Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Riding around Shawinigan - La Mauricie National Park

For over a quarter-century now I have been fortunate enough to make three or four visits a year to my in-laws who live in Grand-Mere Quebec (now officially amalgamated with Shawinigan).  This town is beside the Mauricie River about 40km north of Trois-Rivieres so about 1.5 hours northeast of Montreal.

For the last 20 or so years (since I started riding) I have been able to take advantage of the fantastic cycling in this area.  For the most part roads are in good shape, not dead straight, have light traffic, respectful drivers and more and more, narrow paved shoulders.  Like much of Quebec, towns are nicely spread out about 10-15km apart so the depanneur is never too far away.  The terrain is varied in that you head north and you are in the hills, head south and its pretty flat, just like Ottawa.

The ride I will detail is a staple loop in this region.  I alternate between clockwise and ccw; this last weekend it was ccw.  The highlight is the 65km through La Mauricie National Park.  This is similar to riding in Gatineau Park except there are less cars, it is not a loop and the hills are more challenging but nothing too extreme.  I started from Grand-Mere and rode north on Rue Principal.  This is a great road as it borders the Mauricie River and offers spectacular views.  Also this road becomes the main road in the Park, all one has to do is stay on it.  Basically, once in the Park one is climbing with a series of rolling hills culminating in going past the Le Passage Lookout which is where the two photos below were taken.  Since this is one of the highest points in park it is all downhill from here, with a few uphills thrown in for good measure.  (As I was starting my "descent" two riders coming up the other side were high-fiving so I guess this can be considered the "queen climb")  The entire length of the road is bordered by forest with breaks thrown in for lakes, swamps and streams - it is truly a beautiful place to ride. It costs $7 to enter the park, even if you are on a bike.  There are many scenic areas to stop for a rest and in a couple of locations (off the main road) one can buy something to eat but I typically load my water bottles at the gate and just ride through non-stop (with the exception this time so I could take the two photos); the bugs can be fierce!

The closest village after exiting the Park is Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc.  The bakery is rarely open but when it is, its the place to get delicious fresh donuts.  From here I rode toward my starting point via 351.  This road is in good shape, a bit busier but with a nice shoulder.  It is less picturesque than the others.  I hop off the 351 in Saint-GĂ©rard-des-Laurentides and take a back road to meet up again with the 351  through St-Flore (where I was married in the beautiful old church) and into Grand-Mere.  The total loop is 115km.   Here is a link on Google Maps (separate window) to the area   http://goo.gl/maps/TKsER.  Its easy to spot the road in the Park.

When I started riding here it was rare to come across other cyclists.  This is starting to change now that the Defis du Parc (www.cyclomauricie.com) takes place each September. (I have come across a few local riders who have partaken.  That weekend also includes several other events - running etc.) I saw more riders this last time than ever before ie maybe 25.  I also saw, for the first time, a TT bike in the Park.  It caught my attention because for years I have wondered why there aren't Trigeeks all over this area-its perfect.  Lots of great roads to ride on, many running routes, both on road and trail and many open water swimming options in the various lakes and rivers that dot the region.  For people who like the outdoors either passively or actively this area is fantastic.  It is also home to a famous canoe race, the Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie.  

I highly recommend this area and I have ridden many of the roads. Mostly paved, some gravel. There are enough options to take up several days of good riding. (The road to St. Alexis to visit the micro-brewery is another beaut.) If ever anyone has any questions about this area feel free to email me.

The photos are taken from two different platforms at Le Passage.  While I was there you could see a group of canoeists heading into the distance.  There are no roads north of the Park on the west side of the Mauricie River.  Its a pretty wild area - On the map it simply says "Beyond here be dragons"

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Ottawa to Rigaud

Countless times I have driven by “Mont” Rigaud on my way to and from Montreal.  Each time I wondered what it would be like to ride there.   The hill looks challenging but certainly nothing crazy.  Last year, coming back from Montreal, my wife dropped me off and I rode back to Ottawa via Vankleek Hill.  It was a great ride but I didn’t attempt the “Mont”.

This last weekend I was heading to Grand-Mere (refer next post) and so I decided to ride to Rigaud with my wife being good enough to pick me up in Rigaud on the way.  I had two objectives.  Firstly to ride up the “Mont” but also to explore the roads south of the 417.

I made my way over to Devine and then headed south on Saumure, turning left on Indian Creek.  I stayed on that road through the Larose Forest and then turned right on Champlain.  This is a beautiful route through the woods although about 8km of it is gravel.  (This is basically the way the group rides to Montreal for the UCI race).

I turned left off Champlain on the straight road to Saint Isidore.  This road is not identified on Google Maps but I think it may be #3.  Its a great road with a paved shoulder that ends in Saint Isidore.  I stayed on the road east of the town and took a right on another unidentified road toward Dunvegan.  Its amazing to me how quickly I went from “French” Ontario to “Scottish” Ontario and transitioned from agricultural land to a mix of agricultural and forest.   Once in Dunvegan I headed east to the end of that road and took a right toward  Laggan.  This road was already in good shape and yet I rode on a section that is freshly repaved.  With the wind I was at 40kph at about 125 watts!

Next is the Laggan Glenelg Rd (according to Google) and yes I really did come across a guy practicing his bagpipes on the front lawn.  This road had very little traffic and was in good shape.  This area is nice to ride in-it is not dead flat but is only mildly rolling.

I  stayed on this road until the Quebec border (#325) and headed left toward Rigaud.   Until now there was no climbing to be done.  My first attempt at the “Mount” was a right turn onto Chemin Saint Henri.  This is a fantastic road. (Like Old Carp Road only longer and with better pavement)   It goes over the ridge but at a gentle grade.  Its like a very long false flat.  The road is in good shape, there was little traffic and much of it is through dense maple forest, check it out on Street View.  The descent is nice and gentle with a few vantage points to see into the distance.  It ends at the 201 and in spite of its beauty the road did not offer the climbing challenge I was seeking.

To challenge myself I took a left up Chemin Saint Georges.  This is quite steep in places and generally in good shape.  Its a challenge but doable.  I swung right at the top and stopped at Chemin Bourget.  This is where the attached photo is from.  Even though you are at the top one does not see much in the distance because of the trees.  I decided to go down Bourget.  It starts off with three steep steps and the pavement is not the best.  Full attention is required as it winds its way down to Rigaud.  At the bottom I decided  that was the hill climb I had been looking for so I turned around and up I went.  It is much harder than the other two roads.  On one of the last steps I checked my SRM: (HR 165, RPM 49, W 350, Speed 8.5kph) .  I made it but there were a few moments of truth.  Once at the top I toured around the roads up there and went down the other side via Saint Georges.  The sign there claims a grade of 11%.  (Next time I will try coming up this side of St. Georges.)


This area, both on top and below the ridge, is covered in beautiful forest with paved roads and low traffic.  (201 was busy but has a wide paved shoulder.  Along 201 and Saint Henri are lovely horse farms, polo fields etc).  My total ride was less than 175km.  Its not realistic to ride from Ottawa tour around and then ride back in one day but I highly recommend a remote start anywhere in the region.  Saint Henri, although not a challenge, was a real highlight.