Mont Tremblant Quebec cyclists dream road

New Saint Donat to Mont Tremblant Quebec hill ride

Sometimes you have to wonder if the government roads department is
competent. The roads are bad, they wear out fast, there are no paved
shoulders, etc.

Then one day you hear a rumour, there's a NEW ROAD, it is cut through
the mountains, there are wide shoulders, the pavement is as smooth as a
billiard table, and there are more cars than bikes... for 32
kilometres. What, was that a dream? Reality is never like that. Or...
is it?

Well, it's not a dream, I rode such a road on Saturday. They have cut a
new road from Tremblant (technically, from Lac Superior) to Saint-Donat
Quebec, skirting the southern edge of Mont Tremblant provincial park,
and the pavement is indeed as smooth as a pool table. The road surface
is flat, but the road is as hilly as can be: 10 good climbs in 30 km
(some major league), with wide shoulders. No traffic. dozens of bikes.
few cars. no trucks. No condos. No cottages. No lumbering. No deps, no
mini-malls. Nothing. Well, except for lots of views. Lots of hills.
Then some more views. Some more hills. big climbs, big descents (I hit
77.5 km/h on the biggest descent). Oh, and there were lots of happy
cyclists.

Wow.

This road opened in 2004 and was written up in quebec's Velomag in May
2005. My coworker told me about it when I said I did a great hill ride
the weekend before in Lanaudiere. So on friday I went to the library
and looked it up the magazine article, and then hit the road early on
saturday. Would the hype match the reality? This is always the mystery,
the risk, and the TEST.

This road passed the test with flying colors. It's not even on any map,
not on e-maps, not on printed road maps, it's just a new side road that
seems to be designed to make cyclists very very happy.

I was riding at a pretty relaxed speed on the outward leg. At the far
end I went past the end of this amazing road onto the more traditional
Quebec road (i.e. very crappy) up to the La Diable entrance to Parc
Tremblant where I turned around and stopped at a deppaneur for a half
litre of chocolate milk, my current mid-ride energy drink of choice.

Then I began the return leg of the trip. I was immediately passed by a
much faster cyclist. After a while a group of three cyclists from
vancouver kept catching up to me at the top of climbs but then they
rested or took a look at the view or something while I made up time on
the descents. They never actually passed me all the way for the next 25
km. But they definitely kept me on my toes on the climbs, it is
motivating to have someone nipping on your heels!

The best thing?-- it's just a one hour drive from Montreal. Note that
there is an excellent brochure published by the Tremblant cycling club
that shows 20 road rides in the tremblant area, and it rates each
ride's difficulty. One of the best bike tourism brochures I've seen.
~~~~~~~
I liked it so much I returned and dragged a buddy along:

Last time I rode this great all-newly-built 32km mountain-crossing road
I went all the way to the end, and then some! This time I brought a
buddy on a bad bike and we rode only 26 km out and then took a break
and returned.

We stopped where the far-side descent occurs (approx at km 25 - before
the big descent), and had lunch on top of the rocks with the BIG VIEW
of Mont and Parc Trenblant mountains, and this is specifically at the
top of the big steep road cut, sort of easily identified by the large
lunch rock (with two holes drilled in it) on the left side (looking
west) when the big descent starts down to val de lac/lac superior.

This spot is one of several places along this amazing new road that
would benefit greatly from having a picnic table placed there for rest
breaks.

The weather was great, 25 C, and we had a great sunset sitting at the
beach at the Parc Pioneer park in St-Donat (not far from tourist info
office- visit for a map of the road). At the tourist info office I got
a copy of the hand-drawn map of the new road.

I love summer.

+++++
This road is so new, it is not yet on published maps!!! The Saint Donat
tourist office has a map, but you don't really need one, You do need
directions to Parc des Pioneers beach for afterwards, but there's a map
on the tourist office door if you are late). For the ride, Park at the
municipal tennis courts (on the north side of town just after the
"downtown strip." I noticed a public drinking fountain with decent
water flow for water bottles along the main strip. There is a sports
store with a limited range of bike stuff in the basement of another
store along the strip.

Route: ride north of town about 5 km, and turn left on the new road:
chemin de massif tremblant. This amazing road continues for over 30
kms. Expect hills. Also, there is nothing at all (nothing!) for 32 km,
so bring snacks and extra water and the usual seatbag neccessities.
There is a dep (convenience store) arounf 4 km past the end at Lac
Superior and also just beside the Tremblant Park entrance (la diable).
There is a a beach on the river just before this park entrance. Any of
these (or the end of the road, or the high lookout at km 25 before the
descent) can be your turnaround point. Also, I noticed people doing the
route one-way with a car shuttle by the noncycling group member (thanks
Moms of the world)

Quebec cycling links:
http://cyclingfunmontreal.blogspot.com/
www.routeverte.com