For the past couple of days rain and thunderstorms are forecast for today. I wanted to get an early start so I could get as many miles as possible in before the rain starts. The night before my weather app was saying rain would start around 10 am at Lake Louise. This morning it is now saying 11 am. I was on the road around 7 am and before the sun started to shine on the TransCanada highway. It was bright but the sun was behind the mountain. Traffic was surprisingly light and the road to Banff was mostly downhill. By 9 am I was in Banff and had travelled 35 miles by this point. Now the weather app is saying the rain and thunderstorm will start around 2 pm in Banff.
I did some quick exploration of Banff and found some breakfast. Banff has changed since my last time there 17 years ago. More hotels, restaurants, and traffic controls. Once I left Banff I moved to a bike path that connected Banff and Canmore. It was nice to be away from traffic for those 16 miles. I was surprised by the number of users on the trail. It was good to see.
From Canmore it was back onto the TransCanada Highway. Traffic was much heavier. Camore is just on the eastern edge of the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park. The further east I go the mountains get further away. By the time I get to my turn off for Cochrane the Rockies are in the distance. However, the rain is getting closer. I could not hear thunder because of the traffic but one time I turned and looked back at the Rockies to see lightning. The storm associated with the lightening was to my south and the track of that cloud was to the south.
Cycling on the TransCanada Highway between Canmore and the outskirts of Calgary is like riding on a busy interstate highway in the US. Constant traffic, noise and high stress. I never felt like I was going to get hit by a car but it was not enjoyable.
I made it to a hotel in Cochrane just before the storm hit.
Today’s stats:
Total mileage: 106.14 miles
Average speed: 14.4 mph
Total ascent: 2241 feet
Total descent: 4527 feet
Maximum speed 34.7 mph