Start: The ride starts at the passenger pickup in the Langdale ferry terminal. Locals that need to drive to the start can park their cars along Chamberlain Road adjacent to Shirley Macey Park (very close to where the ride finishes) and coast down to the ferry terminal. See the following link for details: SSC Gibsons Grind Start
Start Time: 10:30 am. Note: As there will be people coming from the Lower Mainland on the 9:25 ferry there may be a small delay if the ferry is late. It's a fairly early sailing, so they should be running on time. Check the Links page for a link to the schedule.
Registration: Registration is mandatory; we have online registration available here. Pricing is as follows:
Until June 8 at 1:15 pm - $20.
From the afternoon of June 8 to June 19 at 1:00pm - $35.
Donations: SCC is putting up several hundred dollars to make this event possible. If you see fit and would like to see more events like this, please donate $5 toward offsetting some of the costs. We will be accepting donations at the start and at the barbeque.
Waiver: We will require you to sign a waiver and provide emergency contact information at the start.. For those who want to read the waiver it in advance, you can email me through the Contact tab and I can send it to you directly.
Bag Drop-off: We will have a bag drop-off at the start of the ride so people can just ride to the barbeque and have a change of clothes or what ever else they might want waiting for them. Please label your own bag. We will do everything we can to keep them safe before you arrive to pick them up, but please don't drop off any valuables. We can not and will not be responsible for lost or stolen items.
Refreshment Stations: We will have a refreshment station in Davis Bay at the turnaround point for the 50 km ride as well as on Mason Road near the turnaround for the 70 km route and on Redroofs Road near the turnaround point for the 110 km ride. You can fill up your water bottles and get a bar.
Please read the information under the Rules tab!
The Gibsons Grind is a self paced ride that takes place on paved roads. It starts at the Langdale ferry terminal in Gibsons and winds its way to highway 101. From there the only difference between the various courses is how far they go out the highway. As such, you could do your own custom route that is anywhere from 10 km on up. Once you are on the highway, you can turn around any time you like.
We'll have the route marked, and hopefully it won't be the epic it was last year where ferocious rain washed the markings away and I was up early redoing the marking on the morning of the ride.
If you want to drive to the start, it's best to park at the side of Shirley Macey Park on Chamberlain Road. From there it is an easy downhill ride to the start at the Langdale ferry terminal.
I must stress that the riding on The Coast is difficult. The full route is, in my experience, noticeably harder than the Whistler Gran Fondo. If you are used to riding around the Stanley Park Seawall, riding here on The Coast will come as a shock. There are a lot of hills here, some quite long and steep. Make sure you have the gearing, the legs, or both before taking on the SCC Gibsons Grind. I'll say once again that you can turn around any time you like. Don't overdo it. The winner of the SCC Gibsons Grind is the person that has the most fun.
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Course Information
The links below show the 50 and 110 km courses from 2014 in good detail. I've also added a link to the new 70m course. For those that are interested, you should be able to download GPX and KLM data for your gps or google earth.
Along with the route, elevation is shown. Riding on the Sunshine Coast is typically on the difficult side with lots of climbing. For the most part the hills aren't particularly long but they can be steep, and there are a lot of them. There are a few long hills with grades of 8%+, particularly on the 70 and 110 km courses. There are several short sections over 10% on both courses. The 50 km course is much more moderate and about as easy as it gets there in the coast.
Gibsons Grind 110 km Route
The route is actually 109.4 km. Though it's not even 110km, it's harder than a lot of 140 or even 160 km rides I've done. If you've done the Whistler Gran Fondo, I'd say this is harder.
SCC Gibsons Grind 70 km Route
For 2015, we've added an intermediate course to the Grind. While it's actually only 21 km longer than the 50 km course, it's significantly harder. That extra 21 km includes 369 metres of extra climbing, some of it in the 15% range.
Gibsons Grind 50 km Route
The route is actually 48.3 km and unlike the other courses, is quite moderate. The turnaround point is at scenic Davis Bay, where you might just want to stop and dip your feet in the ocean that is so temptingly close.
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Road Hazards
Steep hills - There are many steep hills on the route, especially the 70 and 100 km rides. Many are in excess of 8% grade and can be quite long. This can result in high speeds so make sure your brakes are in good working order. A few of the hills even have sharp turns or intersections with stop signs at the bottom. Please be careful.
Traffic - It is a weekend and this is not a closed course so there will be traffic on the roads. Be careful and make sure that it is safe to proceed. Just because another rider in your group made a lane change, don't assume it is still safe for you to do so. Look before making any turns, lane changes, approaching uncontrolled intersections, etc.
Condition of the road - The shoulder along the route is in some places quite narrow and in less than perfect condition. Stay alert for hazards, and if you are riding in a group and you are up front, pay extra attention and clearly call out them out. Coming back through Davis Bay, there are some sunken sections of pavement that could cause a crash if you are not careful.
Wild and not so wild life - Throughout my years of riding on the Sunshine Coast, I've slowed or stopped for, or even stopped traffic for the following: cats, dogs, humans, ducks and geese, garter snakes, turtles, raccoons, coyotes, deer, elk, and bear. My partner, CB had a bear jump out of the ditch so close to her I am still surprised she didn't hit it. The point is that it animals are one more thing to keep your eyes open for. Especially now as there is a lot of young wildlife at this time of year that is inexperienced with roads and the special hazards they represent.
Please see the rules section of this blog for more information.
