While Canadians from the western part of their nation have several options for off road stage racing, Crank the Shield is the first such race to appear in eastern Canada. The three-day race will traverse a section of Ontario's near north from September 19-21.
The "Shield" in the race's name refers to the Canadian Shield, a large mass of bedrock covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of Canada from Ontario’s near north to the Arctic according to the race's website. The geography associated with the shield has produced "diverse terrain with scattered lakes, bogs, hills, and exposed rock."
