The launch was over and I had been going for days on end! At this point I could have gone for a little rest from all the late nights and hard days of riding but it just wasn’t in the cards. As soon as the launch was over I had one day to do and epic pile of laundry, pack and get all my bikes back in good running order so I could get my butt on another plane to head to Calgary to meet up with ride guide for an Alberta Rockies segment.
I was looking forward to this segment because despite all my travels throughout the years I have had a tendency to leave my own nation and backyard relatively unexplored. I had not been through the Rockies since a young age and could barley remember what was there. First stop on the itinerary was Canmore, Alberta where we went for a rip in the local Jay Hoots bike park which was pretty fun. There were jumps, skinnies and a wall ride. It was fun to session there for a bit as I needed to stretch my legs after the first travel day.
The second day’s riding tipped further towards the epic side for me. I love all types of riding, but I really wasn’t prepared for an XC training ride on my Empire. Although the bike is so well rounded, it could have handled it; my fitness level on the other hand presented some trouble. After a good burner of a climb in middle ring with a road cassette we were at the top of a sick descent with some pretty incredible berms and fast flowing trail that cut a winding path down the side of the mountain. LaterI was informed that it was possible to shuttle the majority of the climb that we did…. d’oh, I needed the work out anyhow. Despite the intense climb the lunch on the Wood Patio, the Wood being a pub, filled me up and got me ready for some more trail action in the afternoon.
After the lunch we were shooting some all-mountain on the opposing side of the valley. It was quite open and the views were incredible. Canmore is an incredibly scenic place, it seems like anywhere you put a camera results in a picture perfect mountain portrait. We finished the day with a meal at the Iron Goat patio and I got a full rack of ribs… mmmmmm. No better way to finish of a 13 hour day of shooting than with a full rack of baby backs!
-Dylan
Tags: Alberta, Canmore, Dylan Korba, Jay Hoots