Ottawa Tandem Bike Adventures
/KITC would like to welcome back guest blogger, Stephen Johnson. Stephen Johnson is an Ottawa writer who loves to write about family travel. During the summer, you will most likely find him and his family at a local fair or festival. During a non-pandemic winter, a beach in Mexico is a likely bet.
Date night has not been the same since COVID started. The go-to dinner and a movie has not been an option for most of 2020 and 2021.
My wife, Sandy and I decided to flip date night on it’s head and have a date day. We decided to rent bikes from Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals.
Upon arrival at their Sparks Street location, Sandy and I felt like we had stepped into bicycle heaven. A local artist was preparing a cycling mural on the interior wall. Final preparations were being done to their bicycle themed café. Most importantly, the variety of bikes to rent was impressive.
We had our choice of electric bikes, mountain bikes, city comfort bikes and everything else in-between. In keeping with date day, Sandy and I chose to rent a tandem bike.
Before heading off on our adventure, I had a chance to chat with Escape Bike Tours owner, Maria Rasouli regarding what motivated her to start up her business.
“I grew up in Iran and loved riding a bike when I was a kid,” says Rasouli. “In Iran, girls are not allowed to ride bicycles once they hit puberty. I did not ride a bike again until I moved to Ottawa in 2002. When I rode a bicycle again I was amazed by all the pathways and trails here in Ottawa. Some people say Ottawa is a boring city but I would say they have never explored the city by bike. When I started Escape, I wanted to combine my love of cycling and Ottawa in one business.”
After hearing Maria’s inspiring story, Sandy and I were excited to hop on our bike and start exploring the city. We tested out the tandem bike on Sparks Street. It took us a few tries to get the hang of it but soon enough, we were in sync.
I wanted to take the tandem for a spin on the Queen Elizabeth Driveway which is closed to vehicles from 8 am - 8 pm until June 30th. It was early afternoon on a weekday. Sandy and I enjoyed ambling along a road that was totally free of cars and was mostly empty of people.
I loved the tandem bike in that Sandy and I could easily carry on a conversation without fear of crashing bikes. I teased Sandy that she wasn’t allowed to do any backseat driving.
We continued along the Driveway and eventually merged on to the Rideau Canal pathway. We took a brief pause to watch a turtle slowly swimming in the canal. Soon enough, it was time for us to head back to return our bike rental. Sandy and I both agreed that our date day was a great success.
After we returned the tandem bike, I had the chance to try out an electric bike. To start the electric assist, a person must start pedaling. You can pick various options from no assist to Turbo. I slowly made my way up to turbo. I could see how at the end of a long bike ride, the electric assist would be a very welcome feature. The other thing I noticed was just how fun the electric bike was. It would make a wonderful gift for Father’s Day (hint, hint).
Escape has bike rental options for every age including for young children. Organized bike tours are also an option pending provincial COVID-19 restrictions.
There is a reasonable chance the summer of 2021 will still emphasize staycations. I know Sandy and I are planning to spend much of our summer exploring Ottawa by bike.
