Travel - Hitting the trail

BY URSULA SAUVE

I had never heard of the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure (GWTA) until Roger, my brother-in-law who resides in Cornwall, Ont., expressed an interest in participating in the third annual GWTA ride and invited my husband Herve and I to join. Last year, while sitting on his front porch on old Hwy. 2, Roger marvelled at the 250 cyclists riding past his house and inquired about the tour.

On July 3 this year, we started our eight-day, 720-kilometre bike ride from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Quebec border at Rivière Beaudette, 45 kilometres east of Cornwall.

The mostly flat trail spans along stunning off-road paths along the waterfront, through parks, on residential streets, on wide paved shoulders of busier roads, along quiet country roads and on service roads. The trail includes 41 participating communities, 86 wetlands, two world biospheres, one Great Lake, 1,000 islands, one heritage river, historic forts, two Ontario wine regions and countless orchards and farms. The trail’s message is one of wellness, recreation, culture, local pride and lifestyle.

The organizers of the GWTA promised I would have the opportunity to ride, shop, eat well, make new friends, swim, sing, drink, dance and laugh and that I would experience the thrill of anticipation, a tremendous sense of accomplishment and a deep appreciation and new connection to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

They were right on all accounts. It was a thrilling and challenging experience that I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to have a great holiday close to home.

A moving van drove ahead of us along the route with all our tents and luggage and delivered our bags at the end of every day to the designated camp location. All host communities for rest stops and for overnight stays treated us like royalty, preparing delicious dinners and breakfasts, and refreshing and nutritious rest stop snacks.

Every year, the tour organizers select different communities to host so all 41 communities get a chance to showcase their town.

Every day, some volunteers (the white shirts) rode alongside us, assisting with direction, fixing mechanical problems, attending to minor injuries or just offering encouraging words. The red shirt volunteers, called “the sweepers,” made sure no one was left behind. The “crew” volunteers were driving support vans that provided water, Gatorade, snacks, tubes, tires or shuttle service for riders who had “worked” enough for the day. The “information volunteers” and staff set up the information tent daily, verifying the check-in sheet for all arrivals, providing details about dinner and evening activities and explaining the route for the following day. They also posted a daily weather forecast. This year it was sunny, hot and hotter.

This was definitely the most energetic group of people I have been with in many years. The riders ranged in age from 12-78, split evenly between men and women.

As the trip advanced, there were more and more flat tires and the need for mechanical adjustments. At every stop, mechanics provided, free of charge and with a smile, repairs, check-ups and tune-ups as required.

At the finish line we were treated to cheers, hugs, bagpipes, medals, pizza and cake and an incredible sense of accomplishment.

For more information about the GWTA, visit www.waterfronttrail.org.