Gravel Series #4 – North (climbing!)

This week we change start locations to Aweres School in Heyden.  Start time is 7pm.  Map: Google.

This route will involve a fairly technical 3km climb.  I did it today on a CX bike with 31C tires and I don’t have the best of off-road skills, so it’s definitely passable, but I feel a bike with wider tires may be better suited, so if  you have one in your stable, this is the week to get it out.

I don’t expect to be out after dark, but sunset is getting earlier and earlier, so it would be wise to bring lights.

A/B Groups: This will be a social, no-drop ride following Hwy 556 to Hwy 552 and descending the hill until a left turn on to a gravel climb on an unnamed logging road.  There will be a fork part-way up, keep left.  The climb ends when you come to some disused logging machinery.  We’ll turn around for a glorious descent back to Hwy 552 and then ride back up the hill.  We continue left on Hwy 556 for a few meters to a right on Old Mill Road and then another right on a gravely Lower Island Lake Road.  This one has some steep pitches, but most of them have a little pavement thrown down for easier out-of-saddle climbing.  We turn around at the end and ride back to Old Mill Road.  If there’s time, we’ll take a right on to Pants Lake Road for a very similar experience to the gravel on Lower Island Lake Road, then turn around and ride back to Hwy 556.  Finally, we’ll head back towards the school and take a left at Heyden Lake Road to loop around behind the school and hit a last bit of nicely-groomed gravel to finish off the night.  We’ll come out beside the school and head home.  Map: RidewithGPS

C Group: Shawn will be leading a C-group ride on pavement likely involving the Hwy 552 hill.