#10. Singletrack Says no <click the link
This was an incredibly fun night with Kent and his fine lady Zara whom I met for the first time on a rainy June evening. The trails were wet and runny so we rode downtown and explored the city like we were kids cruising around the neighbourhood. Parking garages were ridden up with security guards kicking us out. Cafes were stopped at and paved paths reaching the far depths of the underbelly were ridden. A call for more of these rides in inclement weather is a must.
#9. Fort Mac Detox <click the link
A return from working up north and getting into the river valley is one of the best feelings ever. This one had Gord who was on an epic ride already. Fall colours and amazing feelings galore as we rolled through the Terwillegar and Oliskew area. Not sure where I capped off in km's but I'm sure Gord doubled my miles that day which is pretty great. As I wrote this little blurb out I was curious where this ride fit in the Gord spectrum. I just had a taste of his day and look at it.. Number 9.
#8 Making a Strong Case for Monday Awesomeness <click the link
A more recent Monday evening ride with Kent. From a long boring day to the river valley. This one had all the happy feels one gets when life is being epic. Writing these out now and I have a meetup with Kent later today. Will I have a repeat of epic awesome today? Probably. It's Kent.
#7 Not a Bad Way to Spend a Tuesday <click the link
Going way back to two thousand and ten. An end to end ride all by myself, the way Lonebiker was meant to be! All alone, just me and my bike in the early days of the blog, rolling through the murky valley trying to extend the miles but reserving energy so I could ride longer.
#6 Fat Saturday <click the link
An Energizer bunny type of ride where we just kept going and going. Heavy sections of ice plagued the start of the ride but we persevered. Well most of us did. Without studs in the beginning of this and you were a dead man. The ride conditions for the day were quite shitty. That didn't matter as near the end of this long winter ride we were quite aweary but the smiles lasted for days.
#5 Palisades lookout. Jasper <click the link
One of the last epic rides on the Ibis Mojo. Me and Jason rode to the top of the Palisades in Jasper. A very strongly recommended ride for anyone reading this. The views up top are simply incredible. If you are into taking selfies to post on your instagram I would get your ass to the top of this mountain. Although you may be a bit disheveled once you make it up top cause that climb is a real bitch. We descended down and found some singletrack along the way which made this all the better. In the end some fine Jasper pizza was had. These type of rides with Jason are easy memories for life.
#4 Forty One on 41 <click the link
The only successful birthday challenge ride and it took Gord and Kent to make it a success. Kent's fucked up squirrly grocery getter bike was the highlight as he rode the off cambered glare iced sections like a maniac. Gord was nicely set up with Schwlbe Ice Spikers which made easy work on the ice ladened off camber climbs. Easily the best shitty trail conditioned rides I’ve ever had. The only missing ingredient on more awesome was Jason.
#3 The Prodigal Sons Ride in Kananaskis <click the link
After learning my lesson from a horrible day in Bragg Creek. Me and Gord left a big group ride opportunity in Jasper to go to Kananaskis and it was the best decision ever made. This ride had everything and is easily one of the most epic days spent in the mountains ever and honestly will be hard to top. Gord is a great guy to spend a day like this with while all the chumps hang out at Costco and Home Depot.
#2 A Trail so nice I Rode It Twice <click the link
Fort Saskatchewan was always a big destination in the early days. It still is an incredible place I just don't ride there as much as I used to. This one featured the out and back twice and I swear I was so invigorated by the end with all the amaze I should have ridden it again. I'm pretty sure I think about this ride a few times a week and always think of it when in Fort Saskatchewan whether passing through or riding those glorious trails.
#1 Friday the Epic <click the link
The best ride ever had to be local. This one had everything. An end to end bridge run with endless singletrack with perfect trails and an endless charge of energy. Well, that energy was sapped out around the sixty kilometre mark. These are the days I strive for on days off. Pure mountain bike epiceness in one day. The only thing that could have even made it better if I made it a complete end to end returned bridge run. The turn around on Capilano should have come later but the thought of bonking had me worried. A full valley end to end bridge run has to happen one day.
