Bicycle tours?

[egoldber]

Has anyone done a bike tour (with kids or not)? We are thinking of doing a bike tour for our 20th anniversary. And maybe something else in the summer with the kids. This would be spring and summer 2012.

We've been looking at these sites:

http://www.freewheeling.ca/index.html

http://www.trektravel.com/

The latter is a bit more upscale than the former, but both are kind of what we want.

[fivi2]

I have not ever done it, but just the other day I stumbled across this company while googling something else entirely: http://www.backroads.com/

I know absolutely nothing about them, but your post made me think of the site - I thought a lot of their trips looked nice. They have family tours also.

I'd love to hear how it goes if you do it!

[kristenk]

I've heard good things about this company: http://www.ciclismoclassico.com/

[bubbaray]

We haven't, but we know many many people who have. Some have done them in North America, some in Europe and some in Central/South America.

[WatchingThemGrow]

My friend whose DH owns several bike shops has done the Trek thing a couple times. She enjoyed it!

I've done Bike Virginia (http://bikevirginia.org/) (like in 1995, lol) and we thought it was a great family activity if you're buff. We did the hotel option. (Then, on the way home to Atl, we stopped and stayed at a Holiday Inn, randomly. I now live a street away from that hotel. Isn't that weird?)

[egoldber]

Well, I am new at this. DH is pretty fit and quite good. He can easily bike 50+ miles and is training for a 100 mile ride. I am not interested in that. ;) We would be doing something pretty flat and with luggage shuttles.

Most of the Trek routes seem a little hard core, but the Freewheeling routes seem much more tame!

A friend also recommended this trail to us: http://www.laurentians.com/parclineaire/

[bubbaray]

You need to PM MontrealMum.

[bubbaray]

If you can come our way, the Okanagan Kettle Valley tour is suitable for your whole family.

[bubbaray]

Here are some photos of DH, the girls and the ILs on part of the Kettle Valley trail 3 weeks ago. It is nice and wide, pretty flat (was a railway, so no more than 2% grade), through vineyards and across gorgeous trestles.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/5980172996_8568a7877c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22038215@N08/5980172996/)
DSC01832 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22038215@N08/5980172996/) by bubbaray (http://www.flickr.com/people/22038215@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6002/5979615293_49b264e1e0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22038215@N08/5979615293/)
DSC01814 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22038215@N08/5979615293/) by bubbaray (http://www.flickr.com/people/22038215@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/5979615237_339ec11644.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22038215@N08/5979615237/)
Photo0328 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22038215@N08/5979615237/) by bubbaray (http://www.flickr.com/people/22038215@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6017/5980172512_2c339a286a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22038215@N08/5980172512/)
Photo0327 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22038215@N08/5980172512/) by bubbaray (http://www.flickr.com/people/22038215@N08/), on Flickr

[mikeys_mom]

Well, I am new at this. DH is pretty fit and quite good. He can easily bike 50+ miles and is training for a 100 mile ride. I am not interested in that. ;) We would be doing something pretty flat and with luggage shuttles.

Most of the Trek routes seem a little hard core, but the Freewheeling routes seem much more tame!

A friend also recommended this trail to us: http://www.laurentians.com/parclineaire/

I haven't biked on Le P'tit Train du Nord in many years but from what I remember it is really flat. My parents bike there all the time in the summer as they have a cottage in the area. They are in their mid-60's and I would say average fitness level and it works well for them. It is a really pretty and scenic trail.

[MontrealMum]

A friend also recommended this trail to us: http://www.laurentians.com/parclineaire/

I've done parts of that route many times, though not all at once :) Though not on a bike tour, that's one of our normal weekend haunts. We especially like the area from St.-Jerome thru Ste.-Agathe. We don't usually go all the way to Tremblant. We also enjoy the Aerobic Corridor: http://www.laurentians.com/parclineaire/1517_an.html

The Parc lineare is part of the P'tit Train du Nord as MikeysMom said, and it's a cycling/skiing route that's been made out of an old train line that starts just north of Montreal and goes northwards.

One thing that a lot of people don't realize is that although it looks flat when you're driving or walking, it actually isn't. The chunk I mentioned above is approximately 25 km of a very long, very low grade uphill. Low grade because it was a train route. And it's a lot harder than it looks.

Another area that's known for bike tours is the Charlevoix. It's absolutely stunning, and much more beautiful than the Laurentians which are downright boring in places, but it's extremely hilly. http://www.tourisme-charlevoix.com/cyclotourism

You can pm me if you want more info about Quebec or the NE. We are avid cyclists and know many people who have been on bike tours, though we have not had the chance to do one ourselves.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Melissa, lovin' that princess basket...we have the same one!

[egoldber]

Bubbaray that looks awesome! :)

We're really talking about 2 trips. Our anniversary is May 2012 and DH really wants to go somewhere in Europe (sans kids) for that trip. I am a little conflicted about leaving the continent without the kids. We thought Montreal/Quebec might give him that European feel he's looking for without the whole crossing the ocean thing. ;)

We'd also like to do something with the kids. But that is more likely to be spring or summer 2013.

MM, I did read on one site that people sometimes shuttle to the other end so that they do it all downhill. We need something pretty easy for me. :o Realistically, with my schedule, I'm not going to have the time to train intensively.

This is the kind of thing I had in mind for our anniversary: http://www.freewheeling.ca/adventures/FranceCarcassonne%20to%20Bordeaux%20by%20Canal%20P ath.html

[bubbaray]

Here is an article about bike tours in France: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/destinations/travel-europe/france/we-want-to-book-a-country-home-thats-great-for-cycling-in-france-suggestions/article2121042/