Riders gather in Montréal the evening before the first day of riding on Tour Vert. We'll have an Orientation that evening at our hotel and afterwards riders will have time enjoy the sites and dining opportunities in Montréal.
From downtown Montréal we cross the St. Lawrence River Shore and soon are on a dedicated bike route through the suburban sprawl on the South Shore. At the trendy village of Chambly we reach the Richelieu River and follow the river towards its source at Lake Champlain. Our first overnight is at Venise-en- Québec (Venice in Québec).
Then we head into the heart of les Cantons-de- l'Est, the Eastern Townships district that has long been a vacation destination for Montrealers. This is an area of many villages and we ride through places like Sutton and Knowlton with lovely summer homes. For a while our route follows the shores of Lake Mephremagog, a name from the Algonquian language meaning "very big expanse of water."
From the village of Magog we follow the Magog River to Sherbrooke. Now we are heading north into a long-established farm district towards Plessisville, which calls itself the maple capital of the world. Québec is justly famous for its maple syrup and that nectar is exported around the world from this region. The shortest day of the trip is from Plessiville to Québec City, giving riders the opportunity to arrive early in the afternoon and spend extra time enjoying the charms of that most European city in North America.
There is a return option from Quebec City to Montreal, including your bike or participants can stay on and return to Montreal by bus or train.
