MANITOULIN—There are a number of big changes in this year’s Manitoulin Passage Ride, most notably the move away from the MS. Chi-Cheemaun ferry as the starting location and a focus on exploring the West End of the Island. What has not changed is the need for Island motorists to keep an eye out for cyclists on the roads, as there will be a significant increase in their numbers during the weekend starting the evening of Friday, May 31 through to Sunday, June 2.
“This year, we will be starting out from the gazebo beside the arena and community centre in Mindemoya because we want to push further west and give the Gore Bay experience,” noted Passage Ride organizer Maja Mielonen of Manitoulin Island Cycling Advocates (MICA). Ms. Mielonen said that the relationship between the Owen Sound Transportation Company (OSTC) and MICA was sundered by the issues surrounding COVID and further complicated by changes in senior management at the OSTC.
There are nonetheless plenty of benefits to the changes being forced on the Passage Ride, according to Ms. Mielonen. “The 200 or so riders will be coming by their own vehicles on Friday night, so they will be spending two whole days on Manitoulin Island,” she said. “So, Island businesses will be benefiting from that increased exposure from them being on the Island, especially accommodation and restaurants.”
The riders will have their choice of three routes on each of the two days—comprising of a short, medium and long ride.
Each day’s series of rides begins with registration at the aforementioned gazebo in Mindemoya. Day one’s 33 km short ride (yellow) heads out from Manitoulin Secondary School (MSS) and travels down Highway 540 to Bridal Veil Falls and Kagawong, looping around Lake Kagawong back to M’Chigeeng. The 72 km medium ride (white) starts out in Mindemoya, circles Lake Mindemoya, continues through M’Chigeeng to Bridal Veil Falls and then follows the Lake Kagawong loop before returning through M’Chigeeng to Mindemoya. The 119 km long ride will circle Mindemoya Lake, continue through M’Chigeeng, head to Bridal Veil Falls, continue to Gore Bay, return to Kagawong and head down to the gazebo at the waterfront for lunch before continuing on to M’Chigeeng and following Hwy 551 into Mindemoya.
Day two’s routes start with the short run, 37 km (yellow) will start at the Mindemoya Hall, head to Providence Bay and then return through the Mindemoya Lake route. The medium run, 53 km (white) will again start at the Mindemoya Hall then head through Mindemoya Lake to Spring Bay, loop around to Grimsthorpe and return through Providence Bay to Mindemoya. The long day two run will start at the Mindemoya Community Hall, head through Mindemoya Lake to Perivale and Long Bay, then loop around Tobacco Lake to Poplar before continuing on through Britainville to Spring Bay and Grimsthorpe before finally returning through Providence Bay to Mindemoya.
At the completion of Day one, a dinner with bar and music with Nettish and her four-person band will be held at the Mindemoya Community Hall, 6032 Highway 542. Bar opens at 5 pm, with dinner at 6 pm.
Ms. Mielonen noted that she has been partnering with Marlaine Koehler of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, lobbying for the continued addition of bike lanes on Highway 17 onto Thunder Bay. Ms. Mielonen was successful in garnering provincial support for the addition of the lanes to Highway 6 onto Sudbury.
“This is very important as the trail currently has some sections where canoeing is not so safe due to the cliffs along the north shore of Lake Superior,” she said.
