Reford No. 379

It's looked and felt like dusk all day.

The hazy skies were thick with smoke blown over from Alberta and British Columbia, giving everything a creepy end-of-the-world tinge ... ironic for the province 'of living skies'.

I'd raced up to Saskatoon over two or three days, eager to make some progress after a couple of days' bum rest, and keen for some distance from Regina

Good things had been said about Saskatoon, and I was looking forward to some more lively, vibrant culture. Sadly the tyres hadn't arrived by the time I got there but my lowest gears has started slipping under load so needed some investigation and maintenance and it was probably a good time to get everything in shape before those hills crept up on me.

I treated myself to a 3 star hotel and took full advantage of the pool, laundry, comfy bed and everything non-campy. Saskatoon has its charm; a great vibe, lovely restaurants (something other than a burger, fish and chips, or poutine - hurrah!) and some fun bars, but there's only so much fun to be had in a city on your own.

Thankfully, within a couple of days the awesome guys at Bike Dr had me rolling again - new tyres, new chain and, (with the spectre of the Rockys haunting the back of my mind), an upgraded cassette to 11-36 for easier hill climbing and hopefully a resolution to that slipping issue.

At this point the TCT climbs up to Edmonton then south to Calgary before hitting Banff and the Rockys but, yet again, there's deviation on the cards. There were some really knowledgeable bikers at the shop and I'd soaked up loads about the good, the bad, and the bumpy ways forwards. With Jasper National Park having been sold to me long long ago as being totally stunning, and most of it being missed by the TCT, I've traded cities for parks; another time Edmonton & Calgary.

West to the Rockys!Read more