The gang met for breakfast at the Sheraton and after saying goodbye to Brian and John we set out on a hunt for the last BCBG in Quebec City (Place Ste Foye). Mel is in a wedding on Sept 11th and needed to exchange a dress for the occasion. The story ends well, as in all fairy tales, as Mel found the perfect dress, and Mary and I enjoyed watching her try it on in 5 inch heels (it was all they had at the store – go figure!). We drove out of Quebec City and hopped on our bikes where the bike path began. Hooray for bike paths! By this time it was about 1:00 p.m. and we had 90 km to go.
Pedaling Feat and the Arsenaults at the Four Points Sheraton!
Driving throught the city of Quebec. First stop, Place Ste. Foy for a quick shopping date.
The day was great for riding. The wind was roaring at our backs, we had found a bike path (newly paved), the sun was shining and while we were starting a bit late in the day, we only had to make it 90 km! The views were also stunning along the St. Lawrence. Rolling hills, wheat fields and churches w
ere all the eye could see as we rode along.Our rest stop on the St. Lawrence River in Levis. The Laurentian mountains are just on the other side. Great views along the way!
And then ...
About 40 km into our ride, we took a break at the side of the road to fill up water bottles and snack on granola bars. It was an extremely windy day (which worked in our favour because the wind was at our backs), and to my misfortune, the wind tossed my bike to the ground while we were in Lois! My bike was no longer shifting gears as it once did, instead it was getting stuck between gears and sometimes not shifting at all. We stopped at a roadside veggie stand (yum!) and while Mary and Mel picked out delicious veggies, I gave my bike the once over. Having come up with nothing (my advanced bike mechanic skills let me down), we rode on to the nearest shop in Montmagny and handed it over to the best mechanic in town. He was a former bike racer, and he had my bike fixed up in no time. He was impressed/shocked that we had made it this far across the country without any serious bike issues. Hoorah! He also informed us that we should have changed our bike chains at 3,500 km. Coming up on 5,500 km, we thought now was as good a time as any, and so, he installed new bike chains for us. We cheered at the sight of our shiny new chains, while Mary laughed at how excited one could get over something so small.
About 40 km into our ride, we took a break at the side of the road to fill up water bottles and snack on granola bars. It was an extremely windy day (which worked in our favour because the wind was at our backs), and to my misfortune, the wind tossed my bike to the ground while we were in Lois! My bike was no longer shifting gears as it once did, instead it was getting stuck between gears and sometimes not shifting at all. We stopped at a roadside veggie stand (yum!) and while Mary and Mel picked out delicious veggies, I gave my bike the once over. Having come up with nothing (my advanced bike mechanic skills let me down), we rode on to the nearest shop in Montmagny and handed it over to the best mechanic in town. He was a former bike racer, and he had my bike fixed up in no time. He was impressed/shocked that we had made it this far across the country without any serious bike issues. Hoorah! He also informed us that we should have changed our bike chains at 3,500 km. Coming up on 5,500 km, we thought now was as good a time as any, and so, he installed new bike chains for us. We cheered at the sight of our shiny new chains, while Mary laughed at how excited one could get over something so small.
The time was now 5:30 p.m. and we were still 30 km or so from our destination. Tired and hungry, we called it a night, stopped in at the grocery store for food, and set up camp in Montmagny. For dinner that night? Maple chilli salmon (brought by John) cooked on the BBQ! We stayed at the Camping aux oies campground that night. It was the large goose-like sculpture out front of the campground that clued us into what exactly a 'Oie' was!
Mel and the oie. On our way out the next morning.
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