Guelph to Goderich with the Royal City Rollers

Route / Event: Guelph to Goderich Rail Trail / 132km [ Ride Log ]

The G2G Crew: Jay, Fred, Pete, Jurjen

"Something you must have said to Jay the other night changed his outlook on this whole trip." Barb said. It was Friday night, and we were over at Pete and Steph's place in Guelph, enjoying some greek take-out. Jay and Barb, their neighbours, were there when we arrived. 

"I don't recall saying anything to Jay, specifically" I replied, as I considered how this large gyro pita would fit into my mouth. 

"Well, he had concerns -- there were possibly detours -- what would you do for food...and then, all of a sudden, he was super excited and couldn't wait to go." she said. 

"Oh. That makes sense. Wednesday night I shared a route I had mapped with the guys. I had the trail mapped and all the places we could possibly stop at along the way." I said. I hadn't actually considered the impact of this plan on anyone else -- I just mapped a route to alleviate my own mental load. That's just how I roll. 

We'd been planning to bike the Guelph to Goderich (G2G) rail trail all season, finally settling on a date in late August. The trail stretches 125km from the city of Guelph almost directly west to the city of Goderich on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. But it's not a direct route because there are several bridges out along the way so periodic detours along country roads are needed, adding another 10 kilometers. I'd heard of a few riders who hadn't done their research and thought the rail trail was a contiguous route, only to find themselves stuck with no idea how to continue on. 

Approaching the date we had to settle our logistics. We toyed with an out-and-back, but that would have pedaling 260kms, leaving, and arriving in the dark, and we wanted this day to be "Type I Fun". An overnight in Goderich would be possible and fun, but we didn't want to consume the entire weekend either. So a single day point-to-point was our plan. This being the most logistically difficult option, required our wives to meet us at the end and drive us home. So my wife planned to spend the day at the beach with Pete's wife (her sister), and our kids. All great adventures require support, and I am ever thankful to those who provide that support for these outings. 

The other theme underpinning our ride was that Pete was participating in the Great Cycling Challenge -- a charity sponsored by Sick Kids Foundation that runs the duration of the month of August. Pete had set a goal to bike 500km that month, and had managed to raise over $5,000 in donations. Understanding that a regular day out for Pete is 15 - 30km of roots, rocks, and single track on a full-suspension plus bike, I could appreciate the challenge he'd set before himself. Today's challenge would be of a different variety -- less athletic, less technical, and more about mental and physical endurance. But still riding bikes so.... 👍.

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Guelph to Millbank: "Are we there yet Fred? How much further?" Pete asked. I checked my nav computer -- we'd gone exactly two kilometers. "The Goderich beach is just up ahead. We just need to follow this trail." I replied with a matching level of sarcasm. 

Kissing Bridge / G2G Trailhead, Guelph, ON

We had all been at dawn looking to get an early start. Pete sliced up some leftover pizza and whipped it up into an omelet. This combined with the espresso shot that Jay brought over when he arrived had me perfectly fueled. Our fourth rider, Jurjen had just arrived from Waterloo and was loading up his bike when a car pulled up beside us. It was Kriss - another member of the unofficial Royal City Rollers club, who lived nearby. Kriss had run through this trail a few weeks prior and would have been joining us today but had family visiting. So he wished us well before we set off. 

"It wouldn't be an RCR ride if Kriss didn't delay us with a pre-ride chat" Jurjen commented as we set off for the trailhead. 

Kissing Bridge - West Montrose, ON

As we were getting ready at the trailhead, we greeted another couple, two young women, who were embarking on the same journey. I wondered how often we'd bump into them throughout the day. Less than an hour into the ride we hit our first detour in West Montrose. The bridge over the Grand River is impassable, which prompts a very welcome detour over the famous Kissing Bridge. Built in 1880, this remains one of the oldest covered bridges in Canada. It can accommodate vehicles under 3 tonnes, so even though my bike was loaded down with essential road trip gear (plus Jay and Pete's jackets), I figured we'd be ok. 

We continued on through the town of Elmira, and eventually came up to our next detour point in Wallenstein. In our chat group exchanges prior to the ride Kriss had mentioned that some locals had built a pump track just beyond this turn-off. I asked if the group wanted to check it out, but the consensus was that to keep on rolling. We were making good progress, and were not yet beyond what could easily be a follow-up trip some other time. 

Anna Mae's - Millbank, ON

It was shortly after 10AM when we reached Millbank, marking the end of the Kissing Bridge trail. Another downed bridge ahead necessitated another slight detour, but Millbank is also home to the locally famous Anna Mae's Bakery. I'd been to this place a few times before - it's a stop on a 200km loop I've ridden annually out of London with the Randonneurs Ontario club, so it was strange for me to approach it from a completely separate starting point. (Now I know one way to bike from London to Guelph). 

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Jay leading the trailside yoga session

Millbank to Blyth: We snacked on butter tarts and donuts out on front of the bakery and before long we set off again. After navigating construction in the area, we were happy to be back on the rail trail. Passing through the town of Milverton, and the final detour we finally hit the section of the trail which is basically straight as an arrow for 35km. We knew that, at the end of this long section, we'd arrive in the town of Blyth - home of Cowbell Brewery, and one of the destinations we were all looking forward to. But 35km of straight pedaling requires some mental fortitude.  This was also an area where we saw many fewer cyclists on the trail, which added to the monotony. Jurjen and I, both with mounted navigation, rode up front and maintained a manageable speed of 20 - 22kph. We would announce our progress countdown toward the Blyth turn-off periodically to keep the group's motivation up. And for my part, I tried to remember to look around periodically and take in the scenery which was generally much nicer then the view of my front tire. 

"Whoah we're halfway there."
-- Jon Bon Jovi, 1985. 

It wasn't even noon yet when we made a point of stopping at the halfway mark of the trail - the 65km marker. Not only was this a decent place to stretch out any cramps, drain out bladders and refuel as needed, but also to reflect on our progress. At this pace we could make it to Goderich in the early afternoon, but we knew we had a lengthy stop at Cowbell and a possible river crossing in front of us, so a dinnertime arrival was still our schedule. The Blyth exit came very welcome. The Cowbell Brewery establishment itself was an immense beacon that crested over a hill in the small town. With ample bicycle parking, we parked in a rack along the side. We had to wait over half an hour for a table (even though there were seemingly ample empty spaces to sit on the patio). Once seated and shaded we had ourselves a very welcome lunch and a few beverages. Over lunch we discussed the upcoming section. There was a river that was apparently passable according to another cyclist I was chatting with while we waited for our table. We all agreed the more adventurous crossing was preferred over the 15km hilly gravel road detour, with Jay further making the point that, if not for this "short cut" he'd be quite happy to make this fine establishment the end of his journey. 

Cowbell Brewery, Blyth Ontario
Whether on the G2G trail or not, this establishment is a fantastic daytrip destination

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Blyth Brook crossing to Goderich: The trail from the town to the river crossing was basically rough double track, the roughest we'd seen all day. This was the only piece of the trail that I'd be reticent to take on with my endurance road bike on a return trip. The trail ended at the framing of a bridge that once would have taken the railway over this river, but it was a shell of it's former self. The area didn't immediately appear passable, but as we were looking up and down the banks, we met a man coming up out of a tall grassy path. 

"You guys want to head down and cross over here" he told us. 

"Thanks!" I replied. Noticing he looked vaguely familiar I continued "Did we see you this morning, dropping off the other two at the trailhead in Guelph?"

"Yes you did. I'm just waiting for them now. Their day is done. Good luck the rest of your way though." And he turned and continued to walk up the trail, leaving us wondering what happened to our two ghost riders. We hadn't seen them at all since the departure, so I hoped they were okay. 

Walking our bikes down where the man had suggested we saw where the water was very shallow and passable. Jay removed his shoes and walked through bare foot. Jurjen went next, and tried to ride across, but he noticed the riverbed was too mossy to get any traction, so he walked as well. I changed out of my clipless shoes into some sandals I'd packed for just this occasion. I hiked my hardtail up onto my shoulder and walked across, and Pete escorted his rig through the stream as well. 

Once we we'd dried off our feet and, in my case, swapped my shoes back on, we resumed the trail knowing that our destination was just up ahead. 

One indication that we were close to the end was the stark increase of walkers and cyclists that we began to see after our rover crossing. The trail itself pretty much ended on the Menesetung Bridge, a large wooden pedestrian bridge. Though we knew our destination was just up ahead, we stopped for a quick photo-op here. 

We finally descended into the Goderich Main Beach strip, noticing our wives' vehicles parked in the nearby lot. Kim, Steph, Laura, along with my son and two nieces, came to greet us as we arrived, marveling at our accomplishment. 

"I cannot believe you made it all this way" I heard Steph say to Pete. "Just driving here I couldn't believe how far it was."

We had intended to eat dinner in Goderich, but as always, a distinct lack of secure bicycle parking along the Main Beach made any kind of indoor dining impossible. We ended up finishing our day with a return trip to Cowbell Brewery where we enjoyed another meal, and a great chance to debrief the day with our loved ones.

Check this one off the bucket list. Couldn't have picked a better day weather-wise all summer, and absolutely loved the company.

All great rides end on a beach, don't they? 
Jurjen, Pete, Jay, Fred