Gravel cycling is a lot of fun on your own, but there’s nothing like going to a race or an event. The opportunity to share your passion for the sport and to ride with lots of like-minded people is really exciting. Gravel cycling has a huge community, and racing is growing every year for professionals and weekend warriors.
At Gravel Biking, we often get asked about what are the best gravel races. This article will tell you about the epic Paris to Ancaster. This event in North America is a great season opener for many people and has been getting some much hype. We’re going to tell you why there’s so much hype around this race by discussing:
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Where Is The Paris To Ancaster Race Held?
The Paris To Ancaster race, commonly known as the P2A, is held in Southern Ontario in Canada. It all sets off in the town of Paris, which is around 100 km southwest of Toronto. The finish is in a community in the city of Hamilton called Ancaster.
The course covers a challenging mix of terrain. What makes this event so special is you get to experience roads, gravel, and even some private property encompassing farm lanes, trails, and mud chutes (which are available to ride on race day only thanks to the assistance of local landowners). It’s a great way to challenge your fitness and your skills on mixed terrain.
Related Reading: Gravel Bike Races: How to Get Involved
Who Organizes The Paris To Ancaster Race?
All three of the original founders remain involved today, John Thorpe and Tim Farrar as race directors, while Chris Kiriakopoulos runs an associated childrens learn to ride program.
History Of The Paris To Ancaster
The original Paris To Ancaster was much simpler than what you get from today’s event. It was inspired by Paris Roubaix, a popular classic race early in the year in Northern Europe where athletes pushed themselves to the max, and riders battled on brutal cobblestone roads. Paris Roubaix was a very unique race where professional cyclists would give everything their human spirit had to offer to become a cycling legend.
The race was originally started by the three university friends Tim, John and Chris in 1994. Originally it was ridden on the same day as Paris Roubaix, but with the weather being very different in Canada, they made the call to start it a little later so it wouldn’t be too cold or miserable. This was before gravel bikes were as readily available as they are today, and races like Paris Roubaix were ridden on road bikes.
“Nationals [Canadian Gravel Championships] went as planned until the last mudslide.”
Adam Roberge – Jukebox Cycling
In modern times the race has hugely grown, and now it sees more than 3000 participants. You will see a mix of professional, experienced, and beginner cyclists come along, and they all race together. It’s the home of the first Canadian Gravel Championships. In modern times it’s not just riders flocking in but all the local community, with landowners offering routes through and lots of gravel enthusiasts flocking to the P2A Expo to share their latest and greatest products.
Related Reading: How to Start Gravel Biking
How Long Is The Paris To Ancaster Bike Race?
The Paris to Ancaster bike races come in many different distances to cater to all types of riders. Here’s what you need to know:
Cento
The Cento ride of Paris To Ancaster is 110 km long. This is the longest distance the Paris To Ancaster offers, and if you are looking for an epic challenge to test your legs, this is for you. It comes with 896m of climbing, so be ready for not just the fast flat but the climbs too.
Classic
The Classic ride of Paris To Ancaster is 70 km long. This is the longest distance that used to be run before the 100 km ride came in later. Just because it’s shorter doesn’t mean it will be easy. You have 64% off-road riding and 551m of climbing all to play with.
Brève
The Brève ride of Paris To Ancaster is 40 km long. This is a shorter ride if you don’t fancy tackling the Classic or the Cento. It comes with 362m, and many riders treat this as an all-out effort making it for some very fast.
Family Ride
Finally, we have the family ride, this is 20 km long. You get 7 km of gravel, 5 km of paved road, 5 km of smooth gravel, and 3km of single track. It’s a great way to enjoy a little bit of every terrain without covering over a century.
Related Reading: Best States for Gravel Biking
What Can You Expect?
When riding the Paris To Ancaster, you can expect a lot of gravel fun. It has everything from the roughest farm lanes to mucky trails and dusty gravel roads. If you want to learn more, you can check out the Images and Content Page.
You will find some very valuable content here from previous riders and even when GCN races the P2A. The Ancaster race recap video from Manon Lloyd is excellent at explaining what you can expect from the race, full video here.
What Is The Best Bike For The Paris To Ancaster Race?
The Paris to Ancaster offers a lot of different terrains, and if you want to make the experience as pleasant as possible, you’ll need the right bike for it. Here’s our recommendation when it comes to the Paris To Ancaster race.
There are a lot of different options when it comes to bikes for the Paris To Ancaster. You could use a road bike, but the off-road sections will be awful. A cyclocross bike could work, but the gear ratio may be low at times, and the tires small. A mountain bike could be an option, but it will be very sluggish on the road sections.
A gravel bike is perfect for this event as it can go on lots of different terrains comfortably, it’s a relaxed geometry, and it’s got the gearing for not just those steep, sharp climbs but also the descents. The key is the larger tires; these will help with comfort levels and will allow you to ride efficiently on the road and off-road sections.
Related Reading: Gravel Bike vs Road Bike
How To Get Involved
Now you know about one of the toughest bicycle races on gravel roads, how do you get involved with it? Well, here’s everything that you need to know:
Registering For The Race
To register for the race, you need to visit the Paris To Ancaster Website, then go to the ride you want to do in the drop-down menu, and when registration opens, it will be available to enter your details.
Training For The Race
If you’re looking to improve your fitness, ready for the Paris to Ancaster race, then look no further than the Training P2R page. This is everything you will need to plan your training to be race ready.
Preparing For The Race
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. We highly recommend, before P2A, making sure you have plenty of snacks ready in a bag and plenty of room for water on your bike. Although there are options for food, they are long courses, and it’s good to have more than you need compared to less. Also, ensure you have all tools and spares in case of mechanicals.
Volunteering For The Race
They offer volunteering options if you want to be a part of P2A but aren’t interested in riding. You can find out more on their Volunteers page.
Related Reading: What is a Gravel Bike Frame?
Checking Your Paris To Ancaster Results
What happens when the event is complete and you cross the finish line? The P2N has a great Results Page for the race recap captured, which will tell you how you are stacked up against other riders. This could be great motivation to go back and do the course again.
We hope you enjoyed our article on Paris to Ancaster. It’s an amazing race with so much to offer riders who are interested in gravel and multi-terrain events. We highly recommend it to any gravel cycling looking to get into the community or just wanting to challenge themselves.
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