COURTESY OF FREDDY ARCINIEGAS
Scenic rides to art, nature, cuisine and culture
COURTESY OF TOURISME CANTONS-DE-L’EST
BIG ON BIKES
Cycling in the Eastern Townships
Montréal’s Habitat 67
COURTESY OF YANNICK_APMJ
Go Bike Montréal Festival
Snacks from Atwater Market
southwest from the old port to the borough of Lachine. I like to stop en route at the art deco ATWATER MARKET, picking up a picnic lunch to enjoy on a canal-side park bench. Cyclists exploring beyond the city can opt instead for sections of LA ROUTE VERTE, a 3,293mile network of signed cycling paths and bike lanes that make up the longest cycling route
COURTESY OF ALISON SLATTERY
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Friday evening in early June found me pedaling in a sea of riders, past bewildered motorists who’d missed the news: It was opening night of the annual GO BIKE MONTRÉAL FESTIVAL, a week that transforms the city into a playground for cyclists. Laughing and chatting in French and English, we had donned colorful and sparkly cycling wear for the festival’s after-dark TOUR LA NUIT, a 15-mile ride across six of Montréal’s 19 boroughs. Bike lights flashing and bells ringing, we passed through leafy streets, wide boulevards, highways, industrial areas and neighborhood parks. A few days later would be the festival’s main event, the 29-mile TOUR DE L’ÎLE DE MONTRÉAL, which explores seven boroughs on car-free roads with stops at city parks for ice cream and entertainment breaks. Along the way, spectators yell: “T’es capable!” You’ve got this. The festival energy signals Québec’s enthusiasm for cycling culture. From urban trails to country lanes, there are ever-growing opportunities to explore the province on two wheels, as I’ve done for more than a decade. Montréal alone has in excess of 435 miles of bicycle paths, accessible on your own bike or by renting wheels at the 611 BIXI MONTRÉAL bike-share stations around the city. (BYO helmet.) One highlight of the urban network is the flat and scenic 8.7-mile LACHINE CANAL BIKE PATH, which hugs the 19th-century waterway and passes five historic locks as it travels
in North America. Like the Go Bike Montréal Festival, it’s a project of cycling-advocacy group Vélo Québec; as its surfaces range from smooth pavement to crushed stone, some legs are best approached on a hybrid or mountain bike. In the Laurentian Mountains north of Montréal is a spectacular off-road segment of La Route Verte called the P’TIT TRAIN DU NORD — the 144-mile rail trail follows a former train line that once shuttled skiers to the popular resort area. The mostly paved route passes through attractive small towns, such as woodsy and peaceful Sainte-Adèle, with cycling services available throughout. Cyclists hoping to ride the whole route can stay at inns or campgrounds along the way, and there are even shuttle services to whisk riders, bikes and bags to the start of the trail. Closer to Vermont are scenic Route Verte sections through the Eastern Townships: My favorite ride might be the mostly off-road, 35-mile ARTRIA CULTURAL LOOP that can be accessed from the towns of Granby, POINTS NORTH Bromont or Waterloo. More than Go Bike Montréal Festival, 60 giant works of art are on display velo.qc.ca/en/event-category/ along the way, and it’s worth taking go-bike-montreal-festival time for swimming at YAMASKA BIXI Montréal, bixi.com/en NATIONAL PARK or bird-watching Atwater Market, at LAC BOIVIN. The scenic south138 avenue Atwater, Montréal, ern portion of the Artria Cultural marchespublics-mtl.com/en/ Loop also forms part of Québec’s marches/atwater-market 146-mile, mixed-surface VÉLOROUTE La Route Verte, GOURMANDE, which was founded in routeverte.com/en 2022 and highlights accommodaP’tit Train du Nord, tions, camping and 130 official food ptittraindunord.com/en stops on the way from Montréal to Artria Cultural Loop, Sherbrooke. Delicious specialties easterntownships.org/cycling/ abound, with highlights includcircuit/7/artria-cultural-loop ing artisanal cheese, craft beer, Yamaska National Park, wine, cider, maple syrup, lavender, 1780 boulevard David-Bouchard, chocolate and meat pies. With those Roxton Pond, sepaq.com/pq/yam culinary delights as motivation, you Lac Boivin, easterntownships. might go farther than you think. org/things-to-do/590/centre-dT’es capable. interpretation-de-la-nature-duS HE RE L P U RC E LL
Sherel Purcell covers Québec travel for USA Today’s 10Best and other outlets.
lac-boivin Véloroute Gourmande, veloroutegourmande.com
VIVE LE VERBEC SEVEN DAYS JUNE 21-28, 2023
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