Gravel ride "with friends" (but actually solo)

[jbarrett]

I "Accept Cookies"

[Andy B.]

Accepted the challenge, quite the route, thanks for putting it together.

[Thomasmeg]

Who's done it:
Alan Cook
Darryl Woodley
Alan Cassels
Rolf
Dave Dallin
Todd H
Rob Duncan
Louise F
Michelle D
Amy Errington
Mark Andreassen
Megan Thomas

[schouten]

Who's done it:
Alan Cook
Darryl Woodley
Alan Cassels
Rolf
Dave Dallin
Todd H
Rob Duncan
Louise F
Michelle D
Amy Errington
Mark Andreassen
Megan Thomas
Ron Schouten (2/3)

[Mikael]

Who's done it:
Alan Cook
Darryl Woodley
Alan Cassels
Rolf
Dave Dallin
Todd H
Rob Duncan
Louise F
Michelle D
Amy Errington
Mark Andreassen
Megan Thomas
Ron Schouten (2/3)
Mikael Jansson

[Andy B.]

Thomasmeg wrote: ↑
Wed May 06, 2020 7:59 pm
Who's done it:
Alan Cook
Darryl Woodley
Alan Cassels
Rolf
Dave Dallin
Todd H
Rob Duncan
Louise F
Michelle D
Amy Errington
Mark Andreassen
Megan Thomas
Ron Schouten (2/3)
Mikael Jansson
Andy Brinton

[Claire]

Thomasmeg wrote: ↑
Wed May 06, 2020 7:59 pm
Who's done it:
Alan Cook
Darryl Woodley
Alan Cassels
Rolf
Dave Dallin
Todd H
Rob Duncan
Louise F
Michelle D
Amy Errington
Mark Andreassen
Megan Thomas
Ron Schouten (2/3)
Mikael Jansson
Andy Brinton

This is a great participation turnout! Thanks to everyone for taking up the challenge and riding 'together' as a club. I really enjoyed seeing your rides and photos on Strava and I hope everyone enjoyed the "solo with moral support" concept while we languish in quasi-isolation.

I'll draw a winner from eligible entries (the only one I didn't know about on the above list was Megan -- Megan, can you send me your Strava link via email or PM?) and be in touch the lucky cookie recipient. Timing and nature of said cookies TBD in consultation with said winner.

Who's next to plan us a route? If no takers before next weekend (May 17/18), I'll do another one. So fun!

[Rolf]

Here's a route idea for this coming weekend: https://www.strava.com/routes/26799754 (PM me if you can't extract the GPX file yourself from the link.) Same deal as Claire's ride last week: be safe, respectful, wear a clean chamois etc.

You wouldn't like my cookies because they suck. So if you participate, your prize will be... um... riding your bike!

Happy Mother's Day to all those deserving mothers out there (especially the ones who make awesome cookies, like Claire.)

[Claire]

Nice route, Rolf! I like that you're getting people into fairly 'unknown' parts to the north. I'll actually be riding a lot of that tomorrow, in a commuting capacity. I'll try to repeat again for the full route on the weekend. What's your 'gnarly' rating on this one, should anyone ask?

[Rolf]

I've tried to make this nearly gnar-less and very roadie-friendly. It has quite a bit of pavement (quiet country roads) and flat, fast gravel.

In fact, apart from one tiny steep ramp in Valewood Park (at kilometre 5) and the usual single track connections from Calvert Park to Highland Road (kilometres 44 to 48), this entire thing would be perfectly enjoyable on a road bike with reduced pressure tires. (Though a gravel set-up is better!)

I hope to ride it tomorrow morning, to ensure there are no unwelcome surprises.

[Claire]

Hmm... "except for km 44-48" indeed. I agree it's relatively ungnarly, but I wouldn't recommend travelling those bits on a road bike. If any intrepid roadies do take it on (I'm looking at you, Joe and Mikael), I hope their shoes are reasonably comfy for walking!

p.s. Off-road surprises are fun. Like finding Easter eggs in the woods. I just didn't realize if I called a gravel route low-gnarly, people would take their road bikes on it! Lesson learned. We should devise a universal gnarly scale. I'd put my route at about a 5 and yours at a 3. But road bikes should only be used on 1s or 2s.

[mfarnham]

I think tire width is more important than whether it's a road/gravel/CX bike. Due to my cross bike being in the shop I did the Stuckylife ride on my winter bike. It has 32mm slicks, which are perfectly fine on relatively dry trails.

Of course, the fenders with crap flaps to within an inch of the ground made a hell of a racket, but that's a different story.

Martin

[Rolf]

Here's a link to the route as ridden this morning, at a moderate pace with plenty of breaks. I rode with Dolly, who had planned for a short urban ride, but who joined in spontaneously and still rode like a champ (despite having to pick up food and water along the way. )

If you use the as-ridden map for guidance, just ignore the little jag up Lochside at the start from Darwin to McKenzie where my Covid absent-mindedness led to completely forgetting what I was doing! The rest is faithful to the original and better reflects real-world routing (the Strava route-builder can be a bit inaccurate.) Other notes:

• Trail conditions are perfect and there were no unforeseen obstacles, closures, or nasty surprises. Woo to the hoo.
• The long stretches of straight country road in the first half rely on the view for their charm; fortunately, it's stellar. This mileage also puts a bit of wear in the legs that makes the later, more technical trails a touch more challenging.
• You're quite right, Claire, that kilometres 44-48 are a little gnarly for a road bike. But slow and easy should do it. In retrospect, it would be more consistent with the rest of the ride to route things from Munn to Highland Road along the 2.0 km Panhandle Trail double-track—and I commend this option to anyone who doesn't enjoy a little more challenging terrain. The Panhandle Trail has CRD signs marking it along the way; look for them after crossing Munn.
• Everything's grown in and gorgeous right now. We live in such a beautiful place!

[Claire]

Thank you, Rolf! Rode it today in ideal conditions. Great route with a fun mix of "surprising" urban trails, flowy dirt paths and pretty country roads.