You need look no further than the Foothills for hilly gravel riding and the route I was riding had 15 climbs that Garmin thought worth marking. Those 15 climbs would amount to almost 1500m of ascent in 107km of cycling so an appreciable tally. Ride with GPS suggests there are 68km of gravel which is about right as the “unknown” sections are all paved, so that’s around 62% unpaved.
I was riding with two others, thrown together to undertake to longer of the three ride options offered for a Terry Fox Charity ride. Other participants took the shorter routes, perhaps with some prior knowledge of the hills to be encountered or anticipating the strong winds that would develop after midday.
Our route set off from the eastern part of Diamond Valley, some 50 minutes southwest of Calgary at the edge of the Foothills. The town of Diamond Valley, I learned, comprises the recently amalgamated former coal mining towns of Diamond Valley and Black Diamond that are located a couple of kilometres apart. Before setting off, I enjoyed a coffee at The Stop ,which should certainly be visited if your route includes passing through the town.
Settling off in a gaggle with the shorter route riders, we meandered west to cross the Sheep River and then struck north on what was portrayed as a gravel road but was actually fast asphalt, especially with a tailwind. My Garmin wind app indicated around 10kph from the southwest but I sensed it was already beginning to pick up.
At around the 5km point, our trio rode on ahead and had a decision to make at the Three Point Creek crossing. Usually, by mid July, fording the creek is an amusing distraction as the water is only a few inches deep. However, this year with all the spring rain and late snow melt the creek was running briskly and was over a foot deep. Truman, one our trio, led the way and was immediately surprised by a 4” lip and kerb under the water before the main current. However, we found it relatively easy to cross, provided you kept pedalling but that meant two soakers were unavoidable. We concluded there would be plenty of time to dry out over the ensuing five hours!
Beyond the creek, we did encounter gravel on Range Road 23 A but to continue north, we needed to ride on Highway 549 for a while until it swung west and we swung east and then north on 160 Street East, a true gravel road. The route undulated and climbed over a couple of low ridges but the height we had accumulated was lost on 274 Avenue that struck west. At least this paved road allowed us to descend at full speed without fear of the crosswind affecting us at it would later on gravel road descents.
The cross headwind on this stretch, that lead us into the foothills proper, gave us a taste of things to come. Luckily, our first southerly section on 224 Street W was wooded, protecting us from the full force of the wind. There were some steep, unpaved climbs on this section that had me grinding the granny gear. At the top of the last climb before the drop to Millarville, we took in the great view across to the high Rockies west of us.
Our descent came to a grinding halt when I led us down into a farm yard blocked by an outbuilding. There appeared to be no exit but Nathan realized we had missed the fork to a narrow grassy track that continued running south immediately before the farm. A slow uphill back track took us to an unlikely looking trail that looked more like a grassy footpath than a bike trail. I set off in the lead and was immediately enthralled by the descending path ahead of me. Had I ridden the trail before, we could have raced down into Millarville but in the dappled sunlight caused by the surrounding deciduous woodland, it was hard to see the bumps and dips.
The enclosed path debouched into a grassy meadow with a twisting path leading us out past the gas station workshop to the Millerville General Store. After a brief stop to pick up some water, we were back on smooth pavement, continuing northwest on another stretch of Highway 549 that took us ever further into the hills. I think both Nathan and I were glad Truman was happy to pull away on the front as the combination of climbs and wind was a struggle.
As we crested a hill on Highway 549, I was initially puzzled why the Garmin showed us continuing to climb. All was revealed when my route arrow pointed left onto a gravel climb, 304 Street W. With the wind coming in from our front right, we climbed and descended a couple of hills, ever mindful of fierce gusts tugging at our wheels on fast downhills. The wind meter showed 37kph but the gusts were more like 50kph.
There was some respite on 233B Drive W that wended its way northeast but at 288 Street W we had to turn south once again. After more jinks to the north, our route finally wiggled south east into the former Turner Valley end of Diamond Valley. I was more than happy for another brief stop at the Esso gas station to pick up more water and pause for a bit of my cheese sandwich. Up to that point, I had subsisted on Clif bars and a banana, though I did chug down a caffeinated energy gel before one of the bigger hills.
A glance at the route showed we only 63km into our route but it certainly felt further because of the hills and wind. There were still several hills to take in and we still had to ride south for a further 20km. While there were tentative suggestions to curtail the most southerly parts of the route, they came to nought and we cycled on, initially up the longest and highest climb of the day. Each of us travelled at our own pace as there was no drafting advantage at that slower speed. By then, Nathan, the least trained of our group, was beginning to slow on the ascents.
By the time we turned south at Highway 22 and rode north for a kilometre, the wind at our backs and downhill gradient sped us up to 60kph. That pace wouldn’t last after we turned cautiously east onto the gravel at 530Ave W. Even when we turned north, the climbing took away some of the wind benefit.
Faced with yet more climbing on gravel and seeing Daimond Valley away to the northwest, the consensus was to ride west and then north instead of north and then west. Truman thought this would avoid one last big hill and give us a fast run into our destination on Highway 22. My Garmin had indicated we had completed all 15 marked climbs but I was okay to agree to the plan. When I subsequently compared both options, it seemed there was little difference.
On the last leg west towards Highway 22 we passed a pair of ponds where some Black Terns, rose in alarm and flapped just above my head as a warning gesture. I had not seen these birds since living in England but they are, apparently, different sub-species, with the European sub-species being a little larger.
With only 6km to go, we turned onto Highway 22 and prepared ourselves for the fast run back to Diamond Valley. We hit 65kph on the first descent and maintained 40kph to the town limits where traffic forced us to be more cautious.
I was satisfied to have completed the route though we had stopped more frequently than I would have, particularly at the top of every hill towards the end. Consequently, we amassed 1 ¼ hours of stoppage with 5 ¼ hours of moving. The exact distance was 107km with 1485m of ascent. An ice-cold orange popsicle with cream filling was all I needed to complete a fine challenge for a good cause. I had discovered more gravel routes in the Foothills so it had been a great day out.