Cycling Quebec Province
Cycling Trip – Eastern Townships, Quebec Province, Canada
Quebec province is an exceptional friendly cycling area. We joined 5 friends from Connecticut to do an 8 day self-supported ride (we carried our clothes on our bikes and stayed in B&B’s and motels). We rode on Quebec province marked bicycle routes 1, 2, 4 & 5 during our loop ride thru the Eastern Townships. Riding surfaces varied from asphalt to hard pack fine gravel paths. In addition to the marked routes, most areas of the province provide brochures that describe loop rides out of cities. These ride were on rural roads - with a daily traffic load of less than 3000 vehicles.
Impressions of Quebec - very clean, very well tended houses and farms all full of flowers. Clean towns that took great pride in their bicycle trails, landscaping them with flowers, shrubs and benches. Quebec depends on cycling based tourism.
Day 1 Wednesday, July 16 Magog - Sherbrooke 43 miles
Nice weather (55 am, 75 pm, low humidity). We started off on Route Verte 1, on paved roads, on roads full of gravel, on paved and unpaved trails, with some "good" up hills - much harder 43 miles than expected. Had lakeside lunch in very nice town of North Hatley. Encountered our first "Pont barre" with no detour signs to help in getting back on the route. Got lost for awhile. Picked dinner spot based on its proximity to Hotel Delta and not cuisine - we were beat. Note the southern part of the Eastern Townships is somewhat hilly – the path becomes less stable – larger tires are helpful. You can also take a bike friendly road and avoid the bad spots.
Day 2 Thursday July 17 Sherbrooke - Victoriaville 77 miles
Nice weather again today! After easily finding bike path along the river, we once again headed out on Route Verte 1. Biked up, down and around nearby Bromptonville before connecting with a dirt path. Dave suggested staying on the road but most everyone thought we should stick to the "signed" trail. Dave was right. Once again, we were met with a "Pont barre" but this time with a detour. Hurray! Not so fast. We biked up, down, around, bumping along a dirt road with giant gravel covering it. Uh oh, something was not right. We discovered we had essentially biked backed to Sherbrooke. A very helpful municipal employee helped us figure out how to get back on track. Our 63 mile day became a 77 mile day with the last 15 miles on a blessedly flat, smooth trail into Victoriaville. Again we chose the restaurant for its location (across the hotel parking lot) -Italian again but much better food and good drink too. Free use of the washer and dryer at the Quality Inn topped off a long day.
Day 3 Friday July 18 Victoriaville to Quebec City 67 miles
Today the trail was flat. We biked through fields, woods and small towns enjoying the easy day. We even have a slight tailwind! We had to walk across the long Pont de Quebec over the Rive St. Laurent which slows down our average speed. We connected as planned with Le Route Verte 5 and cruised down to the river only to be told by a chatty security guard that we had to go back up the steep grade to get to our hotel. We arrived at the 4 star Chateau Laurier( cost $135 per night – note taxes are high in Canada). Dinner that night was at the very "interesting" Voo Doo Restaurant (recommended by the hotel??). Some of us especially enjoyed the entertainment by the belly dancer (Voo Doo - belly dancer go figure).
Day 4 Saturday July 19 Quebec layover day
All enjoyed the day seeing the sites in QC, exploring its old city. Weather perfect. Quebec City is a beautiful place.
Day 5 Sunday July 20 Quebec City - St. Anne de la Perade 60 miles
We headed west on RV 5 along the river. It's overcast and we are not sure what kind of terrain to expect. All of our route today is on paved roads on a route named Le Chemin de Roy. It's the A1A of Quebec, the scenic route along the river. There are a few good size hills in the first 10-15 miles but the route flattens after that and we enjoy the ride to St. Anne de la Perade, a small town on the river. We checked into Gite de la Tour, a small B&B over a cafe and talk Annie into letting us use her washer and dryer. The heat and humidity have started to set in and we hurried over to the pub found by Mr, Pivo (aka Dave – pivo is the Czech word for beer) for a few pitchers of Rickard White. Down by the riverside park, we found out that the town is a big ice fishing location known for Tommycods, small fish only caught locally. Dinner is at the local Greek/pizza place where we can bring our own wine.
Day 6 Monday July 21 St. Anne - Trois Rivieres 27 miles
Today is a hot one but it's only a short ride to Trois Rivieres. The ride was flat and uneventful and we arrived at Auberge de la Fleurville by noon. Our quirky host, Yves, let us check in to our spacious rooms and we ogle the beautiful back yard with patio, pool, luxurious grass and a St. Lawrence River view. We walked downtown to pick up lunch supplies (wine, sandwiches and pastries) and then back to Yves backyard to enjoy a picnic. Some of us went for another walk around town - Rick stayed by the pool and made friends with Robert, Jacques and their wives who had arrived in their matching BMW sports cars to spend a few days. They arrived with a cooler full of Buds (why is it that so many non Americans drink Bud?) and white wine and generously offered to share. Rick and Dave, being gracious guests in a foreign country, accept. The Canadians are all in their late 50s and retired, enjoying life, including trips to Florida in the winter.
Day 7 Tuesday July 22 Trois Rivieres - Drummondville 49 miles
We have to cross the Rive St. Laurent today but there is a shuttle run by CNN to drive us and our bikes over the bridge. Thankfully, no bikes are allowed on the old, long, high bridge. It's hot and we don't get over the river and until 10 a.m. Due to the heat and headwinds, we had already decided not to follow the recommended Route Verte 4 which loops around. We found a map with other bike routes and used that to shorten the trip by about 10 miles. We are again on low traffic rural roads with little in the way of services. That meant ice cream for lunch again. We check into the Suites des Dauphin (another 4 star hotel!) where we had a delicious dinner and were well taken care of by the staff, especially Sophie.
Day 8 Wednesday July 23 Drummondville - Waterloo 49 miles
Getting toward the end now and a first day of bad weather - it started to rain just when we leave the hotel. Our trip out of town began with a few wrong turns (poor Route Verte signage). We are back on unpaved trails but these were mostly flat and in good shape even in the rain. We were looking forward to lunch in Acton Vale when, a mile away from town, Hank lost "his transmission". Rick literally pushed him into town, which, as very good luck would have it, had a bike shop! While we ate a very good lunch, Hank's bike received a rear wheel and hub for $110. The mechanic interrupted his other work to immediately work on Hank's bike. What great service. We headed off to Waterloo in the rain. At a point about 10 miles from Waterloo, 5 of us decided to take the road rather than the trail, which looked to be considerably longer. We soon wondered if that had been a bad decision as we quickly encountered another Pont barre (barricade – rebuilding a bridge). We were about to turn around and head back to the trailhead when one of the construction workers came running towards us. Usually that means we are about to be yelled at for ignoring the sign. This time, using mostly sign language (worker spoke only French), he showed us a bridge only a short distance up stream used by the farmer who lived nearby. We gave the farmer a thumbs up and shouted Merci, as we walked through the mud, over his bridge and got back on the road. We were rewarded with a three mile up hill and arrived in Waterloo only a few minutes before Hank and Faye, who reported that the trail was on good shape with a slight grade up. We were greeted at the charming Gite Les Matins des Victoria by it's very friendly host, Marcel. Rick and Dave hosed down our muddy bikes and panniers and Marcel and Jeannette washed our muddy wet bike clothes. Marcel and Jeannette bought the B&B about 4 years ago after he retired from the travel industry. About 85% of their guests are cyclists, although most arrive in cars and take day trips on the many cycling routes in the area.
Day 9 Thursday July 24 Waterloo - Magog 25 miles
Final day dawns cool and crisp with little wind. It promises to be the hilliest day by far mostly on dirt Soon after we leave town, the trail begins to rise and fall. We get back on the road, dirt at first, and climb up and down some BIG hills, approaching the Mt. Orford ski area. The scenery is beautiful and there is a wonderful section of paved roadway with a challenging up hill and a great downhill into Eastman. We arrive in Magog around noon. We packed up the cars and headed south after a wonderful cycling experience in Quebec.
Contact Dave and Barbara Wagner if you need info on cycling in Quebec province.