visit to ottowa

I am an Australian grandmother who is coming to visit my son daughter in law& granddaughter
in Ottowa mid September until November. I ride 3-4 times a week as well as 2 gym sessions
called Topride here similar to RPM or spinning. I am not bringing my bike & will be suffering
serious withdrawal symptoms.I am thinking of hiring a bike or maybe buying a cheapie so I
can get in my dose and leave it behind when I return to Oz. I would be interested in where to ride, weather conditions & if there are any social groups I could join,it would be a great way to meet
people with similar interests.Any hints or suggestions welcome. Thanks a heap
Grannieann

Ottawa :) is a cool city & has some great places to see! The Museum of Civilization is worth the time & effort. Same with Mackenzie King's house (odd pm gent he was..) (at least i think it's mackenzie king's house..)

Perhaps cycling round the Rideau canal before it gets too cold ;)

Do get out on the bike since Ottawa does have a network of bike routes and also the park area in Gatineau Hills would be beautiful in the autumn. Vivid fall leaf colour! I have cycled there twice and stayed in city/area for a few days.

The colour show should start shortly after you arrive and last by mid-October (after Canadian Thanksgiving).

Ottawa has a club with about 1200 members, and lots of cycling from the easy relaxed way to hardcore. Check out http://www.ottawabicycleclub.ca/ for lots of links. There's a membership fee, but not too expensive. Many Canadian granny's too!

You can rent all sorts of bikes downtown at http://www.rentabike.ca/

Gatineau Park is well worth the ride in the fall. It's about 30 minutes from downtown so you will need transportation but if you have family this shouldn't be a problem. It has road and mountain bike riding. Mountain bikes can be rented from the park or from the bike shop - both in Chelsea, Quebec close to the park. It's hilly but the fall colours can't be missed.

Now lets hope our weather improves before September - we've had nothing but rain this summer. Sept - Nov could have any weather from above 20C to snow. Cyclocross riding occurs until the snow is about 10 cm deep. After the end of October you've got to have the gear to ride outside.

thank you to the kind people who have offered suggestions for my coming visit
I am looking forward to coming to Ottowa and it sounds like an ideal place to
ride a bike-my son has a road bike-an old Malvern Star made in Australia-but it is
too big for me. Quite likely it would be the only one in Ottowa!
Here at the moment
weather is cool to cold, still winter & rugging up for rides, but of course nothing like
winter over there. I hope to compete in
Kangaroo Hoppet (crosscountry ski-race) end of August then some bike touring
in Bendigo district prior to flying to Canada.
cheers to all you good people
Keep riding
Ann

I live in Ottawa and am a daily cycling commuter. Ottawa has a very good path system for recreational rides. I advise a bike rental at Cyco's--good rates. (Your hosts can advise you on location) They supply a helmet--but it would be wiser to bring your own. There are 2 cycling clubs here--and I suppose if you are a keen sport for road rides of greater intensity, they can take you on for one of their pre scheduled turn outs.......Weather wise will not be predictable. For example--it rained all July this year--and now August is extremely muggy. Come September, it will be cooler, of course, but you may only need a light jacket for day time jaunts..........The rules of the road apply--and since Oz drives/rides on the opposite side of the road, this also applies to the cycle paths. This might take you a few days to adjust to. Law wise, a bicycle MUST have a bell, and minimally something reflective on the frame, for night riding. A helmet is not legally required for persons over the age of 18--but it is in the best interest of your travel insurance company to use one..........The city is quite viewable from a touring cyclist's point of view, and does have some very pleasant venues... .I also advise having a lock for your bicycle, for ANY time you stop and wander off to visit the sights--as a precaution.................There was a terrible cycling accident here last month--and now the local paper suggests a minor 'war' between cars and cyclists and pedestrians--rules of the road, path sharing, right of way and courtesy issues. These are actually not new problems--only brought to everyone's attention because of 5 cyclists mowed down by an SUV.........I think you will enjoy your stay and enjoy the sights. Please enjoy your visit when you arrive!

JLD