Tag: gravel

Sunday Gravel Ride | May 7, 9:00am

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UPDATE: We have a new route due to the forecast. The weather system is moving in from the west and looking daunting, but exact timing is uncertain. We will employ the ‘Red October’ protocol of riding toward it, meeting it head on. This allows us to retreat in the dry when necessary. We might get the whole ride in, maybe only 10K. But we won’t know unless we try.

The planned Cafe stop will now be in Elmira.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        25-28   kph average

Intermediate     G2       23-25   kph average

Relaxed     G3       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

Start Time: please be ready to pedal at 9:00 AM

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: All Groups will follow this map:

Sunday Gravel Ride | April 16th 10:00AM – New Start Time!

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Welcome to the very first Sunday Gravel ride for 2023! The weather is looking much better than at the time of original posting. We are adjusting the start time to match the unseasonably warm weather.

As always, we’ll start the year with slightly shorter routes and keep building as the season progresses, as does our fitness. We’re heading south; there is still snow on the rail trails north of Guelph. This should be a good route for those preparing for P2A.

Bring money for a coffee stop and tail lights are a good idea.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        25-28   kph average

Intermediate     G2       23-25   kph average

Relaxed     G3       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

Start Time: please be ready to pedal at 10:00 AM

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: All Speed Groups will follow this map:

Sunday Gravel Ride | November 6th 10:00AM

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Note 10AM start due to the time change!

Not one of my more adventurous routes, but (1) we haven’t been over the 3rd line snowmobile bridge for awhile, and (2) I went to a fair amount of trouble earlier this summer to obtain permission for GCC riders to use the driveway just south of Elora that links to the Cottontail Trail and we haven’t used it yet! (Note that permission was happily granted by owners Doog and Nancy whilst attending WAY funner than expected Fork in the Road Music Festival, but that’s another story). We’ll do our usual coffee stop in Elora, so bring money for a coffee stop.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

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

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

UPDATE: Remote Start Sunday Gravel Ride | October 23rd 10:30AM

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The weather is looking fantastic for a Gravel Ride this Sunday!

Folks have been asking for another Remote Start ever since we rode out of Creemore, so we’re going to the Grey Highlands!

START LOCATION & ROUTE UPDATE: We have learned that there is a major bridge out on our original planned route. We will now use a route we were saving for next year which is just west of the original in the Grey Highlands. Drive time to the start is the same as previous.

We start pedalling at 10:30 am from a club member’s parent’s place near Heathcote, ON. It’s about 1.5 hours drive from Guelph. The route is 86% unpaved according to RWGPS.

Bring a small snack for an early stop at 30K and we will stop at 50K for a paid coffee/snack at Marilynne restaurant in Markdale. Bring money for that.

Afterwards, on the way home, a food stop can be had at the Bicycle Cafe in Flesherton – so fitting.

Carpooling will be arranged through the GCC DISCORD Server.

This could be the last warm gravel ride of the year, depending on how the weather goes. Who knows? So come on out!

Tail lights are a good idea.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

Start Time: please be ready to pedal at 10:30 AM

Start Location: 807147 Sideroad 25 Kimberley, ON (just west of Heathcote, off of Old Mail Rd)

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Grey Highlands – Click image for directions

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

Sunday Gravel Ride | Oct 2nd, 11:00 AM

This is quite a Sunday for gravel riders – a lot of our regulars are at the Hardwood O-Cup CX race, the Bruce Gran Fondo, the Ganny Enduro … but for those of us staying local, it looks like a lovely, albeit cool, day and I look forward to sharing it with you! We’ll head up to Sandy Hills and Floradale, have some coffee in Elmira, and work our way home ending at Fixed Gear.

I haven’t checked out the route from the bottom end of Floradale to the KB trail, and am just trusting heat maps – my apologies if that bit doesn’t work out : )

G1 riders – you have no official ride leader, so make sure you load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

Start Time: please be ready to pedal at 11:00 AM

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

CANCELLED: Sunday Gravel Ride | September 25th 11:00AM

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WEATHER UPDATE: Cancelled. Cold we can deal with, but cold and wet is just not pleasant. Things are looking a hair better, but it’s still raining and everything is saturated. No matter what, we will be gritty and wet, and therefore cold and miserable the whole ride. I hate cancelling, but you’re drive train and spirits will thank you for not riding until it gets drier. If anyone wants to organize a un-official ride for later today (if the conditions improve), head over to the GCC DISCORD to make arrangements. Until next time.

If you haven’t pre-registered for the Country Rumble (we provided the routes for that) and are looking for a gravel ride this Sunday, here is one for you.

The conditions are perfect for a multi surface ride along the Grand River in the KW area. If you have never done this route, it’s a real treat with a lot of hidden gems. Bring money for a snack stop. Tail lights are always a good idea.

Please note the NEW 11:00AM start time.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

Start Time: please be ready to pedal at 11:00 AM

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

Sunday Gravel Ride | Sept 11 8:00am

Once again, we’re heading out to the copious amount of gravel roads NE of Guelph and making our way into Hillsburgh. Its going to be a spectacular day, so make sure you sunscreen up and bring lots of water. According to RWGPS, this route is 2/3 gravel, which is a good thing, since this is a gravel ride. We’ll make a stop in Hillsburgh to refuel. Bring money for snacks and as always, tail lights are a good idea.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

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

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

Sunday Gravel Ride | Sept 4th 8AM

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RIDE IS ON! Its’ grey and overcast, but there is no rain according to the radar for sometime.

It’s the Labour Day long weekend, or the ‘real’ start to the year as I like to call it. And if you were planning on avoiding driving amongst the crazed masses, this gravel ride might be just the thing to keep you sane and not too far, or long, from the sanctuary of your home. All club members are welcome and the pace will be reasonable with two speed groups to choose from. Next year there might even be three!

This route has something old and something new. It has the longest uninterrupted gravel section of any route we have put together, 49km! RWGPS map surface markings are not completely accurate, BTW.

Bring money for a Butter Tart stop at the Belwood Country Market.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

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

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

Wednesday Gravel Ride | August 31st 6:00pm

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We said we were done with these, but the crowd cried out for more… you asked for it, you got it!

The limiting factor is that the sun sets at 7:57 pm… we can make that work!

The weather is looking ideal for a gravel ride. Bringing lights is always a good idea.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

Start Time: please be ready to pedal at 6:00 PM

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

Wednesday Gravel Ride | August 17th 6:00PM

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RIDE IS ON!

WEATHER UPDATE: Weather is doing what we predicted just a bit slow. We may delay start for 15 minutes or so. LC

It looks like a small storm cell should hit Guelph shortly after 5pm just past the deadline to cancel, but it looks clear behind that. There are no EC Weather ‘Warnings’ or ‘Watches’, so we are not mandated to cancel. Are we guaranteeing a perfectly dry ride? No. But if we do get some precip, it shouldn’t be too much for too long. The weather system is drifting to the south and we are heading to the north. Last one of the year, let’s do this! 🙂

HOWEVER: If EC does issue a storm ‘Warning’ then ride is officially cancelled, but may still go ahead ‘unofficially’ with discretion. Check back here and I’ll keep posting details right up to 5:45 pm.

The last weeknight gravel ride of the season!

Bringing lights is always a good idea.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

Start Time: please be ready to pedal at 6:00 PM

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

CANCELLED: Wednesday Gravel Ride | August 3rd 6:30PM

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UPDATE: Ride is officially and completely cancelled… The TORNADO Warning that was just issued is the icing on the cake. We don’t recommend anyone going out. We do need the rain… pretty sure we don’t need the tornado.

We’re going north! This route takes us through some old and familiar territory we haven’t visited for a while. There is a possibility of some precipitation. Check back here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!

Bringing lights is always a good idea.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

Start Time: please be ready to pedal at 6:30 PM

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

RIDE DELAYED: Sunday Gravel Ride | July 24th 8:00AM

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Last Update: New departure time is 12:30 PM from GYMC. Radar is all over the road. My Vancouver friends say that if you choose not to ride because of the threat of rain, you will never ride. And so we ride.

First Update: Rain was forecast, but things seem to be changing (we really do need some rain though!). This ride may go ahead if we get a ‘light rain’ as long as there is no lightning.

The plan is to keep the ride more local in case we need to cut it short, we won’t be far from home. In the past, we have also adjusted start times to let the rain pass. If that works for Sunday, we may do it again rather than cancelling outright – we’ll see. Grey forecast also reduces local multi use path traffic, which is the best time for us to use this route.

The route is the original (and famous) 2019 BGR, but in reverse with a few additional discoveries. Come out and be astounded at how much multi surface riding is in GCC’s backyard! Bring money for a coffee stop and tail lights are a good idea too.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

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

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

Wednesday 20th, 2022. 6:30 PM GRAVEL RIDE!!!

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RIDE CANCELLED. Sorry everybody but the weather radar looks unfavorable and nobody wants to ride with half a kilogram stone dust in their shorts if it can be avoided. So the weather forecast is a bit iffy for this ride. Hopefully it works out but to be honest, we certainly could use the rain… The final call will be made by 5:30 PM. Anyway, the route is likely familiar to most people and a pleasant mix of rail trail, quiet roads and gravel. See you there!

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

Start Time: please be ready to pedal at 6:30 PM

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

Sunday Gravel Ride | July 17 8:00am

This is one of my personal favourite gravel rides that takes us on the winding trails of Kitchener/Waterloo. Its a whole lot of fun and there will be several times where you’ll say “I had no idea this was here!” or “NOW I know where we are!”

We’ll start at the usual spot by the Guelph Youth Music Centre and head out of town and make our way to the straight, flat and somewhat boring Guelph-Goderich railtrail. We’ll make our way to the north end of Waterloo where we’ll hit the Grand River Trail. Lots of tight twists and turns along the Grand River. The halfway point is at the Woodfired Cafe, where you will have a chance to refuel. From there, we’ll ride the Walter Bean Trail through Kitchener to the south end near highway 8. After that, its all road until we get back to Guelph.

The forecast is looking good, so that means there might be a fair number of pedestrians. Ride safely and slowly around people, make yourself known and thank people as you go by.

IMPORTANT: We normally have two groups each led by a sanctioned club ride leader. Unfortunately, the person who normally leads the G2 Intermediate ride won’t be around (yeah, what a jerk, right?). As the sole ride leader, I will ride with the G1 Advanced group and we will make periodic stops at any tricky spots to make sure everyone is on track. Hopefully, this will work for all parties. If this proves to be untenable, then the G2 group may continue on their own, but it will no longer be an official, sanctioned GCC ride. This means that you won’t be insured by the club should something happen.

At least one member of the G2 group MUST load the route on your bike computer, to minimize any chances of getting lost. Please make a comment in the ride sign up form to let others know if you are able to load the route on your bike computer. If you don’t know how to do it, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

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

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

Sunday Gravel Ride | July 10th 8am

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The weather looks great for Sunday, we’ll stop at the Danish Place and cheer on Vingegaard. 🇩🇰

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

And the Club Kit is on sale again only until Wednesday. Click here for great GCC riding apparel!

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

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

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map:

Wednesday Gravel Ride | July 6 6:30PM

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It’s looking like a great night for a gravel ride to head south west, out to Little Tract and back through the far south east – exotic! Bringing lights is always a good idea.

Load the route on your bike computer if you have one, here’s how.

Club kit is on sale again for only one week. Click here for great GCC riding apparel!

Disclaimer: Depending on rider turn out, some Speed Groups may have to be combined.

The Speed Groups on this ride are:

Advanced            G1        24-26   kph average

Intermediate     G2       21-23   kph average

GCC members only. To become a member join HERE

Advance sign-up required. Reserve your spot by clicking HERE

Start Time: please be ready to pedal at 6:30 PM

Start Location: Guelph Youth Music Centre 75 Cardigan St

Check here for weather cancellation posted no less than one hour before the ride begins

Route: Both the G1 & G2 Speed Groups will follow this map: