading about the Tour
Divide. She became quite obsessed with
it actually. I didn’t become interested
in it until after my first successful 24 hour solo race in 2014. I always thought it would be out of my reach
until I learned how limits can be broken.
I thought riding for 24 hours was crazy and somewhat unachievable and
after I discovered with a bit of training and preparation, anything was
possible. Once I learned that, I thought
maybe this Tour Divide thing was an achievable goal. I did the 24 hour solo race on my single
speed the next year in 2015 to confirm riding the Tour Divide on a single speed
was realistic.
After arriving in Banff, we walked up Johnston Canyon. Kristin wanted to find the hidden cave where
you can get a cool shot where the rock looks like the floating islands in
Avatar. With a bit of hiking, we found
it.
Johnston Canyon Cave
On the drive back to Banff, we saw a group of Tour Divide
riders. It was exciting it was finally
happening! The whole time driving around
in Banff, we would see riders in their gear riding on the streets. We would excitedly say, “Tour Divide”
whenever we spotted one. I thought of
their situation flying in from wherever they were from and only having their
Tour Divide gear to live in. I guess
their adventure started a few days before the race. It was nice having a vehicle to drive around
in. That’s the benefit of being a “local” I guess.
We also stopped at the Cave and Basin. It is the first national park in Canada and
with all the times I have been to Banff, I never went. Interesting place with the sulphur-smelling water.
Cave and Basin in Banff -
Smelly!
The whole time walking around I was paranoid I was going to
twist an ankle, but thankfully that did not happen. The day before the race, I went for a small
activation ride down Spray River Trail and got the obligatory photo at the
sign.
Start of Spray River Trail
There I met Dana Martinelli and Tom Rowntree. We talked a bit about the upcoming race and
what our expectations were. I wondered
if I would ever see them again. In the
case of Tom I would see him a fair amount in the race.
This little ride was valuable! I discovered my camera didn’t work when I
tried to take a picture of the Banff Springs Hotel. It turns out my little camera could only take
so many adventures and it was full of grit.
Turning it on resulted in a horrible grinding sound as the lens tried to
extend. Also, my water bladder bite
valve had deteriorated somehow. So, the
night before the race and I had to find a camera that ran on AA batteries and a
bladder bite valve. We walked around
Banff and managed to find what we needed.
The bite valve failing was one of the best things that happened. I got a new one with a longer hose which made
drinking much more pleasant on the days to follow.
So off to bed to race tomorrow. I am glad I have no trouble sleeping like I
have heard others do. Slept great!
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