Ste-Beatrix - Lanaudiere hill ride

Only one of these trucks has a driver!

The 17% hill was a new discovery. The road crosses a narrow river valley, so it's a downhill then uphill, and as a result there are two 17% hills side by side. You could do laps here for extra fun.

I made another great ride in the northern Lanaudiere on Sunday. That's the eastern Laurentians.

I got up and away early for a change, and was on the bike riding at 9:20. I wouldn't say that's a record, but I am a member of the crack-of-noon club.

I parked at Musée/Halte Louis Cyr Museum in St-Jean de Matha (acros from the hurch behind the municipal building. It starts with the little loop road on the east side of the 131, and then over the big hill of St-Catherine road to St-Emilie de l'Energie. This hill got steeper since the last time I rode it. THe view from the lookout on top of this hill knocked me out as usual. Or was it the climb?

I took the funroad Rang des feuilles de l'erable for the first tine this year. The uphill is a bit bombed out since last winter. I needs some repairs, but the damage is generally ride-around-able.

I tried the other end of the chemin belle montagne, but it was freshly graded dirt road after the first km. Unfortunately, this one km contains a 17% climb, Because I u-turned at the discovery of dirt road, I got to do it twice.

When I got to the real turnoff for chemin de belle montagne (at the Lau-Dan depaneur) I turned and rode to Ste-Beatrix. Along here the rain started. The rain that was supposed to be later in the day, I had hoped. Oops, I guess if I want to beat incoming weather, I need to head east (instead of north) for the day.

So from Ste-Beatrix I decided to ride the highway back to St-Jean de Matha. I had actually never done this little section, always taking Belle Montagne. It was a good highway for a while, with good shoulder. Then, back to crap road with no shoulder, and a crazy sick hill too. Aieee!

I took a detour to another entrance for the regional park on the river between St-Beatrix and St-J-de-la-M, this one had a good view of a gorge without having to pay the $6 admission. THis meant a stiff climb back up out of the river valley to the main road.

I got back to the car at about the 67 km mark, not much distance, but a lot of climbing. Gravity was my foe today.



Ride map:
Green Dots: main ride route
Red Dots - extra bonus hills - Enjoy! The last two ride downhill to the Parc Regional Chutes (waterfalls) park. THe one in the middle is an out and back ride with a 17% climb in both directions!