I headed off the next day with the weather pretty grim looking.I new that the prediction was that in Quebec City the sun was suposed to come out later today but for now it was just foggy and cold.The first few kilometers were pretty hard for my legs as they didn't want to get going but after about an hour I was back at it ticking off the miles at a sprightly 25kph.
The sun did start to shine through and I really enjoyed this days ride especially since I took a bit of time to check out a few of the tourist viewpoints along the way.After juts under two hour I saw my first road sign w
ith Levis listed on it.Awesome,only 62k's away and I had hours of sunlight left.At this rate I would be in Quebec City just after lunchtime and finally the first part of my trip seemed almost at an end and I really looked forward to checking into a hostel and actually being around people again.
Slowly I began to recognise landmarks on and around the river and knew I was'nt far away but as if just to punish me for enjoying the day so much the wind started to blow in my face and the hills began to get bigger.Man the gods of cycle touring were going to make me earn my rest that was for damn sure!Thankfully it wasn't too long before I finally crested a long hill and saw the Quebec City skyline in the distance.I was so happy and the hot,windy ride into the Levis city limits was done with a great big smile on my face.
I rode through Lauzon and past the college where we would have our pre-race meeting in just a few short days.A couple of right turns off the highway and I was passing the college apartments that I had stayed in for my last three trips to the double iron.Now I was in familiar territory and happliy made the s
teep descent down the hill to the bike path by the river which would take me on the short ten minute ride to the ferry terminal in Levis.
It was really weird to hit the bike path and suddenly be surrounded by cyclists.The people of Levis and Quebec City go absolutely nuts for the whole outdoor thing during the summer and there are hundreds of cyclists,skaters,runners and walkers using this great shared path every day.I weaved my way through the crowd happily soaking up the atmosphere until I reached the ferry terminal where Iparked my rig against a fence opposite the hugely popular ice-cream stand by the terminal.The place was full of cyclists and families sitting on tables outside the cafes enjoying the summer sun and it wasn't long before I got myself an ice-cream and a coffee and joined the crowd.I must have looked pretty beaten up though as all the cyclists were staing at me like I was from another planet.I guess must have looked pretty dirty and worn out after my ten days on the road and I know my clothes were white from sweat-salt and they proprably didn't smell too good either.I didn't care I was a 1070k into my ride and all I did care about was the fact that for the next three days I didn't have to ride a bike anywhere.After another 102k that day,that thought made me happy.
I made a quick call to the hostel in Quebec City to make sure they had room for me and then rode over to the ferry for the quick trip to Quebec City.From the ferry terminal on the Quebec side it was a crazy ride through the insane holiday crowds and up the rediculously steep hill to the center of the old city where I went to the info center to find out where the Alberge de la Paix was.As luck would have it the landmark they gave me was an Irish Pub called St Patrick's(of course) and the hostel was two doors down the side of the adjacent building.An Irish pub next door,that was a good sign to me.I found the hostel and checked in wthout a hitch but getting all my crap through the front doors was not going to be fun.No problem though they let me through a side entrance and I wheeled my bike and trailer into the hostels back courtyard.
About an hour later I was showered,changed and all my gear was safely stowed under my bed with my bike locked to a lampost in the courtyard.Now it was time to enjoy Quebec City and prepare for Canada Day the next day.What better place to do it but with a nice cold pint of Guiness at St Patricks pub.My fun ten days in Quebec City had begun.
The sun did start to shine through and I really enjoyed this days ride especially since I took a bit of time to check out a few of the tourist viewpoints along the way.After juts under two hour I saw my first road sign w
ith Levis listed on it.Awesome,only 62k's away and I had hours of sunlight left.At this rate I would be in Quebec City just after lunchtime and finally the first part of my trip seemed almost at an end and I really looked forward to checking into a hostel and actually being around people again.Slowly I began to recognise landmarks on and around the river and knew I was'nt far away but as if just to punish me for enjoying the day so much the wind started to blow in my face and the hills began to get bigger.Man the gods of cycle touring were going to make me earn my rest that was for damn sure!Thankfully it wasn't too long before I finally crested a long hill and saw the Quebec City skyline in the distance.I was so happy and the hot,windy ride into the Levis city limits was done with a great big smile on my face.
I rode through Lauzon and past the college where we would have our pre-race meeting in just a few short days.A couple of right turns off the highway and I was passing the college apartments that I had stayed in for my last three trips to the double iron.Now I was in familiar territory and happliy made the s
teep descent down the hill to the bike path by the river which would take me on the short ten minute ride to the ferry terminal in Levis.It was really weird to hit the bike path and suddenly be surrounded by cyclists.The people of Levis and Quebec City go absolutely nuts for the whole outdoor thing during the summer and there are hundreds of cyclists,skaters,runners and walkers using this great shared path every day.I weaved my way through the crowd happily soaking up the atmosphere until I reached the ferry terminal where Iparked my rig against a fence opposite the hugely popular ice-cream stand by the terminal.The place was full of cyclists and families sitting on tables outside the cafes enjoying the summer sun and it wasn't long before I got myself an ice-cream and a coffee and joined the crowd.I must have looked pretty beaten up though as all the cyclists were staing at me like I was from another planet.I guess must have looked pretty dirty and worn out after my ten days on the road and I know my clothes were white from sweat-salt and they proprably didn't smell too good either.I didn't care I was a 1070k into my ride and all I did care about was the fact that for the next three days I didn't have to ride a bike anywhere.After another 102k that day,that thought made me happy.
I made a quick call to the hostel in Quebec City to make sure they had room for me and then rode over to the ferry for the quick trip to Quebec City.From the ferry terminal on the Quebec side it was a crazy ride through the insane holiday crowds and up the rediculously steep hill to the center of the old city where I went to the info center to find out where the Alberge de la Paix was.As luck would have it the landmark they gave me was an Irish Pub called St Patrick's(of course) and the hostel was two doors down the side of the adjacent building.An Irish pub next door,that was a good sign to me.I found the hostel and checked in wthout a hitch but getting all my crap through the front doors was not going to be fun.No problem though they let me through a side entrance and I wheeled my bike and trailer into the hostels back courtyard.
About an hour later I was showered,changed and all my gear was safely stowed under my bed with my bike locked to a lampost in the courtyard.Now it was time to enjoy Quebec City and prepare for Canada Day the next day.What better place to do it but with a nice cold pint of Guiness at St Patricks pub.My fun ten days in Quebec City had begun.
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