Velo Quebec 2007
August 26, 2007, Sunday
With a day off and the rain behind us we headed out early for Waterloo, retracing our route along the Route Verte. At Waterloo we turned north on the trail north to Acton Vale, about 25 miles away. Once leaving Waterloo the trail returned to a trail all to ourselves. There were stretches where we were the only cyclists on the trail and the "gravel dust" trail soon turned into a heavily wood forest on the outskirts of the Parc National de Yamaska. The tree abundant tree canopy completely sherltered us from the sun allowing us to move at a decent pace.
Comments on the Bike Culture in Quebec
One of the things that has continually amazed me on this trip is the little things that make this bike trail different from my experience stateside. Most trails I have ridden in California are short (the longest I've have ridden is only 25 miles or so), but the main difference is in how they are designed, usually only as basic bike ways that seem to have been added as an afterthought. The trails are planned with only the least experience or recreational cyclists at heart. Here I've have seen tourist offices, ice cream shops, and tourist attractions right off of the bike ways.
On many of the longer trails we have ridden it is not uncommon (especially near Granby) to see art along the bike way, or rest stops with bike racks, maps, trash cans and covered picnic tables. This in addition to litter free trails and a lack of any type of vandalism makes the ride even more enjoyable. In fact the only time I noted litter of any significance was an assortment McDonald's litter (wrappers, bags, cups, and napkins), found about a mile from the local restaurant. The good news is that we just didn't see a lot of fast food places along the trip.
The trails also act as an important transportation route for the locals. We would often see men and women over 60 years of age peddling their bikes from town to town to see a friend, a brother, a sister or other family member. Also bikes in Quebec seem to be more culturally accepted as a mode of transport (as evidenced by the bike scarecrow pictured above guarding the family garden.
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August 26, 2007, Sunday
One of the things that has continually amazed me on this trip is the little things that make this bike trail different from my experience stateside. Most trails I have ridden in California are short (the longest I've have ridden is only 25 miles or so), but the main difference is in how they are designed, usually only as basic bike ways that seem to have been added as an afterthought. The trails are planned with only the least experience or recreational cyclists at heart. Here I've have seen tourist offices, ice cream shops, and tourist attractions right off of the bike ways.
On many of the longer trails we have ridden it is not uncommon (especially near Granby) to see art along the bike way, or rest stops with bike racks, maps, trash cans and covered picnic tables. This in addition to litter free trails and a lack of any type of vandalism makes the ride even more enjoyable. In fact the only time I noted litter of any significance was an assortment McDonald's litter (wrappers, bags, cups, and napkins), found about a mile from the local restaurant. The good news is that we just didn't see a lot of fast food places along the trip.The trails also act as an important transportation route for the locals. We would often see men and women over 60 years of age peddling their bikes from town to town to see a friend, a brother, a sister or other family member. Also bikes in Quebec seem to be more culturally accepted as a mode of transport (as evidenced by the bike scarecrow pictured above guarding the family garden.
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38 miles
235 cummulative miles
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Yellow Route on Map
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Day 4 Rest Day Orford/Magog
Day 6 Acton Vale to
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