Hello all,
Before this trip, I last biked in July of 2007 - sooo mebbe next time I train more. But after this I was inspired to get a road bike and am waiting for my LBS to finish her up.

So this summer, I just HAD to go on a long bike vacation to get away from jobtakeovermycompany'sbeensoldtoahedgefundlayingpeopeoffstress. And make that a ride at a level much higher than my skill please!

Being cheap, I found a nonprofit quebec based cycle tourism outfit. I can full heartedly recommend Velo Quebec - caveat - most people are French speakers so bring a friend if your french is shaky. I went anyway without any french and made them speak English. They were really nice people.

I also learned that hey.. I suck at bicycling!! Up the hill, a middle aged woman passes me on a flat bar hybrid, ok, I'm that woman anyhow..oh but then her mother passes me on the uphill. eeeek There were a bunch of fit fast older folks on par with the younger guys in terms of speed. The guide said that last year in France on a high level ride, she met an 85 year old lady on the tour. That sounds like a plan for me.

Here's the site: The main site with many trips all around:
http://www.velo.qc.ca/english/index.php

and here's my trip:
http://www.velo.qc.ca/voyages/index_...ermont-Cantons

So this is a level 4...out of 6. Level 6 being the Etape stage of the Tour de France - So level 4 was um.. HARD!!! I met most of the Green Mountains of Vermont. But wow gorgeous.

Day 1 was Coaticook to Magog, a very cute tourist destination in Quebec. Food was on your own and excellent as was hotel. 91 km ride Lotsa hills. I was slow slow slow!! what's with these gears! Oh change them aha!! Dinner sweetbreads in small bistro

Day 2 was Magog to Sutton, a shorter 71 km ride with a great view of the lake at Magog. Lotsa hills. The ride ended with a downpour and a half mile UPHILL to the motel - yikes! Dinner came with, I was dead last and the guide was um annoyed that I wasn't up to the ride. Lesson of the day: use your big gears for downhills and flats so you keep momentum for the uphill.

Day 3 was Sutton to Burlington 114 km - smaller hills beautiful countryside. Oh what's that um...scent ... cow pie country in lovely cheese/icecream making Vermont. Dinner came with. Rosemount Shiraz 2007. Liberty School bottle needed more time.

Day 4 - rest in Burlington - hippy hangout. Was harassed by random dude asking "where're you from" (I'm asian) as if its his business. When he got the brush off, he started saying "one world, one world".... whatever!! I was definitely not on his planet. Microbrew - Long Trail Ale.

Day 5 - was Burlington to Montpelier, the big Challenge, 4.6 km at 15 degrees up the Appalachian Gap!! I made it up 1/3 then pushed. The old ladies I was following did 2/3 then pushed. About 3 out of 12 made it up w/out walking. Lesson of the day, how to pace endurance on longlonglong uphills - go slow, don't look up, count to 10 over and over again and you will make it to your max out limit.

Dinner at hotel...food so so but wine was Pouillet Fuisse George DuBouef 2006 wow excellent!! I love the French white burgundies - not oaky at all. Half the bottle - or more - went down my gullet ahhh.

Day 6 - was Montpelier to St.Johnsbury, greet the morning with a 3 mile climb, then smaller hills and a nice ride with excellent descents. Dinner at the Wine Gate. Mixed French and Italian reds.

Day 7 - St.J back to Coaticook, a quick flat 108 km.

Home finally, my knee's great but the rest of me is burned, bitten, abraded...what a great vacation.


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(='.'=) Margaret
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