The National Capital Region Chapter’s pannier tour this year is 8 days of cycling (7 nights) from the Ottawa suburb of Orleans to Montreal, then Cornwall and back, a total distance of about 500 kms.
Where possible, this ride follows the banks of the Ottawa River until its junction with the St. Lawrence River at Vaudreuil and Montreal. You will cycle through communities on both the Ontario and Quebec sides of the river; Orleans, Rockland, Plantagenet, Grenville, Rigaud, Hudson, crossing the Ottawa River by ferry.
From Vaudreuil, there will be a ride along the St Lawrence and Montreal’s old Lachine Canal, and on leaving, we will cycle west along the old Soulanges Canal to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and St. Zotique.
From St. Zotique, we continue west along the St. Lawrence River to Cornwall. Then, head back through eastern Ontario farmland to St. Albert, Casselman and Orleans.

Ottawa International Airport (YOW) is the closest airport to the starting point of the pannier trip. The airport is 26 kms from our start in Orleans. (30 min. by car, 90 min by transit). The cycling distance from downtown Ottawa to the Orleans start is 18km by bike path or 15km by urban streets.

There are bike rentals available in Ottawa at: 

RentABike Ottawa, (rentabike11@outlook.com)  613-241-4140,  and 

Escape Tours and Rentals, (info@escapebicycletours.ca)  613-608-7407

Once accepted for the tour, participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations.

A block of rooms is being held for the CCCTS at each of our overnight stops. We will all be staying in the same hotel/motel. Once you are selected for the Tour you will be given the hotel list and will need to make your own reservations. To get the group rate, mention that you are part of the CCCTS Tour. Accommodation costs will average $140 + tax (double occupancy) per night and two of the hotels include a continental breakfast in their room rate. 

There is limited capacity at some locations and single supplement may not be an option. Some of the local motels we are using have a limited number of available rooms. We would like to maximize participation which means two people per room and if the tour is oversubscribed during the lottery process, prospective participants who require a single room might not be accepted. When registering as a single, notify the Ride Leader (gkennedy10@rogers.com) to state if you would like to have a roommate; and if one cannot be found or if you require your own room, you are willing to pay the double room rate.

Our overnight stays will be in:

This event is a ‘pannier tour.’ Participants will carry any necessary bike parts, tools, clothing, and personal items with them on their bikes. There is no baggage transfer or sag wagon.

Our routes along the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers will be scenic and relatively flat. Daily cycling distances will range from 50 kms to 80 kms, with climbing, 100m to 400m (RWGPS). We will be cycling mostly on designated cycling routes and paved rural roads with low traffic volumes. Busier roads will usually have paved shoulders. There will be a few unpaved sections of cycling routes. For this reason, tire widths less than  28 mm are not recommended.

We will divide into groups each day to accommodate different riding speeds.  Each will have a ride leader and sweep. Participants will be required to download the RWGPS routes from the CCCTS route library, and/or print their own copies. Routes will be finalized and available to download at least a week before the trip.

There will be time to stop for coffee/beverages, to purchase picnic lunches and to enjoy scenic views. Rain is always a possibility so riders should come prepared.

• Organizational costs and supplies
• Credit card stripe fee (3%) of tour fee paid via the CCCTS website
• Limited Happy Hour supplies

• Accommodation & meals
• Bike rental
• Ferry charges
• Personal or Leader expenses

Day 1 – Tuesday  Aug. 18  (Orleans to Plantagenet)  58km,  354m

Participants should arrive at our starting point in Orleans by 10:00 am and be ready to begin riding at 10:30 am. Our route follows the bike path through Orleans then passes to the west of Cumberland, through Rockland to Clarence. From there we follow Old Hwy 17 along the south bank of the Ottawa River through Wendover to its tributary, the South Nation River, and the community of Plantagenet.

A happy hour at the motel is scheduled for 5:30 pm where you will get to review the day’s activities with your cycling buddies and learn details for the next day’s route. Similar happy hours will be held each day following the rides.

Day 2 – Wednesday  Aug. 19  (Plantagenet to Hawkesbury)  51km,  206m

Leaving Plantagenet, the route regains the south bank of the Ottawa River and follows it downriver through the communities of Treadwell and Lefaivre  to L’Orignal, where we may visit a historic jail and visit the riverside beach. From there it’s a short distance to Hawkesbury and our accommodation.

Day 3 – Thursday  Aug. 20 (Hawkesbury to Vaudreuil)  65km,  146m

Today, we leave Hawkesbury and cross the Long-Sault  bridge across the Ottawa River to Grenville; then continue east along the river to the hydro power dam at Carillon and the historic Carillon Canal. Then, a ferry takes us across the Ottawa River to Pointe Fortune. From there, we cycle to Rigaud, then through the communities of Hudson and Como to our motel in Vaudreuil. Ferry Fee $2.00

Day 4 – Friday  Aug. 21 (Vaudreuil)  55, 78, or 98km,  120 to 200m

Today is a pannier free day, as we are staying 2 nights in Vaudreuil. Cycling options are: 

1. A shorter trip across the Ottawa River to Oka with a stop at the former Trappist L’Abbaye d’ Oka and cheese shop.  Ferry Fee $4.00
2. Rides following Route Verte 5 along the north shore of the Lake Saint Louis section of St. Lawrence River- to René Lévesque Park in Lasalle, or continuing along the historic Lachine Canal.
3. Taking a free day to do your own thing in greater Montreal.                     

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Day 5 – Sat.  Aug. 22 (Vaudreuil to St. Zotique)  50km, 56m

Leaving our Vaudreuil motel, the route rejoins the Ottawa River, and after 6 km, we pick up RV5.  Our route follows the Ottawa River until it joins the St. Lawrence at Pointe des Cascades. From here, we bike along the old Soulanges Canal to Les Cèdres. After a bike ferry from Les Cèdres across a channel of the Saint Lawrence River to Grande Ile, we pass through the town of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and then follow a series of bridges and islands back across the St. Lawrence, to reach our accommodation in St. Zotique. Ferry Fee $3.00

Day 6 – Sun. Aug. 23 (St. Zotique to Cornwall)  61km,  125m

From our motel, we cycle west along the north bank of the Saint Lawrence River, following RV5 in Quebec and then the Waterfront Trail when we cross into Ontario.The route goes through the community of South Lancaster and along Cornwall’s renovated riverfront and the old Cornwall Canal before swinging north to our accommodation.

Day 7 – Mon. Aug. 24 (Cornwall to Casselman)  62km,  160m

Our route north from Cornwall, uses 5 km of woodland trail to St Andrews West; then makes its way through farmland on county roads to Avonmore, the cheese factory in St. Albert, and across Hwy 417 to our accommodation in Casselman.

Day 8 – Tues. Aug. 25 (Casselman to Orleans)  67km,  344m

The final day’s ride goes north from Casselman through Larose Forest to Bourget. Here the route picks up the Prescott-Russell rail trail and follows it for 14 km to Sarsfield. Then, north on rural roads and bike paths to Cumberland and back to our start location in Orleans.

Registration will be on the CCCTS website on the date shown.  A computerized lottery system and waitlist will be used in the event that the ride is over-subscribed. A $100 CAD payment is required at the time of registration. The lottery signup will run for 7 days, after which time the leaders will review the results.

The selection process will consider the following criteria in evaluating candidates:

• fitness and riding ability and experience required for the tour,
• a history of demonstrating safe riding practices,
• acceptable social behavior.

The leader may interview riders or others who know them to verify their suitability for the tour.  The Tour Leaders will have the discretion to make the final decision on whether someone is accepted for a tour and may reject applicants after discussion with the Tour Director. The leaders also have the option to prioritize 30% of the tour applicants up to a maximum of 6 people.

Tour member selection is done primarily by lottery results but the leaders will have the final decision on who is accepted or not for the tour. The leaders will notify registrants of their selection status. If the ride is not filled to capacity, registration will continue until the closing dates shown. Wait listed cyclists who don't make it to the Ride's "Go List" are encouraged to remain on the waitlist; alternatively they may request a refund of their registration fee (minus the stripe fee).

Communicable Illness Policy: The CCCTS Communicable Illness Policy takes into consideration regulations and recommendations from Public Health Authority of Canada, BC Centre of Disease Control, and Public Health Ontario. In the case of illness while on tour, it is expected that all participants will follow the procedures outlined in this policy. CCCTS Communicable Illnesses Policy and Procedures

Air travel Emissions: Air Travel has an impact on climate change. For more information on the impact of those emissions on climate change and extreme weather events refer to Air Travel Emissions from CCCTS Tours on the club website.