Circumnavigating Lac St Jean and to the confluence of the St Lawrence and the Saguenay rivers.

The Quebecois are overwhelmingly friendly and welcoming. In their customer service roles they really look after the customer. food is not great, but everything else is good to excellent, including bike route signing. Take a bow, Quebec!


Beginning in Alma, we have now ridden around the lake, stopping off at Sainte-Felicien, Dolbeau-Mitassini, Saint Monique and Saint Gedeon. Lots of saints, I know, and they did a good job of keeping us safe.

The multi-coloured crew preparing to leave St Gedeon.

We overnighted in a great Auberge de Jeunesse in St Gedeon, one highlight the wonderful dinner and brekkie cooked by Kendy and Karen. So good to eat freshly-cooked non-fried food.

The other highlight was Bill tinkling the ivories in both the church at Saint Monique and at the Auberge in Saint Gedeon. This was the first item in our forthcoming talent concert. Beautiful playing, Bill.

Bill playing in Saint Monique.

Leaving Saint Gedeon we headed for Saguenay enjoying a damn good ride along quiet country roads and through lush forests, finishing with a beautiful 'cathedral' ride where the cool trees shaded us, the track was downhillish and the wind was at our backs.

And then the NEXT day! Our Fab Four took off and rode those damn hills. And in anybody's measure of a hill these are HILLS! Al and Katherine also rode off but were not intending to do the whole ride.

Michael, Bill, Dave and Karen.

We have three nights now at Tadoussac to watch whales, do the washing and let our legs relax before another couple of gruelling rides.

Stats that may or may not be interesting

Saturday 14 July, Bastille Day: we took off in the rain which cleared after an hour and rode 90kms to Sainte Felicien. A huge thunderstorm greeted us as we arrived.

Sunday 15 July: a shortish day of 60kms to Dolbeau-Mistassini. Unusually th4e chain fell off my bike 5kms from the end of the day. Michael put it back on. Who's ever heard of a chain falling off a bike mid-ride?

Monday 16 July: a lovely day's ride, short at 55kms, to Saint Monique. Very pleasant lunch at Peribonka.

Tuesday 17 July:  a beautiful 75km ride broken into three parts: forest, road and ferry, then quiet roads and tracks to St Gedeon.

Des and Maureen avoiding moose, beavers, chipmunks and mosquitoes in the park.

Wednesday 18 July: A day of rolling hills and beautiful riding through lush farmland and forests. the 90kms whizzed by under our wheels. Our first day of riding as a 9-member team.

Thursday 19 July: I wimped out along with others to ride the van for the 125kms to Tadoussac.