Event Description



Event Description  Team Format  Route  Registration Helping Others FAQs


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The Ride of the Damned is a unique cycling event that will celebrate its fifth edition on June 23, 2013. Born out of the desire for Tall Tree Cycles team riders to share interesting and challenging routes off the beaten track, the RotD has grown into a must-ride event for scores of Ottawa-Gatineau cyclists. With an emphasis on challenge and adventure, rather than racing, the RotD takes riders, grouped in teams of 5, North of Ottawa, over rolling hills and through rural Quebec communities, covering paved and dirt roads far from traffic and the trappings of big-city life. 

The Ride of the Damned will start and finish at Bate Island. Smack in the middle of the Ottawa River, Bate Island has parking, a bathroom, and an enclosure that will cover us in the event of rain. It should be a great place to begin and end the ride! 

The crux of the 155km route is the Paughan hydroelectric Dam (the event’s namesake), close to Low, QC. This monolithic structure punctuates a series of ascending dirt roads, and provides a spectacular view of the Gatineau River. Beyond this spectacle, riders travel along beautiful lakes and farm fields before descending to Wakefield, QC, where the obligatory stop at the  Pipolinka Bakery is made. Riders return to Ottawa on their own steam along the Gatineau River, and through Old Chelsea QC.

Here's Kris Westwood's video of the 2011 edition of the RotD; 135k in 3:25



We will offer a new short route, which will start from the Ottawa side of the river. We will use the Cascades Loop for this route, which is less technical and hilly than the old route from Wakefield. The route is 100km long, and features the Wakefield covered bridge.

The RotD is a Raudax or randosportif event, meaning it is non-competitive. The route is unmarked and unsupported, which means riders are responsible for their navigation and completing the route. Riders are required to ride in teams of 4-6 riders, which constitute mutual support systems for all. It is up to each team to ensure their riders are safe and complete the route (or are driven home in the event of problems). The long route features a rest stop with food and drinks provided, but is otherwise unsupported. Teams are expected to take care of each other.

UPDATE (June 6)

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN. NEW THIS YEAR: The Ride of the Damned will be sanctioned by the Ontario Cycling Association. Riders will not require a cycling license to participate. ALL riders will be required to fill out and sign the OCA's waiver in order to be insured. The waiver is found on the registration site. Please fill it out and bring it to sign-in.

Register here: http://sportrecon.com/2013/RotD

Online registration will close on Wednesday, June19, and there will be no on-site registration.

Upon registration, riders must specify their team name. Riders without sufficient numbers to fill out a team are asked to contact the event director (matt@talltreecycles.ca) to be matched up with others. We will do our best to match abilities, but of course, cannot guarantee perfect fits. Team Captains, please fill in your roster here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhIAhQB5B6xqdDBaWEZNeUhDUnFfSlM3RlJWeGFJYmc#gid=0

Post-ride, participants enjoy a BBQ and buffet (included in registration price), and family members join in and celebrate a great day on the bike, and in the park (additional meal tickets available on-site for $8 - cash only). Draw and raffle prizes will be drawn, and tall tales of the day’s adventures will fly.