Tentative: Tahsis Gran Fondo Saturday June 25
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 12:11 pm
It's not ready for announcement yet, but in case your Gran Fondo dance card is filling up, you might want to pencil this one in.
I'm researching a proposal for a gran fondo from Campbell River to Tahsis, through Strathcona Park, with an economic development group in Tahsis. It's a village of 350 on Nootka Sound that was a mill town, and is now an outdoor recreation destination; fishing, kayaking, caving, hiking (Nootka trail), surfing (offshore) and wild life watching. Think Tofino before the road got paved.
The road through Strathcona is quiet, smooth pavement and spectacular views. But the real Paris Roubaix adventure is Gold River to Tahsis, which is 65 km of former logging road, of which 40 is unpaved. It's pretty well groomed in summer for the recreation visitors. Two graders work it 5 days a week all year, so it's not like the road to Bamfield, for example.
It's 155 k for the Gran Fondo, 65 km for the Medio Fondo (Gold River to Tahsis). Tahsis wants you to hang out after the ride so accomodation and a bbq would be included. Return to Campbell River options Sunday, include the MV Uchuck http://www.mvuchuck.com/ back to Gold River, then bus back to Cambell River.
The recommended bike will be a cross bike with 25 or 28 mm road tires, or road bike if the tires fit. Seamus McGrath (former pro) rode it in June with 23's and had one flat.
A couple things still to do before any announcement are to get the ok from the Minstry of Forests to groom the road; the maintenance foreman says he can get it hard packed and dust free (his dad is an ironman triathlete so he 'gets' it), but needs his bosses to ok it. We're also working on overflow accommodation in Tahsis using a tent village like the BC Bike Race. If those happen, this should go ahead.
I'm researching a proposal for a gran fondo from Campbell River to Tahsis, through Strathcona Park, with an economic development group in Tahsis. It's a village of 350 on Nootka Sound that was a mill town, and is now an outdoor recreation destination; fishing, kayaking, caving, hiking (Nootka trail), surfing (offshore) and wild life watching. Think Tofino before the road got paved.
The road through Strathcona is quiet, smooth pavement and spectacular views. But the real Paris Roubaix adventure is Gold River to Tahsis, which is 65 km of former logging road, of which 40 is unpaved. It's pretty well groomed in summer for the recreation visitors. Two graders work it 5 days a week all year, so it's not like the road to Bamfield, for example.
It's 155 k for the Gran Fondo, 65 km for the Medio Fondo (Gold River to Tahsis). Tahsis wants you to hang out after the ride so accomodation and a bbq would be included. Return to Campbell River options Sunday, include the MV Uchuck http://www.mvuchuck.com/ back to Gold River, then bus back to Cambell River.
The recommended bike will be a cross bike with 25 or 28 mm road tires, or road bike if the tires fit. Seamus McGrath (former pro) rode it in June with 23's and had one flat.
A couple things still to do before any announcement are to get the ok from the Minstry of Forests to groom the road; the maintenance foreman says he can get it hard packed and dust free (his dad is an ironman triathlete so he 'gets' it), but needs his bosses to ok it. We're also working on overflow accommodation in Tahsis using a tent village like the BC Bike Race. If those happen, this should go ahead.
