Paris to Ancaster, live.

Ontario's spring gravel classic, point to point

Paris to Ancaster is a point to point gravel race in southern Ontario, held since 1994 and inspired by Paris to Roubaix, with three distances that all finish in Ancaster.

The 2027 race is on Sunday 25 April, with kit pickup on Saturday 24 April from 10am to 5pm at the Ancaster Rotary Centre and Robert E. Wade Community Park in Ancaster. The organiser calls it Canada's Spring Cycling Classic and has run it since 1994 over farm lanes, trails and gravel roads.

The P2A Cento starts at 8am from the Paris Fairgrounds in Paris, Ontario, and now runs above 110 km on gravel roads, the Grand River Rail Trail and farm laneways, joining the Classic route just after 50 km. The P2A Classic, about 70 km, starts at 9:30am from Waynco Aggregates just south of Cambridge. The P2A Brève, about 45 km, starts at 11:15am from the St. George Arena and has been part of the event since 2001.

All three routes end with the same final 7 km in the Dundas Valley: the muddy descents of Mineral Springs and Powerline Road, then the climb up Old Martin Road to the finish. Most people ride gravel bikes, mountain bikes are fine, and e-bikes and aero bars are not allowed. Cut-off times apply at Harrisburg, Jerseyville Road and Mineral Springs Road, with shuttles available.

Because the starts are in three different places, getting around takes planning. A gear truck carries bags from each start to the finish, and free shuttle buses run from Ancaster back to Paris, Cambridge and St. George after the race. Spectators gather at the finish in Ancaster, where awards are presented at 3pm.

On Livebib you can follow a cyclist who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry. This is not the organiser's timing, and the official results come from the organiser.