Thursday, August 28, 2014

Mont Royal's Parc du Troisième Sommet is open and legal for bikes

The  new road to the third summit of Mont Royal (the Outremont summit) has a new road built in the last couple of years.

The entrance to this road in Outremont has a big no-bikes sign but if you look closely at the park's rules, the actual road itself permits bikes.

The proof of this is this Parc Mont Royal rules and regulation sign, which says bikes are permitted on the road and only on the road.

Read closely: Bikes are permitted

These are the official rules: bikes permitted

The no-bikes sign is A LIE. Outremont has knowingly installed a sign that misrepresents Parc Mont Royal's own rules.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

St-Bernard-de-Lacolle to Franklin Centre Quebec = 2014's new ride



Last Sunday’s bike ride rode near the US border straight west then straight back east along the foothills of Covey Hill. This started as a ride from a new guidebook for good rides near Montreal (which I did 4 times), then I combined its best parts with my Ste-Martine to Covey Hill ride and myAalong the border ride. It adds up to a lot of top quality riding, which is the objective.

I say top quality, but why?
  • Route finding completed done to find best and most ideal route
  • Good roads (note: excellent roads)
  • Quiet roads (generally very quiet roads)
  • minimum amount of bad or busy roads (<10 li="">
  • Scenic roads (very scenic, not boring all the same all the time all flat)
  • Away from modern civilization, (no "every town the same" corporate BS)
  • Generally skips all towns and villages, but they are close by if needed (ice cream, water, etc)
  • Not too far from home (facilitates a noon departure)
  • Food available on route
  • Easy driving & parking logistics
  • Ride is not too easy
  • Ride is not too hard (aligned to energy and fitness levels)
  • 2nd half of ride trends downhill
  • 2nd half of ride is with the wind (usually)
  • Cheap gas
  • Heritage sights
  • Variable distance for a longer or shorter ride/shortcuts
  • free apples
  • Car parking at park beside bike path
  • Car parking: good security
  • Car parking: dep for pre/post ride food beverage needs (sort of)
  • Car parking: benches/tables
  • Car parking: right at start of good riding (as opposed to a few miles before the good stuff)
  • Scenic highlights: glaciation traces, distance views, nice farms, stone walls, forests & fields
  • Last 10 km nice riding (this ride is on bike path 1st/last ten km) and not busy traffic situation
  • Good sunset light situation
  • Good map of ride
  • Hill situation: several short or micro hills, only one longer hill
  • Ride distance at 110 km, long enough to be well-fatigued, but not so long or hard it's near-death experience
So these are some of the things that make a ride a good ride, and a good ride elevate to a great ride. For 2014, this was my exploration to find another favorite ride: and the result is mission accomplished.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

new 25 circuits autour de Montreal guidebook

We rode #16 Lacolle to Ste-Clothilde 4 times so far this summer. It is a great ride on real country roads.

Try this variation to add Ste-Chrysostome at the western end of the ride (ice cream!).