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Old 09-20-2021, 09:41 AM   #3221
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richie - kudos to you for riding that loop on a gravel rig. I could see some parts being really sweet a GG (like leading up the meadow, the last 8 or so k).

the few times i have wandered off road with my GG, i missed having a dropper seat as i did not like my riding position. But i am also more biased towards my mtn bike as it is my most expensive bike and i like the colors more than my GG, so i generally reach for my mtn bike when going for a ride.
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Old 09-20-2021, 10:22 AM   #3222
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On Saturday, I did the city portion of the Western Headworks Canal Pathway but I don't know if I would want to repeat it.

I biked from East Village down the Bow River Pathway to Fish Creek Park and then east on 130th Ave to the South Trail Crossing to grab some lunch. I went back north on 52nd St until I hit the canal and then up to Max Bell and then to the Bow River pathway to get back downtown for 60km.

It's a beautiful route but my issue is that there are trees all along the canal and a good chunk of it is full of roots that have ripped up the pathway and it's a pain to go over on a road bike for enough lengths that I would reconsider doing it again. I have a carbon fork and carbon seatpost and tried to jump some that I could but they are so close to one another that it's unavoidable in some areas.

The part where the pathway ends and there's only 5 feet of clearance so you need to get off the bike and hunch over to spelunk through a under-freeway dungeon is also interesting.

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Old 09-20-2021, 10:33 AM   #3223
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If we are sharing cycling safety/etiquette stories, I was biking back east on the pathway back to my downtown office from Chicken on the Way Kensington (lunchtime basement swing of course) and making the turn into the North End of the Peace Bridge when a guy came barreling out the bridge.

He sees me coming up the small incline and turning and he slams on his brakes suddenly and flies over his handlebars into the bush. He must have had a lot of momentum as his bike dropped right in front of the bridge and he ended up in the brush between the pathway and memorial. I asked him if he was okay and in hindsight I should have stopped longer to help him up but I had chicken getting cold in my backpack and I was just in shock at what just happened.

He said he just didn't see me. I was not going very fast as I was going up the slope and I guess there is a bench and some bushes that could obstruct your view but you also shouldn't exit the peace bridge at 25kph into a 90 degree turn.

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Old 09-20-2021, 10:37 AM   #3224
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On Saturday, I did the city portion of the Western Headworks Canal Pathway but I don't know if I would want to repeat it.

I biked from East Village down the Bow River Pathway to Fish Creek Park and then east on 130th Ave to the South Trail Crossing to grab some lunch. I went back north on 52nd St until I hit the canal and then back to downtown for 60+km.

It's a beautiful route but my issue is that there are trees all along the canal and a good chunk of it is full of roots that have ripped up the pathway and it's a pain to go over on a road bike for enough lengths that I would reconsider doing it again. I have a carbon fork and carbon seatpost and tried to jump some that I could but they are so close to one another that it's unavoidable in some areas.

The part where the pathway ends and there's only 5 feet of clearance so you need to get off the bike and hunch over to spelunk through a under freeway dungeon is also interesting.

We did the canal a few weeks ago. I don’t think I’d elect to do it again either. Once you’re following the main canal it is like the cycling equivalent of a stationary bike facing a wall, with less pleasant odours.
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Old 09-20-2021, 10:41 AM   #3225
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We did the canal a few weeks ago. I don’t think I’d elect to do it again either. Once you’re following the main canal it is like the cycling equivalent of a stationary bike facing a wall, with less pleasant odours.
100%. It was just like constantly jarring bumps. It was go go, slow slow, bumpity bumpity mixed with the wonderful industrial odours and fear of getting jumped by a hobo encampment along the banks or in the 5 foot tall dungeon area.

I can't speak for the stretch between Calgary and Chestermere if you are referring to it being monotonous.

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Old 09-20-2021, 10:44 AM   #3226
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On Saturday, I did the city portion of the Western Headworks Canal Pathway but I don't know if I would want to repeat it.

I biked from East Village down the Bow River Pathway to Fish Creek Park and then east on 130th Ave to the South Trail Crossing to grab some lunch. I went back north on 52nd St until I hit the canal and then up to Max Bell and then to the Bow River pathway to get back downtown for 60km.

It's a beautiful route but my issue is that there are trees all along the canal and a good chunk of it is full of roots that have ripped up the pathway and it's a pain to go over on a road bike for enough lengths that I would reconsider doing it again. I have a carbon fork and carbon seatpost and tried to jump some that I could but they are so close to one another that it's unavoidable in some areas. It was like go go, slow slow, bumpity bumpity for a long time.

The part where the pathway ends and there's only 5 feet of clearance so you need to get off the bike and hunch over to spelunk through a under freeway dungeon is also interesting.
My bad. I meant to highly recommenced you use the west side past the Inglewood bird sanctuary, then cross the river at Ogden road, and take the 50th ave bridge onto the pathway. It's all path, but it's in so much better shape. That section from 17th ave to 50ave is aweful on the east side.
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Old 09-20-2021, 10:52 AM   #3227
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Yikes, that is a busy spot to be flying that fast. Then again, it's not like there's anything that says "heads up, slow down, be cautious" there either. It's a sharp turn with a lot to pay attention to -- I've missed or misjudged what other pathways users would do there (though not at 25kph).

I was thinking about this on a ride yesterday around Glenmore where there were hundreds of people out on the pathway. Urban cyclists have to make a thousand microdecisions on any ride, and each has the potential to erupt in conflict, make someone upset or lead to injury. Urban cyclists also have to interact with a larger variety of trail users, whereas gravel, mountain or road bikers outside the city generally only have to deal with one or two. Each decision is small and innocuous, but taken in totality it's no wonder people get angry at cyclists. If on each ride you go on, you are forced to make a hundred small decisions, each with the possibility of pissing somebody off — well, you're bound to get one wrong eventually (and others won't see the hundred you get right, just the one you got wrong).

Some examples I noticed on just one ride where everything went OK but each time there was the potential for conflict with another person. So many of these come down to a lack of thoughtfully designed infrastructure which makes it all the more frustrating:

• pathways that end suddenly and dump you on the road
• pathways with no curb cutouts that force you onto the sidewalk
• pathways that are also sidewalks
• roads that go from "safe to ride on" to "really not a good spot to be" with no warning
• roads where parked cars or other debris force you into traffic
• traffic signals on bike routes that don't really consider the needs of bicyclists
• unsigned crosswalks on bike pathways
• inconsistent infrastructure like "bikes use pedestrian signal" signs
• sharp corners, blind intersections, and sudden hills with no signage (or a combo of all three)
• pathways that get squeezed for no good reason or without warning
• pathways that cross traffic in the middle of the road rather than at an intersection

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Old 09-20-2021, 11:03 AM   #3228
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Originally Posted by Hack&Lube View Post
If we are sharing cycling safety/etiquette stories, I was biking back east on the pathway back to my downtown office from Chicken on the Way Kensington (lunchtime basement swing of course) and making the turn into the North End of the Peace Bridge when a guy came barreling out the bridge.

He sees me coming up the small incline and turning and he slams on his brakes suddenly and flies over his handlebars into the bush. He must have had a lot of momentum as his bike dropped right in front of the bridge and he ended up in the brush between the pathway and memorial. I asked him if he was okay and in hindsight I should have stopped longer to help him up but I had chicken getting cold in my backpack and I was just in shock at what just happened.

He said he just didn't see me. I was not going very fast as I was going up the slope and I guess there is a bench and some bushes that could obstruct your view but you also shouldn't exit the peace bridge at 25kph into a 90 degree turn.
Yeah no way he couldn't see you, even with the benches and bushes a person on a bike has a clear line of sight over them to the pathway. You may get a brief period of a blindspot from the bridge itself. Dude should not have been coming off the bridge that fast.
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Old 09-20-2021, 11:06 AM   #3229
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Yikes, that is a busy spot to be flying that fast. Then again, it's not like there's anything that says "heads up, slow down, be cautious" there either.

I was thinking about this on a ride yesterday around Glenmore where there were hundreds of people out on the pathway. Urban cyclists have to make a thousand microdecisions on any ride, and each has the potential to erupt in conflict, make someone upset or lead to injury. Urban cyclists also have to interact with a larger variety of trail users, whereas gravel, mountain or road bikers outside the city generally only have to deal with one or two. Each decision is small and innocuous, but taken in totality it's no wonder people get angry at cyclists. If on each ride you go on, you are forced to make a hundred small decisions, each with the possibility of pissing somebody off — well, you're bound to get one wrong eventually (and others won't see the hundred you get right, just the one you got wrong).

Some examples I noticed on just one ride where everything went OK but each time there was the potential for things to go the wrong way. So many of these come down to a lack of thoughtfully designed infrastructure which makes it all the more frustrating:

• pathways that end suddenly and dump you on the road
• pathways that are also sidewalks
• pathways with no curb cutouts that force you onto the sidewalk
• roads that go from "safe to ride on" to "really not a good spot to be" with no warning
• roads where parked cars or other debris force you into traffic
• traffic signals on bike routes that don't really consider the needs of bicyclists
• unsigned crosswalks on bike pathways
• inconsistent infrastructure like "bikes use pedestrian signal" signs
• sharp corners, blind intersections, and sudden hills with no signage (or a combo of all three)
• pathways that get squeezed for no good reason or without warning
• pathways that cross traffic in the middle of the road rather than at an intersection
The Shifter video about comparing Calgary to the Netherlands touches on a lot of these and how cycling infrastructure is such an afterthought.

It's such a pleasure to have the covid memorial closure and even yesterday I was cycling back and forth along the Calgary Marathon route to watch the runners and when I got the Stampede grounds, I was blissfully cycling around the huge parking lots and paved but open fairgrounds when I suddenly realized how great that felt.

Cycling is such a "corridor" activity You are always on a tight and narrow making all these decisions and when you are suddenly free of that corridor mentality it feels amazing.

There were quite a few cyclists operating along the marathon route as pacers or supervisors of the race and I'd be interested to know how to get involved in that.

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Old 09-20-2021, 11:10 AM   #3230
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The Shifter video about comparing Calgary to the Netherlands touches on a lot of these and how cycling infrastructure is such an afterthought.
Ya that's a good one. I was thinking about that as a starting point. I think Tom was overly generous in his scoring and missed a few potential conflict points just on that one ride but it might have been too negative if he called them all out.

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Cycling is such a "corridor" activity You are always on a tight and narrow making all these decisions and when you are suddenly free of that corridor mentality it feels amazing.
Ya that's a hard feeling to describe but mirrors my own feelings when you get to ride road closures on Highwood, 1A, etc.

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Old 09-20-2021, 11:17 AM   #3231
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100%. It was just like constantly jarring bumps. It was go go, slow slow, bumpity bumpity mixed with the wonderful industrial odours and fear of getting jumped by a hobo encampment along the banks or in the 5 foot tall dungeon area.

I can't speak for the stretch between Calgary and Chestermere if you are referring to it being monotonous.

We started near the zoo and headed towards Chestermere.

I am happy that at least I am equipped with the knowledge to never to buy a house anywhere near a drywall recycling centre / gypsum factory.
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Old 09-20-2021, 01:19 PM   #3232
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On Saturday, I did the city portion of the Western Headworks Canal Pathway but I don't know if I would want to repeat it.

I biked from East Village down the Bow River Pathway to Fish Creek Park and then east on 130th Ave to the South Trail Crossing to grab some lunch. I went back north on 52nd St until I hit the canal and then up to Max Bell and then to the Bow River pathway to get back downtown for 60km.

It's a beautiful route but my issue is that there are trees all along the canal and a good chunk of it is full of roots that have ripped up the pathway and it's a pain to go over on a road bike for enough lengths that I would reconsider doing it again. I have a carbon fork and carbon seatpost and tried to jump some that I could but they are so close to one another that it's unavoidable in some areas.

The part where the pathway ends and there's only 5 feet of clearance so you need to get off the bike and hunch over to spelunk through a under-freeway dungeon is also interesting.
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We did the canal a few weeks ago. I don’t think I’d elect to do it again either. Once you’re following the main canal it is like the cycling equivalent of a stationary bike facing a wall, with less pleasant odours.
Meh, it's the easiest way to knock out a long ride and not worry about being hit by some ####### texting and driving. Works for me.
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Old 09-20-2021, 01:45 PM   #3233
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it is too bad that stretch of canal pathway makes you regret your life choices. if the path was smoother, a lot of cyclists could really drop the hammer and you generally have great views of the pathway and few pedestrians and there are no road crossings
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Old 09-20-2021, 02:22 PM   #3234
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it is too bad that stretch of canal pathway makes you regret your life choices. if the path was smoother, a lot of cyclists could really drop the hammer and you generally have great views of the pathway and few pedestrians and there are no road crossings
Some maintenance sure would be nice.

It's been like that for years now though. Obviously we could pressure the city to improve the connectivity and do something with the dungeon crossing, but who's jurisdiction is the pathway itself under? Rockyview?
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Old 09-20-2021, 03:09 PM   #3235
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The section north of Ogden/Linwood is no good. It's always better to cut over to Inglewood. There are still a few tree roots in the south but they're pretty easy to avoid, even on a road bike.

There was talk on Twitter (or maybe it was here) that the City and Province are divided on who is actually supposed to maintain it.
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Old 09-20-2021, 03:16 PM   #3236
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Some maintenance sure would be nice.

It's been like that for years now though. Obviously we could pressure the city to improve the connectivity and do something with the dungeon crossing, but who's jurisdiction is the pathway itself under? Rockyview?
ken0042 above posted that he called the City and they said it was the Province's jurisdiction and vice versa and he had put in the effort to reach out about repairs and would contact the MLA. That is much appreciated.
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Old 09-20-2021, 03:20 PM   #3237
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it is too bad that stretch of canal pathway makes you regret your life choices. if the path was smoother, a lot of cyclists could really drop the hammer and you generally have great views of the pathway and few pedestrians and there are no road crossings
Plus there's an emergency escape route of plunging into the canal if the cyclists are dropping the hammer and got into a mishap. A lot safer than other places where you might end up with road rash, in traffic, or in the Bow
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Old 09-20-2021, 07:27 PM   #3238
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I just emailed my MLA. Turns out he is no longer transportation minister; however hopefully he can get us some answers.
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Old 09-21-2021, 08:43 AM   #3239
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Just watching the Junior world's TT, Quentin Cowan racing for Canada later in the Road race, pretty cool to see a local in the world's.
Humble brag, beat him a few times the last time there were races in Alberta. (He was 15 mind you and has gotten exponentially faster while I have not
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Old 09-21-2021, 08:50 AM   #3240
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Plus there's an emergency escape route of plunging into the canal if the cyclists are dropping the hammer and got into a mishap. A lot safer than other places where you might end up with road rash, in traffic, or in the Bow
Just have to clear the boulders
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