The Full Monty

The Durham Destroyer routes hit the best Gravel, Dirt, Trails and Rail Trail that the Region has to offer. The Full Monty and Tapping out do venture into the Kawarathas due to their Epic Distance.
Although the official routes start in Port Perry, they can be tackled from any point along the route.
Whatever route you take, enjoy the journey and challenge.

The Full Monty

The Durham Region has countless gravel country gravel roads, rail trails that go for miles and is also home to Uxbridge which is billed as Canada’s Trail Capital. The Durham Destroyer Full Monty taps into these great resources to create a truly epic 300km gravel route. If the distance of The Full Monty isn’t daunting enough, the punchy rolling terrain will take its toll with an accumulated elevation gain of around 3000m. On route you will be treated to quite gravel/dirt farm roads, ride back in time through the undeveloped Pickering Airport Lands, rip trail sections in 7 different forest tracts, pass through the waterside side communities of Fenlon Falls, Bobcaygeon and Lindsay and hit a few sections of rail trail where you can catch your breath. Although you are away from civilization for the majority of the ride, you are never more than a couple hours away from a refueling stop. Originally designed as a challenging one day epic ride, The Full Monty can be split into a couple of days for those wishing for a multi-day bikepacking adventure.

Quiet gravel roads
Pickering airport lands
Forest tract trails
Waterside communities

Similar to the Rookie Route, the Full Monty is not an overly aggressive route and can be tackled with just about any bike you have.

Mountain Bike: If riding a mountain bike, there is no need for anything other than a hardtail as the route is not so rough. Anything over 2.4″ would be overkill for this route, and I would recommend something smaller in the 2-2.2″ mark.
Gravel Bike: A cyclocross bike would be absolutely fine along this route. With short punchy climbs, it will not be so taxing as to destroy your legs. If using a gravel bike with 700 wheels, you’ll have a very comfortable and fun ride. You’ll be fast, have a bit more cushion, and eat the miles (km) pretty quickly.

For a detailed write-up of the route, check out the ride report by Cory on An Athlete’s Blog; The Full Monday Part 1 & Part 2

The Full Monty is nearly a double century in distance, but takes the rider through many small waterfront communities, never straying too far from a town.

Hotels: Any of the small towns along the route should have lodgings available.
Campgrounds: Many of the waterfront communities allow for camping near the locks. There are also some camp parks just after Fennelton and in the town of Bobcaygeon.
Wild camping: When wild camping, do your best to leave no trace. Find a quiet spot near a lake, in a field, etc. I’m not sure what Crown Land options are available along the route, but there are many forests, ski hills, conservations area, etc in which one may opt to hide away for a night.

Fresh water: Also not really an issue on this route as there are towns to resupply in nearly every 40km. towns along the way to easily re-fill your water bottles. The longest stretch away from civilization is when going from Port Perry to Claremont. At this time you will pass some springs along the way where you can fill your bottles.
Restaurants/Cafes/Bars: Places to get some food or to stock up on supplies are pretty plentiful throughout the route. As mentioned above when discussing water refill, there are towns regularly throughout the ride.

Overall, it seems that the Full Monty is a long ride that is also not overly challenging, providing just the right amount of climbing, trails, gravel roads galore, and rail trail through some truly spectacular areas.

Average Physical Difficulty – 3

1-2 – Relatively level riding
3-4 – Regular rolling terrain with sustained climbing
5-6 – Rugged terrain with frequent climbs, some of which may be steep and unrelenting
7-8 – Very rugged terrain with abundant climbing, some of which is very steep and unrideable
9-10 – Numerous very steep, climbs requiring bike-pushing and/or carrying

Average Technical Difficulty – 3

1-2 – Smooth riding surface with few obstacles (e.g., graded dirt roads, rail trails); suitable for novice mountain bikers
3-4 – Track has occasional obstacles and steep sections (e.g., maintained forest roads, mellow singletrack); suitable for beginner mountain bikers
5-6 – Continuous sections of track may be rocky, loose, and steep; (e.g., 4×4 roads or singletrack in rugged/rocky terrain) suitable for intermediate mountain bikers
7-8 – Narrow trail with regular obstacles, sustained steep grades; suitable for intermediate to advanced mountain bikers
9-10 – Very challenging riding with frequent large obstacles, exposure, very steep grades; suitable for advanced mountain bikers