Vancouver
You’d expect climbs when cycling in Vancouver, so why not embrace elevation gain fully by tackling this variation on the city’s famed Triple Crown – a ride that takes you up Mount Seymour, Grouse Mountain and Cypress Mountain. Sebastian Salas, co-owner of Musette Tours, which specializes in custom cycling experiences in Vancouver, has created this route, which starts and ends at the cycling-friendly Musette Caffé. After a quick warm-up across the Burrard Street Bridge for a loop through the Kitsilano neighbourhood, ride along Sunset Beach Park and English Bay up to and through Stanley Park, up the east side passing the rose garden and Beaver Lake. Past the Lions Gate Bridge, ride up Capilano Road alongside the park of the same name until Montroyal Boulevard, where you turn right to head east across the top of North Vancouver and around the western periphery of Mountain Forest to the first big climb at Mount Seymour. It’s a 12.2-km climb – “the most challenging of the Triple Crown,” says Salas. On the way down, reward yourself with a fuelling stop at Bean Around the World in Parkgate Village. Then, retrace your pedalling, heading back west toward Capilano Road. Take in the stellar views of downtown Vancouver, before a short climb up to the base of Grouse Mountain. On the Cleveland Dam, stop for some B.C. beauty with views of the water reservoir and surrounding mountains. Head west to the bottom of Cypress Mountain. You face 10.5-km of climbing, but Salas advises that 3 km up, there’s a great vantage point worth stopping for. “You can see all of Vancouver including Stanley Park and u.b.c.” Once you make it to the top, it’s a descent back into the city, through West Vancouver neighbourhoods and the west side of Stanley Park, ending back downtown at Musette Caffé for well-deserved refreshments.