GCC Big Gravel Ride Sunday June 5th, 2022

GCC’s 4th Annual Big Gravel Ride! And like before, there will be sections that are unknown to most of you.

About the route: It’s 90 km long. The start and finish are at Fixed Gear Brewing, our sponsor. There are three speed groups each with a different start time, Fast, Moderate and Recreational. Sign up soon to ensure you get a spot! Several club members have ridden this already and given their seal of approval. The route is quite special (as always)!

Here are the details for our fourth-annual BGR

The Essentials:

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Sorry, Event SOLD OUT!

Start Time: First Group please be ready to pedal at 8:00 AM

Start : Fixed Gear Brewing 20 Alma St S

This is a rain or shine event!

Start and Finish here at Fixed Gear Brewing at 20 Alma St S

The Details:

  • Rain or shine
  • 90km route
  • Free ON-ROAD parking around Fixed Gear Brewing
  • Gear storage on site inside FGB, arrive early to stow post-ride gear etc
  • Three groups of various paces: Fast, Moderate and Recreational
  • Staggered start to finish at a similar time
    • 8:00 am Recreational pace
    • 8:15 am Moderate pace
    • 8:30 am Fast pace
  • GCC is providing a Feed & Support station at the halfway point
  • The BGR 2022 is open to GCC Club Members only
  • Registered participants get one free beer provided by our sponsor FGB
  • Bring cash or card for additional post ride bevies
  • Registered participants get Wood fired Pizza as well
  • Door Prizes from some of great sponsors to be awarded
  • This is a multi surface event which will include, but not be limited to, mud, rocks, gravel, stone dust, pavement, sweat, tears, smiles, etc…
  • Tires recommendations: Minimum 30 mm wide tires with some file tread, 50 psi max

The final route is posted below. There are a few reroutes from the original due to road construction and storm damage. Big thanks to board members Gord Drewitt & Lorenz Calcagno who went out with chainsaws to open up some critical connections. Ride a bike? Buy a chainsaw.

See you soon!

GCC Board

SRCC Big Gravel Ride 2021!

Updated Route as of Saturday Night. Small change at the the very beginning and very end due to construction in Howitt Creek Park. The route is now 6km shorter. See below.

We’re doing it again! Back by popular demand, the SRCC Big Gravel Ride!

And like before, we guarantee there will be sections that are unknown territory for you. We will ride this as a club as permitted by provincial and OCA guidelines.

The Ride Event is for club members only and you must pre-register. No other club rides will run on this date.

About the route: It’s 83 km long. The start and finish are at Fixed Gear Brewing, our sponsor. There are three speed groups each with a different start time, Fast, Moderate and Recreational. Sign up soon to insure you get a spot! Several club members have ridden this already and given their seal of approval. The route is really special!


Here are the details for our third-annual BGR

The Essentials:

Sunday August 29th, 2021

First wave leaves at 8:00 AM

Start and finish is at Fixed Gear Brewing on Alma Street (the original location).

Pre-registration is mandatory and available here

The Details:

  • We are limited to how many people can be accommodated at Fixed Gear post ride as per current Health regulations, so, participants only.
  • Please note there are no other official club rides on this date
  • Rain or shine
  • 83km route
  • Free parking, gear storage on site, arrive early to stow some gear
  • Three groups of various paces: Fast, Moderate and Recreational
  • Staggered start to finish at a similar time
    • 8:00 am Recreational pace
    • 8:15 am Moderate pace
    • 8:30 am Fast pace
  • The BGR 2021 is open to SRCC Club Members only
  • One free beer per rider donated by our sponsor
  • Some post ride food provided by SRCC with more available to purchase
  • Bring cash or card for additional post ride bevies or food
  • Masks are mandatory when passing through the Fixed Gear Brewing building
  • Tires: Minimum 30 mm wide tires with some file tread recommended

Hope to see you there!

Your SRCC Board

SRCC Big Gravel Ride 2020!

We’re doing it again (again).

We had such a great event last year on a 70 km route which was almost entirely inside Guelph, we thought we would try one almost entirely outside of Guelph. And like last year, we guarantee there will be sections that are unknown territory for you.You may recall we posted this as a ride-it-by-yourself COVID version earlier this year, well now we will ride it as a club as permitted by provincial and OCA guidelines.

About the route: It’s 79.3 km long – 63% of it is unpaved. In the middle there is one very long, continuous 27.5 km gravel section – bolt on your gravel aero bars! The start and finish are at Fixed Gear Brewing, our sponsor. We have spots for up to 12 in each of the three speed groups, Fast, Medium and Leisurely, so sign up soon to insure you get a spot! Several club members have ridden this already and given their seal of approval. The route is really good!

Here are the details for our second-annual BGR


The Essentials:

August 30th, 2020, start and finish at Fixed Gear Brewing

First wave leaves at 8:00 AM

Pre-registration is mandatory and available HERE

The Details:

  • We are limited to how many people can be accommodated at Fixed Gear post ride as per current Health regulations, so, participants only.
  • Please note there are no other official club rides on this date
  • Rain or shine
  • 80km route
  • Free parking, gear storage on site, arrive early to stow some gear
  • Three groups of various paces: Leisurely, Medium, and Fast
  • Staggered start to finish at a similar time
    • 8:00 am Leisurely pace
    • 8:10 am Medium pace
    • 8:20 am Fast pace
  • The BGR 2020 is open to SRCC Club Members only
  • Post ride food provided by SRCC
  • Bring cash or card for post ride bevies
  • Bring a mask as it’s necessary when passing through the Fixed Gear Brewing building

Hope to see you there!

Your SRCC Board

SRCC Big Gravel Ride 2020!

COVID-19 Version

This Club Event was originally planned for Sunday June 7th, 2020. But… well, you know.

Obviously we will not be riding this together as a club or in groups, but whenever you like, just go ride the route on your own or with those in your bubble. It’s a real treat of a route and we think you’re going to love it.

We had such a great event last year on a 70 km route that was almost entirely inside Guelph, we thought we would try one that was almost entirely outside of Guelph. And like last year, we guarantee there will be sections that are unknown territory for you.

About the route: It’s 75.8 km long – 63% of it is unpaved (47.8 km). In the middle there is one very long, continuous 27.5 km gravel section – bolt on your gravel aero bars! The start and finish currently are at the Boathouse (yes, you can SD an ice cream there). The official club event was planned to have been ‘from and to’ Fixed Gear Brewing. As of the time of this posting you can’t SD a beer at FGB, but they are doing take-away! Please support our sponsors…responsibly.

Several club members have ridden this already and small tweaks have been made. A few veteran P2A types have weighed in and given their seal of approval. The route is really good!

Get out and ride this when you can. Take snacks as there is nothing en route. A rest stop was planned at County of Wellington Forest Tract Benham at kilometer 31.9 in the small parking lot, but now you’re on your own.

“Get on your bikes and ride!” – Freddie Mercury

Big Gravel Ride Report

The first annual SRCC Big Gravel Ride multi surface bicycle event took place this past Sunday July 7th under near perfect conditions. The humidity broke the evening before for a cool start at Fixed Gear Brewing at 9:00 AM for the ‘Leisurely’ group (C ride) led by veteran club member Meg Thorburn. With her were 5 other keen souls ready to tackle the 70 km course that basically never left Guelph city limits for all but 6 kms.

At 9:30 AM the ‘Moderate’ group (B ride) headed out with 17 riders breaking into two groups led by Lorenz Calcagno and SRCC VP Rich Lyle.

And at 9:45 AM The Prez, James Fedosov, led out another 12 riders on the ‘Fast’ group (A ride).

Shortly after entering the ‘Highway’ trail at Guelph Lake Andrew Krucker of the ‘Fast’ ride was derailed when a forest gremlin wrapped his rear derailleur in his wheel. Fortunately for him, pro mechanic Mike Dennis was on his ride and in ten minutes Mike converted the multi gear bike to a single speed to allow Andrew to ride out of the trails, short cut the route and meet everyone at the rest stop later on. Although ride-able, the gearing was not conducive for keeping up with Chancie Knights (like any of us ever could?) or Wilfred Ferwerda on their single speed bikes. There is something to be said for keeping your important parts up and out of the way and not dangling vulnerably near the ground or close to moving objects. Just nutty.

Speaking of Wilfred Ferwerda, a bizarre recessed curb beside War Memorial Hall at the U of G caused him to take a tumble at the same moment that it pinch flatted Daryl LeBlanc. I am sure this is not part of the School of Landscape Architecture preferred method of transitioning ground cover to pavement. Shaken, but not stirred, Wilfred was certified fit to ride by methods seen on TV and he went off to watch the women’s Dutch Soccer team lose to the Americans, also as seen on TV.

Precisely at that moment, the ‘Fast’ ride had their heads down and cadence up as they shuttled across Johnston Green in pursuit of the ‘Moderate’ ride to hand off a rider who was struggling to hang on to their speed average. However, the combination of those factors didn’t allow them to break focus and notice as they passed the ‘Moderate’ group just meters away as Daryl LeBlanc repaired his flat in the shade of trees. The irony is not lost that all of this literally took place on the grounds of higher learning.

Meanwhile, over on the ‘Leisurely’, ride Vince Mayne was convinced to lower his tire pressure to sub road racing values which made for a more pleasant ride and was far less slippery in the mud and rock. And, with less then 10 kilometers to go, club veteran Anne Nederend flatted on her trusty 26’er mountain bike. So trusty had it been, that she didn’t have a spare tube handy for the repair. The passing ride leader, Lorenz Calcagno, from the ‘Moderate’ group issued advice from his off-road motorcycle racing days, “…just stick a 700 in it, a larger tube always works in a smaller tire!”. So they did, and it did.

A few riders had to cut out early as family and other duties called – 70 km on multi surface is a longer ride than expected. Fortunately for them, being almost always in the city, the ride home was never long.

A couple of astonishing feats need mentioning: Both Will Teron and Daryl LeBlanc completed the, at times, slippery and rocky course on road bikes, on road tires! Kids, don’t try this at home, these are trained madmen! If only we awarded trophies.

Thanks to Kirsty at Fixed Gear Brewing for coming in at 8:30 AM on a Sunday morning to open up the brewery for the club (who do we talk to, to expand your business license to allow for coffee service?).

A super ‘thank you’ to the rest stop volunteers: Kevin Bodbyl (sidelined from riding with injury), Brian Hoey (local handsome and competent nursing student), Madeleine Krucker and Natalie Tiberghien who were strong-armed into service by club member Andrew Krucker – we appreciate that. You all made our ride that much more pleasant. Thanks so much!

Nearly one quarter of the club participated. Riders of varying speeds and abilities got to meet and mingle and share food and drink on a beautiful day. Every rider polled said there were multiple sections of the route they had never ridden before or hadn’t even known about.

The jury has tallied the votes and responses… the event was a success. Quoting one of SRCC’s major sponsor’s Mark Chappel, “…this might have been the best ride I have ever been on.” And all within minutes of home.

A super duper thank you to our course designers, Taylor Moran from SRB, Heather Lylyk, Meg Thorburn and Lorenz Calcagno. And to our pre riders and Ride Leaders James Fedosov, Meg Thorburn, Rich Lyle and Lorenz Calcagno. And to Gord Drewitt, Lorenz Calcagno and Meg Thorburn who went out and cut brush and grass on the Monday of the long weekend to make sure the ride was as pleasant and as successful as it could be. 0

A special thank you to the coyotes of Preservation Park for keeping the snowflakes out of our way in there. Long may they reign.

There was some loose talk about changing the name for next year’s event to be more descriptive of the type of ride. ‘The Dirty Tour of Guelph’ was suggested, but after some research, it was found that that tour already exists. It however doesn’t include bicycles, but does include some club members!

Another special thanks to Fixed Gear Brewing for being our newest sponsor, for providing a perfect start and end point for our first Annual Big Gravel Ride and handing out free beer at the end of the ride (I believe we have stumbled upon an important discovery…). Cheers!

See you next time!

Rusty Knutts (pronounced: kahnoots)

Volunteers Wanted!

Can’t ride the Big Gravel Ride this Sunday July 7th for one reason or another but really want to be involved or just want to give back to the club?

No problem!

Come on out and volunteer for the riders at the rest station for one and a half hours. You’ll have a good time doing it and the weather is promising to be ideal!

Contact Meg at meg@guelphcyclingclub.ca and let her know you’re interested in helping out!