Introductions - Bonjour!

Hello everyone,

I live in Montreal since june 2002 and the region being a cyclist's paradise, I'm rediscovering the joy of riding. I ride 100-150 miles a week in the summer with the occasionnal 2 to 4 day trip. Hoping to tour around the Gaspé peninsula this summer and I have this itch on the back of head about going across Canada. I'm also a nature photography nut.

Looking forward to read you all. See ya!

:beer:

Hi Erick, welcome to the forums, the photos on your website are amazing. What type of bike do you ride? How long have you been riding? And most importantly, how long have you been a photographer? :)

Well, I've been riding since my tricycle days! ;) :p I started riding more seriously in my late teens/early twenties on a ten-speed build out of three junk bikes. Then I hitch-hiked across the country a few times, got a real job and bought a Peugeot Alpin Pro (touring bike), which I still ride. I stopped for about two years after an accident (nothing, really) but mostly because I moved to a bike-unfriendly town, got a car and the nature photo was taking most of my time. When moving to Montréal, I chose my appartment so I could commute easily to work. I love it here! One can ride for hundreds of miles and never (well, almost!) leave the bike path.

I've been into photography for a little over 4 years. I have a hard time combining photo and bike (can't leave the big lens and tripod behind!) but will find a solution. I already have a few ideas.

Welcome - one of the best things about cycling in Montreal is that there are enough cyclists to make motorists aware of the cyclists, so you dont have to take the bike paths.

Bienvenue Erick... d'un autre vélophile photographe de Montréal !

Bonjour, Erick! It is REALLY nice to see you! I am always glad to see new men on Bikeforums!

:D

Bien le bonjour aux demoiselles et messieurs!

Andrew, you don't like bike path, do you?:) I like them. I'm in Lasalle and the river path is just across the street. The Aqueduc and Lachine path are really close by. Gotta admit that the Lachine path sometimes feels like the Met blvd on rush hour!

By 'region', I include the whole southwest of the province. I did a round trip to Magog last summer which was about 400km and had to share the road with cars for less than 50 km, usually on low traffic roads too! I feel like a kid in a toy store here. Quite a contrast with Baie-Comeau.

:beer:

wonderfull photos, great scenery & wildlife. :thumbup:

Erick
I like the bike paths when they go where I want to go. I enjoy the Lachine canal path and St Helens Island to and from work. The path along the river around Lasalle and Verdun is a scenic uninterrupted route. The point I was trying to make is that if you want to go somewhere that isn't serviced with a bike path you can cycle the streets of Montreal without fear.

I hate the Rachel bikepath with its frequent intersections where you are approaching from an unexpected direction.