Pedal Heaven - Quebec to Rimouski

Leaving our hotel in Quebec we cycled 10km along a dedicated cycle path along the shore of the St Lawrence in the morning sun. Fantastic.

 

Then it was the Quebec - Levis ferry with a load of other cyclists talking a whole load about cycling. When we started talking gear ratios, Susan made her escape to a quieter part of the ship.

 

View of Quebec from the ferry.

When we hit the shore, we found our old friend La Route Verte. Oh how Quebec spoils us cyclists!

 

Even when we had to connect to Highway 132 we had a paved hard shoulder and signs for 4% of motorists who need to be told. 

 

I don't know why the poster portrayed the cyclist as a sausage with ears. I think the artist was perhaps one of the 4% I was talking about!

Then it was back onto a coastal trail.

 

For two days, with stops at L'islet (93km) and Rivière du Loupe (111km) we cycled over relatively flat landscape.  We spent too much time stopping and looking and not enough cycling so it was starting to get dark when we had a biscuit pit stop. But who can grumble when the views were like this.

 

On our third day, we left Rivière du Loupe and began to pick up hill after hill (the end of the Appalachians) as we continued on Highway 132 and cycled towards Rimouski.  Unfortunately, we had to leave La Route Verte as it became gravel and twisty - no place for our tandem. 

From Rimouski we will now head around the coast towards Shediac. We are not taking the most direct cycle route across this part of Canada but we have never been about the shortest route. Sometimes we wish we were but when we have had such great days cycling in Quebec we don't regret it for a minute. Vive le Quebec. 

6,222 km to date. 

Footnote:  after 4 months in Canada I think it's time for Susan to go home soon - when we had a minor problem with a mudguard she called it a 'fender'!