It’s a cool, cloudy day for Ted and me as we start our 8-day ride in the Laurentians. The trail officially starts in St. Jerome and we will bike to a B&B in Mont Blanc, nearly 50 miles away, today. A giant arch signifies the start and we stretch our bicycle legs as we make it through the town. The trail here is well-populated with riders of all ages; in fact, there are too many riders for my liking but I think they will disperse as we leave the city.
The former railroad bed is flat and straight in this section with homes and power lines on our right and vegetable and flower gardens on our left. Exiting town, the houses and power lines fade and are replaced by woods that rise up on both sides of the trail creating a corridor of greenery. A bed of stone dust replaces the asphalt and we have started to climb, which will continue for much of the day.
The mixed forest surrounding us is filled with a wide variety of trees and bushes and soon we come to a set of rapids. The water cascades over the rocks creating turbulent, foam-filled greenish waves. A pair of ducks wait on the edge of rocks almost, but not quite, in harm’s way.
Riviere du Nord is on our left, a constant companion for many miles. Its composition varies from a harmless and happy swimming hole to a swirling, fast blast of water over rocks. And as it alters its form, we slog on with the quiet grinding of our tires through the stone dust, increasing in altitude pedal after pedal.
There are Zen-like moments for me as my leg muscles respond to the challenge of keeping a constant speed as I breathe in and out. Its hypnotic effect blots out everything else as I move up and into the ever-deepening forest. An occasional downhill is often followed by an even longer incline.
Right before we stop for lunch in Val-David, asphalt has replaced stone dust making for a much easier ride. A good rest and pizza (accompanied by an excellent gazpacho) as fuel readies us for the last third of our trip. Climbing continues, but is eased by the asphalt. We see few bikers on this stretch and spot quite a few beaver dams (and dens) that are backing up water into the local streams and wetlands.
We soon reach our B&B in Mont-Blanc. As this town has few if any places to eat, Ted and I call a cab to nearby Mont-Tremblant. It takes us to a bike shop so I can have my front wheel checked and then we walk to the restaurant C’est la Vie, where we both have a hot stone meal for dinner. (Both of us had to cook our meats on a hot stone.) It was the strangest thing to happen (and do) all day.
