David my point on missing the Rockies and using a Train was because the lady WAS on a BikeE and
(near retirement age). Unless she is super-fit I cannot see her climbing the Rockies on a highway
she'd be sharing with large trucks and June rock/mud slides. One thing I should have mentioned too
was that she could avail herself of low cost accomadation via Universities across Canada in the
summer and start off with S.F.U. in Burnaby.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"David Cambon" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Pamela,
>
> Re: 'benting cross Canada
>
> Cycling accross Canada is certainly one of the crazier things you can
> do. It tends to be a pligrimage, because of the length and the relative infrequency of fine pubs.
> I have done it and I have also done other cycling pilgrimages, including one from Athens to
> Nordkapp (which I would highly reccommend). Canada will make you appreciate Europe. Things
> are far apart in Canada.
>
> I beg to differ on the opinion of the poster who suggests skipping the mountains. The coastal
> mountains of British Columbia and the Rocky Mountains are some of the most spectacular cycling in
> the world. For a change from the usual, I enjoy cycling from Vancouver to Jasper on Highway 5
> (except for the Coquihalla highway which has a monumental climb and very long stretches of nothing
> where water can be an issue - I suggest taking the Fraser Canyon to Kamloops instead). From Jasper
> you can go down the Banff-Jasper highway which is unparalleled in its stunning beauty.
>
> If you leave early in the summer, be prepared for cool weather in the Rocky Mountains (may be the
> odd snowstorm). Take a Gore-Tex cycling jacket (you can pick up that stuff at the Mountain
> Equipment Co-Op in Vancouver). But, don't haul too much stuff - the weight will slow you down and
> make your wheels fall apart. You could mail some stuff home once the warm weather hits after the
> mountains.
>
> I go bent riding in the mountains all the time. I see no reason to avoid them. In fact I relish a
> long climb on a cool morning.
>
> The secret to pain reduction on a Cross-Canada tour is to pick the best routes. Leave Vancouver
> very early in the morning to avoid the city traffic (take highway 7 and get specific directions
> for streets in Vancouver). When cycling from the Vancouver airport make sure you get on the
> cycling routes and not the major streets. Go east. There is a prevailing westerly in Canada in the
> summer. The Trans-Canada highway between Elkhorn Manitoba and Ottawa is spotty and narrow in
> places. Don't take the northern route through Kapuskasing in Ontario. It's a narrow truck route.
>
> It's possible to do a nice little short-cut through Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine (on the old
> "airline route" which was considered better for airplanes than cars). Nova Scotia has the most
> civilized motorists in North America.
>
> I don't generally take trains and I prefer a LWB for the big rides. I have not seen anyone using a
> Bike E to cross Canada but I am sure it can be done.
>
> I have done it on a tandem too, which is very nice because of the speed.
