The Unsatiated - An endurance cycling retreat in the Almaguin Highlands, ON

We've been waiting for you and we hope you have been waiting for us! Here you will find all the details on our inaugural gravel endurance cycling retreat, designed for the 'unsatiated' rider that just can't quite get their fill. 3 big days exploring our region. Challenge our scenic gravel roads and then gather for fresh-made home cooked meals.

Inspiration & Concept

In the Summer of 2024, Rob was chatting with an Ontario based rider about their recent big rides, effectively taking on some epic "bike packing" routes, but in their preferred style.  Whereas many riders camp on trail, sometimes, you want to put in BIG tough days, but have a comfy bed, a roof over your head and great food and great company to close out the day. We are big fans of bike packing and relying on the tent and hammock, but sometimes being 'a bit extra' is okay too.

Big days of epic remote gravel riding...comfy accommodations....fresh made 'clean food' meals for unique dietary preferences and endurance athletes? We do that!

Following the conversation, Rob set about looking at route options that would:

• provide multiple days of epic riding
• start and finish each day from our place - Missing Link Adventure Tours
• highlight a huge range of the Almaguin Highlands region
• minimize overlap or repeated sections and maximize gravel
• showcase the mix of brutal and beautiful riding we want to make Ontario known for!

What follows is an endurance cycling retreat for The Unsatiated.

An endurance cycling retreat - who is this for?

For some, this will seem a bit sadistic and for others this sounds like a perfect weekend.  An early season of riding to put in some miles, prepare for other events or just hit some personal distance goals.  We don't recommend this be a weekend to try out these distance (and elevation) for the first time. This should be within a challenge previously completed and maybe part of your plan to build up to a bigger endurance goal later in the season.  The elevation, in the form of numerous short steep climbs, is no joke.

Simply stated, the weekend is intended to provide big days of back-to-back riding. We have a little bit of route flexibility - you can read more about the routes below.

Meals and daily schedule

Our goal is to have guests come for the riding and come back for the food.  Based on our Google Reviews, we are on the right track - guests love our farm inspired from scratch 'clean food' meals.

As guests may be following different schedules for this weekend, we will be building some flexibility into our serving.  We hope that everyone can share communal time at the table for at least dinner, but understand that riding times may vary substantially for this type of retreat. 

Breakfast: 6AM

Lunch: Grab-and-go packed chilled 'portable'. Routes will feature additional stop options but will be limited.

Post-ride grazing: Some snacks to help recovery and bridge early returns until dinner.

Dinner: 8 PM

The Riding - The Unsatiated Endurance Cycling Retreat Routes

The draft plan is three distinct routes that feature the regions great municipal gravel roads, a few dashes of pavement and an entertaining amount of trail.  The routes should be approached in the style of self-sufficient bike packing, knowing that you'll be fed and have a bed each night. There will be stops on route but they will be limited. Extra bottles, ample riding snacks and water filtration capacity are recommended.

Routes will be made available in Strava, RidewithGPS and via GPX. Route briefing will be provided and we are happy to provide any additional local knowledge we can.

Routes WILL NOT be signed or patrolled. Note that we will be occupied managing meal preparation and will not be available for pick-up/extraction. Hired transport service are available in the area for a fee.

Route deviation options are limited but we would provide real-time route alternations if a modification is needed - pending availability of cell signal.

CAA Members have bike assist included in their membership.

Sunrise: 6:09  Sunset: 20:21 (Approx 14:15 hours of daylight)

Check out or cycling photo album of local riding for a taste of what to expect. 

Post-ride

You can't have an endurance cycling retreat without a bit of TLC off the bike, right?

Wind down and stretch out with a stroll on our trails. Lounge in our screened in porch or take a quick ride or drive to a local beach for a (refreshing) early season dip.

We will provide access to some of the basic post ride maintenance needs to make sure your ride is clean and fresh and ready for the next day's riding. 

Review the information on our accommodation here.  Note that the accommodation is shared.  

We are an Ontario By Bike certified accommodation and specialize in customized retreats for cyclists.

I really really want to, but maybe this isn't quite right for me...yet.

Well, you are in luck, because customized cycling retreats that are tailored to Guest's distance, experience and riding preference goals is what we do. Reach out to chat about a retreat that will leave you just perfectly satiated.

 

CANCELLATION POLICY:

(21 days or more) Full refund, less processing fees, if the cancellation is made 21 days or more prior to the event start date.

(21 days to 7 days prior) A credit will be issued for a future event with Missing Link Adventure Tours if the cancellation is made between 21 and 7 days prior to the event start date.

(less that 7 days prior) Cancellations that are made less than 7 days before the event start date and attendees who do not show up will not receive a refund or credit and will forfeit their registration fee.