Victoria to Nanaimo?

Has anyone ever ridden from Victoria to Nanaimo BC? I am wondering about riding my bike onto the ferry in Port Angeles, WA and riding up in one day to see and stay with some relatives in Nanaimo, and then riding back. If anyone has done it, I would be curious about:

Overall ride difficulty?
Malahat elevation gain and grades?
Road surfaces and shoulders?
Traffic?
Rerouting tips?
Bike on the Coho ferry?

Anything...

Thanks!

I haven't done it but you might find some info here:

http://www.island.net/~randos/schedu...ver_island.htm

or here:

http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca

http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/schedule/sch_vi.html

I'd love to do that ride. We rode the "Galloping Goose" in Victoria at the end of August. Nowhere near as far but lots of fun.

Here's a link to another web site that appears to be a good source of info on cycling Vancouver Island: http://www.cyclevancouverisland.ca/.

--- Denise

I've done the Malahat once, but never ridden all the way to Nanaimo. The 'Hat has steep sections mixed with level sections, and climbs to about 365 meters (about 1200ft). In some places the road is wide, smooth, and has good shoulders for cycling; in others it is narrow with rough shoulders. The views, however, are gorgeous! You can bypass the 'Hat with a short and pretty ferry ride.
After the Malahat, the route is rolling terrain with long gentle grades and descents, with reasonable shoulders for riding in most places. Traffic can be frantic at times especially on the older, narrower sections, and there are usually road repairs/upgrades along the way. There are side routes as an alternate way to Nanaimo, but they add significant distance and time to the trip.
A brief discussion recently on a local board:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gvcc-members/message/4249

Please PM or email me if you need more info!

~Sherry.

Thanks everyone...lots of good info here. After I posted my initial question, I found a letter on a BC Randon... site talking about how the addition of rumble strips has decreased the amount of riding space in the shoulders. It made me a little nervous.