Test run success

[finneco]

In preperation for my Otesha tour, I zipped off this weekend for a short camping trip in the Oka National (i.e. provincial) Park. And by zipped off I mean biked for 7 hours (with some breaks from collapse and getting lost) each way. Graeme and I were following one of the trails of the Route verte, which beats the pants off of biking along the

Comments

[blueheron]

Sounds like you had a great trip, even if it sounds like you took the scenic route. 7 hours? It takes 6h30m to bike to Ste-Agathe. Oka is about 50 to 60 KM away, right?

Have you guys invested in a Route Vert map book yet? A definite must if you plan on doing the cycle touring stuff. A GPS would be handy as well to help answer that nagging 'where am I?' question ;).

[finneco]

The 7 hours was travel time, not bike motion time. It includes some misshaps: on the way there we had luggage explosions, getting lost and major slow down after dark, on the way back we had a detour to Deux Montagnes' Canadian Tour outlet because of my back tire blew. The route is longer for all the twists and turns and shore side riding - I clocked over 80 km on my odometer. And with the hills and city traffic limitations, we averaged 17-18 km/hr, so you can guess how much time was spent on the map and basic needs

[blueheron]

I didn't mean to make it sound like you guys did anythingc wrong or bad. I haven't actually ever ridden my bike to Oka.

While Google Maps says that you can walk there in 50ish KM, I suspect that the Route Verte instructions are a bit longer -- they likely detour you over to the east (Christoph Colombe?) to get over onto Laval, and then from what I can remember, the Laval paths are a bit tricky as well. My first time exploring them (a pre-ride so that I knew the trails, so I didn't get lost on my way to Ste-Agathe), I hit more than a couple of dead ends. Of course, I also hadn't thought to bring my map book (which is at least 8 years old now, if not older... maybe time for a new one!)

The ride to Ste-Agathe is one that you should consider for the next time. Once you get to St-Jerome, it is very straight forward. You hope on Le P'tit Train Du Nord, pay your park access fee, and you have something better than the high way: you have an old train line! The ride is very nice, and there are some good stops along the way for food and

[blueheron]

I wonder if this route is better than going through Laval?

I have done Lakeshore over to the western tip of the island, and then over the 20 to Dorion. It is a nice ride, with bike paths for most of the way, and a few sections of shared road here and there. All in all, not bad.

I just have never done the stretch from Dorion to Hudson, along St-Charles. It looks nice enough, but I don't think that there is a bike path, it will really depend on a nice wide shoulder. Hum...

Plus, then you get to take a ferry! Who doesn't like ferries?

Everybody go

[anonymous]

Неплохая тема для хорошего форума. Если вы так не думайте, то не пищите сюда и всё!
Я думаю это не сложно!