Sojourners by Bike-Day6/Part 2

Trois-Rivires to Quebec City – 85 miles

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We left our lunch stop at Deschambault committed to riding the rest of the way to Quebec City – about 45 miles. Committed, and excited to complete the 85 mile day.

Some of you are probably thinking we should be committed for riding 85 miles!

When we rolled away from Angelus Bistro it was just the two of us. A few of the group were in front and others hadn’t left yet. In discussions at lunch, arrangements were made for a few options of catching the van – around 45 miles and 70 mile points – right before climbs.

After a few miles, the ride instructions directed us to the Rue de Quai, the longest qaui (pier) in Canada, toward Portneuf Maritime Terminal. There was a restaurant there that a couple of the group lunched at. Reading on we could see that once you got to the end of the pier you simply turned around and got back on the road/bike pathway we were on. We decided to skip the pier and continue on with our ride to Quebec City.

It would save us two miles – hey, two miles is two miles.

Before long we were on Route 138, the Chemin du Roy, “Kings Highway”, one of the oldest highways in Canada. It follows the north shore of the Saint Lawrence.  Although we could not see it all the time, we knew the Saint Lawrence was just to our right as we headed towards Quebec City. The route was definitely starting to get a little hillier, but nothing like the 10%+ grade climbs we would see later on.

At mile 50 we turned off the Chemin du Roy to see the Cap Sante’ (Cape Health) historic church.

We didn’t get off our bikes, just stopping long enough to take a few pictures. The best thing about our stop was it gave Deena a chance to catch up (she had biked to the Portneuf pier).  I was glad to have her riding with us. It was best, IMO, if no one had to ride alone. There is safety in numbers and just having someone else to keep you company is nice.  Maybe that comes from years and years of solo riding, but for a tour like this – where you are riding in unknown territory – it’s best to have at least one other person with you. Besides Deena was a strong rider and we could all take turns pulling at the front.

We took off again on the Chemin du Roy rolling along at a moderate pace, but dealing with strong headwinds. I continued to feel better and stronger and enjoyed just powering along.

We came to the first of the three steep hills at mile 54. This hill was relatively short, just over .5 mile and was the least steep of the three. We did it without any problem.

At mile 61 we turned left off of Route 138 the Chemin du Roy on to the rue des Erables. We rode on Erables for two miles – a steady and sometimes steep climb through a small village with lots of quaint and unique houses. No cookie cutter homes here, thank you.

About the time we thought it had leveled off, it continued to climb. None of these climbs were “categorized” in that they were not singled out on our route directions.  Just warm up climbs that didn’t even deserve a mention when compared to what lay ahead. Oh boy.

We got back on to Route 138/Chemin du Roy and followed the Route Verte 5.  We stopped for a bit to refuel with energy bars and add electrolyte tablets to the water we had left in our bottles. We couldn’t afford to bonk so it was important to continue to take in nutrition.

The closer we got to Quebec City the more varied the terrain got.  At mile 65 we were warned to watch our speed on a steep downhill which flattened on a wooden bridge.  The next couple of miles were easy with virtually no traffic and very bucolic.

Once again, I was amazed at the Route Verte and the quality of cycling roads available. So amazed, I had to stop and take a picture while Deena and Mark wait for me just up the road. This picture epitomized Quebec’s attitude and commitment to cyclists and the use of bikes as transportation.

We were getting excited as we got closer to Quebec City.  Earlier in the day the first mileage sign we saw for Quebec City showed 122 km to Quebec City. Over the miles/kilometers we watched them go down – now we were at about 25 km.

Just before mile 70 who should we see, but our fellow Sojourners! They had pulled off the road to wait for us so we could refill water bottles and grab something to eat. It was so cool, before I saw them, I heard them clapping and cheering us on. It was great to see them and it gave us a boost to keep going. We stopped only for a few minutes and then got back on the bikes before our legs started to cramp or stiffen.

While stopped, Montreal Mark warned us the 1st of the really steep climbs (10 – 15% grade) was just up ahead. We hadn’t been on the bikes a mile when we saw it. It looked to be a short, but HC (hors catagorie) level climb in steepness. All three of us – Deena, Mark and I – clipped out and walked up the *hill*. All three of us made the comment that riding up it couldn’t have been any harder than walking – talk about “feel the burn”!

One down – one to go. Once it flattened a bit we remounted and rode on. It felt good to have one out of the way and it was every bit as steep as we had been warned. Ouch.

We continued on Chemin du Roy/Route Verte 5 through an area that was part farmland/part suburbia. Within a mile or so we were back on bike path; sure enough, I can see the path on Google Earth using the data collected on our ride from our Garmin Edge – WOW.

We went from bike path to roadways marked for bikes throughout the rest of the ride in. You gotta love Quebec’s bike-ability.  I do!

We were in what looked to be an affluent suburb of Quebec City making our way towards our next and LAST killer hill – Cap Rouge.  We knew we were almost at it when we passed under the railroad trestle bridge, the Tracel. It was built in 1907 and is still in use today. Gustave Eiffel was involved in the building of the Tracel. Some resemblance.

We got to the Cap Rouge hill and started our climb clipped in, the road wasn’t very wide and there was traffic. There was also a sidewalk if we needed to bail which provided some comfort.  The fear when you are clipped in and your legs are feeling less than dependable, is that you will not be able to maintain enough momentum to keep going, and not being able to unclip you fall over (picture “Laugh In”, the guy on the tricycle falling over). Every cyclist knows what I’m talking about. We all came to the same conclusion at almost the same instant and pulled over and unclipped. We walked our bikes up the hill on the sidewalk.  

We continued on following the Route Verte 5 signs as we rode through a beautiful, heavily treed residential area. There were lots of turns the latter part of the ride, it was great to have Navigator Mark calling them out.

At about 75 miles we started to feel giddy. I know I was. Excitement or lack of oxygen to the brain I’m not sure – but who cared. We were 10 miles away!

The hard part/parts were over – 6 days of riding were coming to a close and we were flying. We rode along this busy street, backed up with traffic as people were trying to leave Quebec City and we were just arriving. They were stuck in rush hour traffic going nowhere and we were speeding along almost effortlessly on a bike path. I was grinning from ear to ear.

The ride continued on like that until we came to a descent we had been forewarned about. No exaggeration, we rode through the first part of the descent, stopping just in time before we crashed into the cars that were stopped waiting for the light to change. 

What was tricky about this descent was 1) it was really steep, so fast, 2) you had to stop at the bottom because there was a traffic light and it probably would be red (Murphy’s Law impacts cyclists too), 3) there were cars coming in from side streets, 4) it was a twisty/winding descent, 5) did I mention it was very steep and you had to STOP or you would end up crashing into a car waiting at the light or end up in the middle of the road.

I wish I had a picture, but I don’t.  I think I was the most nervous about the descent, in part, because I did not want to crash (and have), hate getting hit by car (and have) and also because I hated the brakes on my bike. I had to squeeze the brakes so hard to come to a stop my forearms would have now looked like Popeye’s if there had been many descents like this one. I haven’t always been so skittish about descending, in my earlier days of riding I would hit 45mph and just grin from the thrill. That was before thousands of dollars of dental work though.

While still at the top, we waited for traffic to clear at the bottom of the hill so we would have more room to stop. Here we go.

Feathering brakes – so far – so good. Controlled descent – always what I’m after.

Oops, cars getting in line at light from those side streets that we couldn’t see well from the top.

Light turns red – knew it would.

Squeezed those brakes as hard as I could, I slowed and got into the left hand turn lane to cross the road and get on to the Quebec City/St. Lawrence river bike path. We were in Quebec City!

A piece of cake. Ha!

We had headwinds most of the day, but the wind along the bike path in Quebec City made the other pale in comparison.

But we were almost finished, having ridden 80 miles at this point. All we had to do was follow the path to our hotel, Auberge St. Pierre, and keep from getting blown backwards.

All the other cyclists were headed toward us because of that massive wind which was at their backs and were flying effortlessly. Show-offs.

We rode along on the bike path, taking in the buildings of Old Quebec to our left and the majestic St. Lawrence to our right.

We stopped so we could capture the moment and while we were stopped who should ride up but our Sojourn buds, Jeff and Joshua!  It was great to see them.

Deena, me, Mark, Jeff aka Team Blue.

The smiles lasted for days and days. With Joshua in the lead, we rode a few more miles to the Auberge St. Pierre.

We had done it!

For the day, I rode 84.97 miles, avg. speed 12.6, time on bike 6:44, 2,175 ft. elevation gain, avg. heart rate 108 bpm.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip, I’ve enjoyed writing about it. 

Beside the 8 posts about the bike tour, check out my other posts about Quebec City too, Quebec City  and Québécoise Locavores

Also, Sojourners by Bike ~ Au Revoir

Still to come, my post about the first ever North American UCI Pro Tour bike race, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec  which we were fortunate enough to watch in beautiful Old Quebec City September 10th 2010.

It was an awesome experience and a great race:  189km race, won by 1 second by the great French Champion, and my new friend, Tommy Voeckler.

The day before the race at the Hotel Frontenac.

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