Eastern Canada’s first official bikepacking event, the BT 700, saw a massive number of riders at the grand depart in St. Jacobs, Ontario. Whether participants came out to set records or tour the mixed surface route, everyone more than likely enjoyed some good ol’ southwestern Ontario butter tarts. Kona Ambassador Trevor Browne set off on his Kona Rove NRB DL to travel all the miles in a time of 3.5 days.

The route was challenging, beautiful, diverse, rugged, and required constant attention to navigation with all its twists, turns, ups, downs, and sometimes lack of roads at all. From rolling Mennonite farmland and gravel roads to steep boulder ascents through the Georgian Bluffs, this course proved to be challenging to the faster pacesetters as well as the slower touring-minded riders. The one thing that keeps riders coming back to great events like this one is the chance to make new friends, chat, share baked goods, and get lost with them along the trail.