Question about cycling in Canada's North.....

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btompkins0112
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by btompkins0112

This journal (http://cyclingtips.com.au/2013/10/roadtripping-norway/) has inspired me to ask about similar landscapes available in places more accessable to me like Canada. I am not (and won't be for a while) available to travel to Norway to enjoy the types of climate/views that this article shows, but my thought is that there are surely similar landscapes across Canada, specifically Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador. Is there any on the site from that area, or ridden there recently? Looking for similar weather also.....snow, but not bitter arctic cold. What time of the year would be best to plan a trip? February?

:thumbup: :beerchug:

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bikerjulio
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by bikerjulio

That was at the end of their summer. Winter up here is way colder and with more snow and ice. Suggest you look up the climate data. I'd have to think that feb/mar are about the worst riding months in most of Canada, when we dream of getting away. Closest climate and scenery to Norway I'd think would be Vancouver island, but no personal experience.
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53x12
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by 53x12

Have grown up in Norway part of my life, I will say that it the type of terrain varies depending on what you want.

'Sørlandet' which is the very southern part of Norway (Mandal, Kristiansand, Grimstad (where Thor Hushovd is from), reminds me of New England area, specifically Maine.

'Østlandet' (Oslo, Drammen, Fredrikstad, Moss, Porsgrunn) has territory that ranges from rolling 'hills' like the Appalachia region all the way to Rocky Mountain type mountains when you head west to the 'Oppland' county. Very very beautiful scenery and roads there.

Then there is the 'Vestlandet' region (Bergen, Stavanger, Molde, Ålesund) that has the Atlanterhavsveien i.e. Atlantic Road that was shown in the Cycling Tips article. Very beautiful region and that road is magnificent. This is the region with all the fjords and many of the glaciers. Also has a lot of outer lying islands off the coast. I don't think there is one flat spot in this part of the country. Seriously. My Dad use to joke the flattest part of Norway was the postcard you might send home. Especially true of this region. The weather here is very harsh. Cold. Windy. Rainy. Reminds me of Seattle a little, except this region is right off the Atlantic coast.

That was just a brief overview of 'Sør-Norge' part of Norway from my experience. That doesn't even include northern Norway which is even more remote and 'majestic' imo.

So for comparison to Canada I would say it is hard as Norway (and Canada have such varied terrain). Maybe for Sørlandet I would say New Brunswick/Nova Scotia are similar terrain wise.

Østlandet I might compare to eastern BC and would compare Vestlandet to western BC. That is just from the top of my head as I haven't spent that much time in Canada.

Newfoundland and Labrador are places I want to visit, but not for biking (backpacking instead). I think those are places you might not want to visit during the winter time. Norway, while it gets cold and gets snow, gets fairly moderate winters for being as far north as it is. This is due to the Gulf Stream that goes right past their coast. Without this, Norway would be one large ice cube. ;)
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Geoff
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by Geoff

I went to Law School in Halifax, Nova Scotia, so I spent a few years exploring that part of the country. There are similiar types of roads there, for sure. It is great to ride there in the Fall. I can imagine that it is really similar in a lot of respects. Not so much fun in the winter, as it gets pretty windy. It is a helluva lot warmer than Calgary, though...

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Calnago
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by Calnago

I was born in Vancouver, BC and grew up there and went to school there etc. I've never been to Norway, but have some Norwegian ancestory (we had to eat Lutefisk and Lefsa on Christmas Eve as kids) but that's neither here nor there. From what I've heard the landscapes of British Columbia can be quite similar to Norway. But I've heard fabulous things about biking in eastern Canada as well, like Nova Soctia etc. Probably similar to the northeast coast of the US. But Vancouver undoubtedly has the mildest year round climate of any big city in Canada, and although you may not have much snow except for the mountains, the rain and cold can be much more miserable at times. As kids we would ride our bikes from the mainland, catch a ferry over to the Gulf Islands between the mainland and Vancouver Island and bike and camp. Fun times. Very Tom Sawyerish for 12 years old or so. It's unlikely any parents these days would let their 12 years olds just ride off for the weekend. But the Gulf Islands are very nice for cycling, as are the San Juans which are the same group of islands, but belong to the US. You can hop ferries between them all. Depends what you want I suppose. If you're a mountain biker, Vancouver is a good base because you can ride the North Shore and surrounding mountains, or Whistler is not too far where you can have a blast doing any kind of mountain biking and downhilling you desire.
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btompkins0112
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by btompkins0112

Thanks for the replies everyone! This is just the info I was looking for......looking at Labrador/Newfoundland in the late fall. My parents live in Upstate NY, so was going to use a visit home as an excuse to do a weekend trip to Canada. I reckon that it is too late in the year at this point to even think of heading that direction....so I've got some time to plan/work on the wife for permission. :beerchug:

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53x12
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by 53x12

What kind of riding are you looking for in particular? Just have the itch to ride in Canada? Upstate NY/NH/VT have some great scenery and areas to bike. Not saying you shouldn't go to Canada, but you might be closer to some great terrain without having to get over to Labrador which would be quite some hike from where you live. ;)
"Marginal gains are the only gains when all that's left to gain is in the margins."

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btompkins0112
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by btompkins0112

I was just inspired by the scenery/landscapes/climate from the article TBH.....I have done some riding around my parents place and it truly is great, but have an itch for something completely different. The photos of the arctic landscapes were what peaked my interest.

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53x12
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by 53x12

So you thinking fall/spring to have snow along the road but not on the road?

A few places on my list are:

Sun Road in Glacier National Park, MT
Trail Ridge Road, CO
Beartooth Pass Highway, MT/WY
Blue Ridge Parkway, VA/NC

I know there are other great rides, but those 4 are sorta on my bucket list of places to ride my bike.

Not sure if you would be doing a touring bike/camping along the way, or bring a road bike and ride out from a base location? I think Halifax would be a great location/surrounding area to check out. Riding along the Atlantic Ocean would be quite spectacular imo.

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prendrefeu
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by prendrefeu

Make plans:
http://www.vikingtour.no/

Also, since people are pushing you to stay in the US (why?!? travel international!)

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53x12
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by 53x12

^ Give the guy a break. I'm sure he would love to go to Norway as noted in his first post, but with a kid on the way sometimes you can't make your dream trip work until later in your life.
"Marginal gains are the only gains when all that's left to gain is in the margins."

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prendrefeu
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by prendrefeu

True.
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53x12
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by 53x12

I do agree Pre that CA offers some great riding. Maybe not quite as 'epic' as he is looking for?
"Marginal gains are the only gains when all that's left to gain is in the margins."

Valbrona
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by Valbrona

We got this thing in North Western Europe called the Gulf Stream - a flow of 'warm' water from the south that has the effect of warming our winters. Despite the relatively high latitudes of places like Scotland and Norway our winters ain't half as bad as the Continental Interior-type winters you get at similar latitudes in places like Canada and Russia.

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HammerTime2
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by HammerTime2

53x12 wrote:I do agree Pre that CA offers some great riding. Maybe not quite as 'epic' as he is looking for?
Is this epic enough?
In Riding in California, wojchiech wrote:If you want to take in one of the best views of the Pacific Ocean, consider stopping along highway 1 and ride Nacimiento-Fergusson Road near Big Sur. Also since you mentioned driving, I'd recommend taking highway 101 north. It takes a little longer, but there's also less local LA traffic, is more scenic, and is easier to get to highway 1 (if you do end up deciding to ride Nacimiento Rd).

A brief browse through flickr.com should be enough to convince you:

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