Hell, Heck of the North races return to the trails, hills and roads of southern Ontario for 2016 in March
Along with the challenging, 90 kilometer season-opening course, there's also the Heck of the North route for those who want to bring their road bikes.
On Sunday, March 27, the eighth annual Hell of the North race, presented by Real Deal Racing, returns to Ontario, challenging participants this year with 90 km of on- and off-road riding through the hilly, rural landscape south of Lake Simcoe.
For 2016, though, there have been a few changes.
According to the event’s description at realdealracing.ca, the course for 2016 will largely follow the same route, using the same off-road sections that have been highlights of previous years’ rides. This year, however, the long road and gravel sections south of Musselmen’s Lake, Ont. have been eliminated, an amendment to the competition that organizers say will raise the tempo of the ride.
With a start line at the Ballantrae Community Center in Whitchurch, Ont., the classic spring ride—one of Ontario’s toughest events—is a grinding test of a rider’s early-season fitness, taking advantage of the rail trails and dirt roads threaded throughout the region. A few challenging climbs, as ever, are also part of the course. But while cyclocross bikes and mountain bikes are recommended for Hell of the North, the occasional need to dismount on the route’s variable terrain, organizers say, make road bikes a less-than-ideal option.
Those who want to ride their road bikes, however, are welcome to do so at the event’s alternate route called Heck of the North, a course that marks its fifth year as part of the day’s fun in 2016.
Heck of the North is essentially for any rider who wants to subject him or herself to the early-season trials of the event, but could do without the frequent dismounting or the prospect of riding through fields. Ranging 70 kilometers, the Heck of the North Route includes many of the same challenges, but none of the off-road sections or tricky field rides of its longer, less road bike-friendly counterpart. Still, it’s advised not to bring your most expensive ride to the event.
A support car will attend riders on both the Hell and Heck routes, but otherwise, participants are advised to bring a map of the course [PDF], spare tubes, pumps, a patch kit, rain jacket, gloves and a cell phone.
Registration details, including start times, are available online.
