How to ride the Cannonball 300 - What I've Learned
Bikepacking the famous gravel, rail-trail, and singletrack route
Photograph taken by the author in Thorold, Ontario, on the Cannonball 300 Bikepacking route, June 2022.
For some time now, as an avid gravel rider of the remote and beautiful rural roads of the Ottawa Valley and Hastings Highlands, I have been wanting to strap some bags onto my gravel bike frame and dip my toe into the realm of multi-day bike-packing in Ontario. Sure, I've completed some longer, single-day gravel rides with MVC and organized gravel events like the Growling Beaver 100 & 200, and the now-retired 170 km Ride of the Damned, as well as doing multi-day road cycling events such as the Tour for Kids, where you ride 200 km each day over four days. I also had backcountry backpacking in my roundhouse, so I figured it wouldn't be completely out of my comfort zone to combine these outdoor disciplines and jump on the multi-day bike-packing bandwagon.
I was in search of something that would be introductory but not without challenges, forgiving but a good test of fitness and my gear.
After scanning through the many routes on the Butter Tart 700 website, I elected to go with the Cannonball 300 as my first solo, multi-day gravel bike-packing excursion, with the hopes of moving up to the Grand Ninth Ramble, Farmer's Folly, Hastings Highlander, Log Driver's Waltz, and the BT700 in the coming months and years.
Let's be honest, the last two years of the pandemic have taken their toll, and my fitness hasn't been where I would like it to have been due to work and family obligations (and to be fair, my penchant for craft beer). Indoor training can only get you so far. Now was the time to get some serious mileage in the legs.
Tip #1 - Break up the route
It goes without saying, doing the full route in one day would be a killer. Some have completed it, sure, but they started in the dark and surely ended in the dark. If you aren't out to break the course record, break up the route into distances that you can manage each day. You are going to want to stop along the way to grab a bite, fill up on water, and take a photo or two. Enjoy it. Two to three days is manageable. Having tacked on some additional distance on the first day from right out my front door, the trip was over 400 km. If you start from the suggested trailhead, it's roughly 150 km per day if you divide it over two days. If over three, you have even more time to stop and take in the sights and eat at local establishments.
Tip #2 - Pack Light
Riding gravel is one thing. Riding gravel on a fully loaded bike that weighs close to 40 lbs is another. If you are riding with others, divide up the heavy gear amongst you. Tent with one person, poles with another, rain-fly and stove with another.
Traveling solo means you carry everything yourself. While traveling solo, I opted for a hammock tent rather than my two-person tent. I even considered getting a one-person tent or bivy but soon realized that a tent/bivy, plus sleeping bag, plus ground pad meant a heavily loaded and awkward bike.
Photograph taken by the author in Dundas, Ontario, at Detour Cafe, June 2022.
Luckily, I picked up some awesome On The Road Bags prior to my trip, which meant my gear was neatly organized, accessable, and well ballanced over the bike. I went with a Bogota Frame Bag, a Gast Tank top tube bag, and an Explore Harness and Dry Bag. These bikepacking bags are the real deal, well made, durable, highly user friendly, and dependable. The integrated extremely well together, with functional straps to keep them securly fastened to the frame or bar.
"Less is more." – Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe
An even lighter way to travel than using a bivy or hammock tent is to stay in indoor accommodations rather than camping. Many of my friends have gone this route in the past and have not lived to regret it. Soft beds and warm showers are not to be underrated.
Tip #3 - Bring Less Food
You weren't expecting that one, were you? This is more of a note to self. My biggest takeaway from the experience is that I packed WAY TOO MUCH food. You can get food en route if you plan it in advance (and can even improvise). There are plenty of grocery stores, convenience stores, hot dog stands, and restaurants that you can tap into. Yes, you need ride food, in terms of bar, gels, gummies, and electrolytes, but lunch and dinners, you can get en route. I even managed to overpack ride food. Make educated choices on what you need to fuel yourself on a long but slower-paced day.
Despite only staying one night at a campsite, I packed two pasta dinners (I only needed one, but thought that I might be ravenous or could use it for lunch one day). I could have boiled some water roadside for lunch on day one or two, but opted for a famous footlong hotdog in Port Dover on day one and did a lunch stop at Tim Horton's in Thorold on day two. Perhaps not the greatest dietary fuel, but it did the job. Leaving the extra dry pasta meal at home would have cut down on some pack weight.
"He who would travel happily must travel light." – Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
Tip #4 - Review the route
The Cannonball route on Ride With GPS is very well detailed, and even provides notes on sections to avoid due to busy traffic, or if some gravel/dirt sections might be wet.
The quad track parallel to Canal Bank Road in Stromness isn't really fun to ride, even in dry conditions. Quads ruin everything when it comes to off-road cycling. Potholes, deep ruts, washboard: you name it. I elected to ride the road on a quiet Sunday morning rather than jostling myself and my gear at a slower pace on the quad trail.
Be aware of your options. Take the B line if the A line is garbage that day, or vice versa.
There are also some sections of singletrack mountain bike trails that I got slightly turned around in on the second day. By running the .tcx file on my head unit as well as running the Ride With GPS app with navigation enabled, I managed to find my way without too many miscues. If unfamiliar with the route or your head unit, you might find some sections frustrating.
Tip #5 - Finish strong and save some energy
The second day was tougher than the first if you run in counter-clockwise, in my estimation, mainly due to the single-track sections through St. Catherine's on a fully loaded bike, the headwind I experienced heading back to Hamilton on top of the Escarpment, and the big first day I had (231 km from my front doorstep to Rock Point Provincial Park).
I had originally planned to ride right back home from the trail terminus in Dundas, but ran out of energy and daylight. The excuse I'll go with is my headlight had unexpectedly been drained after I left it on during daylight hours. No mention of drained legs or lack of fitness.
Conclusion
If you want a great introductory bike packing experience in south-western Ontario that isn't too far from home but still allows you to feel like you are doing an adventure, the Cannonball 300 is a great option. Have a question on the route or want more details? Leave a comment below and subscribe! I'll be doing more bikepacking adventures in Ontario this spring, summer and fall, so following along so my experiences can inform your future adventures.
