Big Red Gravel Run
Video, Text and images by Trevor Browne
Big Red Gravel Run had no lack of trail surprises for the few hundred riders that lined up the 2019 edition of the event. With the option of riding the 130km or 50km along with a few feed stations and limited support, this year’s event catered to all levels of riders. A lot of varied terrains, changing weather and friendly competition led to big smiles for all.
The Big Red is Quebec’s premier gravel ride that takes place every August near the town of Grenville in the Red River region about an hour and a half northwest of Montreal. Started by four cycling enthusiasts from Outdoor Gear Canada, and supported by numerous volunteers, this non-traditional gravel event takes its passion and inspiration from the original mid-west gravel series. They aimed to celebrate cycling and bring together the cycling community to explore their Quebec backyard on mixed gravel, mud, dirt, double- and single-track sections.
But this event is more than a race. It’s a cycling destination and celebration that captures the spirit of cycling. It’s a bike party with pre- and post-ride food and drinks, complete with a BBQ and locally brewed beer from Dunham brewery and even a speakeasy. If you were lucky enough to stay overnight at the event, campers were treated to coyotes howling to each other across the misty valley. Waking up to a symphony of sleeping bag and tent zippers, riders treated themselves to some revitalizing coffee outside while the sun rose above the neighboring farmlands. And no camp would be complete without a late-night campfire party with some sipping of whiskey and beer.
Riding the route was a delight. Some folks were there to give it all they had, whereas others were there just to take it all in and ride for fun. Lining up early at the start line one couldn’t help but get inspired by everyone around. From big cycling names like Raff Lemieux, Maggie Roch, Rémi Fagnan to Marc Andre Daigle and Kyle Messier it was a mixed bag of friendly competition and camaraderie.
Riding the route, you couldn’t help but overhear everyone remarking on the beauty of the Laurentian Rouge River landscape. Beautiful and lush coniferous and deciduous forests blanket this area along with interspersed century-old farms. Sandy groads winding alongside the river were breathtaking. The exciting part about this year’s route was the infamous “oasis” sections that tested everyone’s off-road skills (as well as bike repair skills) and technique through baby head boulder-strewn ATV trails, soft flowing sandy single track to the challenging hike-a-bike uphill sections. There was enough trail variety to make everyone happy and suffer, just a bit. The saving grace was the food and water stations along the way that served up everything from homemade energy balls to salt quenching dill pickles!
Taking anywhere from 4 hours to 8 hours, people crossed the finish line with big smiles. All who finished were quick to acknowledge the epic beauty of the route itself, describing it as both “challenging” and “incredible.” Finally, all finishers were greeted with a hug and a beer from one of the organizers to make you feel like a part of their family.
