The Winds Blow in Alberta This Time of Year

Alberta is windy as fuck in April. Hence...you yourself may have complained about the insane wind we have been having lately. I have spouted off a few times to the fine looking Lonebiker sidepiece aka Mrs Lonbiker to which zero cares are given back. Like come on man... "you are the one that chooses to ride out there" she says. I guess but could it not be so windy?

Wind has never been much of an issue as most of the riding is in enclosed sheltered trees. The gravel bike has introduced me to wind and this year has been a bit rough but manageable with no wide open headwinds on long straight aways.  I can see how that happens with this kind of bike and today it took me a bit to get going as every time I stepped out of the car the heavy winds made me tuck my tail and sit in my car and contemplate life...

So after I sucked it up I started the ride at the dog walk outside legends golf course somewhere in Strathcona county which takes you to Fort Saskatchewan. 

Usually a damn good ride and today easily topped yesterday as I hit Fort Saskatchewan and rode the easy part of the loop singletrack looping back to the car. 

Singletrack is not easy on a gravel bike. My forearms were killing me after that little bit from holding on and using the brakes. It was still cool and gave a whole new experience on these trails and now am wondering if an end to end run from Turner park would happen soon. 

The wind was never an issue and it was in my favour along my way back through some wide open fields. 

This almost didn't happen which would have been a shame as it was quite fine overall. That dang gravel bike is too much fun. 

Ken Discovers AI Imagery and Goes for a Ride

 Yes I discovered and quickly fell in love with artificial intelligence imagery and this was the first picture I made and as you can see. 

It's a fuckin masterpiece.

I typed a demon wearing diapers chasing a mountain biker  and voila! It is a bit creepy to be honest and I may now have weird dreams for the next four and a half months so thanks for nothing AI. 

The ride with real pictures below took place from Strathcona High School where I rode through Old Strathcona and found the High Level and crossed thee almighty High Level Bridge (I saluted the whole length) because hot damn! What an epic bridge!

I rode the LRT trail and was amazed at how cleaned up it was compared to my last roll through where the homeless were out of control. I knew the city did a big clean up so that must have been one of the areas. A few tents were in the area though still. 

I crossed through Rundle and rode out into Capilano. I tried to find my way back to Strathcona High School avoiding every busy like road I could and found bike lanes and back alleys or many residential streets and soon found the Old Strathcona infamous bike lane and made it for home. 

An odd ride as I wasn't really into it one bit at any point. 

Whats going on in the background? Is it other demons carrying mountain bikers away? I'm that much more creeped out now.

And is he wearing a speedo? Come on AI. Get your shit together.

\

Beer Friday. Annex Ale project. Evolution Revolution

 Yes the weather won, And yes I have been a bit of a chump as of late due to the weather but I don't care. A seemingly ok start to the newfound riding schedule which has been hampered by weather and my weak inner soul. 

As I said yesterday a light skiff of snow hit us cause it's Canada which came with below zero temperatures and high winds which sucked bad after plus 16 degree days beauty days where everything screamed Spring!  

Canada is a raging whore when it comes to changing weather.

Speaking of Canada, tonight's beer review comes form our friendly neighbours down south which reminds me to wish their hockey club good luck and hope they don't meet the Oilers in the playoffs starting quickly…

*intern leans in..  

Well bummer about those Flames guys. I wish a fairly giant hearty good luck sirs! That goes out to our local hockey sportsmen. The Edmonton Oilers ice hockey team! I'm sorry but I don't know why but I am trying to sound European for some reason. Dear lord. Enough, let's just get to the beer.

Did this pour a pinkish colour or am I insane? *turns on flashlight and hold up beer. Ok.. it's salmon and I'm sorry I said pink earlier. It had a nice fruity scent to it and in a weird way reminded me of Five Alive but in beer format so I guess really nothing like Five Alive. 

Oh man. I must be the most terrible beer reviewer ever. 

It was fruity for sure but not like Five Alive. This has a a nice sweet fruity taste to it but it seemed to marred in darkness. aka I guess the alcohol. Does that make sense? It is a light content at about 4.3% I believe. It is a nice mix fruits with a sour like taste which took me back to those sour soothers while downing this one. This one can be a bit sour for some so beware.

It was nice and enjoyable. that being said if you are into sour fruit beers this one is for you. For the others it's nice and different and worth seeking out.

This beer gets 3.5 suds out of 5. 

Happy Thursday

Yes I wussed out because of the weather. Snow and cold hit us but it was light but the cold air mixed with April Alberta wind made things kinds shitty lately. 

So other than walking our two bear like dogs I stayed indoors. Maybe a ride tomorrow or a beer review or a ride/ beer review. I could be that guy who packs his IPA with a beer mug riding his gravel bike to a special beer drinking spot. I even have the beard and everything.

Actually that sounds like a pretty fuckin spot on good idea…

Will see what tomorrow brings. If it's cold I ain't having it. 

First Dry Singletrack Day 2024

In a weird flex I took the Rocky Mountain bike out for the first singletrack excursion of the year. Yes the very same bike that I threw in the bushes and stopped mid ride to put it up for sale like a whiny baby online. 

I guess this was my way of saying sorry. With things a bit tight there is still no chance of bike upgrades this year so I decided why not? Let's see if it can still earn it's keep. For the most part it did and that fun feeling of floating over everything is quite cool. With all the technology since I got the Altitude I could not imagine how nice a new full suspension behemoth would feel. 

Sigh.. 

The bike handled handled ok from  Old Timer to Walterdale where I crossed and reversed direction I rode through the scene of the crime ride killer that happened and across the Capilano Bridge and back to Old Timers. I toyed with the idea of Mill creek ending things and I downvoted it and I don't know why. I was still real good energy wise.

The bike was fine other than skipping on any hard power climb which made me walk up most steeps which was super lame. Still though one of the better rides of the year so far. All the good stuff was ridden today and it was quite great. 

April 16th was always my official singletrack opening day since I was 17 and it stuck. We are not far off again and judging the trails today we could have been riding them possibly two or three days earlier than today.

The Moots has gotten me quite excited. Giddy up. 

A Bitter Disappointment

It was a ride in the making all week long after Tuesday's roll through Leduc and then Wednesday's fun Cameron to Fort Edmonton run. I had planned on a big ride out throughout the city and river valley. 

I had planned on sixty to eight but I think right in the middle somewhere in the seventy km range would be quite respectable. I started at Wagner High school for a different change and avoided the ever so tempting Mill Creek and followed the valley line until it made a hard left towards the ski club.

I kept going straight towards the Ewok area and took the paved and feeling very good so far and knew it was going to be a great day.

I crossed the cutest river crossing in Edmonton and passed through Dawson park and climbed up into the trees and did not have any clue which way I wanted to go. 

* Keep going straight? 

* Climb out into town? 

* Make an abrupt U turn and maybe find that old haunted hospital?

*  The singletrack seems ready. Explore some of the good stuff?

All that ended abruptly when my front tire quit holding air and I had to spend about an hour trying to seal up a split near the valve stem. It was a very annoying process and yes my pump did go flying into the bush at pone point. 

The spirit of the ride was dead. Plus I didn't trust my shitty patch job so I knew I had to split for home which was fine cause the whole ordeal was ridiculous. On the plus side it looks like the singletrack is open in most areas which drastically changes tomorrow's plans. 

A shame about this one though. Saturdays have not been top notch since starting the new job and I know they will turn around. This would have been the first top notch Monday to Friday Saturday ride. 

Stupid tubes... 

no tire leavers which i found later in my enormous pack but an ipod did the trick

this stuff looks ready kids! boo ya! 

 

Cameron to the Mighty Fort.... Edmonton

 

I might have mixed up the days on which I planned these rides. I should have done this yesterday and Leduc today to cool down. My thoughts on the drive to Cameron Heights which were kind of proven wrong. I did change destinations mid way through and instead of the planned power line cancer trail I chose Terwillegar gravel multi use cross the river and see where I ended up.

The thought of the climbs out of Whitemud ravine made my decision easier but I was scared of mud and wet spots. Terwillegar was fine but I took a chance on the outer Fort Edmonton riverside trails and there was too much mud for my liking. The tracks through the mud told a different story as it has been ridden quite a bit.

I climbed out and rode through residential back to Powerline and crossed for my fourth river crossing of the day and that ice looked pretty mean so careful out there kids. 

A definite plus factor from yesterdays cold and windy lake run. I need more river valley time. 

too much of this at fort ed. multi use for me