Tour de Holland
One of our favourite rides, and it's only thirty minutes from Toronto. Punchy King City hills, then the wide-open flats of the Holland Marsh.
Distance
63 km
Elevation
470 m
Ride time
2.5–3.5 hr
Difficulty
Moderate
One of our favourite rides, and it's only thirty minutes from Toronto. Punchy King City hills, then the wide-open flats of the Holland Marsh.
Distance
63 km
Elevation
470 m
Ride time
2.5–3.5 hr
Difficulty
Moderate
The route
About this ride
One of our favourite rides, and the best part is it's only half an hour from home.
Then the route drops into the Holland Marsh, the flat, jet-black farmland known as Ontario's "vegetable basket," where the Holland River valley opens into a wide agricultural plain running north toward Lake Simcoe. It's a striking, fast change of scenery, with nothing between you and the horizon. The village of Schomberg, about a third of the way round, makes the natural coffee stop before you climb back up onto the moraine for the run home.
Stops along the way
6 of 6 showing
0 km · loop start/finish
We parked at Villanova College (2480 15th Sideroad, King City). Easy lot to roll out from, with sideroads to warm the legs up before the first climbs.
Open in Maps →~22 km · Schomberg
Our favourite stop on the route, right on Main Street in Schomberg. Fair warning: they're closed Mondays (otherwise Tue–Sat 7:00–4:30, Sun 7:30–4:30), so don't roll up on a Monday like we did.
Open in Maps →~23 km · Schomberg
When Grackle was closed, we ducked over to Euro Market Cafe, a family-run Italian bakery and market with espresso, fresh pastries, and gelato. A great plan B, and honestly a fine plan A.
Open in Maps →~50 km · short detour, Kettleby
A short hop off the route in Kettleby on the way home: an Italian bakery with a hot lunch counter and tables outside. Open Mon–Sat 8–6. Good last fuel before the final hills.
Open in Maps →~37 km
Around the middle, the route drops into the flats of the Holland Marsh. It opens right up and it's beautiful, but there's nothing out there to block the wind. Tuck in, get aero, and take turns on the front if you're with a group.
last ~10 km
The climbing is front- and back-loaded. The last few rollers before King City can feel cruel after the marsh, so keep a little in reserve for the finish.
From the ride
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