2024 B.C.’s Nicola Valley Grasslands Gravel Roads Hub and Spoke

Hub and Spoke

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Ride Description:
The Google Earth image below shows the light brown Nicola Valley Grasslands region of our six days ranch road cycling adventures, surrounded by higher elevation logging fragmented forests and plantations. Click on the image or on any photo to enlarge the view.

Native grasslands cover less than 1% of BC’s land base. Even so, they are home to more than 30% of its species at risk. Grasslands support more threatened and endangered plants and animals than any other habitat type in the province.

        

Accommodation Reservations:

 

A time limited group reservation has been made at  Merritt’s Quality Inn ($149/nt + tax). Same price for 2 Queen Bed and 1 King Bed rooms. This rate expires after Wed., Feb. 7. Hot breakfast included:  Cheese Omelette, Sausage, Waffles, Apples, Breads, Muffins, Juice, Yogurts, Granola bars, Coffee, Tea.
A group reservation has also been made at Moon Shadows RV Park & Campground, Merritt ($33/nt + tax w. 30 Amp power, $25.50/nt + tax for tent). Once your Hub and Spoke “Go List” status is confirmed, contact information and a Group booking # will be provided for you to reserve your Quality Inn or Moon Shadows RV Park & Campground accommodation and to arrange payment, if you choose to stay there. Moon Shadows RV Park & Campground is an 8-minute drive from the Merritt Quality Inn.
Riding Conditions:

 

Intermediate – Advanced Ride Classification.
Cycling mostly on unpaved gravel and dirt ranch roads. See the Ride with GPS links in the Itinerary section below for each day’s ride route climbs, descents and grades. In the event of wet, muddy road conditions, routes will be changed to paved roads. Suggested tire widths from 32 mm to 42 mm on gravel bikes, hybrid bikes or mountain bikes.
Each ride will have one or more ride leaders. We will offer rides of different speeds, so that everyone who wants to ride with a group is welcome to do so.

 

Fee Includes:

 

A $50 CCCTS fee and a $100 fee per cyclist for staging and accompanying support vehicles’ fuel expenses and wear and tear. The four staging and accompanying vehicle’s drivers, who will also be cycling, will not pay this support vehicles fee.
“Staging” means support vehicle owners will transport all cyclists and bikes to the start of the day’s ride from our Merritt accommodations meet up location and back there from the end of the day’s ride.
“Accompanying” means shared driving of the support four vehicles by the group of cyclists along the day’s ride route. Accompanying vehicles will carry the cyclists’ lunches and water, offer sag support if needed, first aid support and road radio communications.
Staging and accompaniment vehicles:
  • Craig McBride’s pickup truck with 8 bikes, 5 cyclists carrying capacity – including the driver.
  • George Zorn’s RAV4 with 3 (4) bikes, 5 cyclists carrying capacity – including the driver.
  • Pat Hutchins’ Toyota Highlander with 3 (4) bikes, 5 cyclists carrying capacity – including the driver.
  • Nancy Knight’s RAV4 with 3 bikes, 5 cyclists carrying capacity – including the driver.
  • Total driving distances are:i) Staging: 458K X 4 vehicles = 1832K total (support vehicle driven by owner with four passengers)            ii) Accompanying: 1114K total (shared driving by cyclists).
  • Vehicle owners must have a minimum of $5M Liability Insurance.

 

Participating cyclists will share a portion of the driving of these four accompanying vehicles on each day’s cycling route but not on each day’s staging sections. For Insurance purposes, each cycling route accompanying Driver must provide proof of a valid BC Drivers Licence when the Club Waiver is signed.
The $50 CCCTS Registration fee of the total $150 registration fee per non vehicle support cyclist will cover trip incidentals: non-food kitchen supplies, road channel radios rentals, bike transport gear to protect bike paint, morning snacks, honorariums to a Nicola Naturalists Society speaker, a local Range Agrologist or a Grassland Conservation Council of B.C. representative.

 

Fee Does Not Include:

 

Your Breakfasts, and bag Lunches. Participants will bring their own breakfast and lunch fixings.
Each Cook Team will look after dinner for the entire group. Six Cook Teams of 3 cyclists per Team will be set up by the H&S leaders well in advance of the ride dates. It is expected that food costs for each group Dinner will be shared equally by each Cook Team member on a Cook Team basis. A Cook Teams Coordinator will coordinate the gathering of a kit of Cook Team shared kitchen equipment including stoves and fuel, pots, utensils, coolers, wash basins, dish soap, water containers, dish towels, tarps &/or pop up awnings, etc.
Three Merritt City Parks appear to be suitable as a meet up location for group dinners: Rotary Park – 1990 Maxwell Ave. or Lions Memorial Park -2408 Voght St. or Central Park 2975 Voght St,. these are all a 3-4 minutes drive from the Quality Inn. The Moon Shadows RV Park & Campground   is also an option.
Joint cooler storage by each Cook Team is suggested. Participants will bring their own plate, bowl, mug, and cutlery for Cook Team hosted Dinners.
A CCCTS Board allowable Hub and Spoke Coordinator Fee, limited to costs of accommodation up to $500 for each of two leaders is NOT included.

 

Itinerary:

 

 

 

 

Suggest arriving in Merritt on Sunday afternoon, June 9 before Ride Day 1 on Monday, June 10. Gather for a Group pre-Dinner Social, in conjunction with the first Cook Team hosted Group Dinner, on Sunday, June 9 at 5:30 p.m. The Merritt City Park gathering location will be confirmed in advance.

 

Route Number and Link RWGPS

Day /Date of Ride to be confirmed. Staging driving Ks

 Route Name Thru Ride? or O&B? Cycling Dist.(K) Climb/Descent (M)
1..  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45221197

 

15K drive from Merritt to parking

5.6K drive end of ride to Merritt

 Laurie Guichon Memorial Grasslands Out &back.

Start & Finish at different locations

 41K

 

1 vehicle accompanies

 +519 / -921
2..  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45214153

 

Merritt-Douglas Lake Home Ranch:  30K drive
Quilchena-Merritt: 21K drive

 Douglas Lake Home Ranch to Quilchena – “V” route Thru ride 45K

4 vehicles accompany

 +577 / -743
3..  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45224420

 

Drive: Merritt to Glimpse Lake and beyond on Peter Hope Lk Road: 54K drive. Drive 9K @ 5+% hill north of Stump Lake.
88K, 1 Hr. drive back to Merritt from Knutsford

 Northeast of Nicola Lk to Stump Lake, Brigade Lake and Knutsford area Grasslands. Thru ride.

Route avoids 2 gravel road climbs totaling 24K, average 4 to 5+% grade.

 52K

 

4 vehicles accompany

52K + 9k = 61K

 + 462 / -1239
4..  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45211267

 

Merritt to Quilchena: drive 21K

51K drive back to Merritt from Douglas Lake Home Ranch

 Quilchena – Douglas Lk – Salmon Lk – Doug. Lk Home Ranch.

 

 Out and back part way. Drive back the last 30K. 72K

 

4 vehicles accompany

 

 +777 / -600
5..  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45211793

 

Merritt to start of ride: 40K at Hwy 5A – Coalmont Rd junction.
90K drive back to Merritt from Princeton via Hwy 5A

 Coalmont Rd – Princeton via Otter Lake, Tulameen, Coalmont and Tulameen River.

 

 Thru ride 74K

 

4 vehicles accompany

 

 +995 / -1352
6. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45219606

 

Round trip drive Merritt-Quilchena-Merritt: 42K

 Quilchena Crk. Valley Rd Out & Back ride 30K

1 vehicle accompanies

 +474 / -473
Total 458K staging driving X 4 vehicles = 1832K Total: 314K cycling. Total accompany driving. 1 vehicle @71K + 4 vehicles @ 243K: 71K + 972 = 1043K +3804 / – 5328

 

Nicola Valley Grasslands H&S Cycling Route Notes

  1. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45221197
    All roads – Laurie Guichon Memorial Grasslands – Lundbom Lake – Sugar Loaf Mountain – Hamilton Hill Rd : part out & back ride,  700 M – 1200 M elevation, 41K,· +519 m / -921 m. Suggested area for evening rides/walks. 11 minutes / 15K drive from Merritt.  https://www.nwcrt.ca/grasslands/
    https://www.nwcrt.ca/grasslands/image-gallery/
  2. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45214153
    Douglas Lake to Nicola Lake: Grasslands “V” route, thru ride,  800 – 1200 M elevation    45K, +577 m / -743 m  Route starts at Douglas Lake Home Ranch, ends at Quilchena. Info. links: https://www.douglaslake.com/fishing-recreation/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Lake_Cattle_Company
  3. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45224420
    North Nicola Lake Grasslands and 4 Lakes: thru ride,  700 M – 1300 M elevation,  52K,+462/ -1,239 m   Dropped a 15K climb up to & beyond Glimpse Lake and 9K climb north of Stump Lake. The route starts northwest of Glimpse Lake. Ends near Knutsford.

    High Point of all routes is the drive section     at 1323 M elevation north of Glimpse Lake, close to the powerline route X’ing. If snowed in, drive north on Hwy 5A to Peter Hope Lake, right turn up that road to snow then start ride down. 88K, one hour drive back to Merritt from Knutsford.
  4. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45211267
    Douglas Lake Grasslands & 4 Lakes: out & part way back route: Route starts at Quilchena -Douglas Lake – Salmon Lake back to Douglas Lk Home Ranch,  630 M – 960 M Elev., 72K, +777 m / -600m 17.7K paved from Quilchena to marked RWGPS Point of Interest.Cycling all the way back to Quilchena from the Home Ranch adds 29K and ~100M more climbing. We could add on this segment if there is interest and time permits. Total 102K, ~+880M.The 2021 White Rock Lake Wildfire burned much of the forest north and east of Salmon Lake.
  5. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45211793
    South of Aspen Grove: Coalmont Rd south to Princeton: thru ride   1100 M to 650 M elevation, 74.4 kilometers, +995 m / -1,352 m. Route starts at Hwy 5A – Coalmont Rd junction, 36.7K south of Merritt’s Quality Inn via Hwy 5A.

    Dry Douglas-fir – Aspen forest. This route crosses and follows Otter Creek at about 17.7K and continues along Otter Creek, 32K south to Otter Lake at Tulameen . There, Otter Creek joins the Tulameen River. The route follows the Tulameen River for ~25K south east thru Coalmont to the dry valley bottom Ponderosa Pine grasslands of Princeton. The drive back to Merritt by Hwy 5A is 90K, ~one hour.
    https://www.princetonbc.com/coalmont , https://www.princetonbc.com/princeton
Registration and Participant Selection:
Registration Lottery will be on the CCCTS website during the dates and times shown. A computerized lottery system and waitlist will be utilized if the ride is over-subscribed. A $150 CDN payment is required at the time of registration. The lottery signup will run for seven days, after which the Ride Leader will review the results.

The selection process will consider the following criteria in evaluating candidates:

  • fitness and riding ability and experience required for this 6-ride days Hub & Spoke,
  • a history of demonstrating safe riding practices,
  • acceptable social behavior.
  • The Hub and Spoke Leaders will have the discretion to make the final decision on whether someone is accepted for this Hub & Spoke and may reject applicants after discussion with the Hub and Spoke Director.

The leader may interview riders or others who know them to verify their suitability for the tour.

  • The leader will notify registrants of their selection status. If the ride is filled, registration will continue until the Registration closing date shown.
  • A $50 component of the total $150 Registration Fee payment is considered non-refundable in the event of cancellation. Wait listed cyclists who don't make it to the Ride's "Go List" are encouraged to remain on the waitlist. Alternatively, wait listed cyclists may request a refund of your $50 registration fee (minus the stripe fee).
  • The $100/cyclist transportation fee will be refundable, if you cancel, if a replacement cyclists is found, or if you don’t make the ‘go list’ and choose to take your name off the waiting list.
  • If the Hub & Spoke Leader cancels the ride for safety reasons or due to road access issues the $150 will be refunded less any fixed trip fee costs.
Communicable Illness Information:
CCCTS riding guidelines including applicable Covid and communicable illness guidelines will apply.  CCCTS requires all participants to be fully vaccinated, and proof may be requested by the leaders.  See the CCCTS website for current guidelines.
All participants from outside Canada must have out-of-country medical insurance for this trip, including coverage for COVID-related illness.
Hub & Spoke Carbon Emissions Reduction Measures
Group car-pooling to / from each day’s ride will reduce our CO2 emissions. For the out & back route #6 (30K), the number of accompanying vehicles will be reduced from four vehicles to one vehicle. One accompanying vehicle will adequately support the group on this route.

 

 

 

 

Participants:

Maureen Angen, Ted Angen, Lauren Dake, Bonita Douglas, Garry Esau, Jim Galloway, Lorne Hunter, Pat Hutchins, Brian Kennelly, Nancy Knight, Craig McBride, Mary McKelvie, David Millard, Judy Murray, Jan Naylor, Karen Peters, Caroline Van Unen, George Zorn

Wait List (in priority order):

Donna Kerkhoven, Brian Livsey