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Thread: Canada?

  1. #1
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    Canada?

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    Anyone tour in canada? We're interested in touring in Quebec this summer. Any advice would be welcome.

  2. #2
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    Velo Quebec is the cycling organization there.

    http://www.velo.qc.ca/english/index.php On this page is a link to Montreal's cycling map. Grog, a TE member can tell you more, she lived there for awhile.

    http://www.routeverte.com/rv/index_e.php?page=carte Cycling route system=Route Verte (Green Route) It is marked system with signage. Some sections clearly market businesses and bed 'n breakfast places for cyclists.

    http://www.routeverte.com/rv/index_e.php?code=outaouais lst year we bike toured in west of Ottawa (Ontario), in city itself and went as far east as Montebello.

    2nd trip we went to Mont Tremblant. (a mountain bike area and ski hill area)with Route Verte route nearby.

    http://www.routeverte.com/rv/index_e.php?code=quebec 3rd trip we cycled out of Quebec City, where we cycled the route northwest of Quebec City to Saint Raymond. There are some terrific goat cheese farms/outlets. More gourmet, stronger flavours as you would find from France. (Click on the white box, Accommodations Bienvenue Cyclistes, to locate accommodation. Red house icons will pop up.)

    I haven't been to Perce Rock by the Gaspe Peninsula which is supposed to be lovely (and abit windy) and a bird sanctuary there.
    Last edited by shootingstar; 05-13-2009 at 06:50 PM.
    My Personal blog on cycling & other favourite passions.
    遙知馬力日久見人心 Over a long distance, you learn about the strength of your horse; over a long period of time, you get to know what’s in a person’s heart.

  3. #3
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    Thanks, these are great leads!

  4. #4
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    Do check out Vélo Québec's web page (pointed above by ShootingStar). If by any chance you are interested in a supported tour, DO check out the Grand Tour (on Vélo Québec's web site). It's similar to Cycle Oregon: week long, 75-110 km a day, including shortcuts and detours, they carry your gear, you tent out (there are b&b spots but they must all be taken by now). Around 2,000 cyclists. They cook all your meals including lunch, and the food is fantastic. There is a bistro and you can dance until midnight and get up bright and early to ride the next day. It's an UNBELIEVABLE experience, and this year the itinerary takes you along really interesting routes. Highly, highly recommended. A not very expensive considering all the spectacular amenities. Oh and I didn't tell you about the mechanics. They'll even loan you a bike (or a wheel or whatever) if you have an issue with yours.

    A great, no-brainer way to discover the province.

  5. #5
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    Thanks, will look at it. I have done several tours where gear was carried and meals provided, and they have been great, but I was never on one (besides an MS 150) with so large a group as 2,000 riders. Most have been less than 100. Over the last few years I've worked toward the self contained touring I did in my youth, where we were more spontaneous and responsible for our own support. But this will be a first tour for my husband, and we'll see what he is up for! He may like the supporte option.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by bikerbarb View Post
    Thanks, will look at it. I have done several tours where gear was carried and meals provided, and they have been great, but I was never on one (besides an MS 150) with so large a group as 2,000 riders. Most have been less than 100. Over the last few years I've worked toward the self contained touring I did in my youth, where we were more spontaneous and responsible for our own support. But this will be a first tour for my husband, and we'll see what he is up for! He may like the supporte option.
    It is quite big, think summer camp for adults. But it doesn't feel extremely crowded. Different from self-supported touring in the bush, though!

    One thing I must say though: I don't know how old you are, but at 30-ish we were among the youngest a couple of years ago. The average age is 47. Lots of people who "finally" have teenage kids they can leave home alone for a week.

    Also, obviously, all services are in French. People will gladly try to speak English if needed though. My husband speaks very little French but he LOVED it regardless.

    If you follow this link: http://www.velo.qc.ca/grandtour/index.php?jour=1 you can check out last year's Grand Tour newsletter (distributed every morning). The menu is on the right-hand side. You can check out the other days at the top (Jour 2, Jour 3, etc.). It rained more than a bit last year though.

  7. #7
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    I have one comment, if in Montreal, and not vegetarian, you HAVE to try Schwatze's smoked meat. It's a nothing looking place, doesn't serve alcohol, the steak platter is a heart attack on a plate, but the flavour!

  8. #8
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    um... I just posted in the Canada section... but I too am hoping to go to Canada (Nova Scotia) and tour and (not to thread hijack), but I would welcome any info too. I contacted the Nova Scotia tourism dept and bike Nova Scotia web site... any other info would be very welcome... thanks!

  9. #9
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    I don't know if you have already started travelling but I will throw in my two cents.

    I live in Montreal and it is a great cycling city. There are bike paths everywhere. It is particularly fun to end up on the Gilles Villeneuve race track (where Formula One used to race) and take a good spin on the bikes. You have a lot of great references in the posts already. Get yourself a good guide to the Route Verte, which runs throughout the province.

    We want to try the Petit Train du Nord in the Laurentians this year. We just bought our hybrids yesterday and this will be our first big trip on them. It is about a 200 km ride.

    Have fun - if you have specific questions, I would be more than happy to help!

  10. #10
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    my Quebec tour--update

    So...we rode the green route for 9 days, starting in Sherbrooke, up to Quebec City where we spent 2 days and circling around through Three Rivers and around through Magog and back to Sherbrooke. I have to say it was not what I expected. Most of the riding was off road. Closer to towns the bikes paths were paved, but other than that, they were not. Crushed gravel, slow going, esp. with gear. There were lots of places where you had to be really careful. When we were on the road, it was often not pretty riding--such as the day out of Quebec City. Highway riding that was not interesting.

    The small towns were nice and so were the people, but I have been--in Canada, the US, France and Japan--on much more scenic rides. Lots of the time I was just getting through it. The guide book was helpful finding places to stay, but it didn't have descriptions of the places we were going. It's pictures were misleading. I kept wondering where the found the idyllic scenic place to take a picture of a biker on a nice road bike--not one that would survive the rough trails. I also thought that the native bikers knew better and were all on other roads, not on the official green route.

    The consolation to all of this was that this past weekend I did an MS 150 and was incredibly strong and fast from the 'training' of slogging through the trails with 40+ lbs of gear in the weeks before!

  11. #11
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    I would agree that crushed gravel/hard packed dirt routes, require much more physical energy to cycle..which is why I have always considered bike touring with weight of one's baggage, comparable to serious physical demands and stamina (mental also) as ie. doing intervals.

    If any scoffing racer in a cycling kit with their weenie weight bike wouldn't believe tourers, they should try cycling with 20 lbs. of pannier weight on such paths and roads for 6 hrs. in 1 day. By supper one occasionally just settle for MacDonald's instead of cycling around town another 15 kms. to find the cosy bistro/restaurant. Too much energy by that time.

    sorry that the route you took didn't meet scenic expectations or more frequency of panoramic/scenic vistas. Did you learn anything about Quebec that you didn't know (aside from the bike route/highways, towns you saw)?

    Where else have you cycled in Canada? Just curious, to know what other more scenic areas of Canada that you have experienced from the bike saddle?
    My Personal blog on cycling & other favourite passions.
    遙知馬力日久見人心 Over a long distance, you learn about the strength of your horse; over a long period of time, you get to know what’s in a person’s heart.

  12. #12
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    Other parts of Canada I've biked in are all around the Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake area and I've participated in a 3-4 day event in Ontario called Cyclon with the Toronto Bicycle Network. It originated out of Barrie and headed north and west of there. Both were very pretty and scenic.
    Any advice? I 'd like to bike in Nova Scotia sometime...I've been there about 15 yrs ago but not on a bike.

 

 

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