by LUCAS WISENTHAL
photos by
RACHEL GRANOFSKY
As Montrealers, we love to play in traffic, especially on bicycles. We relish adrenaline-fuelled shouting matches with motorists on St-Laurent and Ste-Catherine and the near-collisions from which they stem. If, however, you’re looking to ditch the congested city streets and summer smog for a day, there are plenty of routes, on-island and off, that offer good rides. Here are a few picks from people who know: journalist and cycling enthusiast Misha Warbanski; Robin Black, who works for Tandem Montreal and volunteers with bicycle advocacy group Right to Move; and Patrick Howe, director of public relations at non-profit cycling lobby group Vélo Québec.
The Lachine Canal and beyond
Not far from downtown is an expansive route that will take you, via the waterfront, to the Western-most tip of the island. Start in old Montreal and ride along the 14-and-a-half-kilometre Lachine Canal, then along the Lakeshore, until you reach Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. Continue around the tip of the island to Senneville, then head to Cap St-Jacques, where you can stop for a swim or a beer—a store lies just past the park’s entrance, Warbanski says.
WESTWARD HO! Lachine CanalOka
This ride should take about three hours each way. Start at the bike path at Parc Lafontaine, then head north, all the way to the north shore. After you cross the Pont Viau into Laval, go west along Boulevard des Prairies, parts of which are a bike path, which eventually becomes Boulevard Lévesque W. (Take a left at Promenades des Îles for a scenic detour, Warbanski says). Though there may not be a nice way to get around the Chomedey Autoroute, on the other side you can pick up the Chemin du Bord-de-l’Eau, which turns into Rue les Érables, Warbanski explains. Continue around the tip of Laval and you’ll eventually reach a footbridge into Two Mountains. Then go left on Chemin d’Oka, where you’ll find a good bike path to take you the rest of the way, right to the beach. Go for a swim, get something to eat and, if you’re feeling adventurous, camp out. “But not on the beach,” Warbanski cautions. “They don’t like when you illegally camp on the beach.”
Aerobic Corridor
It’s a bit north of the city, and it requires fatter-than-normal tires, but the Aerobic Corridor “is a really nice ride,” says Right to Move’s Black. A former railway line, the Corridor is 60 kilometres long and traverses towns including Saint-Rémi d’Amherst, Arundel, Lac-des-Seize-Iles and Morin Heights. “When I’ve gone, very few people were using it,” says Black. “And it’s very scenic.”
P’Tit Train du Nord Linear Park
This 216-kilometre trail, a one-time railway line, runs northwest, starting in St-Jérome. The trail, favoured by many, is wide and without traffic or major climbs, but because it’s dusty and gravelly, you probably won’t want to ride it with a narrow-tired road bike, Black says. “The first part is really boring, I think, until you get to Mont Laurier,” he says. “But after you get to Mont Laurier, it’s quite beautiful.” And like the Aerobic Corridor, which is close by, the P’Tit Train passes through several villages, meaning there are plenty of places to stop for a quick bite or a beer, or to just hang out for a while.
Rigaud
Want to venture off the island but not stray too far from it? Take the Lakeshore route out to Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, then cross the bridge to Île Perrot and make your way to Vaudreuil-Dorion, where you’ll find a trail that will take you northwest to Rigaud. The route, much of which is a dedicated bike path, is in great shape, Black says, and follows a canal, adding to its scenery. Black has never seen this route crowded, and unlike, say, the Aerobic Corridor, it’s easily accessible without a car. “For a day, it’s a good ride. Riding the Lakeshore out there and back would be a good 100-something kilometres.”
Montreal North
Black also recommends the Gouin Blvd. bike path in Montreal North. The path, one of the longest in the city, runs along the water. And while Black says it’s a “gong show” on weekends, and that to the east it becomes “a hodge-podge of stripes on the ground and bad roads,” Gouin remains a solid on-island option for cyclists.
ESCAPING THE SUBURBAN NIGHTMARE: LavalLaval
When you think scenic summer ride, Laval likely doesn’t spring to mind. But Black says there’s good biking to be had across the Pie IX bridge. Just head east on Lévesque Blvd. E., along the water, where there are bike paths. “There’s not a lot of auto traffic,” says Black. “You’re getting outside of suburban nightmare Laval and into a much more cycle-friendly kind of place. The roads are good. It’s an accessible one too. You can get a nice ride in, and you don’t have to go super far out of Montreal to do it.”
Canal-de-Chambly
You’ll find good cycling south of the city, in the Montérégie region, too. Vélo Québec’s Howe recommends the Canal-de-Chambly. Part of the Route Verte,  North America’s longest bike path, the leisurely trail runs along the Richelieu River. From the city, you can reach it by taking the Route Verte through Longueuil.
Parc Îles-de-Boucherville
Howe says this park, on the islands nestled between Montreal and Boucherville, is a good place to start your season, assuming you didn’t bike through winter. But even though it’s not exactly far from the city, you’ll have to go through Longueuil to get there. Still, you’ll find a series of winding trails that run along the water.
Parc Jean-Drapeau
Another good bet near the city, Parc Jean-Drapeau is open to cyclists from April 15 to November 15. This kind of spot is likely to draw big crowds, especially on weekends, but it’s got kilometres of trails and it’s on the water, so for a day of cycling, it’s definitely not a bad deal. It’s also considered part of the Route Verte.
This list is by no means comprehensive, but it’s a start. For additional routes, check out the Club Cycliste Beaconsfield’s list, at tinyurl.com/c9pzv4, and Vélo Québec, at velo.qc.ca.
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