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As dawn broke over the cityscape of Montreal, the crew gathered at “Le Club Café” for a pre-ride beverage. Excitement, curiosity and a light nervousness could be felt as we sipped our coffees while unpacking the Wahoo head units containing the route we were about to embark on. Before unpacking, the details of our expedition were a tightly kept secret. All we knew was our origin (Montreal) and endpoint (Quebec City). Sounds simple.
But - what laid ahead of us had nothing to do with what was typical or familiar. Our journey was set to take us out of our comfort zones and into uncharted territory.
The rollout of the buzzing city into the calm farmlands swiftly changed the vibe of the group. Minds came at ease, as our legs warmed up and the crisp sound of high-volume tires on smooth tarmac resonated to the rhythm of our pedal strokes. Day one was all about getting to know each other, finding our pace and establishing the group dynamics. A mid-ride swim in mild rapids cooled us down from the blazing sun and cheered up the squad.
Two kilometres out from the endpoint of the first day, the road transitioned from asphalt to gravel. A prelude to what the next three days would be all about. The final climb to our hilltop cabin was the theatre of a mighty duel between our two Belgian riders, harshly disputing an imaginative polka-dot jersey.
With anticipation, we travelled towards the misty mountains, onto an ATV track and into the wilderness. Steep climbs greeted us, got our hearts pumping and our breathing heavy. Nature’s quaintness got suddenly suffocated by the sound of a roaring engine. An all-terrain vehicle is what we expected but to our astonishment what overtook us on the steepest climb was nothing but the Destination Everywhere van. This unforeseen situation also handed us our first mission of the day, releasing the machine from the thick mud it had become prisoner of. A few minutes of pushing later we were back to riding bikes.
The technical trails transformed into loose gravel roads as we entered Mastigouche wildlife reserve. Eighty kilometers in, a vigorous climbing effort to the echo of rolling thunder punctuated by a bear encounter outlined the threats surrounding us. An abrupt rocky descent was the only thing separating us from the safety of the main gravel road. Unfortunately, this segment made our adventure’s first victim. The sound of flesh and carbon slamming against rocks seemed to suspend time as we witnessed Steph hitting the deck hard. Even though she insisted we could leave her lying there alone (with the bears) and keep on riding, we, obviously, wrapped her wounds and got her out with the help of Stéphane, a park ranger/hero. A big scare, a lot of blood but miraculously no broken bones for our friend who finished the day riding the ambulance to the nearest hospital.
With the frenzy behind us, we carved our way through La Mauricie National Park’s riverside champagne gravel roads (and an hour-long muddy hike-a-bike section) to reach our cabin just past 7pm.
Day two was high in emotion and taxing physically but the sheer majesty of the landscapes we traversed was all worth it.
There are reasons why few elect to reside north of Quebec’s 47th parallel, the remoteness, the isolation, the sometimes-inhospitable aspect of the climate and territory. On this voyage, these were the things we seeked and thrived for.
Day three drove us north, across transmission lines, railways, timber tracks and rivers. We pacelined on the backroads with sustained collective effort. This stage was set to be the fastest, the arrival at our Inn was to be prompt and the resting period before our final day extensive.
We followed the map onto a pipeline corridor supposed to swiftly bring us to the brink of our lakeside residence. The first kilometers, though harsh and steep, were host to a stunning scenery composed of mountains and valleys. Little did we know that the valley floors had been flooded by heavy rain and that the neglected trail would require extensive kilometers of hike-a-bike. Our water reserves quickly became empty, cellphone reception was non-existent, and the feeling of isolation/desperation became real. Dehydration became our biggest concern as mosquitoes and deerflies feasted on our tired bodies while a massive black bear attentively observed our progression from a distance. We had to dig deep but finally got out of this tricky situation after a two-hour grind.
There is something deeply satisfying about reaching your extreme limit, pushing through, overcoming adversity and succeeding. A quick dive into the crystal-clear waters of the lake followed by a hearty meal and off to bed we were in preparation for our final push towards Quebec City.
Following a grueling third day, the final and longest stretch of our journey began with an interesting opportunity. Denis, a local living lakeside, proposed cutting our route short by getting us across lake Wayagamac on his pontoon. After a forty-minute sail across the smooth mirror lake, we docked on a shabby structure on the opposite side of the water body and started bushwacking (right back where we had left off) our way through a dark mossy forest and onto the main gravel road.
The winding path crossing three wildlife reserves was for the most part packed and fast. We grinded through the rolling hills which framed a picturesque panorama. After three days off the grid, we emerged from the unknown through the mountains flanking the province’s capital with a feeling.
The Velo Cartel crew met us twenty-five kilometers out of our destination providing renewed encouragement and new wheels to suck on our final stretch to the store’s parking lot where a welcome party was waiting for us. Pizza, cold beverages and a DJ set alongside Quebec’s cycling community proved to be the perfect way to end our adventure.
