bullwinkle

Hi all. I'm planning a loop tour this summer from Albany (NY) to Montreal, Quebec City, back south along the Connecticut River, and then west to Albany. The trip will take place in mid to late July.

I know that the winds in NY, VT and NH are generally from the south that time of year, but I haven't been able to find any info from Canadian web sites that tell me about the Quebec portions of the trip. Can anyone help?

Erick L

Usually from the southwest.

bullwinkle

Thanks for the quick response. It looks like I'll probably have some headwinds (at least quartering) from Quebec City to Victoriaville and Sherbrooke.

indyfabz

I would be more concerned with the road conditions. I did Velo Quebec's Grand Tour a few years ago. The roads were absolutely horrible in many, many places on virtually every day. (We stayed one night in Sherbrooke and passed through Victoriaville.) I actually cut a quality tire and had to replace it. Got at least three flats in one week. It's odd for me to get three flats in an entire season. I should have been suspicious when I read the part of the brochure that touted an option one day to ride the smooth roads of the U.S. (Maine, to be exact).

acantor

In all my years of touring, the only times that I have paid heed to headwinds or tailwinds is when they have been strong enough to significantly affect my progress. Which happens only occasionally.

I am not convinced that prevailing winds have much effect at ground level in the presence of trees, forests, rivers, lakes, rock faces, hills, buildings, and so on. Besides, even when trying to go from Point A to Point B in the most direct way possible, there are usually twists and turns, detours, side roads, and so on.

bullwinkle

Indyfabz: Yes, I'm well aware that the road surfaces in Quebec can be horrible. I've spent a fair amount of time there (a full summer some time ago, with several other shorter trips). As they say in Quebec, there are two seasons: winter and construction.

Acantor: I agree with you on winds, but I also know that they can significantly affect progress (as you have noted). I did a tour a couple of years ago where I had 20 mph headwinds for over 400 miles. I did 100 of those miles in one day, taking over 9 hr to complete them. Ouch!! Wind speeds and gusty-ness can be issues in Quebec, thus the basis for my original question.

pardonme

If you want to share your route for Albany->Montreal I wouldn't mind

hybridbkrdr

This reminds me of a couple I saw outside a grocery store in Sherbrooke, Quebec. If I remember correctly, one had a Trek and the other a Cannondale. They both had large yellow German panniers on their bikes. That's the day I thought about building a touring bike thinking why have I never done touring before.

Yes, some of the non-main roads here in Sherbrooke are just a joke. Even by car you're uncomfortable sometimes. And I even heard about a politician who said years ago, they screwed up and now they don't have the money to change it. So, they have to re-do the roads over and over again because they didn't do it properly the first time. The Quebecers seem very friendly though. Compared to southern New-Brunswick, the women over there seem pretty distant and cold with men.

bullwinkle

Pardonne - I'm still working out the exact details, but I'm likely following (approximately) the NYDOT route from Albany up to Ticonderoga, crossing by ferry from there into VT, and then following the ACA Green Mtns loop to Burlington. From there I'm kinda ad-libbing it along the Lake Champlain islands to Rouses Pt, from where I'm following La Route Verte to Montreal. I can provide more details if necessary.

djb

sw winds is generally the norm. I dont know if its really a problem though except for along the Gaspe penninsula (which you arent doing) because the St. Lawrence river acts like a funnel and the wind tends to go along it out towards the sea.

as for our roads....mamma mia...yes, they are crap in lots of places. It always astounds me either in car or on bike whenever I cross the border and it is immediately evident---oh, if you do go up Lake Champlain and cross at Rouses Pt (a nice ride btw, along the islands) you will see what I mean when you get past the border--the difference is almost comical . If the road is bad, letting a bit of pressure out of your tire can help some (depending on your tires, how much weight you have on the bike etc, if you have 32s or 35s , it may not be worth it, but if with 28s or smaller, Id go down a titch--I can ride my 28s at 110-120psi in Vermont, but down to 100 can make a diff for rough roads and take some of the edge off the jarring)

I have seen people post their Lake Champlain to Montreal route before so you should be able to see it easily enough.

Indyfabz- Le Petit Tour is back in the Victoriaville region this summer, we will be doing it with our kids and friend with their kids. Le Petit Tour is a 3 day thing for families, shorter distances etc. but still the basic idea, camping in your own tent, meals provided, SAG wagons etc if you have a problem, injury or are just pooped. My wife and I did Le Grand tour last summer, was fun (thats where we came up the W. side of Lake Champlain and crossed at Rouses Pt back into Canada.)