Presents:
The 2017 French Canada Tandem Tour
July 1st through July 9th
The tour package includes:
Seven (7) days of riding
Eight (8) nights lodging
Five (5) dinners
Six (6) breakfasts
One (1) lunch
Five (5) afternoon 'Happy Hour' get-togethers
Maps and cue sheets
Baggage transfers
The tour will be limited to ten (10) couples on tandems.
Total cost per Couple is $3400
Registration and Waiver forms
(Call for availability)
The 2017 French Canada Tandem Tour
Join us for a weeklong tandem tour in French Canada, with its spectacular people, foods, and traditions. Ride your tandem in Montreregie and the Eastern Townships, south and east of Montreal. Enjoy the cultural and architectural heritage, riding through hamlets and villages considered the most beautiful in Quebec.
This is a fun tour with lots to see and tandem friendly rides. Mostly flat to rolling riding on quiet country roads. Tour old forts, visit an old cidery and ride past apple orchards. Visit a duck farm and an art glass studio. Come on north and enjoy. Bon Voyage!
Arrival Day in St. Bernard de Lacolle, Quebec
Enjoy this very nice and new Auberge (hotel) for our arrival day and our first day of tandeming. We are just over the US/Canada border on Aut 15 (I87), less time driving!. Come early and take a drive into Montreal, an hour away by car.
We will have a Happy Hour this afternoon / evening followed by a group dinner.
Day 1 Around Beautiful Southern Quebec along the Apple Route
Rides of 24, 37, 44 or 49 miles
We tandem through apple orchards and rich farmland on rolling, quiet roads.
Bike past stone farm houses with flared roof lines and rock walls, built by
Irish, Scottish, and American Loyalists who settled here. Enjoy the tastes
of regionally made cheeses, wines, and foods, from small business through
out this ride.
Visit the Ciderie du Minot, to see how cider was made in
Breton farms in the 19th century. The family brought their press with them
across the Atlantic, building their Ciderie around it.
See your first inukshuk, stacked rocks in a human form, a tradition of the Inuit
people and the 2010 Winter Olympics sign for welcoming friends. Visit
Hemmingford's historic village with its nice shops and restaurants. The
church of Saint-Jean-Chrysostome is one of the many architectural sights to
see this week.
Day 2 St. Bernard de Lacolle to Stanbridge
Rides of 31 or 37 miles
Bike down into New York and Vermont where we pass old stone buildings and wonderful countryside. Then we return over the border into Quebec, crossing the border at small, quiet border crossings.
Ride along Lake Champlain, with its wonderful lakeside views and restaurants.
This is an amazing day of riding on mostly flat country roads. We'll have lunch at the Euro-Spa in Stanbridge before going to see the imposing twelve sided barn built by the Walbridge family. Enjoy this barn, now a museum and national heritage site.
Tonight we stay at the Euro Spa
Day 3 Stanbridge to Knowlton (Lac Brome)
Rides of 43 miles
The route takes you through Bromont with its Chocolate Museum and many fine lunch stops. It lets you visit a great winery, Domaine les Brome (285, chemin Brome) for
tastings. Ride along quiet, winding river roads and cross another wooden covered bridge.
Arrive at Auberge Knowlton, a historic inn and our home for the next two days.
Happy Hour and group dinner.
Day 4 Lac Brome, Ducks, Mont Echo, & East
Rides of 12, 22, 31, 36 and 38 miles
With three loops, you can combine rides for morning and afternoon fun. Leave enough time to visit to Canard du Lac Brome, where duck is their specialty.
One ride circles Lac Brome, with it's beautiful eastern shore. Another loop circles Mont Echo, with a chance to visit Forge Art and to ride the quiet but hillier terrain south of Knowlton. A longer loop rides east and north, returning along Lac Brome.
Or take a rest day, walking historic Knowlton. Visit Knowlton's historic museum, which includes a fire tower, 1854 schoolhouse, and a WW1 Fokker aircraft!
Day 5 Knowlton to St Jean sur Richelieu
Rides of 51, 53 or 58 miles
Most of this ride is through flat countryside, after starting with easy climbs and around Lac Brome then a descent into Bromont . A dedicated bike path can be used to shorten the ending.
Cross a covered bridge while following the river road. Enjoy
the atmosphere of Bromont and visit its chocolate museum. Ride along the beautiful shoreline of Lac Brome.
Arrive in St Jean sur Richelieu, with its downtown alive with restaurants and art. The Auberge Harris is on the river and is filled with the art collection of the owner, who has been encouraging biking for over 20 years!
Happy Hour and group dinner.
Day 6 St. Jean, Chambly and Chocolate
Rides of 26, 34 or 47 miles
Bike along the river roads, the canal bike path, or further west within sight of the Montreal skyline. Ride to Chambly, and stroll along its historic streets. Chambly is a 'must see' little town. Visit Fort Chambly, a magnificent French fortification located at the Richelieu River rapids.
See La chocolaterie La Maison Gourmande in Chambly, where you can meet artisans transforming chocolate into something extraordinary. Of all the chocolate shops we have visited, they have the best tasting and best looking chocolates. And great Gelato too!
Day 7 St. Jean sur Richelieu to St. Bernard
Rides of 31, 34, 37 or 55 miles
We ride up the Richelieu River valley, to St Bernard de Lacolle, with a choice of three routes. Visit historic Fort Lennox, an authentic British fortification on an island in the middle of the Richelieu River. Learn about the daily lives of the 1830's soldiers. Stop by the Blockhaus in Saint Paul de I'lleaux Noix, a historic site built in 1781 as part of the British defenses.
Travel up the road of the Patriotes, through gentle farmland.
Visit the beautiful stone church just past the Acadia River.
Or take the longer route to enjoy the countryside and it's broad farmlands, and a great view of the Montreal skyline.
Happy Hour and group dinner.
Back in St. Bernard de Lacolle we will regroup for our final Happy Hour and group dinner.