CYCLING THE GLORIOUS ‘GATS’

Challenges, rewards in park

With more than 230 kilometres of kept pathways, the National Capital Region has a reputation for being a cycling hub. To explore the possibilities, Citizen columnist Wayne Scanlan charted a Summer Ride series that details five interesting day trips in and around Ottawa.

Any ride through Gatineau Park is a great one.

Once in the park, options are endless — on road, on path, offroad. Meech Lake. The Loop.

These are familiar terms for the growing number of riders who habituate the ‘Gats.’

This charted ride, a 35-kilometre round trip from the southern entrance of the park to the village of Old Chelsea, offers a sampling of the park with a nourishment stop at Old Chelsea. The elevation gain is 326 metres.

Gatineau Park can be reached from almost anywhere via the vast tributaries of bike paths in Ottawa and Gatineau, but for the sake of simplicity, we begin at the parking lot next to Parc Moussette, off Boulevard de Lucerne, by the outdoor tennis courts. A lot of Gatineau bike rides start here.

Ride east along Lucerne for a short block and then go left on Rue Begin for the entrance to the park. (Resist the temptation to have lunch at Edgar! Save it for the end of the ride).

Once inside the park, I prefer the pathway rather than the main road up to P3 at the former Rue Gamelin, now an east-west path. P3 is a major starting point for Gatineau rides and has a drinking fountain and portable toilets. Riders can enjoy a carfree tour on the parkway Sunday mornings as 27 kilometres of the parkway roads are closed to traffic from 6-11 a.m. But even when cars are heading up to Meech Lake or Old Chelsea through the park, they generally accommodate bikes.

From P3, I stay on the main road right up to Meech Road, although there are plenty of options to use a path instead. If you use the paths, you’ll have to get back on the promenade prior to the Pink Lake climb or you’ll either be away on an off-road adventure behind the lake or taking the roads on the fringe of the park into Chelsea via Chemin de la Mine, Notch and Kingsmere. Better to ride through the heart of the park’s south end.

There are some 200 different bird species in the park, and on our recent trip, bullfrogs serenaded us from various ponds and deer were dancing in and out of view. In summer, do this ride early to mid-morning to avoid the mid-day heat. The hill pain magnifies when the temperature exceeds 30 C.

At Meech Lake Road, you’ll see P8 at the northwest corner, but to reach the village of Old Chelsea, go right at the Meech stop sign and follow the slight uphill to the village. There’s a roadside bike lane for the kilometre or so ride to Chelsea. Go left at the first street, Chemin Scott, and Biscotti & Cie café will have a cold pitcher of water waiting for you just inside the door.

Biscotti is a coffee shop and lunch counter favoured by riders and visitors to the town. They also serve lemonade, coffee and stronger drinks, along with salads, sandwiches and pastries. Place your order and take your number to your seat (outdoors, preferably) and a server will bring it to you.

Next door, grab an ice cream at La Cigale. There are other restaurants and pubs in Old Chelsea and a good bakery (Boulangerie Dans Un Village) around the corner on the main street of Chemin Old Chelsea.

But, you have to earn these treats.

“There will be hills,” is the obvious caution for those riding in Gatineau Park a first time. They can be daunting for those used to the gently rolling paths along the Ottawa River, but each time out the climbs get easier. Everyone, eventually, finds his or her climbing legs. Don’t be discouraged if riders dressed for the Tour de France pass you as though you’re standing still; there are cyclists of varying abilities, ages and bike technology in the park. Find a comfortable rhythm and stick to it.

Those who like a serious challenge can veer off and do the famous Gatineau loop up to Champlain Lookout (see link) and beyond. The Lookout is daunting the first time up, but even without the Champlain detour, there are hills to conquer on the main parkway road toward Chelsea — chiefly at Pink Lake, and then past the Champlain turnoff. From Meech Road, if you need a swim, it’s a relatively short jaunt (about four kilometres) to Meech Lake’s O’Brien Beach.

Meech Road can easily be reached from the southern entrance of the park within in an hour.

For a shorter and different return trip, from Old Chelsea make a left onto Notch Road, and either take it straight to the Gatineau Parkway, or go left on Mine Road and follow it to the No. 5 park path. Go right on the path, which enters the park just past Rue Marie-Burger. The path will lead back to P3, and on down to the park entrance. Or, as I did recently, use a cross-path below Pink to rejoin the main promenade of the Parkway to P3.

This return trip bypasses two stiff park hills and trims three kilometres off the park route. The downside is a gravel shoulder on Notch, and horrible stretches of road on Notch and Mine that are in desperate need of repaving. It’s especially bad near the edges, forcing bikes out into the road, where traffic can be an issue. Fortunately it is only for a few kilometres.

As you arrive back at the southern entrance, it’s time to stop in at Edgar for a treat. wscanlan@postmedia.com Twitter: @hockeyscanner