Bike don’t Run: The Best Biking Spots in Montreal

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Summer is upon us and with it comes joyous excursions astride your bicycle. The writers of this dispatch were saddled with the assignment of compiling a selection of terrific spots to bike in our fair city. Because this newspaper is a pseudo-art review magazine, we also offer suggested musical tracks to play as your background pedaling groove. Cut out and keep this list for guaranteed good times this cycling season as you explore Montreal: Paris of the New World.

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Des Carrières:

A multifunctional, gravel path stretches for several uninterrupted kilometres from Iberville to just past St-Urbain as it runs alongside the freight train tracks. You’ll see nogoodniks illegally crossing the tracks by foot through holes cut in the chain link fence. You’ll also see impromptu, quasi-legal rave parties happening beneath the Van Horne overpass. There is some space for graffiti close to Home Depot. Although you might see marmottes, don’t be a rat!

Suggested song: Railroad or drum and bass music.

Côte-Ste-Catherine:

If you seek something slightly challenging, then look no further. This protected path runs up a faux plat on the backside of the mountain through bougie Outremont. To put it scientifically, it exhibits many T-intersections, which means that there are fewer interruptions during your climb. This is especially convenient during the descent when your vessel goes into warp speed. If Batman lived in Montreal, his Batcave parking garage would be along Côte-Ste-Catherine. So go there and photobomb a scene of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous or Architectural Digest.

Suggested songs: “She’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes,” or Bryan Adams’ album Waking Up the Neighbours

REV St-Denis:

REV stands for Réseau Express Vélo, and as the name implies it is a thoroughfare for bikes to travel further afield on their commute along the north-south axis. It has smartly synchronized priority lights for cyclists and is ultra-safe, which makes it into a popular route for many travellers on just about any kind of vehicle that doesn’t have a combustion engine. St-Denis boasts a plethora of boutiques and bars catering to the cycle-mounted clientele.

Suggested music: “Bicycle Race” by Queen

Lachine Canal:

Another multi-use path borrowed by long-haul bike commuters but also dog walkers, joggers, elderly folk on scooters, and child-rearing parents with strollers. It is a beautiful, but busy, path that is paved along a canal for water-worthy pleasure craft. You can pitstop through Atwater Market for seasonal goods or rent a paddle boat nearby if you want to get closer to the water.

Suggested song: Anything yacht friendly, like George Brassens’ “Copains d’abord”

Old Port:

Get lost in this jewel of European architecture in our own backyard. Run your hobbyhorse roughshod over cobblestone streets while avoiding bewildered tourists enraptured by navigating on their phones. Open-air restaurant patios line the streets, dotted with places of interest. There is a certain je ne sais quoi of a nautical theme. Soak up the surroundings.

Suggested media: Look at the paintings of J.M.W. Turner prior to visiting to get a taste of the sea.

Parc Maisonneuve:

Bike reigns sovereign in this car-free green space beneath the inescapably ominous shadow of the Olympic Stadium. Many kilometres of uninterrupted paths through forest and groves are ideal for picnics. Bring a frisbee or a slackline and spend a sunny afternoon.

Suggested song: “Summertime” by Gershwin

Petit Train du Nord:

Take the commuter train to St-Jérôme with your bike. Get off and start pedalling up a wide swath cut through the woods that was once used by a train to access ski resorts in the Laurentians. Scenery and nature abound. If you want a true adventure, bike all the way to St-Jérôme via the wasteland of Laval.

Suggested soundtracks: Total silence. Listen to birdsong and the sound of rushing water.

Pont Jacques-Cartier:

This vibrating and vertigo-inducing mass of metal joins the island to Longueuil. It features an unparalleled lookout on the city skyline which is a great spot for camera-lovers or contemplation. Lovers can leave a padlock at the pinnacle near the pile of others. Not for the faint of heart.

Suggested song: The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations”

Voie Maritime:

The seaway has big honking freight-liners and is cut off from the mighty St-Lawrence’s powerful current by a narrow strip of land that you can bike along. Be wary of insect swarms; they will invade every orifice of your body.

Suggested song: “The Black Fly Song” by Wade Hemsworth.

Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve:

If you need to burn some energy out at any time of the day or night, then head for Île Notre-Dame and bike in circles on pristine tarmac made possible by Formula One’s high-octane orgy of fossil fuel. Lycra not included.

Suggested songs: Kraftwork’s “Tour de France” or Cake’s “The Distance”

Special mention to the worst path in the city:

Maisonneuve Street through downtown. Too small, too busy, too dangerous. The east-west axis through downtown is extremely problematic. This path is overrun with everyday cyclists and amateurs on bike-hires, which make it no fun for folks who seek to progress quickly. The alternative streets are Sherbrooke and René-Lévesque, which are also very busy and dangerous with car traffic. Given the choice, I suggest taking Sherbrooke because it has several T-intersections and it is narrow and congested which means the cars cannot travel at high speeds.

Remember kids, biking is a gas. Strap on a helmet, put on comfortable clothes, and get pedalling. The jaunt can be just as enjoyable as the destination. May your adventures be abundant and may your lights be green!

Read more biking stuff at:

www.pushtheenvelope.medium.com