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

St=Bernard-de-Lacolle to Franklin Centre QuebecSt=Bernard-de-Lacolle to Franklin Centre Quebec

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.