GBC (Gravel
Bikepacking Challenge) 500K
310 miles (500 kilometers) of
beautiful yet challenging gravel roads around Magog, Quebec, Canada
Organizer:
Endurance Aventure
Supported by:
Velo Café bike shop; Argon 18 bikes
Where: Magog,
Quebec, Canada
When: August
5-6, 2023
This by far is
the most physically challenging ultra-distance cycling event Joël
and I have done.
Sure others
such as the 380 mile Crush the Commonwealth are mentally challenging due to the
weather conditions and solitary feelings of being out there all alone. Unbound XL’s 350 miles filled with mud and
cattle can test one’s determination just to finish when walking all those muddy
miles. GRUSK is filled with mountains
but they are long gradual climbs rewarded with fun and fast long descents. 24 hour mountain bike races test the mental
and physical capacity to not stop and sleep a lap in the comfy van bed but
offer a little more respite with the pit stops every lap and continual human
interaction of fellow riders and spectators.
Personal account
Straight
through; no sleeping
Gear
Joël
and I were riding straight through and with the exception of the aid stations doing it unsupported. We carried all our clothing, gear, etc with us. Aid stations supplied some food and water for bottles; however we still carried most of our ride nutrition with us. Frame bags, fork bags, saddle bags,
and pockets held what we needed. Lighting for night riding was on our helmets and bikes directly from the start.
Course
Course details
The event has a
500K (310 miles) and 250K option. The
Nankmans, we did the 500K. Both courses start in the village of Magog. The courses take riders both south and north
of Magog throughout the mountains and farm country surround the area. The 500K
had almost 25,000 feet of climbing. The climbs and descents were just a
constant up and down with decent grades; many of the climbs involved grinding
along even when in the easiest gear; not much easy spinning up the mountains here.
The 500K course
was primarily gravel. A few moments of
pavement here and there. Gravel bike paths were included when passing through
small towns. Interspersed during the
course were short (one or two miles maybe) sections of double track, farm
fields, and even single track. Nice to break it up a bit. Rain a few days prior to the event made for good conditions; the gravel roads were packed and not dusty and the
double and single track had a little mud but nothing terrible; all still could
be ridden. Note worthy course detail: the start and finish were not at the same
spot. They were a few miles apart; an easy bike ride to get from one to the
other.
Scenery
What a
beautiful ride. Going up and down the
mountains gave amazing views of the valleys below spotted with rivers and
lakes. The farm fields were filled with cows and the greenery of crops. Maple
syrup operations dotted the course. When
in the forested sections of the course pine trees and moss covered rocks lined
the roads. The course passed through a
few small, quaint, historic towns. Joël
and I were hoping to see a moose but alas we did not. We saw tons of adorable milk cows and good
looking horses so guess that suffices for big animal sightings. At night, skunks and raccoons were everywhere
just meandering across the road here and there.
Aid stations
were something special. They were positioned approximately every 40 to 60 miles
and were located at restaurants, fire companies, hotels, and farms. Yes, the
typical water bottle filling station and small snacks were at these aid stops.
But so were scrumptious and delicious items such as home made baked goods,
local made pizza, quiche, yoghurt parfaits, croissant sandwiches with farm-made
cheese, local maple syrup products, hard boiled eggs, coffee, juices, ramen
noodles made on the spot, and fresh fruit. Wow, wow, wow is all I can say. Pulling into the aid stations was like
pulling into a gourmet buffet. The
volunteers manning the aid stations were all so super friendly, happy,
talkative, and supportive. As mentioned
above, the ramen noodles were made personally on the spot for Joël
and I. Many of these aid stations also
act as overnight locations for riders (see more below in the logistics and
bike packing notation) where tents are provided by the event organizers for
riders to sleep in.
As noted prior,
start and finish were slightly different.
Racers parked at the finish, the Velo Café, and could keep vehicles
there for the duration of the event. It was a few miles, mostly downhill, to
the race start in the village of Magog.
Riders went off in waves of about a dozen people at pre-assigned
times. A local bike shop was the start
for any last minute gear or mechanical needs and toilets were available. Riders
could leave a bag at the start that would be transported to the finish with
un-needed gear.
The course was
not marked, riders were responsible to either enter it into a GPS system to
follow and/or to print out a cue-sheet to follow. The GPS system Joël
and I used, Ride With GPS, loaded into our Garmin Edge 1040 solar worked
perfect. No snafus following the course and the solar-powered Garmin had more
than enough battery life to complete the course (30 hours after starting I
still had 30% battery power).
Duration
Technically
speaking riders of both the 500K and 250K have five days to complete the event.
It can be ridden as a bike packing event, which many people do. Only a small handful of riders ride straight
through as we did. Many people take multiple days; enjoying the full meals at
the aid stations and stopping at either race provided overnight stops or
locations of their own along the way for a good shower and sleep.
Live tracking
The race organization and friends/family could follow riders in live time via the FollowMe phone app. Good for
safety purposes for the race director and fun for family and friends to follow
along. However, a big problem for the Nankmans. Being that we have phone plans
from the United States, getting coverage and connecting to a Canadian system
became a challenge. After spending hours stopping at a Best Buy, consulting the
internet and calling our cell phone providers it was determined Joël’s
phone would be OK but mine would not. After discussing this with the race
organizers it was determined that for safety purposes Joël and I were to ride together the
entire event so that I could be tracked via Joël’s phone. So whether Joël wanted to hang back with me
or not the decision was made; we had to ride together.
Check points
Each aid station was a mandatory stop for riders to
note their location on course and report this back to the event officials. Each aid had a GBC 500 sign; riders had to
take their photo, usually a selfie, with the sign and send the photo to the
organizers. Just another reason the
phone snafu became a problem; I could take photos show them to race organizers
later but I could not do it in real time.
Once again, it was requested Joël take my selfies and send them via text
message so organizers would get my location real time.
The FollowMe app and selfie-taking were great ideas for rider tracking safety; but guess it was never thought of that riders may not have the capacity to do this based on international cell phone coverage? Luckily it worked out for the Nankmans but if the event becomes more of an international thing may also be problems for others in the future.
Weather
Could not have asked for a better weekend. No rain and sun with high temperatures in the low 70s Fahrenheit during the day and down to around 50F at night. The chillier temperatures at night did require adding extra layers; jackets, heavier gloves, neck warmers, and leg warmers were put on after dark and then removed again the next day when it warmed up.
Rider
Amenities
Riders came
away with all sorts of great goodies from this event!
As mentioned
above, the food at the aid stations was amazing. A roving five-star meal. A post-race meal provided to all rider was
just as wonderful and tasty and hit the spot perfectly after all those miles of
pedaling.
A pre-race
happy hour at registration gave participants ample time to register, chat and
catch-up, and socialize with others. Food, beverages, and a small fire-pit and
seating were available for gathering around.
The start and
finish were top-quality. Banners,
signage, big blow-up arches, and an announcer made each rider feel like they
were starting in a pro-peloton. The podium at the end, which each rider got to
stand on with photos taken, was covered in race banners and arches and such,
once again very professional and social-media worthy.
As part of entry at registration riders received a jersey, various sponsors swag and gift cards, and bags. Upon completion of the event riders were rewarded with a race-themed hoodie, hat, and mugs.
Other items to note…..
Language
For those coming from overseas or the United States- French is the official language of Quebec. However, everyone Joël and I spoke with is fluent in English; we had some wonderful long and thoughtful conversations with other riders while on the course! We joked with one rider that the three of us together could solve the world’s problems. I learned some very basic French and Joël is conversational in French which we used on occasion in stores and quick stops but overall everyone we met with and talked to was open and welcoming and willing to speak in English.
Personal recommendation: Chocolats
Vanden Eynden for chocolates post ride
A wonderful place for something sweet. This was planned as a post-ride stop before the event even started. I knew what time it closed and kept that in my mind the entire ride to make sure I crossed the finish line well before closing time. It was so worth it to stop there post ride! Wonderful chocolate and custard filled baked goods, gelatos, and chocolates. Yum, yum, yum.
Local accommodations
Both before and
after the event Joël and I camped at Parc National du Mont-Orford
Approximately a 15 minute drive from the race venue. Quiet and private campsites that had fire pits with amenities such as flush toilets, hot showers, and even a washer/dryer to do laundry. It was an ideal place for both pre- and post-race sleeping and resting and would be a camping are recommended to anyone visiting the Magog area.
Summary
This is an event Joël
and I would recommend to others and are happy we went to. Sure, it beat the
crap out of our bodies but the course was beautiful, the people friendly and
inviting, and the food amazing. One
thing we would recommend for others considering this event; do it as a
multiple-day bike packing event. Allow
yourself to enjoy the ride. Take time to eat all the good food at the aid
stations. Stop to enjoy the views and see the beauty of the course during the
daylight. Experience all the Magog area
and it's natural beauty and quaint towns have to offer. It was an amazing experience for the Nankmans
but we feel we missed out on many of the spectacular things the event and the
area have to offer by riding straight through.
Our Gear and equipment
Bike Liv Devote Jess and Merlin Sandstone Joël
Gear Ortleib bags
Lighting Lupine Piko and Big Betty lighting systems
Bike support Saucon Valley Bikes
Food Honey
Stinger food along with various snack items like Combos, pretzels, Fig Newtons and what the aid stations had to offer