Dusty Lens: Self-Portrait with Canola

Near Kaleida, Manitoba

Gull-Sylvan Lakes Loop

Why is it a good idea to drive 1.5 hours to some random part of Alberta and ride a half-day gravel loop? Think of it as a low-stakes micro-adventure. The landscape may not be that different from home but it’s new territory nonetheless and it just might offer a refreshing break from the same old same old.

Advice from the Modern Cyclist, 1923 (Luggage)

"What you take with you in the way of luggage on a cycling tour is largely a matter of your age and the distance you are going. The young man will set off for a week with nothing but a waterproof cape--I have done it very often. For a shirt is good for a week, even worn day and night. If your knees and stockings are wet when you cease riding for the day you push newspapers down inside your breeches, one in front of each leg, and it is sound practice in both physics and physiology. You don't worry about wet stockings, because the area of evaporation and radiation is not large enough to chill the whole body. If it stops raining after tea or supper, a sharp walk will dry all your clothes and destroy the last chance of chill. This tourist does not carry a shaving kit because there are barbers en route. He may carry a spare soft collar and "hanky" in his breast-pocket; and if he has any disreputable old hankies he may take two or three and leave them behind as he goes. After elementals, you take just what you 'cannot do without.'"

Highwood

The snow on the road appeared suddenly. One moment we had clear pavement, with patches of snow in the ditches here and there. And then the next, most of the road was covered in a couple of inches of snow. We were close to the top, maybe a kilometer from the summit, but that was as far as we would get. On our skinny tires, we weren’t going to make it far in this snow.

On a warm day in late May, Strava Jeff and I had ridden our bikes up to Highwood Pass, exploring, for the first time, a classic Alberta rite of spring. Calgarians do it all the time, I know, but we’d never made it down to Kananaskis during the brief window between when the snow melts and the high mountain road, which is closed for the winter, re-opens to vehicle traffic June 15.

Dusty V Report

For a while there last week, it looked like the Dusty 100 might not happen at all this year. The apocalyptic smoke-sky of last Thursday had me and others wondering if we might get smoked out in Smoky Lake County. It’s hard to blow a bugle while wearing a surgical mask.

Dusty Notes

 

Despite the air quality problems in Edmonton yesterday, the plan is to proceed with the Smoky 100, er, I mean the Dusty 100, rides on Sunday as originally scheduled. If the conditions deteriorate again in the next few days, we'll post an update here and on facebook. But, generally, we'll leave it up to individuals to decide what to do.

For those who haven't been to the Dusty 100 before, the meeting/starting point is the small parking lot beside the monument with three flags, about one km east of the Metis Crossing campground. There's plenty of parking by the flags, a picnic table, and a rustic outhouse but no water, so bring your own. 

The 100 k route starts at 9 am. The 50 k one at 11 am. Old fashioned paper cue sheets will be available at the start of both rides. Just ask the guy with the bugle.

The map from last year's 100 k route is here on Ride with GPS. There are two small changes this year, meant to avoid some seriously crappy road conditions. These changes are not reflected on this Ride with GPS version but they are highlighted on the cue sheet. 

The 50 k route can be viewed here. Remember, there are no services at all on the 50 k route. Bring enough water and food to get you through.

At the end, feel free to hang around the picnic table while the rest of the riders finish. We'll have a few prizes to hand out.

Advice from the Modern Cyclist, 1923 (A Hundred in a Day)

"Any cyclist, man or woman, who is good enough in physique and health to ride 50 or 60 miles on a Saturday or Sunday holiday, can double it in the course of a long summer day without undue fatigue and without special preparation, supposing that he is decently mounted and does not encounter a strong head wind all the day.
                                             ...

Do not go much more than 20 miles or two hours without food, but do not be always eating. Carry raisins or chocolate or even biscuits in your pockets, or in a little bag where you can reach them without dismounting. Chew these things very thoroughly and keep them in the mouth till they disappear. Apples and oranges are better than any drinks. Drink as little as possible, and never take alcoholic liquors on a long ride.
                                            ...

Do not wear anything that is tight, especially at neck, wrists, or knees. The best way to rest is to lie full length."

Pit Stops: Golden Spike Hall

Golden Spike Hall, west of Edmonton, is typical of rural community halls in Alberta. It’s a utilitarian structure in the middle of nowhere on a large piece of land with a few outdoor amenities, including a derelict baseball field. Such halls are, in theory, places for country folks to gather and celebrate special occasions, though, in my experience, they almost always look sadly abandoned, like no one has had fun, or even gotten drunk, there in decades.

Dusty V Details

The fifth edition of the Dusty 100 Gravel Challenge--Alberta's bugliest gravel event--rolls out one month from today.

Come join us for a day of classic Alberta gravel riding that includes a stretch along the scenic Victoria Trail, exquisite gas-station cuisine, and copious amounts of dust. 

No registration fee. All are welcome: gravel lovers, the gravel-curious, and anyone up for a dusty adventure.

This year we have two options:

The Classic Dusty 100-km Route. Bugle call at 9 am. 

And the Li'l Dusty Half Hundred. Bugle call at 11 am.

These are the tentative routes, to be confirmed a week ahead of time, after the Dusty crew recons the situation on the local roads.

Park at the small lot beside the flag poles, one-kilometre east of Metis Crossing. There's a rustic toilet there, the kind that will do the trick but isn't a place you'd want to linger. But there's no water; bring yer own. 

See our event page on facebook.

A few things to know:

This is not a race (though times will be recorded, for those who care); no real prizes will be awarded, though we tend to give out a Surprise Bag to the Dustiest Rider. 

RIDERS MUST BE COMPLETELY SELF-SUPPORTED.

Riders will be given a GPX file and cue sheet--that's all.

There is a lovely Petro Can and a restaurant in Waskatenau at the midway point. That's the only supply point.

Almost any kind of bike will work (cyclo-cross, touring, mountain, fat) but tires 33 mm or wider are strongly recommended.

WHILE NOT A RACE, THE DUSTY 100 IS HARD. THAT'S WHY WE CALL IT A CHALLENGE.

Heedthebugle!