Exploring Cape Breton on Two Wheels with @Juliaonabike, Julia Chenu

Julia Chenu’s motorcycle adventure on Cape Breton Island showcases the Island’s allure for motorbike enthusiasts. From the picturesque French-speaking communities to the thrilling roads and trails, Cape Breton offers a unique and inspiring experience.

What motivated you to plan this cross-country motorcycle trip, and what are your main goals for the journey?

Last year, I arrived in Canada with the idea of traveling alone from Montreal to Tofino, with a loop through Labrador and the Maritimes, while documenting the motorbiking community. I wanted to share the values of solidarity, gender equity, and respect that are sometimes not the first things associated with motorbikes.

Thanks to great encounters, I found myself back on the East Coast to live in Halifax. There, I planned a second journey because I felt that my first exploration was incomplete. I had yet to explore the Territories, I hadn’t been able to document the French-speaking communities as much as I wanted, and I was longing to shed more light on motorbike travelers and the motorbiking community.

I met my girlfriend, Arielle, on the East Coast, who shares the same passion for motorcycles. She had never been on such a journey and asked if she could join. What a great opportunity for me to share this with her and her dog. Therefore, my goal is not only to ride the famous Dempster and Dalton Highways and to keep documenting Canada’s cultures and motorbike community, but also to share and mentor my loved one on her first motorcycle adventure.

How was your experience motorcycling on Cape Breton Island?

Cape Breton Island had been highly recommended to me by people all around Canada. They were all disappointed I hadn’t been able to ride it in 2023. I understood that I had missed something. When I entered Cape Breton, even before the Cabot Trail, I realized why. On this small part of the land, you will find everything motorbikers are looking for: curvy roads, beautifully paved roads, and trails; be they groomed ones or challenging dirt roads. Each road is surrounded by amazing views, and it is hard not to stop every ten kilometers to enjoy the scenery.

What was your favorite part of seeing Cape Breton Island?

As a French woman, I was eager to discover the French-speaking communities and cross those small Acadian villages. Cheticamp was the highlight in that sense. Clockwise and counterclockwise, the place is gorgeous to ride. But one thing I also loved very much was Route 19 on Canada’s Musical Coast and Shore Road, between Harbourview and Judique North. I am also glad I had the opportunity to discover some cultural heritage that contributes to the economy, like touring the Glenora Inn & Distillery. The whole Cabot Trail is worth it.

What are you most excited to see or experience as you travel across Canada?

I am longing for a ride along Lake Huron and Lake Superior, through the Rocky Mountains, and on the West Coast of British Columbia. But I am also very excited to experience the Northern Lights in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and ride on those backroads in the Land of Living Skies. Of course, I am aiming for Tuktoyaktuk and Prudhoe Bay. As I know how challenging the Dempster and Dalton Highways are, I am also excited to see how I handle those difficulties, how I will help and be helped by my partner and by the motorbiking community.

What message or inspiration do you hope to share with others through your journey?

Last year, many people told me I was inspiring – something I didn’t believe until they told me they had done things because we had met. Whether they had hosted me and I had shared my journey with them, some went for their first motocamping weekend, others dared to ride alone for a few days, and some decided to go on a two-week ride across the country, just like Larry, who flew from Halifax to Vancouver to ride with me back to Halifax last October. It is a virtuous circle. You inspire and are inspired by others. People were so generous, so inspiring, and the community so helpful and respectful that I want to continue sharing this truth: solidarity and sharing both mean something. No matter the bike, no matter the gender, no matter the language and citizenship. We all inspire each other, and as individuals, we all grow from that.