Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to Common Questions
About Tour du Canada
Let us know if you have a question not answered here.
- What is the difference between Tour du Canada and a Cycle Canada ride?
- How do I register for Tour du Canada?
- I have ridden Tour du Canada can I ride again?
- When was the first Tour du Canada staged?
- What ages are participants and how many people have completed the ride?
- How many women and how many men participate in the tour?
- Where do riders come from?
- What are the distances for the ride?
- Where does the tour start and end?
- Is Tour du Canada a race?
- What route does Tour du Canada follow
- What support is provided on the tour?
- What does the tour cost?
- How do I participate in Tour du Canada?
- What kind of bike do I need?
- What do I bring on the Tour du Canada?
- How do I join the club Tour du Canada? What is included in the membership?
- I participated in Tour du Canada many years ago, how can I renew my membership?
- Does Tour du Canada or its riders have sponsors?
- How can I support Tour du Canada?
- Can I buy a Tour du Canada jersey?
- Why do you do this?
What is the difference between Tour du Canada and a Cycle Canada ride?
Both the Tour du Canada ride and Cycle Canada rides are affordable tours.
Tour du Canada is a club event. It is a non-profit corporation. Participants are members of the club and participate in the club and event on a shared cost basis for the betterment of themselves and the club. Unlike on Cycle Canada tours, participants in Tour du Canada are not customers and should not except a customer service approach by those working to organize the tour, by other club members or volunteer board members. It is expected that participants will provide support to all those involved in the club and tour, and to help make the trip and club a memorable and positive experience for all. Participants represent the club and are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that enhances the club’s reputation, whether it be on or off the bike.
Cycle Canada, the Veloforce Corporation is a private corporation owned by Bud and Margot Jorgensen. Participants on Cycle Canada events are customers of Cycle Canada and have a right to expect that Cycle Canada, as organizers, and its staff will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that riders complete their ride and are enriched by the cycling experience. We hope that each rider will find companionship in, and be tolerant of other members of the group and help to make the trip a memorable and positive experience for all riders.
How do I register for Tour du Canada?
People plan well ahead for Tour du Canada and registration applications begin arriving more than a year in advance.
Membership:
Participation in Tour du Canada is a staged process, beginning with membership in Tour du Canada. You must be a member to be a Tour du Canada rider and the membership package is good for two Tour du Canada seasons.
The initiation fee for membership is C$30.00.
Subsequently, there is an annual sustaining fee to maintain your membership in good standing. The membership renewal date is October 31, the end of the club’s fiscal year. The primary purpose of continuing membership dues is to maintain the Tour du Canada website, which allows members to keep in touch with other prospective and past riders and be up to date on cycling in Canada.
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Tour Application:
The next step towards participating in Tour du Canada, which you can do at the same time as you join the club, is to send in a registration application.
The registration application is to be accompanied by a C$150 application fee. That can be a cheque or a wire transfer. That amount applies towards final fees. It is not refundable. The membership and registration packages are sent out separately.
Tour Applications can be sent in at any time, however no applications are processed prior to the review meeting held in October each year.
At that meeting the Board of Directors of Tour du Canada reviews the previous year’s tour and confirms the fees for the next year and confirms the tour dates, subject to possible adjustment due to the Newfoundland ferry schedule. Once the dates and fees are approved, applications can begin to be processed for the next year’s tour.
Tour Participation Forms and Deposit
Upon receipt of your application form, and confirmation of the tour fees and schedule by the Board, we send out a set of forms that must be reviewed and completed. The forms are then returned to us, accompanied by a C$600 registration fee (if by cheque, dated no ealier than October 1 in the year prior to the proposed tour). Please refer to the Dates and Fees page for payment methods Dates and Fees.
Participation in Tour du Canada is confirmed when the following steps are completed (subject to final payment being received as outlined in the Tour du Canada policies).
- You have joined the club Tour du Canada.
- A review of the previous year’s tour is complete and, based on that review, the fees and dates are set for the coming year.
- You have sent in an application form with a $150.00 fee.
- The forms sent to you in response to your application fee have been satisfactorily completed and
returned along with a registration fee of $600.00. - Completion of a face-to-face or Skype meeting with the Executive Director of Tour du Canada or his or her appointee.
During the meeting the framework, co-operative nature and responsibilities of participants on the tour will be discussed. - Your deposit is processed.
Links to Membership Forms and ride Application Forms are found here:
Membership and Application Forms
I have ridden Tour du Canada can I ride again?
Yes you can sign up just as any other prospective rider. But also veterans have an option of returning to do a segment ride with a Tour du Canada group. People who have completed a Tour du Canada ride can join for segments and must pre-register. TdC vets know the routine on the trip and can easily fit in. We will take up to two TdC vets for a segment. Vets need to have their membership current.
If it has lapsed we ask that they renew for three years. Where there is a long gap between rides, a returning vet needs to redo the membership registration process.
When was the first Tour du Canada staged?
Tour du Canada was first staged in 1988. That year, Bud Jorgensen, founder of Tour du Canada, organized the first annual ride. We have been cycling across Canada ever since. In 2020 we celebrate 32 years.
What ages are participants and how many people have completed the ride?
Between 12 and 65 riders have completed the trip each year. As of 2020 nearly 1000 people have completed the tour. Most people finish – Tour du Canada has a completion rate of over 98%. All participants sign on for the full trip. The age range over the years has been 14 to 80.
How many women and how many men participate in the tour?
Over the years the gender mix has been consistently 70/30 male to female. We are seeing increasing numbers of women participating in the Tour.
Where do riders come from?
Past participants have come from Canada (all Provinces),
U.S.A. Mexico,
Australia,
New Zealand,
Japan, Taiwan,
France,
Hong Kong,
England,
Ireland,
Northern Ireland,
Scotland,
Germany,
Austria,
Switzerland,
The Netherlands and Kenya.
What are the distances for the ride?
Total Distance:
7,650 kms ( 4,725 miles),
Average Daily Distance: 129 km (80 miles),
Number of Riding Days: 60,
Number of Rest Days: 11, longest day 174 km (104 miles). There is an optional starting point in Victoria British Columbia. Riders are able to dip their wheels in the Pacific Ocean at Mile 0 (Mile Zero) on Canada’s west coast and Mile 0 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Riders travel all the way across the country – coast to coast through all 10 provinces. The route we follow is one developed over 30 years for the Tour du Canada ride.
What route does Tour du Canada follow?
The route we follow is one developed over 30 plus years for the Tour du Canada ride. You will find an overview of the Tour du Canada itinerary here: TdC Route. While the 49th parallel often is thought of as the Canadian boundary with the U.S., roughly two-thirds of the Canadian population lives south of the 49th parallel, around the Great Lakes and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On Tour du Canada, according to the current ride schedule, riders are north of the 49th parallel from Vancouver until Day 31, when they pass south of that latitude to go through Fort Frances, Ontario. They are again north of the 49th for a short stretch on either side of Nipigon, at the northernmost bay on Lake Superior. The rest of the route is south of the 49th. Starting in Vancouver riders are at latitude 49 degrees 05′ 00″ N and longitude 123 degrees 07′ 00″ W. St. John’s is at latitude 47 degrees 34′ 00″ N and longitude 52 degrees 44′ 00″ W. When riders pass through Oshawa, east of Toronto, on Day 48 they are at the southernmost point on the entire trip — 43 degrees 54′ 02″ N. The northernmost point on the route is at Hanna, Alberta, at 51 degrees 38′ 00″ N. The straight-line distance between Vancouver and St. John’s, following the curvature of the earth, is 5,005 kilometres, or 3,128 miles.
Is Tour du Canada a race?
Tour du Canada is not a race, it’s an experience for all of us, you don’t need to be a professional athlete or even an above average athlete. You just need to be reasonably fit and very determined. If you interested in racing we do run the Tour du Canada Time Trial annually. top
What support is provided on the tour?
Tour du Canada riders are members of the club Tour du Canada. Duties such as food preparation and clean-up are shared amongst riders. Galley equipment is provided. There is a support vehicle to carry gear and galley equipment. Power plugs are provided in the truck. One or two staff people accompany the tour to drive the truck, shop and provide logistical support for the tour.
Included in the fee is: pre-booked accommodation, mainly camping but with some indoor stays at university residences. Three meals a day, breakfast and dinner is prepared by participants on a rotational basis. A menu plan with recipes is provided. Lunch, which is peanut butter sandwiches, gorp, fruit is prepared by individual riders before leaving the campground or other accommodation.
The food plan emphasizes vegetable proteins. Approximately 1/3 of the scheduled meals are vegetarian only.
The tour is mainly camping with some indoor stays. Daily route sheets are provided for use by participants during the tour.
What is the fee for the tour?
Tour du Canada s designed to be affordable to as many people as possible. Young people can apply for a bursary to further assist with the cost of the trip. Fees are set in the fall (October) for the following year after a review of the current year’s trip by the Board of Directors of Tour du Canada. You will find current tour fees here.
What to bring?
In addition to a positive attitude and a desire to see Canada by bike, the basic things you will need are a bike, a helmet, a tent, a sleeping bag or roll, and suitable clothing. There is a support vehicle that carries the things you don’t need during the day’s ride plus group supplies, including galley equipment and food and a tool stand. When you join Tour du Canada you will receive detailed information on what to bring. You can also ask questions from past riders on the Tour du Canada Network.
What type of bike do I need?
Since the first year Tour du Canada was conducted, people have completed the trip on all sorts of bikes. When you join Tour du Canada you receive a comprehensive information package. This includes information on what to look for in a bike. As a member of the club, Tour du Canada, you can participate in the on-line discussion group and compare notes with future and past riders.
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Grants and Donations, Sponsorship
With the exception of the Tour du Canada Bursary Program we do not solicit, accept or permit corporate sponsorship, grants or donations in the conduct of the trip. However, as is the nature of many communities across the country we are often
the beneficiaries of local hospitality . . . and we try to reciprocate. The name Tour du Canada is a registered trade-mark owned by Cycle Canada, The Veloforce Corporation. Any unauthorized use of this trade-mark is strictly prohibited.
Fundraising is not permitted during or in connection with Tour du Canada.
Why do you do this?
Simply put, “to ride across Canada”.
Tour du Canada Jerseys
Participants in Tour du Canada each receive a Tour du Canada Jersey. Non-participants can purchase a Tour du Canada or CycleCanada Jersey. On your next bike ride, wave the flag with a Cycle Canada or Tour du Canada jersey. For Jerseys and other products visit: Canadian Themed Jerseys
Support Tour du Canada
We regularly receive queries from people who would like to support Tour du Canada. Here are some suggestions.
- Join Tour du Canada. You will find the membership form here. The initiation is $30.00 and it’s good for two years. Membership is the first step to participate in the tour. With your membership you will receive information about cycling in Canada, including training, riding, and tips on equipment. This also gives you access to certain members-only links on the Tour du Canada web site, free journal hosting and special rates for select events and products.
- Renew your membership in Tour du Canada. You will find membership renewal forms here. If you are a veteran of the Tour du Canada or a lapsed member, you can renew your membership. If you have your membership card please
send us your number. If not, don’t worry, we’ll remember you. The fee is $25.00 for three years and with your renewal you can participate in the Tour du Canada Network and take advantage of other benefits. - Make a contribution to the Tour du Canada Bursary Fund or pass on information about the program to a young person. To celebrate the 20th anniversary ride of Tour du Canada, the Board of Directors announced the establishment of a fund to help young people participate in Tour du Canada. See the press release here: Bursary (pdf version). To make a contribution online to the fund visit: TdC Bursary. To apply for the bursary visit: Bursary Instructions and Application
- Write us. Do you have an issue with poor quality or badly designed roads? Ferries or government run parks that overcharge cyclists. We regularly write letters to various organizations on behalf of our members to express our views on practices that discourage or are dangerous to cyclists. Let us know your issue and we’ll help out if it is in our mandate.
- Join a bike club. This is one of the best things you can do – support and ride with a local club. The Cycle Canada Directory contains a list of bike clubs across Canada. Visit: Club Directory. If there isn’t a club in your area, why not start one? Cycle Canada, the company that provides administrative support to Tour du Canada will host an ad-free web site for your club.
And the best for last. The best way you can support Tour du Canada
– Go for a bike ride in Canada! top