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Hello, thread. A friend and I plan to ride the Great Divide MTB Route this summer. We will start in late June and ride from north to south. I've toured on pavement extensively but this will be my first time touring an unpaved route, and my first time riding this cool setup (build is not final but this is the most recent pic i have). Many people who ride this route start in Banff, but my friend and I were hoping to start in Jasper and ride the road to Banff, because the scenery is apparently top-notch and it will be a nice shakedown before we truly enter the wilderness. My Adventure Cycling Association Map starts in Jasper (although it recommends a less-scenic off-road route to Banff), which suggests we are not the only ones who hope to start this tour in Jasper. Unfortunately, the summertime transit situation from the Calgary airport to Jasper is extremely dire. There is a Brewster Express Bus which costs $194 per ticket. The only other option I can think of is to rent a large car from the Calgary airport and return it in Jasper, which might be less money but I don't know how possible it will be during peak tourism season. Is there anyone here who has ridden the GDMBR? If so, how did you manage your preliminary travel situation?
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Apr 24, 2024 00:28
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 03:18 |
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Jesse Ventura posted:Unfortunately, the summertime transit situation from the Calgary airport to Jasper is extremely dire. There is a Brewster Express Bus which costs $194 per ticket. The only other option I can think of is to rent a large car from the Calgary airport and return it in Jasper, which might be less money but I don't know how possible it will be during peak tourism season. We did a similar but not quote as long rental SUV transit from Edmonton to Jasper to start. Long enough ago that prices are probably irrelevant, though. Drop off in Jasper was not too bad. I did think the road ride into Banff was great, though Banff itself in the summer, for bike tourists, was a letdown. My blog notes on that leg start here http://mengs-blog.blogspot.com/2016/08/82-edmonton.html Not sure how much overlap there is with the off-road route We crossed paths around Banff with some Great Divide riders -- it was the typical camaraderie of cycling tourists on the road.
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Apr 24, 2024 02:52
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Jesse Ventura posted:Hello, thread. A friend and I plan to ride the Great Divide MTB Route this summer. We will start in late June and ride from north to south. I've toured on pavement extensively but this will be my first time touring an unpaved route, and my first time riding this cool setup (build is not final but this is the most recent pic i have). Haven't done it yet but I've done a lot of bikepacking. Get in as much gravel time as you can to dial in your fit and comfort for 12+ hour days. All the extra impact your body will be absorbing off road adds up compared to road touring, and you don't want to be fighting numbness or worse out on the GD. Your bar angle in particular worries me for your wrists. A weekend shakedown or two will do wonders for getting you comfortable with your kit and packing/unpacking, especially if you can get somewhere cold as you're likely going to encounter snowy conditions.
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Apr 24, 2024 05:40
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For what it's worth my wife and I were in Banff in January for a conference/ski trip and it was cheaper to rent a small SUV than it was to take the shuttle from the Calgary airport there and back. One way trip might be different on all fronts but the flexibility was appreciated. I'm hoping to do the divide sometime in the next few years. Either when I inevitably get laid off or go on my "sabbatical" at the 5 year employed mark. Mr Newsman fucked around with this message at 10:51 on Apr 25, 2024 |
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Apr 25, 2024 10:48
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Thanks for the input, all! We have reserved a midsize SUV for this occasion. Now the only thing that can go wrong is the Seinfeld scenario. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-brgkkjnHc Mr Newsman posted:I'm hoping to do the divide sometime in the next few years. Either when I inevitably get laid off or go on my "sabbatical" at the 5 year employed mark. I'm just quitting my job for this, lol. 
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Apr 26, 2024 21:54
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 03:18 |
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Jesse Ventura posted:I'm just quitting my job for this, lol. Hell yeah! Gonna be a good ride.
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Apr 28, 2024 23:11
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