Days 22-25 🇨🇦 ✨THE GREAT DIVIDE - CANADIAN ROCKIES✨

After some rest days in Calgary, the next chapter of the ride started - the first section of the Great Divide MTB Route!

And it began with a big surprise: Tim did not fly back to Europe as planned, and is instead joining me for one more month on the bike, until we reach Denver 🥳 Seems like he enjoyed his first bike packing adventure, and the cold nights and hilly roads did not scare him off.

So together we set off to cycle back to Canmore, where we stayed with Kristen and Lyle who pampered us and two other cyclists with amazing food and a warm and a cozy bed before we headed for the Canadian section of the Rockies the next day. Switching smooth tarmac for gravel felt great and unfamiliar at the same time and it took a bit getting used to the slower pace. But who wants to race when you‘re riding through picture perfect backcountry anyways?

The ride was everything I expected, and more! We spent the following four days cycling through thick woods, past clear lakes and over steep mountain passes, making our way down towards the U.S. border. One thing we learned pretty quickly is that along the Great Divide, the type of roads change all the time and very quickly. One second you‘re on easily ridable gravel, the next you‘re pushing your bike up a loose, rocky slope. I‘ll be honest, not all of the segments were great, but at the end of the day the pain is always quickly forgotten, and what stays is the satisfaction of having made it one step further along the route and all the incredible views you get to take in!

In Fernie, our last stop before the border crossing, we got to stay again with very amazing Warmshowers hosts Randal and Lisa, who despite our very short notice, warmly welcomed us and let us pitched our tent in their lovely garden. We also got to use their barbecue (happy Tim!) on their patio, under which apparently a family of skunks had found their home (which we didn’t meet 🥲🦨 ).


🚵‍♀️ KMs cycled: 468 km (Total: 1102.5 km)
⛰️ Elevation climbed: 3276 vm (Total: 7808 vm)
🐻 Bear count: 5
🚲 Fundraiser Status: 23/100 bikes achieved!

Days 7-17 🇨🇦 ICY NIGHTS AND MOUNTAIN VIEWS 🏔

The past 10 days have been filled with mesmerising sceeneries, beautiful encounters and 4 seasons worth of weather 😄

We have slowly made our way through Jasper and Banff national parks, riding up the Icefields parkway, past snowy glaciers, azure mountain lakes and stunning mountain ranges.

While we were prepared for some mixed weather, this year's exceptionally frosty spring had us testing our cold-weather gear's limits, especially during sub-freezing nights. And the cosiness of our tent made it difficult to get going in the morning. Imagine our delight when we met Karin and Mainhard, a german couple, spending their retirement travelling North America in their RV, who graciously invited us, not only for dinner but even for the next days breakfast (including real coffee!) Into their warm and cosy motorhome ☕️.
Luckily, the weather got better over time and the last days we were even blessed with blue, cloudless skies and the smell of pine woods in a summery breeze!

The sights of Jasper and Banff National Parks kept on giving, and each time we thought we now must have seen the absolute highlight of the route, we'd just turn the next corner to find a new one! The further south we moved the more impressive the Rockies glittered in the sun, but also the more crowded it got. With the peak of tourist population being at Lake Louise, where we hardly managed to find a spot to pitch our tent for the night , if it hadn't been for Ethienne, a fellow cyclist from Quebec who managed to sweettalk another couple to share their pitch with us. 🥳

The more people there were, the less wildlife we saw. Instead we met Murray one evening, a wildlife photographer who spent the last 50 years photographing Grizzly Bears all over Canada and who told us his tales of past days, close encounters and how to get the best Grizzly pictures. At least now if I meet one, I will be able to take a great picture of it before it eats me 👍

Our last stop en-route was the town of Banff, where we got to stay with Cesily (our first time sleeping indoors and in the warm since leaving Edmonton), whom I got to have aaaaall the bike nerd talk with as she's soon going on her own GDMBR tour with a group of 4 girls (how awesome is that?!) ! 🧡

Now we're spending our last days together in Calgary, before it is time to say goodbye on Wednesday and I make my way back towards Banff to start the solo off-road part of my journey!

🚴‍♀️ KMs cycled: 454
🐻 Bear count: 3
🍷 Bottles of wine received: 2
🐿 Chipmunks met: ♾️
🐦‍⬛ Bananas stolen: 5
🏞 Nature rating: 10/10

Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated to Project 100 Bikes, we have made it to 22 bikes! 🥳 💚 almost one quarter down, three more to go!

🍁 OH CANADA 🍁

We have reached 10/100 bikes even before the start of the journey, awesome!
Thank you so much to everyone who donated so far, it means a lot!

It's been a week now since arriving in Canada, and 4 days ago we started cycling!

The first 3 weeks Tim is going to kwep me company while we cycle and hike along the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff.

The weather currently is rainy and cooler than usual for the season, but the views are nonetheless stunning! There is plenty of wildlife here too, including Elk, black bears and a Grizzly that roams our campground 😅

Now that the journey has started you can best follow daily updates on my social media, but I'll also add regular, though less frequent, updates here.

Instagram: @fraublaubaer
Facebook: laura bielenberg

P.s.: the dog in the picture, sadly, is not ours 🥲

*** Flights are booked! ***
Due to weather conditions en-route the start date has been pushed back to the 23.05.

I will be flying to Edmonton, Canada, together with my partner Tim, who will be joining for the first 3 weeks of the trip.

More updates to follow soon :)

And again a huge thanks to everyone who has donated so far! We are already at 794€.
That equals 5 x 🚲!

Wow! Still six more weeks to go to the start of the ride and we are already at 508€. That equals: 3x🚲 + 1x🛠

Thanks so much to everyone who has donated so far!