CX
We offer year-round gravel/trail rides up to five days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday). CX_1 is for those new to riding off-road and often includes skills training. CX_2 to CX_4 feature progressively increasing speed and technical terrain.
Routes are chosen uniquely for each ride by volunteer leaders who often create and post route maps in advance. Weekday rides remain mostly urban to ensure we stop for coffee around 7:30am. Common routes include the UVic Campus, Gordon Head, Ten Mile Point, Cedar Hill, Quadra, Royal Oak, Broadmead, the Glendale and Colquitz River Trails, Lochside, the Galloping Goose Regional Trail, the Gorge, Esquimalt, beaches and parks in Oak Bay and Fairfield, and Beacon Hill Park.
Weekend rides typically start at 7:00am and end with breakfast around 10:30am or 11:00am. Routes often include Elk Lake Regional Park, Central Saanich, Thetis Lake Regional Park, Mt. Work Regional Park, the Highlands, the lakes of Langford, Royal Roads University, and Metchosin. Occasionally, members put together longer half or full-day gravel expeditions as far as the Juan de Fuca coast past Sooke and the Cowichan Valley.
Gravel rides are all 'no-drop' and regrouping after trail segments is common. But members who consistently have trouble maintaining pace are asked to move down a level. New riders should always start with CX_1.
When planning routes, ride leaders should always consider restrictions on off-road cycling and ensure routes do not cause environmental damage or endanger other trail users. To assist, the Club has created a Google map of Restricted Cycling Trails that is based on reviews of municipal bylaws, organizational/institutional landowner policies, legal boundaries, and observed signage.