Two Wheels in Transit: Cycling the Gaspe: Route Verte

We were on the road by 8:40 this morning, quite a bit later than our other departures on this adventure. It was partly planned and partly not. Our ride today was to be shorter and to be used as a partial day off so we could get ourselves rested for a couple of potential difficult riding days to come. Also as we were checking out of our motel I got into a conversation with the owner. Imagine that...me getting involved in a lengthy conversation!

It was a fun day today. We spent a lot of time enjoying the scenery and stopping to 'smell the roses'. Again we were challenged by many hills. In fact the whole ride consisted of a series of ups ad downs as we climbed up out of the small communities into the hills and then dropped back down into the next community. Some hills we again tested our walking abilities. If there was a downside to today's ride it was the wind. Again we pounded into headwind that was in the 25 - 35 km range. Good thing it was a short day.

Route Verte! It is hard to believe I have not mentioned this cycling route before now. We have been following a Quebec Government sponsored cycling route for most of our trip so far. We have a set of their maps and there has been some signage but not a lot. So, all the way around the Gaspe we have been following Route Verte 1. The section of coast that we have cycled the last couple of days is not sanctioned by Route Verte. We suspect that it is due to the limited shoulders on the roads, the curves and the tremendous climbs. The funny part is that we saw more tour cyclists out in the area not recognized as a cycling route than the rest of our trip put together. In total, we saw 6 touring cyclists. Only one was going our direction. Francois was a microbiologist from Quebec City who had done some of his post doctoral studies at the University of Western Ontario shortly after we attended. Route Verte, you are missing out on a cycling experience through this area!

We are staying in the lap of luxury at the Hotel Motel Grand Vallee des Monts. It was recommended by Glen and Cathy. They were stranded here for 2 nights due to 'fowl' weather. We were upgraded to their 'suite' because they made a mistake and originally rented us a room that was already booked. This room is huge with a square footage probably equal to about 1/2 of our house.

Daily Distance = 28.71 km. Time on the Bikes = 2 hours 33 minutes. Average Speed = 11.23 km (the slide continues!). Maximum Speed = 46.42 km. Wildlife Sightings = Marsh Hawk, Golden Eagle, Black Backed Gulls, Black Guillemots, Cedar Waxwings