It’s been years since I participated in the ACC Cape Breton tour, but I look back at it fondly.
I rode the whole distance on a wild moose chase.
The Newfoundland trip has a little bit of everything – hills, flats, riding along the ocean, riding in Tundra and some good hiking. Along the way we were able to catch a glimpse at whales, and even saw icebergs! Newfoundland is a remote area of Canada, and you get to experience great open spaces;, which also means limited services to some extent. There is never a day without something along the way, but you definitely realize that you are removed from the congested city life. The trip is well planned out, and the cycling nicely spread out over the ten days. The longest day of the trip is not overly challenging – unless Mother Nature has her way. Last year we ended up having our worst weather day on our longest day, which meant colder weather than expected, and some tough head winds – but it is all part of experiencing Newfoundland. The weather can change quickly, and we saw that first hand. I really enjoyed the trip, and would highly recommend it.
My first ride, Baja, Mexico was done in the 80’s. The second goal was the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. I rode this in July. The opportunity was Gary Conrod, (www.atlanticcanadacycling.com) who conducted a tour of the trail as part of his schedule of rides.
Gary runs well organized but hands off tours. He trucks your luggage, arranges for campgrounds, and supplies a simple route sheet. The rest is up to you. The cue sheet gives one word directions (left, right) at local landmarks. One day he used an actual sentence… “Left, Listen! We Said Left! Don’t Go Up The Hill”. You get the idea. A unique feature of the cue sheet is that it locates the first and last restaurant of the day and a likely stop for lunch (if they are open). And for those eating in camp, the location of a store where you may put your bagged purchase in a bin provided. Gary will then pick it up and bring it to camp for the end of the day. Ice cream is not a good purchase.