After we got back from our tour we had a new Schwalbe Marathon tire put on the back wheel in Vancouver. When we put the bike back together on Saltpspring Island a few days later we noticed that there was a bulge in the tire and the rim. We took the bike to Fairfield Bicycles in Victoria and Tim and Max discovered that the back rim was cracked. They said that perhaps when the new tire was put on it was over inflated and it caused the rim to crack . The bike came with Velocity Aeroheat rims. Max suggested a more robust rim like the Salsa Gordo 26. The Salsa rim has a super strong X-brace design that hopefully will be a stronger rim for fully loaded touring in the future.

We were very happy with the Triangia alcohol stove/Clikstand set up. We had no problem finding fuel for the stove. Basically, most hardware stores and gas stations sold methylhydrate. However, finding butane/propane cannisters for our Snowpeaks stove would have been impossible in the villages we rode through in Quebec. The Triangia stove is super quiet and very easy to run. It has no parts to break down and we found the boiling and cooking times quiet manageable.

We would definitely go on another tour of Quebec. The people are friendly and hospitable and Route Verte is well organized . We really enjoyed the Chemin du Roy route with its history and beautiful old homes. The Route de Bluets is a great ride. However, it does not yet have the incredible infrastructure of the P'Tit Train du Nord. We were surprised at how little of the route actually follows the lake. However, the unique flavour of the region and the hospitality we enjoyed makes it a worthwhile cycling destination in Quebec.

There is very little that we would do differently on a future trip the exception being we would take more rest days.

The maps in the "Bicycling in Quebec" guidebook are at times frustrating as they often lack necessary detail. For getting around Montreal on bike we bought a booklet of maps from Velo Quebec entitled, "Carte des Voies Cyclables du grand Montreal"-excellent! Plus we relied on the free Official Tourist guides for each region . Particularly the Laurentians and Eastern Townships books.

Now our thoughts and excitement are turning to the possibility of more adventures touring by bike. We have such a long list of places to go...Europe, Great Britain, Asia, North America's Pacific Coast etc. At the moment, our research is following the route, Euro Velo 6, with the focus on riding from the Atlantic coast of France through the Loire Valley and follow the Danube to the Black Sea and on to Istanbul. Added to this journey would be an exploration of Normandy to visit the area where Mary Ellen's dad's regiment liberated the town of Caen and prevailed at Juno Beach during WWII and Paris. We love the anticipation of planning, so we look forward to months of budgeting and researching and dreaming of more days exploring the world by bike. Until then.....