The usual shuttle goes something like this:

We'll use a bike tour company to drive us north of Cochrane.

We'll meet at 07:00 to load our bikes at “Our Lady of the Assumption School” in northwest Calgary, and leave from there at 07:30. The school is northwest of the Highway 1 and Sarcee Trail overpass. Take Sarcee Trail north of Highway 1 to the end of it (Sarcee Trail ends a couple of hundred metres north of Highway 1) and turn left. The school is immediately to the left, at about 34 Avenue and 71 Street N.W.

Optionally, we can stop in Cochrane for coffee and doughnuts. The van will drop us off north of Cochrane and then drive to Banff to meet us. Bring a bag with several clothing options to suit the weather and you can leave what you don't need on the bus.

The trip is rated as difficult for physical difficulty and intermediate for technical difficulty. Because of the length, approx 60 km, it is rated as difficult, but there is very little elevation gain or loss. The trip will start at the east end at the Bar Cee Ranch. Warm your legs up on a gravel road before starting the single track at Devils Gap (16 km). With stunning views and some great challenging single track you’ll wind your way through the Gap and along the Ghost Lakes (8 km).

Fording the canal can be a challenge or a cakewalk depending on the water level. It can be ankle deep to waist deep and we won’t know till we get there. The trail continues to twist, and wind its way across rocky sections, through the trees and along the edge of Lake Minnewanka. Take time out to rest, have a snack and enjoy the views from the beach at the wardens’ cabin.

The next section is much smoother and you’ll delight in the sweeping, banking corners that wind their way through the trees and along the banks of the river. A few more rocky sections, one steep scree section, and then a final downhill to reach the picnic area at the west end of the lake.

From here it’s a quick and easy ride on paved roads into the town of Banff. If you’re one of the early arrivals you might like to taxi to the hot springs for a soak or maybe slip in for a cold one somewhere.

We'll have a snack and drink together and leave Banff as soon as we’ve got everyone back together and fed. We'll be back in Calgary mid-evening.