I’m not sure that this qualifies as “touring” as I’m hoping to tackle this route in one day and then spend the rest of my time making day trips on the paths around Montreal.
Does anyone have any advice for this route? Suggestions for changes? Places to stop? Any concerns? Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.
And suggestions for day trips or great rides in and around Montreal would also be appreciated!
A little nervous because I have never hit 100 miles in a day before…
Thanks!
by Forward_Jeweler_8241
13 Comments
I’ve wanted to move to Vermont for ages, and this ride is one of the reasons why. Good luck!
Let us know how this goes!
I suspect you may find your ability to cycle on water lacking
That’s a SICK century…
I’ve did this years ago as part of a 1500 mile loop from Syracuse to Quebec City and back. It was amaaaaaazing, and this probably the single most amazing day.
I recommend the “adult campground” on Hero Island. It just means no kids. The dude who runs it loves cyclists and gave me a great spot.
I love this route! A little harrowing for a bit on the Quebec side, but overall 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾
Edit: to specify- when you get across the border you’re on the side of the highway with very little shoulder, lots of semi traffic.
We crossed at Rouses Point then biked to Saint Jean Sur Richelieu. There’s a nice Microbrasserie(Microbrewery) on the river!
There you meet an incredible bike path, that follows alongside a canal and then through some forested areas and will take you directly to Montreal.
There’s a VERY short mandatory ferry ride (“Local Motion Bike Ferry”) on the causeway.
Make sure to research the ferry schedule so it doesn’t interrupt your timetable.
Headwinds through the fields of Quebec are brutal.
Consider routing via Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu on the Canadian side. I did Burlington to Brossard (Montreal suburb) in 2016; it was 95 miles and I don’t recall any traffic issues. From there you can continue north to Chambly along the river path or head west towards Sainte-Catherine and La Voie Maritime/Petite Voie de Fleuve…a cycle path in the middle of the St Lawrence Seaway!
Also check out [La Route Verte](https://www.routeverte.com/en/discover/?carte=https://carte.routeverte.com/rv/?locale=en) for nice ride ideas (e.g. to Granby and the [Eastern Townships](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Eastern_Townships)).
Ran across an older rider on the Colchester bike ferry who had come down from Montreal that day, and was going to Burlington…so it can be done! A little slower, maybe stay in St. Jean. Consult the Route Vert information for bike paths throughout Quebec.
Not sure when you’re planning on doing this, but the causeway on the south side of the Saint Lawrence river is fenced off and closed for construction.
I did it in August 2018 as part of a multi-day from NYC. It’s a wonderful ride, I remember it fondly. Looks like I did basically what you’re planning.
The causeway out to the little boat is charming. The gap, iirc, is less than 50 feet. I don’t remember worrying about the timing of the ferry.
The riding in the Hero Islands was uncomfortable at times. It’s vacationland, RVs with inexperienced drivers. But once you get past that, also some really beautiful villages.
I crossed at Alburgh. Getting there gets a little hairy too, a lot of big rigs out there. It’s not like I was riding with them constantly, but had to cross paths with them a few times.
I forgot to get my passport stamped at Alburgh and actually went back once, when driving to Montreal, to get the stamp. The border guard was a little suspicious.
As soon as I crossed the border, no English, so be prepared for that. I don’t think I stopped for lunch anywhere on the way there. I remember maybe getting some water at the end of a touristic dirt path in the Hero Islands area, at gift shop in a touristy town in the Hero Islands where I came across a bunch of French schoolkids on a bike tour, and maybe a truck stop before the border, and finally hunting for water in a community of French speakers and convenience stores closing early once I crossed the border.
In retrospect, I don’t know how I did 100 with so few supplies. Good weather, not a ton of climbs. I think the worst of it was in Burlington.
It was ok country roads until a little intersection at Noyan. I remember no shoulder and riding on the walking path of a bridge. That was the part I was most worried about before I did it. Maybe it was a mile? 5 miles at max.
Then there are some country paths out there which are really nice. A section is even barred to cars. Even when I had to leave that, I liked it a lot. Farm communities, well-maintained roads, no traffic, flat.
South shore communities were still ok, suburban cycling but they actually have off-road bike paths there. Kids playing on them, bike paths going to shopping like Barnes and Noble.
I got into the city via the Petit voie du Fleuve. I left Burlington late, so by then it was sunset. Lots and lots or bugs that way.
Like pedaling through a swarm of locusts, pinging off my helmet, picking them out of my teeth. No street lights there either. I was staying at a cheap airbnb in Ville Emard (it was Osheaga weekend, there were stains on the wall of this place), so I crossed via the Champlain Bridge. It’s a no-car bridge! The cars have their own. Amazing.
Long ride but I would gladly relive it.
https://preview.redd.it/0xkovih9wy4f1.png?width=298&format=png&auto=webp&s=31f222ae97fd4c011bf59aea471d5d2d45873c7e
I did that almost exact route to Burlington last year after doing the Petit Du Nord. Although opted to take the train out of Montreal to Candiac and leave from there on my way back. It was a great ride, you go through some beautiful farm country south of Montreal toward the US boarder. There also nice bike path you get on for about 10 or 15 milts.
Crossing into the US was a breeze, I honestly though the folks at customs were surprised I actually stopped (there is a bike path at the Alburg crossing that skirts customs.
North and South Hero Island were beautiful to ride over. I had a blast. Hope you have a great trip