6x Gravel Ride

Six gravel rides this week — all on Langford-area routes. Distance climbed to 177 km with 899 m of elevation, a big bump in volume from last week’s trail-heavy schedule, though the climbing dropped significantly with the shift to gravel roads.

Monday started with a short shakeout ride, just 15 km and 55 m of gain. Tuesday picked up, 26 km at a steady 135 bpm. Wednesday pushed further, the longest midweek effort at 30 km with 144 bpm average — the highest heart rate of the week. Thursday backed off slightly to 21 km at 122 bpm, then Friday covered 23 km with 131 m of climbing. Sunday was the big one: a 62 km loop with 441 m of gain, the longest ride of the week by a wide margin.

The whole week stayed on gravel, a complete departure from last week’s mountain bike and downhill sessions in Comox Valley. Duration nearly doubled despite the same number of activities, and distance rose 31% — but elevation gain fell 72%, reflecting the flatter profile of the Langford gravel network compared to last week’s 2,400 m of trail climbing.