"Seriously... Spuzzum?!?"
Route Notes, etc.
Ride date: May 19, 2018
by John Oswald

Are you tired of “novelty rides” that take you down roads that you've never travelled? Does the thought of having to talk to your fellow riders as you silently glide side-by-side down car-free roads to scenic viewpoints strike fear into your robust randonneur's heart? Then, have we got the ride for you!

Join myself and the volunteer team this Saturday for “Seriously...Spuzzum?!?”--a re-boot of the classic Lower Mainland Hell's Gate 400 where the only gravel you'll see is on the shoulders of BC's finest maintained thoroughfares! A short route sheet and long stretches of turn-free riding will have you reaching for the aero bars and wistfully reminiscing about the days of purple anodized parts and 19mm tires.

Starting at the time-honoured 4th and Boundary location in Vancouver, you'll head out on the heritage Lougheed/North Road route to the Patullo Bridge from which the South Fraser Perimeter Road will take you to Derby Reach and Fort Langley. Then you'll zig and zag across Langley to Huntingdon Road and a quick stop for coffee and washrooms at Birchwood Dairy. Road work on Promontory Road necessitates a re-route maneuver through Chilliwack to Old Yale road and then it's onto the Trans-Canada for a lunch stop in Hope, BC where you can watch the mighty Fraser roar by at peak spring run-off (or not).

Construction delays at the Alexandra Bridge mean that, Spuzzum, BC—our fine province's only community with back-to-back city limit signs—will host the full-service turnaround control. Your return route features one turn on the route sheet for 142km (Hitting the Woodside climb at around the 300km mark might mean a bike with lower gearing is in order). After crossing the Pitt River Bridge you finally bid adieu to the Lougheed and return to Knight and Day via the Barnet Highway and Burnaby's Francis/Union bike route.

We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
John Oswald, Chris Cullum, Eric Fergusson, Malou Ignacio

May 15, 2018