Biking L'Ile-D'Orleans

Saturday - April 7 - Biking 67 km

Was in Quebec City for the weekend so I decided to do a ride around the perimeter of L'Ile-D'Orleans on Saturday morning. It was cool at around zero degrees, sunny, but very windy. Not wanting to ride any extra distance, I drove the 15 km from our hotel to the island and parked at a tourist office. In the snow filled parking lot, there was a sign indicating that there was a $5 charge for cyclists to park here. I went inside to pay my dues and the woman at the desk said that there would be very few vistors on a day like today, so there would be no charge. The wind was brisk from the west, so I decided to ride counter clockwise so I could take advantage of the tail wind along the long stretch of southern shore. Started off battling the wind for a few km until reaching Ste-Petronille where I turned around. This area of the island was the most pretty with lots of trees growing right up to the edge of the road and stretching over top with their canopy. Old stone houses were nestled throughout the forest. I passed a few people walking along the road. I said 'bonjour' to all, but few acknowledged my existence. The ride along the southern shore was fun. Rolling hills (some of them steep) and a wicked tail wind meant I made it up to St-Francois in little time at all. Here I stopped at a picnic area for a snack. I had to trudge through knee deep snow to get to a picnic table though. The ride back along the north shore was difficult as the wind was brutal. Thankfully I have aero bars which helped a lot on this final stretch. Traffic, vitrually non-existant for most of the day also got heavy the last few kilometers as there was a restaurant in St-Pierre which was absolutely overflowing with visitors.

Weeks Total: Biking 185
Year to Date: Biking 1408 km, Hiking 20 km, Skating 129 km, Skiing 187 km