Just thought I would start a thread for any Edmonton cyclists hitting the trails for some training rides. Conditions will change as we're under a winter storm warning...but I thought I should kick this off as a helper to any local riders.
Lower Ewok - rode part of it last weekend. There was only a narrow strip packed with a high snow drift on the river side of the trail and deep, unpacked snow on the other side. Unless you have very good slow speed control and exceptional balance, consider it unpassable for now.
Singletrack in the Keillor Road / University Ave / Whitemud Equine Centre triangle - I rode this today and it's in great condition for winter riding. Good sized packed trail and not too bad off the sides. Some sections are a tad icy, but that's to be expected.
Singletrack below Keillor Road - rode it today. Drop ins are a little slick...I'd suggest some further away from the switchbacks, if you can...the seemed in better shape. Trail itself is a little on the narrow side when it comes to the packed portion and it is quite bumpy. Deep snow is present, so try not to dab or go off trail. It is passable, but takes some patience in spots.
River Valley Loop - Paved trail was in great shape today, but some melting was going on...expect icy patches. The MUT portion below the park is pretty good and has a fairly wide packed trail. Very popular though, so be prepared to pull off into the snow for walkers and skiiers.
That's about it...feel free to add your Edmonton trail reports as you get in your training rides.
I'm not familiar with the names ... is there a map that we could access so that I can see what parts you are talking about and possible add updates as well?
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“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations."
~George Bernard Shaw
Lower Ewok is between the Cloverdale (Muttart) Footbridge and the Dawson Bridge on the south side of the river, right near the river bank....it is singletrack, not paved trail or multi-use trail (MUT).
The Keillor Road stuff is within a triangle made by The Whitemud Equine centre (the one along Fox Drive), Keillor Road (the road that is behind the Equine Centre towards the river....used to be a car road, now it is closed to car traffic) and University Avenue (that curves from near the Cross Cancer Institute at the U of A to parallel to Belgravia Rd.
The River Valley Loop is a pair of trails, one paved and one MUT, that goes around Fort Edmonton Park.
As for updates, I went for a ride along the 124 Street Bike Corridor on Saturday....it isn't actually on 124 Street, it is a little east...that connects Oliver Square to 118 Avenue. It was clear in some areas, slick ice (frozen ponds) in other areas and rutty re-frozen slush/ice in others....a mixed bag but if your balance and confidence are decent, it is all readily passible without needing to walk any sections.
Update on the Edmonton Bike Corridor near 124 Street.... it is pretty much clear for at least 1/2 the paved trail. Much better riding than it was a week ago. I went for a ride last night and had no issues, even on a cross bike instead of the mountain bike.
I tried to run the MUT south of 76 Ave in Mill Creek tonight on the cross bike....big mistake. The paved trails are pretty good, other than one bridge being closed for repair work (you can drop down into the ravine itself and bypass it).
The multi-use trail (MUT) is pretty soft. If you're on a mountain bike (say 2" tire or wider) it shouldn't be too bad. For my little 700cx35 cross tires on a fully weighted (I was commuting) bike, I sliced deep into the slush and was having a great workout, but not getting very far.
I'll keep you posted as best I can.
-- Edited by Psycho Mike on Wednesday 8th of April 2009 04:30:35 AM
Friday I did a longer training ride. The Ring Road (Henday) is in pretty good shape...no where near the amount of gravel I would have thought for this time of year.
If you're mountain biking, Patricia Ravine (trails) are a mixed bag. The paved / MUT are partly clear, partly ice and slush covered, though with this weather they won't be for long.
More for updates: Mill Creek Ravine MUT's are in pretty good shape and mostly dry. If you like the paved trails, there is a bridge being worked on in the south part of Mill Creek.
The 91 Street bike trail (paved) is very gravelly right now. If you're running slicks, the street is a better choice.
Also, the 124 st bike corridor is completely clear and dry these days.
-- Edited by Psycho Mike on Sunday 19th of April 2009 05:27:04 PM
Another update. 91 Street, 34 Avenue and 34 Street bike lanes are still quite gravelly. The stuff on 34 Street is probably the best of the lot (I found out as I road out to the new house on Saturday).
Important note for anyone riding 91 Street just a little south of the Whitemud: Beware of the wildlife. It looks like a couple geese are setting up shop in the ditch and they like to sleep near the trail.
Ok...not a trail report this time...but training related. If anyone rides east and uses the Sherwood Park Freeway, be careful if you're using Argyll or Whyte to get there...I found that the first bit (until a bit past 50 Street) was very gravelly and had a lot of nasty breaks in the pavement.
I finally put the road tires on the CX bike and tried it out...the close in roads were nasty, but once you get to Strathcona county, it was actually good riding....and great riding once you got past Highway 21.
Ok...a couple updates. The 124 Street bike corrdor remains in good shape, but there are a lot more people and pets out there. Be careful of the puppies :)
Trail wise, lower Ewok is a little on the wet side after all the showers we've been having. It is passible, but there are numerous puddles that will get you muddy :D
Secondary Highway 630 (Wye Road) is nice from Highway 21 all the way out to Lindbrook. There are a few areas (RR 222 to Highway 21 WB) that you need to watch out for the grates and gravel, but generally it is nice rolling.
I just got back from driving the ride route and am frankly crapping myself. As a novice the hills are intimidating the heck out of me. The first leg of the ride to the Bar U Ranch looks brutal, but the camp site is going to be beautiful and a blast. I seriously need to do more training on some significant hills (not only higher in grade but also length). The only comparable hill I can think of is the Devon hill. Do you know of any other routes around Edmonton than may have some brutal hills to tackle? I ask because you seem to be more knowledgable. Please help.
There are a ton of hills out there....but none of them are anywhere near what we will encounter in the mountains. Edmonton is, other than the river valley, flat. I'm a roadie novice myself and I will have no qualms about taking a break on the longer climbs, if needed, to save my legs for the duration.
Local stuff that might help would include: Groat Road SB from the river up to the University, Victorial Park Hill, Walterdale Hill (sidewalk) from the Kinsmen up to 109 St, 105 Street up from the Walterdale Bridge to 100 Ave, 98 Ave from the Muttart up to 85 Street, Rowland Road from the Dawson Bridge up to 106 Avenue and the river crossing on the Henday near Terwillegar.
Devon is one option for out of town, the other would be Highway 44 heading south from Westlock in a good south wind...not big hills there, just a lot of them (I speak from experience....add a head wind and it is brutal....I discovered that on my 205 km mtb jaunt).
There are options to help work on hills, but nothing that's really all that long here locally. Just put in a good amount of saddle time and hit whatever hills you can....that's about the best we can hope for and what I'll be doing :)
-- Edited by Psycho Mike on Monday 18th of May 2009 07:55:08 AM
ABS, I had a look at the grades shown on the other thread....Walterdale Hill up from the Kinsmen averages about 2x the grade. 1-2% on a constant basis will gobble up calories and be tough for the long haul, but it shouldn't be anything to be overly scared of.
I'm a little intimidated by the calories it may require to do a prolonged 1-2% grade for that many km's, but I'm sure if we use the rest stops that are being provided to get some fuel in our systems, it should be fine.
That makes me feel better. I know my training has got me in pretty good physical condition, and I can do the hills, but I need the mental training of knowing I can master the hills, even if I need a break. I will certainly encourage my team to tackle the areas you suggested (are they all sidewalk or bike paths, or are some roads? My hubby suggested we ride west on Hwy 16 to Hwy 43 for a longer ride, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable enough for a busy highway just yet. I took some pics of the more significant hills on the route if you're interested I can post them.
Some of the areas I've suggested are regular roads, some are more major roads and some are sidewalk only. Now I will warn you in advance....some of them are fairly significant slopes, so don't be discouraged if you can't clean them right off the top. Walterdale Hill, for example, gets as high as 12% at the bottom but seems to be generally a 7-8% grade. With a bottom end road gearing in the range of 39:25 (depending....I'm assuming a double ring front), it's a pretty tough haul.
Some other real good climbs to train on are the the intersection of hiway 814 and 623 south of beaumont.
Also known as 50th street crosses rolly view road. this intersection is in a valley and there are four hills of varying length and grade to test your legs and your lungs. Its about 15 minutes drive south of Beaumont.
It can also easily be tied into road rides from Leduc Millet or even Wetaskiwin depending on your desired length of ride. If you are interested in doing strictly hill drills there is a parking area at the bottom of the valley where many unload quads etc.
Thanks for the suggestions. I managed to get out in the River Valley, Rabbit Hill, Hawrelak Park area this weekend and managed to do most of those hills fine (had to walk halfway up a couple). I feel better mentally about the hills, but still want to keep working on it. My goal is not to have to walk the bike up if possible, but I'm also not going to beat myself up about it if I do.
Well, if you want a good feel for the "nasty" bits of the course...at least by what has been posted...you should try to go up Beuna Vista Road from the Valley Zoo up to 142 Street. The last time I rode it, I noticed it seems to sit at about 3% for most of the climb and it is a little longer. I don't know if it is 1km long...but it is a longer climb.
Myself, I went exploring on Sunday on my way back home. The paths on the utility corridor coming east off of Rabbit Hill Road toward 23 Ave are in good shape. The Blackmud Creek crossing gives you a chance to hit a 20% grade for a short while (whew....I wasn't expecting it, but I still managed to clear it...I did stop once I got to the top for a drink ).
The new bike path south of the Whitemud along 111 Street is pretty good too...not much gravel on it.
-- Edited by Psycho Mike on Tuesday 26th of May 2009 04:32:10 PM
Wow, good on you for reaching the top of that one. I had to walk it, but will keep plugging until I get it without walking. My hubby suggested we take the dogs to Laurier off leash this weekend, so I could take my bike and tackle the hill when the pups are pooped out. Thanks for the suggestion.
ABS...I had a goal to climb 15km vertically last year, but I managed to do 17 km...I guess all that climbing helped. Thankfully, most of our hills are short: steep but short. Prime example is the Old Fort Hill near the Kinsmen, which is only goes from near the Kinsmen to a block south of Sask. Drive, but is a 30% grade for a chunk of it...granny gear leg buster on a mtb.
This ride will be a little different...I'm not used to long, low grade work. I suspect that it won't seem that hard, but at the end of the day, the constant climbing will leave us pretty wiped.
ABS...I rode it again myself tonight to be sure....the bottom is a bit steeper than 3%...closer to 7%. But once you get past that first curve, it flattens out to about 3% overall.
One of my team mates & I are riding the river valley tomorrow (Sunday morning), any interest in joining us? Any time you want a playmate to ride with let me know. I'm game.
Hehehe...well, i'm going to be spotty as to when I'll be on the bike. I'm moving on the 13th. If I get a chance, I'll post here before I do any bigger rides, in case someone wants to join me.
Ok...some additional notes from my ride last week. The shoulder of Whyte Ave / Sherwood Park Freeway from 75th Street to Sherwood Park sucks. There is lots of sand, gravel and rocks plus they haven't touched the gaping cracks / breaks in the pavement. It is a harsh ride and there seems to be a good number of motorists that take that route who like to hurl insults, even if you are outside of the rumble strips.
The Henday isn't too bad...some gravel and sand in spots, but otherwise ok. Watch the bridges over the North Saskatchewan River, though...the expansion joints are a little harsh if you hit them at speed.
Lemme see, what can I add....Mill Creek is pretty good these days (for the most part), Bellamy Hill is a nice climb, but do it in the evening when the traffic control gives drivers a way around. Scona Road is pretty good on the trail, but the construction south of Sask. Drive is a pain.
The 91 St bike trail is in a lot better shape these days...far less gravel.
Mill Creek was wonderful this evening for a little night ride. If you're out in the evening, make sure you have a decent bike light and wear layers....the low areas can be several degrees cooler (which is a funky feeling as you go down a hill).
Well, for those who hit the dirt... Nov 6/09 trail report:
Mill Creek Ravine - MUTs are great, but the singletrack is a little soft from 65 Ave to Connors Hill. If you're careful, the ST aren't bad but they can be slick in spots...just watch that they aren't really moist or you'll rip them up by riding on them.
Tight singletrack west of the Walterdale Bridge - fair bit of leaf litter, and quite twisty for a night ride. Definitely worth a helmet light if you're going to do it in the dark.
Major roads are generally ok for knobby or studded tires. Side streets are generally a little worse. The MUTs in Millwoods have a central packed / walked zone that is passable, however off the path is deep (over the hubs of my Cx bike) snow.
I'll keep you all posted as I get some more rides in.
Quick update from this weekend. Roads are generally not too bad...a lot of ice on the side streets, but the main roads are pretty good with only gravel and mud to contend with.
Mill Creek Ravine from ~65 Ave to Whyte Ave is in pretty good shape overall. The gravel/shale MUT's are more mountain bike territory and were fairly soft. The asphalt trails are pretty good, mostly tacky packed snow with a few clear patches. The tressel bridges are super soft and some areas where there is good tree cover are icy. If you've got knobby tires, the paved stuff is in great shape.
Another update from this past weekend. We've lost a lot of snow! (Nobody go looking for it!! It'll turn up again later....hopefully much later!!)
Roads are generally in pretty good shape...a few isolated patches of ice around (especially when the temps drop after dark) but otherwise it is just the gravel to be concerned about.
I didn't hit the trails this time, so no update there, but if what I see around home is any indicator, I'd say we're getting close to the "no singletrack" time to give it a chance to finish the melt and dry out.
Well, on Saturday things were pretty good out there...91 Street and 34 Street bike corridors were good with patches of gravel...only complaint on my ride was the section of 34 Avenue near 34 St that has no path...the sand in the grass is deep and sticky....made for tough slogging.
I tried the new bit of paved trail from Cameron Heights to Terwillegar yesterday. Still nice and smooth, though the hills are a good workout. If you start in Cameron Heights (near the entrance to the EL Smith water treatment plant) and follow the paved trail, up across Terwillegar Drive, through Whitemud Creek and up to ~115 Street and come back, you'll sure get a good does of hills :)
Anthony Henday (with the exception of some gravelly areas in the southwest) is generally in pretty good shape, as are a lot of the bike paths from Century Park up to the University and from 63rd Ave south along 91 Street.
Late season riding in Edmonton is pretty wet right now...hopefully we'll get a few decent days this week to dry out some of the trails before we see the white stuff.
Went out for a trail ride....Millwoods through to the River via Mill Creek Ravine. Unless you're running fat tires (mountain bike), stick to the paved trails. The MUT's are a mix of mud, ice and snow up to 8" deep...you'll earn your balance merit badge if you're riding them. Stay off the singletrack....same if not worse than the MUT's and you'll trear them up riding on them right now.
Roads are not too bad....lots of gravel and some morning ice. If you're on slicks, be careful :)
-- Edited by Psycho Mike on Monday 18th of April 2011 09:05:13 PM
Mill Creek Ravine (MUTs and Singletrack), Ewok Forest (upper and along the river) and the Canada Cup course are all in great shape...a little dusty on top as things have gotten dry, but the trails themselves are good and solid. Must say the new bike is sure confidence inspiring...it'll be heavy for the Ride (37.5 lbs in off-road trim), but I think it'll get the job done quite well with some decent slicks on it.
Looks like pretty much everything in metro Edmonton is in pretty good shape. Upper Ewok is a little challenging these days (haven't ridden it much since before the slope failure...it's changed a lot as the slope has moved) but that's to be expected.
If you're riding the Henday, watch out as there are still a few gravelly patches on the shoulders.
Terwillegar Park was in great form on Sat. for those who are of the fat tire pursuasion :) It was busy early in the day due to Corporate Challenge, but in the evening, it was nice :)
Ok...was out on the trails on Saturday. One word for the singletrack: wet!
Millcreek was wet in several places, but a fair bit was damp/tacky so riding would not do damage.
Between Millcreek and Queen E - the Canada Cup course was very wet and took heavy damage in spite of the ladders...avoid it.
Queen E to Emily Murphy to Hawrelak to Sask Drive - Wet in spots on both the singletrack and MUTs, but no bad at all for all the rain.
Upper Keillor Road - Bog to the point of being all but impassable. Avoid!
Lower Keillor - Due to the conditions on upper, I avoided it...no report.
River Valley Loop, Wolf Willow and Patricia Ravine - MUTs are in good shape, singletrack is hit and miss...if it would stop raining, these would dry out pretty quick.
That's about it :) I'll update you again in the future :D
Also have to say that Melton Ravine, the Roller Coaster and Victoria's Secret should be in pretty good shape. If it has been raining, let the latter two be...they can get pretty greasy and have some good off-camber stuff (RC) or lots of roots and minor off-camber stuff (VS). Much better riding when dry :)
MUTs are dry and loose, but otherwise in pretty good shape....river valley stuff has lots of leaf litter. Generally, nice late-fall riding in Edmonton these days :)
For those interested, Mill Creek Ravine and the stuff near Keillor Road is a mix of snow and mud...singletrack not recommended and MUTs are rolling slow (and dirty).
Sounds like (until the rain started) things were getting pretty decent....most river valley paved trails were clear and the MUTs and singletrack were coming along on the north side of the river too. South side is still in the shadows and may be a while to melt.
Sweeping crews are out too...some areas are done and looking good while others, like the 97 St. bike lane south of Argyll Rd, are so gravel filled with gravel that you either have to be out in the lane or be running knobby tires.
FYI, the street sweeping seems to be going pretty good. For my commute area, it's clear enough I will likely put the slicks back on the Cx bike tonight. South side slopes for the actual trails (MUTs and singletrack) sound like they are still pretty wet / snowy, but a lot of the stuff on the north slopes sounds like they are drying up nicely.
For anyone who rolls the Groad Road Roller Coaster or Victoria's Secret, be aware - some loser has been stringing up a rope across the trail at head/chest level. Ride these trails with caution!
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