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Old stone and brick buildings along the Grand River in Paris, Ontario, with rafters on the water
Howard Walsh / Unsplash

Paris to Ancaster starts, aid stations and cutoffs

Three point-to-point gravel races across southern Ontario farm country, from Paris, Cambridge and St. George to a finish at the top of the Old Martin Road climb in Ancaster.

April 24 to 25, 2027 Paris to Ancaster, Ontario

Paris to Ancaster, or P2A, has run in the spring since 1994. Inspired by Paris-Roubaix, it uses the roughest farm lanes, trails and gravel roads the organizer can find. The organizer calls it Canada's Spring Cycling Classic and says it draws the biggest field of riders in the country. About 1,700 riders finished the 2026 edition.

There are three races and they all finish in Ancaster. The 110 km Cento starts at the Paris Fairgrounds, the 70 km Classic at Waynco Aggregates just south of Cambridge, and the 45 km Brève at the St. George Arena. Every course ends with the same 7 km through the Dundas Valley: two muddy descents, then the climb up Old Martin Road to the line.

Several sections cross private land the race can use on race day only, so the organizer doesn't publish the course until a Ride with GPS download goes up just before the race. The maps here pin the starts, the two aid stations and the finish. Their kilometers are worked out from the organizer's "km to go" figures, so treat them as approximate. Download the maps before race day and you'll have the starts and aid stations on your phone.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Paris to Ancaster. Check the official site before you enter or race.

P2A course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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P2A courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
P2A Cento110 km (68.4 mi)Sun, Apr 25, 8:00 AM
P2A Classic70 km (43.5 mi)Sun, Apr 25, 9:30 AM
P2A Brève45 km (28 mi)Sun, Apr 25, 11:15 AM

P2A P2A Cento

The long one, about 110 km from the Paris Fairgrounds, and the only one with prize money.

Distance
110 km (68.4 mi)
Start
Sun, Apr 25, 8:00 AM

The course line isn't drawn yet, so the map only pins where the aid stations are.

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

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Cento is Italian for a hundred, though the course now runs past 110 km. The first third is quiet, gently rolling gravel and the Grand River Rail Trail up to the south end of Cambridge. A short stretch of city parks and bike paths takes you back out to the North Dumfries countryside, and just after 50 km you join the Classic route. Then come the private property sections and the Harrisburg rest stop, which the organizer puts at 38 km to go in its cutoff list and just before 80 km in its course notes. After that, rail trails and farm lanes lead to the Dundas Valley.

The Cento has a cutoff of its own before the shared ones: 10:00 AM at Glen Morris on East River Road, about 38 km in. Starts go in three waves by speed, at 8:00, 8:05 and 8:10. The elite men average over 30 km/h, and the organizer asks anyone who can't hold that for 110 km to enter an age group or the Classic. Cash goes to the top 10 men and women overall. Like every P2A course, the route can change up to race morning.

A steel railway bridge on stone piers over the Grand River at Paris, with autumn trees reflected
Michael Hamments / Unsplash

P2A P2A Classic

About 70 km from Waynco Aggregates, just south of Cambridge.

Distance
70 km (43.5 mi)
Start
Sun, Apr 25, 9:30 AM

The course line isn't drawn yet, so the map only pins where the aid stations are.

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

Open in web map

Riders have been doing this route since 1994. The first third rolls along quiet gravel roads in North Dumfries and through private property to the Harrisburg rest stop. From there it's rail trail, gravel and farm laneways through Lynden and Jerseyville, then the last 7 km in the Dundas Valley: the Mineral Springs descent (about 300 m), 2 km of rolling gravel, the longer Powerline Road descent (about 500 m), and down into the valley for the Old Martin Road climb.

Four waves leave between 9:30 and 9:45, sorted by speed, from over 30 km/h down to "just here for fun". There are fat bike, singlespeed, Clydesdale and Athena categories alongside the age groups.

P2A P2A Brève

About 45 km from St. George, the course the organizer suggests for a first P2A.

Distance
45 km (28 mi)
Start
Sun, Apr 25, 11:15 AM

The course line isn't drawn yet, so the map only pins where the aid stations are.

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

Open in web map

The Brève has run since 2001. You leave St. George on 5 km of pavement, pass through Harrisburg, and pick up rail trails, gravel roads and farm laneways through Lynden and Jerseyville. The finish is the same as the longer races, mud chutes and Old Martin Road included.

The first wave goes at 11:15 and is for riders over 24 km/h, capped at 250. The second, at 11:20, is for everyone else. Tandems (trail-a-bikes count) and unicycles have their own categories. The organizer's own list gives the Brève only the two later cutoffs, at Jerseyville Road and at Slote Road.

Entering

Registration for 2027 opened on October 13 through Race Roster and closes at 11:59 PM on April 18, 2027. There's no race day entry. There are four price tiers: early until December 6, regular to February 28, late to April 18, then last minute. The Cento goes from $164 to $204, the Classic from $104 to $144 and the Brève from $84 to $124, before HST and Race Roster fees. Entry includes a BBQ lunch, SAG wagons, feed zones and chip timing.

There are no refunds. You can switch to another P2A race for $20 or hand your entry to another rider for $30, both in Race Roster by 11:59 PM on April 11. You don't need a racing licence.

Kit pickup is on Saturday, April 24, 10 AM to 5 PM in Ancaster. A friend can collect yours with your email saying so and their own ID.

Getting to the start

Old stone and brick buildings along the Grand River in Paris, Ontario, with rafters on the water
Howard Walsh / Unsplash

Every course finishes in Ancaster, now part of Hamilton, but starts somewhere else, and there's no parking at the finish on race day. The free ways round that are to get dropped at the start, or to drive to the start and come back for the car afterwards. A free gear truck takes a bag from the start to the finish. After the race you leave your bike in the free secure corral at the finish and take the free shuttle bus, about every 20 minutes, back to Paris, Cambridge or St. George. The corral closes at 6 PM.

If you'd rather park in Ancaster, a $30 pre-race bus and bike truck leaves from the Walmart Supercentre 3 km from the finish: 6:00 to 6:30 AM for the Cento, 7:00 to 8:00 AM for the Classic and 8:30 to 9:30 AM for the Brève. It's reservation only. The $50 Convenience Package adds race-morning kit pickup at your start, and a $30 truck can take your bike back to the start after the race.

For the Cento, the organizer's map page says the main street in downtown Paris and the William Street bridge over the Grand River are closed for construction. Its suggested way in is Highway 403 to Rest Acres Road, then Highway 2 and Brant-Oxford Road to Keg Lane.

Mud, weather and bikes

Autumn forest in light fog in the Dundas Valley, with farm fields beyond
Michael Hamments / Unsplash

By mountain bike standards the course isn't technical, and the organizer says 99.8% of it is rideable in any weather. The rest is three or four short sections of guaranteed mud, 50 to 100 m long and 3 to 10 cm deep, and plenty of riders shoulder the bike and run them. 2022 was the warmest and driest edition, 2023 one of the wettest. In 2026 the sun came out but rain the day before left the mud.

April at Hamilton's airport averages a high of 11.8°C and a low of 1.3°C, with 81.3 mm of precipitation on about 13 days (1991 to 2020 normals).

Most riders use gravel bikes, and mountain bikes are fine. E-bikes, aero bars and earbuds aren't allowed, and helmets are mandatory.

Pre-riding the course

A wooden footbridge over a creek below a waterfall in a wooded ravine in Hamilton, in autumn
Ahmed Abbas / Unsplash

Not on the private sections. The landowners allow riders on race day only, and the organizer says losing even one piece of land could change the route. The Powerline mud chute is behind a locked gate, and the Dundas Valley Conservation Area trails are closed to bikes in spring.

What you can ride are the organizer's pre-ride routes on Ride with GPS, which stay on public roads and rail trails. There are loops of 10, 19, 30 and 54 km that finish up Old Martin Road, a 60 km point to point, and a 99 km Paris to Ancaster version of the Cento with the private sections taken out.

P2A aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • Paris Fairgrounds (Cento start)

    43.20380, -80.40455

  • Waynco Aggregates (Classic start)

    43.32578, -80.30335

  • St. George Arena (Brève start)

    43.24626, -80.25955

  • Harrisburg

    43.23292, -80.21253

  • Jerseyville Road at the rail trail

    43.19919, -80.11162

  • Ancaster Rotary Centre (finish)

    43.21759, -80.00806

P2A FAQ

When is Paris to Ancaster 2027?

Sunday, April 25, 2027. The Cento starts at 8:00 AM, the Classic at 9:30 AM and the Brève at 11:15 AM. Kit pickup is in Ancaster on Saturday the 24th, alongside the expo, and awards are at 3 PM on race day.

What are the Paris to Ancaster cutoff times?

Cento riders have to pass Glen Morris by 10:00 AM, and Cento and Classic riders the Harrisburg aid station by 12:00 PM (38 km to go). Everyone has to reach Jerseyville Road at the rail trail by 1:30 PM (14 km to go) and Slote Road at Mineral Springs Road by 2:00 PM (6 km to go). Miss the last one and you're sent east on Mineral Springs Road, around the Powerline Road mud slide. A shuttle picks up riders pulled at the others.

Which Paris to Ancaster distance should I ride?

The organizer suggests the Brève for a first P2A. You should be confident of finishing the Cento in 5 hours, the Classic in 4 1/2 or the Brève in 3, because the course closes behind the cutoffs so the roads can reopen.

Is there a GPX of the Paris to Ancaster course?

Not until just before the race, when the organizer posts the courses on Ride with GPS. Several sections cross private land used with permission on race day only, and the route isn't marked until race morning. It can change up to then.

Is Paris to Ancaster a UCI Gravel World Series race?

In 2025 it was the series' Canadian qualifier, with the Cento as the UCI course. The series calendar doesn't list it for 2026 or 2027, and the organizer's 2027 race pages don't mention the UCI.

Can I get a refund or transfer my Paris to Ancaster entry?

No refunds or rainchecks. You can move to another P2A distance for $20 or transfer to another rider for $30 in Race Roster until 11:59 PM on April 11, 2027.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.