Changing Direction: Bikepacking Through Gaspesie & Bas-Saint-Laurent

By Andrew on November 17, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

As I sit here at home on a Sunday evening contemplating the return to work in the morning (albeit with a potential ‘snow day’ to look forward to on Tuesday…) waiting for the gas engineer to arrive to service the boiler (yes, he works on Sundays!), this film from Markus Stitz has, for ten minutes, transported me to summer on the opposite side of the Atlantic; Canada to be precise. Quebec to be even more precise and a 1,350 km cycle from Matane to Gaspé… Perfect Sunday evening watching. More details from Markus below the film.

The film follows the round-the-world singlespeed cyclist on a 1,350 km bikepacking route from Matane to Gaspé on a Tout Terrain Scrambler. Markus comments: ‘This trip reminded me of my round-the-world trip in 2015/16, when I didn’t set off with a fixed itinerary, but instead changed my route to adapt to the circumstances I faced. I just went where the nice weather was and the interesting places were. Gaspésie allows for that, and I really enjoyed this more spontaneous approach.’

Changing Direction documents Markus’ bikepacking trip through Gaspésie and Bas-Saint-Laurent on the east coast of Québec, Canada. The name Gaspé is thought to originate with the Mi’kmaq – an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada’s Atlantic Provinces – and means land’s end.

The first villages along the coast of Gaspésie were only accessible by boat, but then the Intercolonial Railway Line, completed in 1876, brought visitors to the region. The construction of the coastal road was completed in 1929 and made it possible to explore Gaspésie by car. Today, adventure bikes like the Tout Terrain Scrambler, equipped with an extremely robust Pinion gearbox and waterproof bikepacking bags, allow people to explore Gaspésie in a different way.

‘Bikepacking trips offer me the opportunity to experience places at my own speed without leaving a trace. Gravel cycling allows me to get to most places, stop more often and be more flexible, to experience Gaspésie and Bas-Saint-Laurent in all its facets. Online resources from the bikepacking community & Vélo Québec provided very helpful information for me to explore Gaspésie, and the La Transgaspésie route, featured on bikepacking.com, and La Route verte du Québec from Vélo Québec inspired my trip. I also have a very close personal connection to Gaspésie, which is where my partner and her family are from.’

Markus Stitz: website

Images credit: Markus Stitz / Bikepacking Scotland

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