TD2011 06/07 Austin – Calgary - Banff (8hrs)

This is my race report for the Tour Divide 2011.  I traveled with Sheila Torres Blank (STB), also from Central Texas.  The report starts with the arrival in Banff and is broken into sections defined by the 7 maps that denote the route.

We booked flights to Calgary with a late Wednesday arrival but in time to catch the last shuttle to Banff.  The Banff Shuttle staff are familiar with the Tour Divide race and did not look at us strangely when we arrived with bike boxes in tow. 

One of the staff, Bill Bowes, felt obligated to tell the Texas girls how to deal with bears.  We were too ignorant on the subject to refuse advice from anyone plus we were stuck waiting for the shuttle.  He said to purchase a bear banger when we got to Banff.  Now being from Texas, it is not uncommon for us to tease out of state visitors about hunting for jackalope, so no, I did not for a minute believe there was any such thing.  I was convinced he was going to laugh himself to sleep just thinking about us walking into a store to ask for one.  Nope, not this girl.  STB on the other hand promptly went to the first sporting goods store in Banff and bought one.  My bad.

Bill and Sheila TB

06/08  Banff Day 1

We’d booked a room with a bath in the Banff Springs Hostel as recommended on the Tour Divide web site and after sleeping in, woke up to a magnificent view of the mountains outside our window.  

Agenda for the day – breakfast, get our bearings, build the bikes and pack gear the 1^st time. Banff is just gorgeous and as much as I wanted to just sit in a café and drink it in, there was so much to do.  STB is a do it yourself (DIYS) gal.  Me, not so much.  More of a Jewish American Princess (JAP) type.  So here is my shout out to the boys of Bicycle Sport Shop who did a beautiful job of packing my Willits 29er. 

We got the bikes built and used them to run errands around town.  I’d left my long finger gloves in Austin so a bike shop was on the list as was the sporting goods store mentioned before.  We also had the idea to go to a thrift store and buy “throw down” clothes to wear the next day after we would send our non-race belongings back home. 

We met several racers during the day and hooked up with Cadet Bryant also from Texas. 

 

Selfi at the Bow River 

06/09  Banff Day 2

Day 2 in Banff was pre-ride day.  We took the bikes out on a 20 mile out and back to recon the race start and make sure the bikes worked ok.  It was lovely and made us even more excited about the race starting. 

We found out the race passed by The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.  A stunning castle replica hotel with a natural hot springs feature.  No time for the springs but we did stop for tea.  That is when we scored information about their breakfast.  So on race day while our compadres ate McDonalds, we cycled early up to the hotel for hard boiled eggs, croissants, turkey sandwiches for later, and really good coffee.

We found our bikes needed some adjustments so another trip to the bike shop and then the mailing of our clothes back to Texas sealed the deal.  Nothing left to do now but eat. 

The “last supper” was at a Spaghetti Warehouse type place.  We were joined by Cadet, Joel from Barcelona, and John Griffiths from New York. 

The last detail; the SPOT trackers.  These are the 1-way GPS transmitter devices that would send our location every 10 minutes to a website.  There, fans, stalkers and race directors could monitor our progress (or lack there of).  The SPOTS had arrived and the hostel was abuzz with racers trying to figure out how to use them and attach them to their bikes. 

Sheila TB and Sharetha Barton getting a 1st look at the Spay River Trail

Someplace we won't be staying

Pre-race dinner