Month: September 2022

Start: Becancour
End: St Apollinaire
Mileage/cumulative: 73.60 / 291.27
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 1,650’ / 5,912
Weather: Start – Partly Cloudy 51 degrees / Finish – Mostly Sunny 58 degrees
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 1 / 1

Everyone was sporting their cold weather gear for the start of Day Five. Yesterday was windy but warm enough to get by with shorts and jerseys. Today was windy and colder, so the arm warmers, leg warmers, vests, and jackets all came out. Most of the group was happy for cold temperatures. Nobody was happy about the damn wind.

The first 30 miles or so were nothing to write home about. That stretch was more industrial with more cars and trucks than we’ve experienced. None of the route was on dedicated bike paths but we had decent shoulders to ride on and drivers were, for the most part, respectful. With few exceptions, we’ve found drivers extremely polite to cyclists, yielding the right of way to us, stopping for us at trail crossings, and keeping a safe distance when passing us. Today was the first time we’ve encountered rude drivers and there were only a couple of them. Not bad for five days of riding. In America, that would have taken five minutes.

Continue reading “Quebec Day Five”

Start: Drummondville
End: Becancour
Mileage/cumulative: 47.66 / 217.67
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 948 / 4,262
Weather: Partly cloudy 66 degrees / Partly cloudy 63 degrees
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 1 / 1

The theme today was wind. Relentless headwinds and crosswinds blowing 15-20 mph for 47 miles. There is debate within the group about whether one would prefer rain or wind. Rain is miserable. Wind just makes you work harder. Today’s wind blew in a cold front, bringing an abrupt end to summer and a 20 degree change from just two days ago. Autumn has arrived with a bang.

Today’s route was completely different than the first three days of this trip. We were on country roads, riding past dairy farms, cornfields, and pig farms. We’ve ridden our bikes through farm country in the American Midwest but this was much more beautiful. There were rolling hills dotted with barns and silos, shallow rivers fed by the St. Lawrence, and stunning views that went for miles. Because a portion of the route was on Quebec’s Route Verte bike network, there was even a sparkling clean port-a-potty in the middle of nowhere, complete with a bike rack. This was a cyclist’s paradise.

Continue reading “Quebec Day Four”

Start: Granby
End: Drummondville
Mileage/cumulative: 50.91 / 170.01
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 1,152’ / 3,314
Weather: Cloudy 62 degrees / Cloudy 71 degrees
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 0 / 0

On multi-day trips like this, when the only mode of transportation is a bicycle, everyone becomes obsessed with weather forecasts. No self-respecting cyclist has only one weather app on their phone and cyclists “in the know” will compare forecasts from various sources. Preparing for rain means having a rain coat, rain pants, shoe covers, and a helmet cover to keep everything dry. When the forecast for Day Three called for rain at some point during our ride, we packed for the worst. So, naturally, it didn’t rain until we reached our hotel. Whew. We got lucky!

The day’s route was 51 miles, all of it on bike paths and with no worries about cars. The vast majority of miles were on crushed gravel through forests and farmland. This region is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, a longitudinal chain of valley lowlands of the Appalachian mountain system that runs from Canada to Alabama. We are spending a few days riding in those lowlands and the scenery is spectacular. We saw our first hint of autumn and the much cooler temperatures in the upcoming days will only accelerate the transition from summer to fall. 

Continue reading “Quebec Day Three”

Start: Montreal
End: Granby
Mileage/cumulative: 69.61 / 119.10
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 1,004 / 2,162
Weather: Start – Sunny 66 degrees / Finish – Sunny 82 degrees
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 0 / 0

The group was buzzing with excitement this morning, ready to leave Montreal and ride eastward into the country. The city was fun but this group is made for riding long distances and moving from town to town. Bob T., our designated unofficial navigator who has some freakishly brilliant internal GPS, led us out of Montreal as we crossed the St. Lawrence river for the third time in two days. It wasn’t long before we popped out into farmland and beautiful views of the Richelieu River.

The Richelieu runs north-south with the Chambly Canal running alongside it. The canal is a National Historic Site of Canada, constructed in 1831 and opened in 1843. It is part of a waterway that connects the St. Lawrence River with the Hudson River in the United States and served as a major commercial route between the two countries until post World War I. Today it still operates for recreational vessels.

Continue reading “Quebec Day Two”

Start: Montreal
End: Montreal
Mileage/cumulative:  49.49/49.49
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 1,158’/1,158’
Weather: Start: Cloudy 63 degrees; Finish: Sunny 82 degrees
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 0/0

We had the benefit of spending two full days exploring Montreal on foot before spending our first day cycling in this colorful, multi-cultural city with beautiful architecture and abundant green space. It’s a city that is at the same time old and youthful with new generations preserving its heritage and unique flavor.

There’s not enough space here to adequately describe what makes Montreal so special. It’s the coexistence of French and English, with students attending their corresponding schools based upon family lineage. It’s the recycling and composting receptacles all around the city. It’s the hydration stations in public spaces and the lack of plastic water bottles sold in food establishments. It’s the amount of open space: parks, plazas, relaxation zones, all with form and function in mind and a commitment to public art. It’s the infrastructure for walking and cycling, encouraging people to be active outdoors. It’s Mont Royal, the crown jewel of their parks, an enormous space designed by Frederick Olmstead, who created beautiful parks all over the world, including New York’s Central Park. It’s all of that and so much more.

Continue reading “Quebec Day One”