We’ve spent late September in Massachusetts the past two years. Last year Cape Cod, this year the North Shore/Cape Ann area. Both are beautiful, both are great places to cycle.
If you are interested in cycling tours or touring on your own in the North Shore area or even the greater New England area, I recommend checking out Bike New England: http://bikenewengland.com. It is quite the website with suggested routes, maps and cue sheets for all the areas mentioned. The actual tour we were on was through Road Scholar and is offered twice a year.
This was a lower mileage tour than those we have done in the past and I found I enjoyed the lower miles as well as higher mileage tours. With fewer miles there was more time and tendency to see the sights in the towns we stayed – Ipswich and Newburyport, MA. Quaint towns with tons of history, restaurants with great seafood and plenty to see and do off the bike.
Like our other bike tours, we rode with a wonderful group of people, participants and guides alike. There was a mix of ages and cycling experience. but we meshed together well; truly a delightful group of people. The group of 14 usually broke into smaller groups, with at least one guide riding with each. All 4 of the guides were terrific and took very good care of us – my thanks to Gordon, Paula, Barbara and Jimmy. Unlike all our previous tours, no one drove a support van yet it worked out great. It wasn’t needed during our tour, we did out and back rides from both locations. If someone had needed a lift back, I’m sure one would have been provided.
In addition to riding in the North Shore/Cape Ann area we spent several days in Boston beforehand and had a chance to ride there also. First off we did the Boston City View Tour with Urban AdvenTours – highly recommend them. The guides took great care as they navigated us through the streets of Boston, while providing a very informative tour of Boston’s historical sites and neighborhoods. A wonderful way to see Boston. In addition we did several walking tours, but the bike tour was our favorite.
Boston’s Urban AdvenTours City View Tour
Last, but not least, we used Boston’s bike share – Hubway. We bought a 72 hour pass so we could have the flexibility to ride each day if we chose AND allow me to meet my “ride every day” goal. The most fun was when we decided to hop on and ride back to our hotel after eating a huge meal including a bottle of wine at Al Dente in the North End. We ended up in the middle of Chinatown on Saturday night – traffic jam deluxe! What a memorable ride that was – if only I’d had a GoPro to catch the whole thing on video!
Massachusetts North Shore was a fantastic experience and a beautiful place to ride.
Wisely we chose to do another multiday bike tour in California to kick off the year of riding. We did a fully supported tour in Sonoma County and the Pacific Coast just north of San Francisco the Fall of 2011 and loved it. If you want to avoid cool temperatures and rain in the spring, California is generally a good place to do it.
Like 2011 we did our bike tour with Undiscovered Country Tours. Not only did we have the very excellent Scott bikes to use, but this year we both ended up with new Scott 2013 CR1 Pro. I ride a Scott 2005 CR1 Pro, with Campagnolo Chorus groupset and I love it. I don’t know of another bike tour company that uses the quality of bikes UDC does and it is one of the things that attracted us to them in the first place.
Our tour this time was a small group, just 6 participants and 1 guide. Like our other UDC Tour half of our group was from Canada, another plus for us we love Canada and Canadians. I liked the small group; it allowed us to get to know each other better including having a few interesting political discussions at dinner. It isn’t too often Mark and I meet people who have similar thoughts on political and social issues given where we live and we both enjoyed it.
Now for the riding. Our group met in the lobby of the hotel in San Jose then we proceeded to the Amtrak station to take a train to Paso Robles where our tour officially began.
Day One: Paso Robles (4/21/13)
Today’s ride was a 23 mile loop around Paso Robles, We had the hottest weather (the only hot weather) of the entire tour. There were a few miles on a busy highway but otherwise we were on backroads with fairly light traffic.
One thing I was quickly reminded of was that not everyone defines rolling hills the same. To me rolling hills are rollers, up and down – no long ascents. To people on the west coast rolling hills are hills that go up up up, and eventually go down. Case in point: we have a local route we do with approximately the same amount of ascent and descent as this Paso Robles loop but it is up and down up and down. None of our local ascents are a mile long. On the PR loop most of the 1873 feet of ascent was on one fairly long climb so there are fewer downhills in which to recover. The climbs are longer here but then so are the descents which are fun because they are usually not straight – whee!
*Clicking on the Garmin Connect Images will provide you with more data and detail.
Day Two: Paso Robles to Avila Beach (4/22/13)
We rode to Morro Bay for lunch and beautiful views then to the lovely Avila Beach where we would spend the night. It was our longest day of riding but very doable, 54 miles.
If you look at the profile you’ll see there was a long climb of about 6 miles with the last 2 miles being fairly steep. To make up for that we had a long descent. One section of the descent was fairly steep and I definitely worked the brakes. I’m not used to climbs or descents like these.
Much of the ride though had that lovely bucolic scenery we saw on our 2011 trip along the northern coast and Sonoma county.
Although I take most of my pictures while pedaling along, occasionally I do stop as in this case to get a shot of the beautiful field of California poppies.
As is the norm on bike tours, we had a great dinner on the boardwalk of Avila Beach and stayed in very nice digs at Avila Beach Lighthouse Suites. We slept to the sounds of the ocean.
Day Three: Avila Beach to Santa Maria (4/23/13)
Today’s route took us along mostly rural roads through vineyards and farms as we made our way from Avila Beach to Santa Maria. The ride was similar in mileage and in ascent to our previous day, but vastly different in experience. We had far less traffic along today’s route and far more farmland and lovely scenery. Always a winner for me.
On a fair amount of our route today we had marked bike lanes or separated bike lanes. Another winner.
48.3 miles/3:41 time
Other scenes from today’s ride
Day Four: Santa Maria to Santa Ynez (4/24/13)
Today was one of those days on the bike that captured what I love about riding a bike.
Before taking off in the morning, stable of bikes.
The ride started in a light drizzle and fog. Temperatures stayed cool even after the sun chased the fog and dampness away. We rode from Santa Maria thru the cycling town of Solvang before taking us to Santa Ynez, our home for the next two nights.
Typing on my android tablet is too tedious to write much but a few thoughts and memories:
Riding alongside field after field of beautiful crops of lettuce, cauliflower and bright red strawberries.
The speed of the farm workers working in the fields, literally running to pick.
The strong aroma of strawberries, cilantro, licorice.
The remoteness and quiet beauty of Foxen Canyon road.
Lunch at Zaca Mesa winery
The steep little climb right after lunch/wine tasting
Climbing “the wall”, a very steep little climb and recognizing I can climb even when the grade is steep, I just have to be willing to suffer.
The thrill of the twisty descent into Ballard Canyon.
Great conversation and coffee with our fellow tour riders and guide at the infamous Bulldog Cafe in Solvang where the Postal/Discovery teams used to hang out back in the day. Interestingly, every single picture of Lance Armstrong has been removed.
And finally the luxurious Santa Ynez Inn – our home for the next two nights.
Day Five: Santa Ynez Loop (4/25/13)
Day 5 started out great. Our ride was a loop around Santa Ynez through Happy Canyon and an optional climb of “The Figâ€. The Fig is Mount Figueroa, a legendary climb in Santa Barbara county. I hadn’t decided whether I was going to do the climb or not, I would decide at the base, depending on how I felt. I didn’t feel great and made the very wise decision to not attempt it. I did ride 1 1/2 miles of the road that takes you to the base of the climb and even it was steep (see the elevation profile on the Garmin details).
Beautiful too.
The plan today was to ride back through Happy Canyon (love that name) and Santa Ynez and Los Olivos past Neverland Ranch (yep) and to wait for the two riders and support van to come down the descent of The Fig.
As the rest of us made our way through Los Olivos I started feeling dizzy and nauseous. I thought I needed food so I had a gel and a pack of shot blocks. I continued to feel worse, but kept pedaling. Mark joined up with me and we waited under the shade of a tree for the others.
Once they arrived and it was time to head back I did something I’ve actually never done. I got into the support van and quit. I’ve never quit a ride, but I couldn’t go on. I was so dizzy I could hardly stand. Once I got back to the Santa Ynez Inn it went downhill from there. If you have ever had food poisoning, you know. If you haven’t you don’t want to know!
Day Six: Santa Ynez-Topanga (4/26/13)
I decided to give it a go the next morning. It was bad enough missing yesterday afternoon’s ride (downhill!) and the last (and best from what I heard) dinner with the group, I wasn’t going to miss the final ride too.
It was an out and back route from the Santa Ynez Inn to Topanga State Park. It was a fairly easy 21 miles, but it took all I had to do it. I’m so glad I did.
In closing, the California Central Coast tour was great, and beautiful, but I would rate it below our 2011 California Coast and Wine Country tour which took us through Sonoma County and from Sea Ranch to Bodega Bay along the coast on Highway 1. Both have beautiful scenery – California is scenic wherever you go it seems. Overall though I would give the edge to the 2011 tour and no, not because of my food poisoning this trip!
Total mileage for the Tour: 229 miles Total Ascent: 8300 ft.
It may seem too cold and snowy to think about bike touring, but this is actually a great time of year to research, plan and book a bicycle tour.
Bicycle touring is gaining in popularity as more people ride bikes in general, and as more of us discover what a wonderful way biking is to travel and experience new places.
Nowadays there are many options with bike tours — from local to cross country tours, from self-supported to fully supported, and from easy, beginner tours with daily mileage of 25-40, to intermediate tours with daily mileage in the 50 – 75 range along with moderate hills, to the most difficult tours with high mileage and hilly terrain.
There is a bicycle tour to fit everyone – including beginners, children and older enthusiasts.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of bicycle tours: supported and self-supported. Among supported bike tours there are a wide range of options and services, from the most basic to the most luxurious – and everything in between.
With the basic supported bike tour, the company may only carry your luggage to each lodging site and everything else – bicycle, helmet, meals, snacks, and mechanical support – is yours to handle.
Fully supported tours typically include everything – bicycle, helmet, most meals, mechanical support, snacks, drinks, transfers, and lodging. Sometimes other activities are even included in the tour price, such as winery and museum tours. Generally, the more support and amenities included in the tour, the higher the cost.
If you have not toured by bicycle before, you may want to play it safe the first time and go with a supported tour. Remember, there are basic, no-frills supported bike tours where the costs are reasonable.
With bicycle touring becoming so popular there are options for all budgets and skill levels so shop around and do your research.
As you become more experienced you may want to venture into touring on your own, which means carrying your own gear and relying on your own ingenuity and abilities to travel from place to place.
Regardless of what type of bicycle tour you choose – traveling by bike makes for a great vacation.
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.
Cap Sante church
Bienvenue – Welcome!
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.
Another picturesque home in Quebec. No for sale sign though.
Google Earth photo
Gorgeous Google Earth photo
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.
Route Verte 5 Quebec
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.
Le Tracel, Cap Rouge (Google Earth/A. Konig)
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!
85 miles
345 miles in 6 days
Burlington, VT to Quebec City, CA
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.
When I woke up Friday morning, I was too busy thinking about the 90% chance of rain predicted and how to dress for it, to focus much on the miles (85, 70, 45), or to be nostalgic about it being our last day and how quickly in one way (but certainly not in all) the week had gone.
Today was the Queen stage of our Vermont to Quebec City Tour – the most difficult day of the tour.
Just as the group was rolling away from the Hotel Gouverneur, Mark and I decided to get our rain jackets out of the backpack in the van so we could carry them on the bike. That done, we hurried through a residential area to catch up to the group.
This time getting out of town was more difficult than getting in. Not easy getting 16 people on bikes across busy roads with morning traffic, but with our usual finesse, we did it.
After getting across the bridges we all stopped and discussed which way we were to go. Since most of us had taken a wrong turn yesterday we didn’t want to repeat it – no extra miles today, thank you. About that time – like a knight on a white horse, Joshua on his Cannondale stead, raced by, turning on to a side street and waiting for the herd of cats to get in line. Excuse the mixed metaphor.
The first hard part was over. Now we knew why one of the options for the day was to shuttle the first 7 miles out of Trois-Rivires!
When things had settled down I started thinking about whether I would go for the full 85 miles or something shorter. Mark seemed up for the full 85 – although neither of us knew how we would do once we came to the 3 ominous sounding climbs going into Quebec City. We had ridden every mile thus far and being who we are we wanted to ride all the way into Quebec City – even if it meant walking up the toughhills. One positive thing – there was no rain and the temperatures were cool – humid – but cool.
A neat thing happened as we were riding down this long stretch of road just outside of Trois-Rivires. As we were riding we passed a yard sale, and as we did someone shouted at us and waved. We all recognized her as the woman who had checked us in at the Hotel Gouverneur. Another nice/friendly Quebecer!
At our first stop with Montreal Mark, we refilled bottles with water topped off with Gatorade mix, plus a few granola bars and fruit, then we were off. By this time the group had splintered into smaller groups; Mark, Lisa and I rode together.
What I have noticed over the years on multi-day rides is you can feel great one day (me yesterday) and feel the exact opposite the next day – me today.
We rode along the mighty St. Lawrence river often being able to see it from the road. I loved riding alongside water. Today’s route also took us through farmland, villages, quaint houses, large churches or small cathedrals and basically, one bucolic scene after another.
At first glance it looks like a pilgrim riding a broom.
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Betty either taking a break or having a tantrum.
As we rode on the stronger the headwind got along with a slight steady incline. I rode in front and put my head down and pedaled. I was feeling not so good and as we rode along heading to Deschambault for lunch I was coming to the conclusion that I probably wasn’t going to ride the full 85, no biggie I would ride as long as I could. Even though it wasn’t the best of conditions for riding a bike – sailing, maybe – it was still nice to be out cycling in the beautiful countryside. It was our last day, and it was still fun – heck, we were in Quebec riding bikes! Hard yes, but fun, definitely.
We eased the pace some and just pedaled comfortably on toward lunch. The closer we got to Deschambault the hungrier I got. Lisa was in front of us and when we got to Deschambault she was waiting at the the recommended lunch stop.
After the delicious pizza and salad, 2 Pellegrino’s and cappuccino, I felt like I had had a blood transfusion – seriously, like I had engaged in a little blood doping or something. It was amazing, really, I couldn’t believe the difference in how I felt going into Angelus Bistro and I felt leaving. Nothing short of a miracle.
Refueled, I was ready to go. I also started thinking about those last 3 hills into Quebec City we had heard so much about.
The sun was out and it was warming up – things were definitely looking up.
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