Have you ever taken a ride that completely blew your mind? I did.

The Province of Quebec is a great place if you plan on cycling hills.

There is two great things about hills:

1. They are hard!
2. There is nothing more impressive than standing on the top a a hill after having climbed it.

So to show our readers a great hilly ride, I went to Tewkesbury (just a little north of Quebec City). Great hills, superb views and quite a challenge.

The ride is done in two parts:

1. During the first part, you’re climbing about 25% of the time (you have a 13% incline on the hills). So the first part is basically full of pain . You will see farms (yes even if the terrain is hilly), hills & rivers Jacques Cartier River (a northern part). And then in the middle of the ride you will start a big climb (one of those that you’ll remember). This hard part will lead you to a little church on the top of the hill from where the view is simply incredible (see pictures).
2. Once that you finally decide that it’s time to get back on the road, be prepared. You will go down from 360m to 120m (or even 0 depending on the run you choose) in a few kilometers.

I actually reached 55Km/h without pedaling.

Here are the pictures for that ride:

This is just before entering the hilly part:

This is on the road to the middle part:

This is when you’re following the river in the first part:

And this is the famous middle part:

I did not take any pictures on the second part of the ride (you’re mostly going through woods).

In retrospect, I think that this ride should be done in October to look at all the red leaves in the trees. The only sad thing with this ride is that not everyone can do it. I think that it’s too hard for most “occasional
cyclists”.

I hope that this post will make you come and cycle in Quebec!

My next post will be about a ride to at Cap Tourmente Quebec.

Along the same lines.....

• September 4, 2008 -- Cycling in Quebec – country style
• August 26, 2008 -- Cycling – Smooth riding in Quebec City
• August 20, 2008 -- Cyclemania – Ile d’Orlean – Quebec Cycling
• August 8, 2008 -- Cycling – What does it take to be happier?
• March 31, 2010 -- A Bicycle Odyssey with Dogs – A Certain Kind of Cycling Madness
• August 3, 2009 -- Eastern Townships Cycling on La Route Verte – North Hatley to Sherbrooke
• June 29, 2009 -- Prince Edward County – Cycling in and Around Picton Ontario
• June 3, 2009 -- Ottawa Cycling – Champlain Lookout or Bust – Redux
• May 31, 2009 -- Ottawa Cycling – Go Green Go Dutch Go Bike – The Main Event
• May 24, 2009 -- Cycling in Montreal – Bicycling Paradise