How many Canadian girls do we have here??

[Popoki_Nui]

Sometimes, when I'm grinding up a hill here (cursing and wondering why I moved to probably the lumpiest part of the country), I think about riding in a much flatter area like you are. Oh well.

[Nansel]

Hi other Canadians, as especially other Vancouver Islanders! I've been lurking here for a while, feeling all sad not having a road bike, and not seeing one in the budget. Mountain biking has lost some of it's enjoyment for me, this area being extremely hilly, and the trails all rocks 'n' roots .

Then just before Christmas, lo and behold, in the window of a pawn shop, calling to me:


Yay! We got a bargain on it, and I've been tweaking it to fit me in the last couple of weeks. Today there was actually some sun, so I went out for an hour or so. It was awesome.

Anyhoos - howdy!

[Popoki_Nui]

Howdy Nansel! Another Islander, I presume? Getting to be more and more of us here.
Congrats on the new road bike too. Hope you get many enjoyable km's on it.


Cheers,
~Sherry.

[Nansel]

Howdy Nansel! Another Islander, I presume? Getting to be more and more of us here.
Congrats on the new road bike too. Hope you get many enjoyable km's on it.


Cheers,
~Sherry.

Thanks! Yes, I'm in Nanaimo.

[Popoki_Nui]

What is the cycling like in Nanaimo? Any good scenic paths/trails and/or relatively safe road routes one could ride as a day trip?

I need a change of scenery: been riding the same roads in Victoria for almost 40 years...I'm bored to tears! It'd be worth the drive just to find a nice change of scenery.

Thanks!
~Sherry.

[Nansel]

Well, for a short answer, I'd say "Not really". Lots of stop lights and not many roads that you can get going on for any distance, other than the Island Highway. The ride from Nanaimo to Parksville (35km) on the highway is probably the nicest ride I've ever done around here, but that was almost 20 years ago back when I had my first road bike!

We only have two paths - the E&N trailway is really short (8km). The Parkway Trailway is 20km but full of really short and steeps with lots of blind spots where you can't see the occasional dog walker or kid weaving across the path ahead of you.

The roads in Cedar (rural area) are popular place to road ride around here, but I haven't as of yet tried them. I've been mountain biking and commuting (15 minutes) for the last 10 years or so, and haven't tried many road routes. I know from driving that the roads are pretty narrow and people tend to drive fast.

Compared to other cities I've lived in (Ottawa, Winnipeg), Nanaimo is not very roadie friendly.

[Popoki_Nui]

Ok, thanks. Kind of as I suspected, as we really never hear of Nanaimo being a cycle-friendly city. Still might make an interesting day of discovery one day this summer.