Huron Gran Fondo 80K Gravel

60km - 100km Gravel RidesGran Fondo
Written By Joe Minock

Well, this is the one that started it all. We’ve been riding gravel in the area for quite some time, but this route was the tipping point. While Gran Fondos are not supposed to end up being all that competitive, this route tends to get a little spicy every time you ride it. It’s a local favorite and is incredibly diverse in terms of terrain and conditions.

Grab a few friends and get after it! Current KOM sits at roughly 2 hours and 26 minutes. Challenge accepted? Be careful out there and most importantly, have fun!

Bike and Tire Recommendations

The Huron Gran Fondo 80Km Gravel route covers a broad range of surfaces and terrain and is best suited to Gravel Bikes and Mountain Bikes with tires wider than 1.5” or 35mm. Experienced cyclists may elect to ride road bikes with wider road (30mm+) tires, but doing so may lead to a rough ride and flat tires - we don’t recommend this. 

Tire Width Recommendation: Greater than or equal to 1.5” / 35mm. A 1.75” - 2” MTB tire or 40mm - 45mm Gravel tire will allow for lower tire pressures and yield the most comfortable ride on the rougher gravel sections.

Tire Recommendations:

  • Semi-Slick Tires: Semi Slick Tires give you the best of both worlds in that they have a nice smooth running center section with knobs at the edge for traction on the dirt. A few great examples of Semi-Slick tires are the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H and the Schwalbe G-One RS. 

  • Mixed Terrain Tires: Mixed Terrain Tires, while similar in performance to a semi-slick are biased more toward rougher gravel with a raised, smooth running center tread. Mixed terrain tires perform best in the dirt and gravel while still being able to roll fairly well on the pavement. Examples of Mixed Terrain Tires are the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M, Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC, and Specialized Pathfinder Pro.

Hydration and Nutrition Recommendations

The Gravel Fondo Route varies in terms of challenge and exposure based on the experience of the rider. As the route winds amongst rural roads and trails, and travels along many wide open fields, riders can reasonably expect to be exposed to both wind and the sun. Proper attire, nutrition, and hydration will be incredibly important to a fun day on the bike.

Hydration: 

Weather and temperature is certainly a factor here. The warmer the ride, the greater the need for hydration and replenishment of electrolytes. As the 80Km Route will take multiple hours, a general rule of thumb is to plan on one water bottle for every hour you plan to spend riding. You may also consider adding fuel supplements to your water bottle as well. 

Nutrition:

Based on the current science coming from the highest levels of the sport, the prevailing recommendation is for the average rider to consume 80 grams of carbohydrates per hour - some athletes may elect to consume up to 100 grams of carbs per hour. 

To accomplish this, you’ll likely want to consume a combination of Carbohydrate rich energy drink as well as gels or chews. 

Route Details

Route Description

  • 80 Kilometers, riders should budget anywhere from 2.5 - 5 hours on route. 

  • 358 M Elevation gain. The route is generally flat with many small rolling hills. The longest sustained climb being ~30M / 98 ft over ~4.5 Km 

  • 61% Gravel / 39% Paved

The gravel surfaces on route vary greatly from day to day and range from firm and hard packed to loose gravel or freshly graded gravel. Many sections are shared with ATV’s which results in braking bumps, small potholes, and other characteristic defects in isolated areas. At no point should you expect to need to dismount to traverse over or around any obstacles. 

Generally speaking, the route is great for all levels of gravel cyclists who are in good condition and prepared for the distance to be traveled.    

Route Segments

In the interest of providing the most informative and contextually rich description for each segment, we’ll refer to sections in varying surface classes. These classes are based upon the SILCA Surface Guide which can be found as a part of the SILCA Tire Pressure Calculator

  1. Paved Road - High St., Martin’s Bicycle Shop to Links Side Road:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks 

    2. Detail: Starting on High St. in front of Martin’s Bicycle Shop, the first few kilometers of the route are on generally smooth pavement headed east toward the dump and then turning south onto Links Side Road.

  2. Gravel Road - Links Side Road to Bruce Rd 3:

    1. Surface: Category 1 / 2 Gravel

    2. Detail: 

  3. Paved Road - Bruce Rd 3 > Doll Side Road > Concession 10 to MacKenzie Rd:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

    2. Detail:

  4. Paved Road - Mackenzie Rd > Wellington St. > Louis St. merge on to Saugeen Rail Trail:

    1. Surface: New and Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

    2. Detail:

  5. Rail Trail Section 1 -  Saugeen Rail Trail > Bruce County Rail Trail, Louis St. to Side Road 13&14:

    1. Surface: Category 1 to the Bridge, Category 1 / 2 after 

    2. Detail:

  6. Rail Trail Section 2 - Bruce County Rail Trail, Sideroad 13 & 14 to Concession 6:

    1. Surface: Variable Category 1 & 2

    2. Detail: 

  7. Rail Trail Section 3 - Bruce County Trail, Concession 6 to Sideroad 18/19:

    1. Surface: Variable Category 1 & 2

    2. Detail:

  8. Rail Trail Section 4 - Bruce County Trail, Sideroad 18/19 to Blind Line:

    1. Surface: Variable Category 1 & 2

    2. Detail:

  9. Gravel Road - Blind Line > Sideroad 28/29 to Concession 4 Rd:

    1. Surface: Category 2 Gravel

    2. Detail:

  10. Paved Road - Sideroad 28/29, Concession 4 to Concession 2 Rd:

    1. Surface: New and Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

    2. Detail:

  11. Gravel Road - Sideroad 28/29, Concession 2 Rd to Bruce County Rail Trail:

    1. Surface: Class 2 Gravel

    2. Detail:

  12. Rail Trail Section 5 - Bruce County Rail Trail, Sideroad 28/29 to Bruce Rd 11:

    1. Surface: Class 2 and Class 3 Gravel

    2. Detail:

  13. Rail Trail Section 6 - Bruce County Rail Trail, Bruce Rd 11 to 30 Sideroad:

    1. Surface: Class 3 at beginning, then Class 2 Gravel

    2. Detail:

  14. Rail Trail Section 7 - Bruce County Rail Trail, 30 Sideroad to Bruce-Greenock TL:

    1. Surface: Class 2 Gravel

    2. Detail:

  15. Paved Road - Bruce-Greenock TL > Concession 12 Rd to Glen Cumming Rd:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

    2. Detail:

  16. Gravel Road - Glen Cumming Rd, Concession 12 Rd to Bruce Rd 11:

    1. Surface: Category 2 Gravel

    2. Detail:

  17. Paved Road - Bruce Rd 11, Glen Cumming Rd to Sideroad 28&29:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

    2. Detail:

  18. Gravel Road - Sideroad 28&29, Bruce Rd 11 to Bruce County Rail Trail:

    1. Surface: Class 2 Gravel

    2. Detail:

  19. Rail Trail Section 8 - Bruce County Rail Trail, Sideroad 28&29 to Concession 2 Rd:

    1. Surface: Class 3 Gravel

    2. Detail:

  20. Gravel Road - Concession 2 Rd, Bruce County Rail Trail to Concession 2 Rd Paved Section:

    1. Surface: Class 2 Gravel

    2. Detail: Rolling hills, home to a couple of small, gradual climbs

  21. Paved Road - Concession 2 Rd, Gravel Section to Sideroad 13/14:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

    2. Detail:

  22. Gravel Road - Sideroad 13/14, Concession 2 Rd to Bruce Rd 11:

    1. Surface: Class 2 Gravel

    2. Detail: Slight downhill with a cornfield on one side and a creek on the other. 

  23. Paved Road - Bruce Rd 11, Sideroad 13/14 to 10 Sideroad:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

  24. Gravel Road - 10 Sideroad, Bruce Rd 11 to Concession 12 Rd:

    1. Surface: Class 2 Gravel

  25. Paved Road - Concession 12 Rd, 10 Sideroad to Hwy 21:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

  26. Paved Road - Concession 12 Rd, Hwy 21 to Bruce County Rail Trail:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

    2. Detail: Generally flat until a fast downhill, braking to a slow speed to make the turn onto the rail trail.

  27. Rail Trail Section 9 - Bruce County Rail Trail, Concession 12 Rd to Bruce-Saugeen TL:

    1. Surface: Class 2 & 3 Gravel

  28. Rail Trail Section 10 - Bruce County Rail Trail, Bruce-Saugeen TL to Concession 2:

    1. Surface: Class 2 & 3 Gravel

  29. Gravel Road - Concession 2, Bruce County Rail Trail to Bruce Rd 33:

    1. Surface: Class 2 Gravel

  30. Paved Road - Bruce 33, Concession 2 to MacGregor Point Deer Run Trail:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

  31. Single Track - MacGregor Point Deer Run Trail, Bruce 33 to MacGregor Pt. Park Rd:

    1. Surface: Smooth Dirt, with some larger rocks and roots.

    2. Detail: Can be wet / slippery if it’s rained recently

  32. Single Track - MacGregor Point Deer Run Trail, MacGregor Pt. Park Rd to Bruce 33:

    1. Surface: Smooth Dirt to Class 2 Gravel

    2. Detail:Can be wet / slippery if it’s rained recently

  33. Single Track - Rotary Way, Bruce 33 to Concession Rd 4:

    1. Surface: Class 2 Gravel

    2. Detail:Can be wet / slippery if it’s rained recently

  34. Gravel Trail - Gore Drain Trail, Concession Rd 4 to Bruce Rd 25 / CAW Rd:

    1. Surface: Class 2 Gravel

  35. Sidewalk? - Sidewalk, Bruce Rd 25 to Lake Ridge Dr:

    1. Surface: Smooth Concrete

  36. Paved Road - Lake Ridge Dr > Sierra St > Andrew St > Stickel St > Sunset Blvd > Bruce St:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

  37. Paved Road - Mill St > Harbour St > Stevens St > McVicar St > N. Shore Rd > Concession 10:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

  38. Paved Road - Miramichi Bay Rd > Huron St > Adelaide St > Grosvenor St S, High St:

    1. Surface: Worn Pavement, Some Cracks

Joe Minock
Previous

Gravel Cycling Tips and Tricks
Next

SH GRVL 190K EPIC