26
MLBLUE
SPRING2017
words ::Aiken Scherberger
“Themost epicmoments inour lives are rarely
of our own choosing.”Sounds like something
WinstonChurchill or RichardBransonmight have
said.Actually itwas one of our own—a cyclist
(anonymous).Andwe know exactlywhat s/he’s
talking about: sooner or later you endupon a ride
where circumstances beyond your control turn it
into something truly epic.
We’re defining“epic”as something younormally
wouldn’t choose todobutwhen youget through it
your first response is:“Awesome.”
And that’s exactlywhat happened at the inaugural
TurasMór.
“Andwhat is aTurasMór?”you ask. It’sGaelic for
“Great Journey”but an imaginaryWikipedia page
might translate it something like this:“Amost
unique 60 km (and 25 km) non-competitive cycling
event…80percent ondirt roads…centrepiece
of theCreemoreVintage Festival…vintage bikes
encouraged (but not necessary)…gourmet food
anddrink…laidback ambience…all toppedoff
with some great beer from the host, Creemore
Springs Brewery.”
Sohowdoes“epic” fit into this idyllic little scene?
Last year,May 14, at the first runningof TurasMór,
the temperaturewas hovering in single digits and
itwas raining.Who rides in those conditions? (Full
disclosure: I was there and chose not to ride.)
130of the 150 registered riders showedup that
morningon themain street of Creemore.The
forecastwas calling for dropping temperatures
andworsening conditions. So theBrewery,with
great enlightenment, decided to refund everyone’s
registration fees.
But cyclists being cyclists, some of us still wanted
to ride. So theBrewerywent ahead and ran the
event for free.
So90 riders decided to start and they all
finished—well, kindof. Fifteen riders rode
the full course and itwas gruelling: deepmud
and constant, pouring rainbefore it turned to
horizontal snow. In fact thewindwas so strong
riderswere pedalling as hard as they could
downhill andbarelymoving.
The other 75 riders alsomade it to the finish line,
just not the full route. Some turned around, others
took shortcuts andmanywere given rides back by
a good samaritandubbedby some as theChurch
Lady fromDunedin, and volunteers from theTerra
Nova PublicHouse and staff and friends of the
Brewery.That’s community involvement.
And then therewaswhat turnedout tobe the
highlight of the day: the post-ride gathering inside
theBrewery’s retail store. Itwaswarm, Frank
Deresti was playing live, the beerwas flowing and
peoplewere connecting in the shared experience
ofwhatwas, formost of them, themost epic ride
of their lives.
And the“epic-ness”was aboutmore than just the
weather—therewas stuff atTurasMór you’ll never
see at a bike event anywhere else:
• Creemore’s Poet Laureate,TimArmour, in full
Highlanddress serenading the start linewith
his bagpipes and anoriginal two-page poem.
• Rest stops serving servingbrie and
charcuterie. Seriously.
• Homemadepower bar–type thingies servedby
Anna,proprietor of theTerraNovaPublicHouse.
• At the finish renowned local caterers
MenWithKnives served their pulledpork
sandwiches.
• Andwhatwas formany the culinary pièce
de résistancewaiting at the finish: a big
cauldronof fish stewmade and servedby
world-famous chefMichael Stadtländer.
Definitely not your everyday bike event.
This yearTurasMór is on Saturday,May 27, the
time of yearwhen the late spring sun shouldbe
shining. But if it isn’t and theweather turns nasty,
we can take comfort in knowing the people of
Creemore Springs and the village are going to look
after us reallywell.This year registration is capped
at 350:
UP
FRONT
REDEFINING “EPIC”
CREEMORE’STURASMÓRCYCLINGEVENT
Rest stops serving serving brie
and charcuterie. Seriously.
Turas Pour. MARC LANDRY
