The Ottawa Branch of the CCCTS is planning a six-day Hub and Spoke centered on the National Capital Region and spanning Canada Day, 2017. This event will be followed by a five-day ride up the Ottawa Valley to Pembroke. Members may register for either the Hub and Spoke, the Valley Tour, or both. These events provide an excellent opportunity to visit Ottawa and celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary.

The National Capital Hub and Spoke is rated intermediate since the rides will be combined with sightseeing. Elevation changes will be between 200 – 300 m except for the Gatineau Hills which has elevation gains of +900m. There will be longer and shorter rides each day. City rides will be between 50 and 70 km. Enroute, the rides will pass the Parliament Buildings, 24 Sussex Drive, the Governor General’s property and other historic sites. At least one of the rides will include guided tours of the Parliament Buildings, Rideau Hall or Rideau Gardens. We will cycle into the Gatineau Hills with the option of visiting the McKenzie King Estate http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/mackenzie-king-estate. Rural rides will take us to Merrickville, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrickville, a unique village on the Rideau Canal and to Pinhey’s Point, http://www.pinheyspoint.ca/index.php, a manor house and ruins on the Ottawa River.

July 1st, Canada’s Birthday, will be a day off to enjoy the festivities in the National Capital Region, in particular, the events on Parliament Hill.

Social Events: Three venues for dinner will be offered on June 27th, 29th and July 2nd.

For the Hub and Spoke accommodation will be provided by CCCTS members offering B&B. Hosts will provide breakfast but will not be expected to offer additional meals; however, hosts will provide fridge space for participants.

Billets will provide accommodation starting Tuesday, June 27th and ending Tuesday AM, July 4th. Some may also be able to offer accommodation on Saturday July 8th at the end of the Ottawa Valley Tour.

City rides will mainly be on paved recreational paths. The Gatineau Hills ride will be a combination of paved bicycle paths, paved roads and parkways. The rural rides will be on secondary paved roads with minimal traffic.

Participants will be billeted in different parts of the city, therefore transportation to remote starts will be required. Please let us know your travel plans and needs. When possible, hosts will endeavour to assist visitors with transportation.

Bike Rentals:

RentABike Vélocation, 2 Rideau St, Ottawa, ON K1N 8X5, telephone: (613) 241-4140, email: rentabike11@outlook.com, website: http://www.rentabike.ca . Please note that RentABike is closed until April 7th, 2017.

Ride maps, cue sheets and other miscellaneous items.

All meals other than breakfast.

Registration Opening Date is Wednesday, January 18th, 2017, at 5:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. A non-refundable fee of $2.00 is required at tour signup, which must be done online. Participants must be current CCCTS members and will be selected on the basis of date of receipt of registration fee on the internet, with the following exception: out of town participants will be given preference over local CCCTS Members.

Registrants will be selected within 72 hours, on the basis of registration time and will be notified by email regarding acceptance.   Full payment of the tour fee will be due upon notification of acceptance.

Once the H&S has been fully subscribed a waiting list will be established. If cancellations occur, individuals from the waiting list will be invited to join the Hub and Spoke and the Tour based on their position on the waiting list.

Please register for the event using our online registration at http://tinyurl.com/m9dw6g.

The organizing committee of Marg Hurley, Nancy Hough, Mary Lou Davies, Geoff Kennedy and Don Taylor invite you to participate in both the National Capital Hub and Spoke and the Ottawa Valley Tour to celebrate Canada's Birthday and explore this region of Ontario and Quebec.