#CycleTour2021 Day 3: Unexpected tailwinds

The St. Lawrence was much higher when we awoke this morning. What I had believed to be unusually low water levels had in fact been low tide (I still find it remarkable that the St. Lawrence sees tides as far inland as Quebec City). It was another sunny morning but brisk enough that I needed to wear a jacket as we departed our riverfront Airbnb. Yesterday we had a lovely descent into the St. Lawrence valley, but the cycling law of conservation of energy cannot be thwarted—what goes down must then climb up. So the first hour or so of today’s ride was mostly trending uphill, with several extremely challenging hills, particularly when one is carrying 30 kg of stuff and one’s gearing is not quite adequate. The first few kilometres along the river were lovely, but after that, we were mostly travelling through commercial areas; passing through big cities is one of my least favourite parts of touring. However one one benefit is relatively easy access to coffee, and near the top of our climb out of the valley, I topped up the caffeine and sugar reservoirs with an espresso and a brownie. 

We followed the signs for the Route Vert 1 until we got to the trailhead of the Parc linéaire Le Grand Tronc, which, like most rail trails, is straight as an arrow. When we were planning this trip, I was a bit worried about this stretch from Quebec City to Sherbrooke. It crosses some very sparsely populated farmland, and on the map, at any rate, it looks pretty desolate. My expectations were for a poorly maintained gravel path, so we were agreeably surprised to find an impeccable asphalt surface through some beautiful woodland and a great many cyclists, joggers, and in-line skaters enjoying this beautiful Sunday morning. Quite the opposite of desolate. Another area of concern for this part of the trip was the route’s generally westerly direction, which would normally mean riding into headwinds for much of it, especially given the openness of the terrain. But lo and behold, this morning, we had a northeasterly wind, which gave us a slight tailwind or at worst, a crosswind. [Insert chef’s kiss emoji]

Flying down this trail, we were soon out of Quebec City suburbia and into the rural lands to the west. After the noise of the city, the relative silence (abundant birdsong excepted) was physical relief. It’s astonishing how much easier the pedalling is when you don’t have to worry about traffic noise, cross streets, and vehicles. All we had to do was point our bikes west, pedal, and enjoy the day. Paradise!

We stopped for second breakfast in Saint-Agapit, and it was here that the beautifully maintained cycle path ended. Beyond, it was still asphalt, but much less well maintained, and the scenery began to be a bit more what I was expecting. Open farmland with the odd stand of trees. And the path began a stretch where it paralleled Route 116, which made things a little less pleasant. Ninety minutes later, it was lunchtime, so we picnicked in Dosquet, taking the opportunity to have a little rest as well. 

The simple delights of second breakfast.

Then it was back on the bikes for the final 13 km to Lyster, where we are spending the night. After Dosquet, the trail changed to crushed gravel, and once we crossed the regional boundary into the Centre du Quebec region, its condition greatly improved, both in terms of it’s surface and that it no longer followed the 116. Lyster is a lovely little village halfway between Victoriaville and Quebec City, and this very prosperous little B&B we are staying at is usually bustling with Quebec City tourists and cyclists. But tonight, this early in the season, and with the pandemic still affecting tourism, we have the place to ourselves. 

The beautifully restored train station at Lyster.