gravel gran fondoOctober 6th, 2019, marks the debut of the Lighthouse to Lighthouse Gravel Gran Fondo. (www.brucegravelfondo.com) This fully supported long distance cycling event features the Bruce Peninsula’s world famous Georgian Bay Shoreline. Participants can choose between three rides of varying lengths (80 km, 56 km, and 30km) following backcountry gravel roads, cliff-top paths and trails under forest canopies ablaze in the region’s renowned fall colours.

The ride has sold out, with over 250 participants! All three rides start and finish at the iconic Lion’s Head lighthouse. The longest route includes 20 km of a best-kept-secret road bordered on one side by the emerald Georgian Bay shoreline and on the other side by the towering Niagara Escarpment. The picturesque Cabot Head Lighthouse marks the turn-around point for the 80km route. Each route was chosen to be accessible to all fitness levels while offering a variety of challenges, including rolling topography, tight turns and various unpaved surfaces.

The day-long event is the latest and most ambitious eco-adventure presented by MyEcoAdventures.ca, a learning-based adventure organization working on behalf of the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association. Mike Campbell, a BPBA Board Member and avid long distance cyclist, came up with the idea as “an excellent fund raiser for the Biosphere Association–combining the outdoors and adventure for a good cause. Most Gravel Fondos are races. “The Lighthouse To Lighthouse is not a race,” he said. “It’s a fun event, a journey where people can ride together, explore and enjoy the camaraderie and the beauty of The Bruce [Peninsula].”

The Lighthouse To Lighthouse event promises to be distinctive by offering a unique setting with premium services (fresh food stations, beer gardens, booths offering locally renowned butter tarts and gourmet coffee) while maintaining the highest standards of environmental protection.

Proceeds from the event support initiatives of the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association aiming to preserve the Peninsula for future generations. “The mandate of the Biosphere Reserve is to promote living and working in the area without compromising its ecological integrity.” The Lighthouse To Lighthouse Gravel Gran Fondo is an exciting result of that mandate and spotlights the powerful potential of it.

source: media release