I'm gonna soak up the sun
Got my 45 on
So I can rock on...
Quebec City – Riviere Ouelle
Got my 45 on
So I can rock on...
- Sheryl Crow - "Soak up the sun"
Quebec City – Riviere Ouelle
142kms / 88 miles
If there are three words to sum up today they are, ‘I love tailwinds’.
If there are three words to sum up today they are, ‘I love tailwinds’.
Today’s ride was not only gorgeous in terms of scenery but it was also great terrain – flat to rolling primarily along the Saint Lawrence River. It was a lot of fun and if we hadn’t hit a lovely gravel bike trail for the last 30kms then we could easily have averaged about 30ish kms / hour for the day. To make the day even more spectacular, the weather was gorgeously sunny with a wind that chased us the entire 142kms. Dave, Brendan, Andrew, Ian and I all biked together for the day.
I slept really well last night thanks to a comfy bed in the Laval University dorms and after a breakfast of ‘8 items including synthetic eggs and 2 drinks’ I was ready to go. I was a bit worried about the stiffness of the headset of my bike as I think that one of the magnets in the headset has come loose which is making it a bit tougher to turn. Peter, John and Ray kindly looked at it for me and confirmed that it might need a bit of adjustment but would be ok for the day.
It was a chilly and foggy morning and we left campus heading for the ferry at around 8:30am. A bit of a late start but the forecast was good for the day and it was a short-ish day
. We cycled part way through Old Quebec where we’d walked the previous day along the St. Laurence River. The water looked like dark oil against the chalky grey buildings on either side of the river. Once again, Quebec did not fail to deliver in the quality of its bike paths – they were smooth and even and well marked with little traffic for a Saturday morning. The only ‘competition’ we really head along our trail was from a rollerblader who we ‘raced’ for a few kilometres to the ferry. Embarassingly she actually beat us going uphill!!! We
had a quick ‘caffe au lait’ and ‘pain au chocolate a emporter’ from the ‘Cochon Dingue’ and boarded the ferry. It was a huge boat considering the crossing only took about 10 minutes..!
When we reached Levis we had a short climb to get out of the village via Route 132 and then a broad shoulder to guide us along the way. The fog soon lifted and the sun came out to reveal the spectacular views and vistas overlooking the valley – it was absolutely beautiful. The land is primarily agricultural with corn, flax (?) and beans lining the route. There were also a plethora of local farmers stalls selling strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and sweet corn. You could actually smell the fresh fruit in the air..! The tailwind literally ‘carried’ us along and it made the entire ride so much more enjoyable as you actually had to exert very little energy to be propelled down the hills and over the rolling terrain.
The villages which we passed through were tiny but full of character – lovely quaint little homes and barns that looked like ‘gingerbread houses’ with colourful awnings and shutters – they were painted bright blue, yellow, red and green. Each village had a giant Catholic church in its ‘centre ville’. It’s clear that this part of Route 138 is a bit more touristy than other parts of Quebec that we’ve cycled through as there were also loads of restaurants, ‘casse croute’, pottery shops, yard sales, antique barns, vineyards, cheese making shops, cabinet makers, woo
d sculpture makers etc. No shortage of places to stop and things to see. Off in the distance we could clearly see the mountains – one of which was Mont Ste. Anne which looks a lot greener in the summer than it does in the winter..!
We stopped for a coffee and lunch at around 12:00 at Tim Hortons in Montmagny where I learned that in Quebec the ‘brown beans combo’ replaces the chilli combo on the Timmy’s lunch menu…! We were all in good spirits thanks to the fantastic weather, tailwind, views etc. There were certainly concerns about John who had fallen off of his bike and was rushed to the hospital but we were relieved to hear that he was ok, just a bit shaken up. It was a real ‘wake up call’ to everyone to continue to be aware of everything going on around you especially when city driving as cars sometimes don’t anticipate the moves that cyclists make. I must say, I am always relieved each night when everyone gets into camp safe and sound. I was really pleased to see him at camp this evening for dinner and he was in good spirits again.
The rest of the afternoon continued on in much the same way as the morning – lovely weather, a strong
west wind blowing us east and more spectacular views. We stopped for some photos in the villages of Saint Jean and Saint Roche des Aulnaies Moulin. We had a snack at Village des Aulnaies and then turned off onto a crushed limestone path along Route 132. The path initially presented some challenges in terms of ploughing through the gravel which sometimes sends my front wheel sliding. It takes some technique and concentration to stay on the bike and at a steady speed without braking. The path followed the Ste. Lawrence River and it was absolutely beautif
ul. Along the river were cattails and long purple flowers and reeds. So scenic – we made plenty of photo stops to capture the views. It was a real highlight of the day. The patch itself reminded me a lot of Holland and the paths from Schevening to Zaandvoort. Apparently until the 1950s beluga whales were often caught in this part of the St. Laurence..! The fish in the river are still a source of both food and income for the surrounding villages.
We cruised into camp at around 4:15pm to end a fantastic day of riding. It was definitely one of the easiest days of riding we’ve had in a very, very long time – everything including the weather and terrain cooperated which was such a treat. I am really hoping for much of the same tomorrow. Our cue
sheet says that it should be an easy one so if the weather cooperates then I might have the opportunity to fix my bike as well as give it a very, very long overdue cleaning. The chain is completely caked with mud still from our climb up Mont Royal back in Montreal..!
Tony and the Galley Crew for the evening prepared an awesome spaghetti speciality for everyone topped off with a cake to celebrate ‘Acadia Day’ yesterday. The spaghetti is always a treat and everyone loves it – a great meal to end a great day.
I am now sitting cross legged in my tent watching the sun set and a storm potentially start to roll in. T
he clouds are dark in the sky and the wind continues to blow. I will certainly have no problems sleeping this evening..! 
I slept really well last night thanks to a comfy bed in the Laval University dorms and after a breakfast of ‘8 items including synthetic eggs and 2 drinks’ I was ready to go. I was a bit worried about the stiffness of the headset of my bike as I think that one of the magnets in the headset has come loose which is making it a bit tougher to turn. Peter, John and Ray kindly looked at it for me and confirmed that it might need a bit of adjustment but would be ok for the day.
It was a chilly and foggy morning and we left campus heading for the ferry at around 8:30am. A bit of a late start but the forecast was good for the day and it was a short-ish day
. We cycled part way through Old Quebec where we’d walked the previous day along the St. Laurence River. The water looked like dark oil against the chalky grey buildings on either side of the river. Once again, Quebec did not fail to deliver in the quality of its bike paths – they were smooth and even and well marked with little traffic for a Saturday morning. The only ‘competition’ we really head along our trail was from a rollerblader who we ‘raced’ for a few kilometres to the ferry. Embarassingly she actually beat us going uphill!!! We
had a quick ‘caffe au lait’ and ‘pain au chocolate a emporter’ from the ‘Cochon Dingue’ and boarded the ferry. It was a huge boat considering the crossing only took about 10 minutes..!When we reached Levis we had a short climb to get out of the village via Route 132 and then a broad shoulder to guide us along the way. The fog soon lifted and the sun came out to reveal the spectacular views and vistas overlooking the valley – it was absolutely beautiful. The land is primarily agricultural with corn, flax (?) and beans lining the route. There were also a plethora of local farmers stalls selling strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and sweet corn. You could actually smell the fresh fruit in the air..! The tailwind literally ‘carried’ us along and it made the entire ride so much more enjoyable as you actually had to exert very little energy to be propelled down the hills and over the rolling terrain.
The villages which we passed through were tiny but full of character – lovely quaint little homes and barns that looked like ‘gingerbread houses’ with colourful awnings and shutters – they were painted bright blue, yellow, red and green. Each village had a giant Catholic church in its ‘centre ville’. It’s clear that this part of Route 138 is a bit more touristy than other parts of Quebec that we’ve cycled through as there were also loads of restaurants, ‘casse croute’, pottery shops, yard sales, antique barns, vineyards, cheese making shops, cabinet makers, woo
d sculpture makers etc. No shortage of places to stop and things to see. Off in the distance we could clearly see the mountains – one of which was Mont Ste. Anne which looks a lot greener in the summer than it does in the winter..!We stopped for a coffee and lunch at around 12:00 at Tim Hortons in Montmagny where I learned that in Quebec the ‘brown beans combo’ replaces the chilli combo on the Timmy’s lunch menu…! We were all in good spirits thanks to the fantastic weather, tailwind, views etc. There were certainly concerns about John who had fallen off of his bike and was rushed to the hospital but we were relieved to hear that he was ok, just a bit shaken up. It was a real ‘wake up call’ to everyone to continue to be aware of everything going on around you especially when city driving as cars sometimes don’t anticipate the moves that cyclists make. I must say, I am always relieved each night when everyone gets into camp safe and sound. I was really pleased to see him at camp this evening for dinner and he was in good spirits again.
The rest of the afternoon continued on in much the same way as the morning – lovely weather, a strong
west wind blowing us east and more spectacular views. We stopped for some photos in the villages of Saint Jean and Saint Roche des Aulnaies Moulin. We had a snack at Village des Aulnaies and then turned off onto a crushed limestone path along Route 132. The path initially presented some challenges in terms of ploughing through the gravel which sometimes sends my front wheel sliding. It takes some technique and concentration to stay on the bike and at a steady speed without braking. The path followed the Ste. Lawrence River and it was absolutely beautif
ul. Along the river were cattails and long purple flowers and reeds. So scenic – we made plenty of photo stops to capture the views. It was a real highlight of the day. The patch itself reminded me a lot of Holland and the paths from Schevening to Zaandvoort. Apparently until the 1950s beluga whales were often caught in this part of the St. Laurence..! The fish in the river are still a source of both food and income for the surrounding villages.We cruised into camp at around 4:15pm to end a fantastic day of riding. It was definitely one of the easiest days of riding we’ve had in a very, very long time – everything including the weather and terrain cooperated which was such a treat. I am really hoping for much of the same tomorrow. Our cue
sheet says that it should be an easy one so if the weather cooperates then I might have the opportunity to fix my bike as well as give it a very, very long overdue cleaning. The chain is completely caked with mud still from our climb up Mont Royal back in Montreal..!Tony and the Galley Crew for the evening prepared an awesome spaghetti speciality for everyone topped off with a cake to celebrate ‘Acadia Day’ yesterday. The spaghetti is always a treat and everyone loves it – a great meal to end a great day.
I am now sitting cross legged in my tent watching the sun set and a storm potentially start to roll in. T
he clouds are dark in the sky and the wind continues to blow. I will certainly have no problems sleeping this evening..! 
1 comment:
Your journey sounds awesome! It reminds me of my brother who has become an avid biker/triathalon-er since moving to AZ. He would LOVE to do something like you're doing!
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