Justin Ross Finishes Central Ontario Loop Trail in under 27 Hours

Photos by Justin Ross (@justinross71)

The Central Ontario Loop Trail, or COLT for short, is a 450-kilometre loop through some of central Ontario’s most scenic areas. The route follows a vast abandoned rail trail network, linked together by scenic secondary side roads, quaint villages, and a labyrinth of snowmobile and ATV trails. While the route was originally designed as a relatively gentle introduction to multi-day bikepacking in Ontario, it was only a matter of time before someone set out to tackle the route as fast as possible. Up until this past weekend, I was only aware of a duo completing a variation of the route in 48 hours back in 2017.

Justin Ross (@justinross71) of Peterborough, Ontario, shot me a message last week asking for any information on an official fastest known time (FKT) on the route, and hinted at some plans for a sub-24-hour finish. A few days later, he updated me on his 26 hours, 54 minute finish and I shot him some questions to learn more about his ride. Find a short interview below, alongside some photos Justin snapped during and after his ride.

How’d you land on the COLT for an FKT attempt?

Reading up on the route, I couldn’t find any information on any FKT records or attempts. After talking about the COLT with some work colleagues, I jokingly said it would be fun to try and do it in one day. I was completing a lot of 200+ kilometre rides this summer and figured it would be a fun challenge.

How much did you know about the route before the ride? Any major surprises?

I’d be lying if I said this was well researched. Living in Peterborough, I have ridden some of the sections over the summer on various other rides. But, in general, this was a pretty unknown ride for me. The biggest surprise was the Hastings Heritage Trail. If you know you know!

Can we get a breakdown of your bike and your gear?

Certainly. My bike is a carbon Trek Checkpoint that was built up with GRX Di2 and Pro components. For wheels, I was running Shimano RS770 wheels with 38mm Terravil Cannonballs (I was certainly undergunned). I ran the Pro discover frame bag with the team gravel saddle bag and top tube bag. I was guided by my Garmin Edge 530, which was powered by a 20,000Ma battery (I also used this to charge my lights and phone). For hydration, I was using a Camelbak Chase vest with a 1.5L bladder as well as two Reggie Rider water bottles and a Befree microfilter. Clothing wise, I wore a Reggie jersey, Pearl Izumi Pro shorts, and brought a Patagonia puffy for the cold parts of the night.

Is endurance racing something new for you?

The whole idea of riding a bike with drop bars is relatively new to me, as I’ve only ever ridden mountain bikes. I picked up a gravel bike two months ago and realized the freedom of being able to leave my front door, adventure for a few hours, and be back before dinner. One long ride led to another, which eventually led to riding to different cities and then discovering the COLT. I think it’s safe to say that this endurance racing thing has me hooked.

Now that you’ve crushed the COLT, what’s next?

I’ve got some more leisurely bikepacking plans for the end of this month that I’m rather excited about, though I think it’ll be hard to convince myself that 100km a day is fine. I’m also racing the Reggie Ramble this September, which is a 200km gravel race. Other than that, there isn’t anything in particular that stands out to me. The BT700 seems like something I could warm up to…

Nice work, Justin! We’re eager to see what you get up to next.

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