Le Tour du Quebec
Jul. 18th, 2005 11:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pbrayShort version
This was my tenth bike tour, and my eighth with myformer sister-in-law friend Stacey. The cycling is the main attraction for us, but we look forward to exploring a different place each year. This time it was Quebec, where we experienced the beautiful scenery of the countryside as well as the Europrean-flavored charm of Quebec City. The people we encountered were all friendly and helpful to non-French speaking Americans. The biggest challenge was the weather, as they were experiencing a record heat spell (most days in the high 90s, and one memorable day over 100 degrees).
The cycling was challenging, but there were a couple of days of mostly flat terrain, and we agreed that for next year's trip we'll look for more hilly/mountainous riding. When we got back Saturday night, we pulled out the tour catalogs, already thinking about next year's trip.
More than you probably want to know about a bike tour
I've done ten tours with five different companies. The tours all start the same way-- you drive or fly to the first city and meet up with your fellow cyclists and guides. This year the group was 15 guests with three guides (two guides were in training). It was one of the larger tours I've been on and just on the edge of being manageable.
It took 7 hours to drive the 370 miles from New York to our starting point in Quebec. Arrived Sunday afternoon in time to check out the rental bikes, then have a glass of wine before joining the group for the opening reception and dinner.
The people who take bike tours are a self-selecting group, and with few exceptions most of them are interesting people and good traveling companions. I still keep in touch with many of the people I've met over the years.
Most people are curious when they find out I write books, something that Stacey is sure to tell people if I forget. At dinner the first night, the gentleman seated to my right asked me why I had a day job if I was also a writer. In my best educate the public mode, I gently pointed out that while the public reads about the record advances paid to Bill Clinton, JK Rowling or Stephen King, most writers don't make those sums, just as most actors don't command the well-publicized salaries of a Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts. The gentleman heard my comments and dismissed them, saying that any decent writer could easily make $50K a year, with the implication that anyone who didn't make that sum was simply not trying. Brief urge to kill, but I wasn't going to waste more time on this idiot. I merely changed the subject and then avoided being seated next to him for the rest of the trip.
During the week, we rose early each day, had breakfast, reviewed the day's route notes, and then went off on our bikes. There are set routes, but there is no requirement that you cycle along at a particular pace or with a particular group. You are free to go as fast or slow as you want. Stacey and I are compatible riders-- we weren't the fastest of the group, but we did the maximum miles each day. Most days we were on our bikes for between five and seven hours, with only brief stops for snacks and a sandwich at lunch.
Monday was five and a half hours of cycling along the banks of the Saint Lawrence, with a stop at Fort Chambly. We returned to our inn for another seven course dinner. The food was excellent, but serving eighteen of us meant that dinner took nearly three hours, and by the time I stood up at the end of the meal my muscles had completely stiffened up.
Tuesday was a transfer day, which meant our destination was the next inn. The nice part of a guided tour is that you don't worry about the luggage-- the guides take care of moving your stuff. You just have to get yourself and your bike there, and in this case it was 44 miles on another hot day. The scenery was fairly flat with dairy farms and fields of corn and soybeans. The roads were incredibly bad-- rutted and potholed so that our wrists ached, and our butts were sore. All but two of the other riders elected to skip the last 12 mile stretch of bad roads, but Stacey and I decided we'd rather ride than wait for the van to shuttle us there. We pulled into the hotel parking lot at the same time as the van did.
Wednessday was another transfer day. Today we rode to Quebec City, though since we were coming from the eastern shore we couldn't actually cross the bridges into the city on bike at rush hour. Instead the van picked us and our bikes up after 55 miles, and brought us across. That night we had a free dinner, and I insisted on pasta. I'd had three nights of elaborate dining, and desparately needed a break.
Thursday morning we met for a walking tour of the city, then after lunch those who wanted to cycled out to Montmorency Falls. There was a brief violent rainstorm, and we all took shelter until the thunder and lightning passed. We were suitably impressed as the guide pointed out that Montmorency Falls is 1.5 times as high as Niagara Falls (though considerably less wide). Stacey and I took the tram to the top of the falls, walked across the bridge, then hiked down the 400+ stairs on the other side. Any leg muscles that hadn't been tested by cycling were well exercised by walking the steep streets of Quebec and the stairs at the falls.
Friday we cycled around the Ile d'Orleans which was the highlight of the trip. The island was absolutely beautiful-- much like Cape Cod must have been fifty years ago.
Saturday the van brought us back to the first inn, where I'd left my car, and then we drove home. This was tough-- it took three hours to get back to the first inn, then eight hours to drive home. After days of vigorous physical activity, sitting in the car for such a long time was hard.
Overall I had a great time. This was our second tour with this company, and we would definitely use them again. But the key is to pick a destination first and then find a tour company. We're running out of new places within driving distance, so I'm guessing next year we'll be heading out on a plane flight. And we're definitely going to select a destination that is rated challenging rather than moderate/challenging, so we'll have some more interesting cycling.
This was my tenth bike tour, and my eighth with my
The cycling was challenging, but there were a couple of days of mostly flat terrain, and we agreed that for next year's trip we'll look for more hilly/mountainous riding. When we got back Saturday night, we pulled out the tour catalogs, already thinking about next year's trip.
More than you probably want to know about a bike tour
I've done ten tours with five different companies. The tours all start the same way-- you drive or fly to the first city and meet up with your fellow cyclists and guides. This year the group was 15 guests with three guides (two guides were in training). It was one of the larger tours I've been on and just on the edge of being manageable.
It took 7 hours to drive the 370 miles from New York to our starting point in Quebec. Arrived Sunday afternoon in time to check out the rental bikes, then have a glass of wine before joining the group for the opening reception and dinner.
The people who take bike tours are a self-selecting group, and with few exceptions most of them are interesting people and good traveling companions. I still keep in touch with many of the people I've met over the years.
Most people are curious when they find out I write books, something that Stacey is sure to tell people if I forget. At dinner the first night, the gentleman seated to my right asked me why I had a day job if I was also a writer. In my best educate the public mode, I gently pointed out that while the public reads about the record advances paid to Bill Clinton, JK Rowling or Stephen King, most writers don't make those sums, just as most actors don't command the well-publicized salaries of a Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts. The gentleman heard my comments and dismissed them, saying that any decent writer could easily make $50K a year, with the implication that anyone who didn't make that sum was simply not trying. Brief urge to kill, but I wasn't going to waste more time on this idiot. I merely changed the subject and then avoided being seated next to him for the rest of the trip.
During the week, we rose early each day, had breakfast, reviewed the day's route notes, and then went off on our bikes. There are set routes, but there is no requirement that you cycle along at a particular pace or with a particular group. You are free to go as fast or slow as you want. Stacey and I are compatible riders-- we weren't the fastest of the group, but we did the maximum miles each day. Most days we were on our bikes for between five and seven hours, with only brief stops for snacks and a sandwich at lunch.
Monday was five and a half hours of cycling along the banks of the Saint Lawrence, with a stop at Fort Chambly. We returned to our inn for another seven course dinner. The food was excellent, but serving eighteen of us meant that dinner took nearly three hours, and by the time I stood up at the end of the meal my muscles had completely stiffened up.
Tuesday was a transfer day, which meant our destination was the next inn. The nice part of a guided tour is that you don't worry about the luggage-- the guides take care of moving your stuff. You just have to get yourself and your bike there, and in this case it was 44 miles on another hot day. The scenery was fairly flat with dairy farms and fields of corn and soybeans. The roads were incredibly bad-- rutted and potholed so that our wrists ached, and our butts were sore. All but two of the other riders elected to skip the last 12 mile stretch of bad roads, but Stacey and I decided we'd rather ride than wait for the van to shuttle us there. We pulled into the hotel parking lot at the same time as the van did.
Wednessday was another transfer day. Today we rode to Quebec City, though since we were coming from the eastern shore we couldn't actually cross the bridges into the city on bike at rush hour. Instead the van picked us and our bikes up after 55 miles, and brought us across. That night we had a free dinner, and I insisted on pasta. I'd had three nights of elaborate dining, and desparately needed a break.
Thursday morning we met for a walking tour of the city, then after lunch those who wanted to cycled out to Montmorency Falls. There was a brief violent rainstorm, and we all took shelter until the thunder and lightning passed. We were suitably impressed as the guide pointed out that Montmorency Falls is 1.5 times as high as Niagara Falls (though considerably less wide). Stacey and I took the tram to the top of the falls, walked across the bridge, then hiked down the 400+ stairs on the other side. Any leg muscles that hadn't been tested by cycling were well exercised by walking the steep streets of Quebec and the stairs at the falls.
Friday we cycled around the Ile d'Orleans which was the highlight of the trip. The island was absolutely beautiful-- much like Cape Cod must have been fifty years ago.
Saturday the van brought us back to the first inn, where I'd left my car, and then we drove home. This was tough-- it took three hours to get back to the first inn, then eight hours to drive home. After days of vigorous physical activity, sitting in the car for such a long time was hard.
Overall I had a great time. This was our second tour with this company, and we would definitely use them again. But the key is to pick a destination first and then find a tour company. We're running out of new places within driving distance, so I'm guessing next year we'll be heading out on a plane flight. And we're definitely going to select a destination that is rated challenging rather than moderate/challenging, so we'll have some more interesting cycling.
