Sadly, we did not get enough club members to express an interest in cycling all the way across Canada in 2025. So, the Board pulled the plug on that plan – “Plan A”. I’ll admit to you that I was a bit depressed by this. When I became CCCTS Tour Director in 2022, I felt it was my duty to try to revive this tour for the club. My husband Dan and I have listened to stories about the Cross Canada from club members who rode it ever since we joined the club 20 years ago. It seemed like it was important to the identity of the club, so I wanted to step up and try to make it happen again. When we didn’t get enough club members who wanted to go, I felt like I had failed the club. Several of you did express interest, just not enough to give us a comfortable feeling that there would be a big enough group for the tour to go.
But, after further discussions with my CCCTS partner, Hub & Spoke Director Linda Graupner, and our senior advisor, Allan Buium, we have decided that there is more than one way to cycle across Canada. The club has changed and we’re living in a new era. Just like most of us have abandoned the flip phone for a smart phone, it is perhaps time for us to consider cycling across Canada in a new way too. Plan B involves three tours over three consecutive years with each tour about 6 weeks long. Club members could sign up for one section of the ride, two, or all three. At this point, we think the three rides would be:
- 2025 – Victoria/Vancouver to Winnipeg
- 2026 – Ottawa to St. Johns, Newfoundland
- 2027 – Winnipeg to Ottawa (through Ontario if it is deemed safe for cycling, or dipping into the northern US if it isn’t)
Since we are throwing out the way the club rode the Cross Canada in the past, Linda and I decided we would change up the ride format too.
Plan B is different:
- Speed – Slower Instead of the 4 weeks the club used to take to ride to Winnipeg, we will take closer to 6 weeks. Ride Canada yes, but let’s take the time to really See and Experience Canada. Of course, you can pedal your bike as fast as you like.
- Daily Distances – Shorter Instead of over 100k almost every day, have some shorter days where it’s possible.
- Lodging – More Motels/Hotels Camping nights will still be greater than 50%. We do need to put the club’s camping gear to good use.
- Days off – More When there are cool things to see and do other than riding, non-cycling activities will be included as part of the tour. Museums, cultural centers, local music performances, special meals, hiking, swimming, and anything fun we can think of. There is a LOT to see and do in Canada in addition to cycling.
Here are some preliminary details for the first leg of the journey:
- Timeframe – About 6 weeks in the summer of 2025 (exact timing to be chosen with the objective of optimizing weather and conditions),
- Route – Begin in Victoria/Vancouver, B.C. and end in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
- Daily Distances – Longest days up to 120k plus, but efforts will be made to include some shorter days and/or rest days after the really long days,
- Cost – Cost of the tour is not yet known but a rough estimate is $5,000 CAD per person.
- Group Size – Minimum 16, maximum 24-30,
- Method of Travel – Follow the “CCCTS camping system,” which involves renting a truck to carry gear and for emergencies, group cooking in teams, using CCCTS camping equipment, etc.,
- Camping vs. Motels – Average 4 nights of camping and 3 nights in motels/hotels per week,
- Non-Cycling or Layover Days – Average 2 days off the bike per week, when there are other fun/interesting things to do nearby,
- Food/Meals – This tour will eat well. All tour members will serve on a cook team and each team will cook approximately 1 day per week. There will be plenty of nutritious and delicious food provided as part of the tour (no scrimping on the food budget) for 3 meals per day plus snacks. We may have group cooking on some of the layover days and even some motel days when it seems like the best plan. But some layover days will present an opportunity for tour members to eat out, including tour-hosted group meals to enjoy local specialties.
- Driving – We will have a dedicated driver so tour members can ride the entire distance. If possible, we will find a volunteer (tour fee covered) like someone’s spouse or friend.
- E-Bikes – E-bikes are welcome, since we will use campgrounds set up for power plug-ins. A spare battery on the truck will be required,
- Planning Committees – All participants will be required to serve on one or more planning committees (e.g., Route, Accommodations, Safety, Equipment Management, Food)
- Senior Advisory Expertise – We will consult with a few longtime club members who have led CCCTS camping trips and/or ridden the Cross Canada tour with the club. We will seek out their input to help us plan a safe and successful tour.
So, now that you know what the new plan is, we would like to request an assessment of interest once again. The club hasn’t run a long tour involving camping for many years, so we want to make sure there is enough interest to go forward with the planning effort. Please email the Tour Director, Robin Howe, at robincooksandsews@gmail.com, if you have a serious interest in going on the 2025 Victoria/Vancouver to Winnipeg tour. It would be great if you could also let me know whether you think you might be interested in the later sections of the ride. It’s also ok if you’re not currently a club member but are planning to join by the end of 2023 and start participating in our tours, hub & spokes, and/or weekly Chapter rides.
Please respond to the Tour Director by the end of July if you think you are interested in going on a 2025 Victoria/Vancouver to Winnipeg tour.
Have a great summer!
Robin Howe, CCCTS Tour Director