Larose Forest Foot & Bike O Fall Series

Map: Larose Forest

Everyone is invited to a dual Foot-O / MTB-O at Larose Forest (P1) this Sunday, October 6. The area is a favorite location with riders looking for fun, flowey non-technical trails on gentle terrain. This map was created in 2019 in accordance with ISOM 2017 and first used for a long distance event at the Ottawa O-Fest that year. The terrain is mainly a flat plain with subtle contour features that is disrupted by several steep-sided ravines. There is a dense and complex trail network with wiggly MTB trails developed by OMBA (Ottawa Mountain Bike Assoc.) as well as more linear tracks used by hikers and dog-sledders (in winter). There are virtually no rock features and the marshes are currently drier than mapped. The vegetation mapping is generalized. The map has been lightly updated in preparation for this event, and a new MTB version consistent with ISMTBOM 2022 has been created.

If you are not a member and might be taking part and have not participated in an Orienteering Ottawa event this year, please fill out this form by Friday noon to make the on-site registration quicker for you and for others.

Courses
Five Foot-O and 2 MTB-O courses will be waiting for you to discover:

• Short MTB-O, 5.1km, 10 controls
• Medium MTB-O, 6.4km, 13 controls
• Novice Foot-O, 3.1km, 9 controls
• Intermediate Foot-O, 4.1km, 8 controls
• Short Advanced Foot-O, 4.1km, 12 controls
• Long Advanced Foot-O, 6.2km, 16 controls
• Extra-Long Foot-O, 8.2km, 19 controls
• Note that the above course lengths are the straight line distances between controls. Riders in particular will need to travel much further via the trail network.

Meeting Point: On-site registration will be under the Henri Latreille shelter just south of parking area P1 (45.376, -75.243) on Indian Creek Rd. in Larose Forest.

Directions: Larose Forest is a 35min (43km) drive from central Ottawa. Head east on Hwy 417 and take exit 88 onto Rockdale Rd. Turn left (north) onto Rockdale Rd., then after 500m, turn right (east) onto Russland Rd and follow Russland east until it ends at Limoges Rd. Turn left (north), proceed around the bend, then proceed east for ~2.5km before turning left (north) onto Indian Creek Rd. P1 is ~1km ahead on your left.
Registration: 10am - 11:15am
Mini-clinic for beginners: 10:30am
Foot-O Starts: 10:15am - 11:30am
MTB-O Starts: 10:15am - 12:15
Finish: Courses close and controls are collected at 2pm. All participants must report to finish by 2pm.

Event Notes
Note that many MTB trails north and west of P1 are unidirectional (one way travel only). The proper direction of travel for these trails will be indicated on the maps using red arrows (see example below). On these trails, all riders, walkers and runners may only travel in the direction shown by the arrows. There are also quite a few trails without arrows on which you can travel in either direction. If you hear MTB riders approaching from behind, please step to the side of the trail and let them pass. The minimum tire width for riding at Larose is 2.1 in - so no gravel bikes or hybrid bikes are allowed. A portion of the event proceeds will be used to make a donation to the OMBA trail-building fund.

For MTB-O, it is very helpful to carry your map on a map board attached to the handlebars of your bike (see photo) so that the map is visible at all times. Moreover, the map board can be rotated so that the map remains oriented with the terrain as you change direction. MTB map boards can be purchased from the O-store, or bring your own. The O-store also sells finger sticks if you want to get one.

If anyone is available to help pick up controls after 2pm please reach out to Andrew (Andrew.Cornett@ottawaoc.ca). Your help will be greatly appreciated!

We are also looking for greeters for all upcoming meets. A simple task of making everyone feel welcome, answer questions, help with registration tablets.... There is still, then, lots of time to get out on course yourself. If you can help out, please email lynda@ottawaoc.ca. Thank you.

And a note from NAOC
A number of folks generously lent us their 10 and 20 litre water containers for putting out on course at the NAOC races in Calabogie. While some have been returned there are still a few sitting waiting to be claimed, with no apparent ownership indicated on them. If any of these are yours, please e-mail anne@teutsch.ca and let me know which one belongs to you.

Location