Cyclists in Ottawa are so privileged to have hundreds of kilometres of bike paths and access to beautiful roads for cycling. Ottawa is a cyclist’s Mecca.

One of my favourite rides is the Carp Loop that includes the famous Thomas A Dolan Parkway road. A road known to local cyclists and the elite racers as a raceway with full on attacks that whittle away the size of the peloton. Only the strong who know how to suffer, put out huge power numbers, or those who can stay on a wheel by the skin of their teeth make it up and over the crest before the fast descent and left turn into Carp. Some riders keep hammering back into the core of Ottawa while others stop for a well deserved break at Alice’s Cafe on the Main Street in Carp.

Here is a view of a gorgeous red barn that accentuates the farm landscape as one pedals west on the Carp Road.

Here is a typical loop from the core of Ottawa to Carp and back.

If you come to Ottawa and want some pointers on great routes to ride let me know!