Cycling from Montreal to Boston has been on my mind for a while. On paper, we're talking about 500kms depending on the route taken. And above all, the assurance of crossing the magnificent landscapes of Vermont, a part of New Hampshire and an arrival in Massachusetts.

 

 

My game plan for the next 3 days

 

 

As far as organization is concerned, since I'm doing this trip in autumn, I have to take into account two things: a more variable weather than in summer and shorter days. If I'm going to spend hours on the bike, I might as well do it in good conditions, and that implies a last minute decision to have a more or less reliable weather forecast.

So I decide to do the trip in 3 days. It's going to be a good sporting challenge with an average daily distance of 170 kms. It won't be "easy", but I won't fall into the extreme of ultra-distances that some specialists do.

 

After exploring several bike travel websites, I found the GPX route on the excellent RidewithGPS platform, which will serve as my base. Now I have to plan the logistics!

 

Basically, I need to know where to sleep each night, and then figure out how I'm going to get back to Montreal. For lodging, after having considered a 100% autonomous bikepacking mode (carrying a tent, sleeping bag, etc), I decided that it would be better to find lodging for each night. The 1st reason is that the nights are really cooler (3 to 5 degrees announced), the 2nd is that I would have a better recovery (and thus more efficient and pleasant days) by sleeping in a real bed.

 

 

Having decided to do this trip alone (a first for me, I had always favored small groups in the past), I told myself that it was also a great opportunity to meet the locals. After registering on the warmshowers and couchsurfing websites, I send about 20 messages to the different hosts along my journey and it's finally only the day before the departure that I get the confirmation of 3 hosts. Perfect! In addition to the economic side of the thing, it adds a social side to the trip that I like.

Day 1: Montreal (QC) - Richmond (VT)

Departure from Montreal, ready for a last fall challenge!

 

It's the big departure! I'm excited and at the same time, I know I have a big first day ahead of me (about 180 kilometers). Strangely enough, the first day or two on long-distance trips are often the most difficult. Generally, it's time to get the machine going. Then, the body adapts well.

 

As expected, it is cool! 5 degrees at the start and the sun that was forecasted for the whole day was not present when I left at 8:15 am.

 

My calculation for the day is quite simple: cross the border before noon, and arrive at 5-6 pm maximum at my hosts. I'm a bit loaded, and by adopting a moderate pace I should average around 25km/h.

The morning atmosphere on the bike is really pleasant and the crossing of Montreal when everyone is on the road for a day of work gives a nice feeling of lightness.

 

 

A view well known to all Montrealers. The exit of the island via the Jacques Cartier Bridge

 

I decided to leave for the south shore by a path well known to all Montreal cyclists, the Jacques Cartier Bridge, the Gilles Villeneuve Formula 1 racetrack and then the seaway to Ste Catherine. Once there, I know that a few tens of kms of straight line and wind are waiting for me.

 

 

Another classic for Quebec cyclists: a ride on the Gilles Villeneuve Formula 1 circuit

 

A friend had warned me a few days earlier: "You're going south? You'll have a headwind the whole way! Well... he was right! At least for this first day. As soon as I get out in the open through the fields on the south shore, I get a good headwind and the average gets pretty quickly. Not the most bucolic part of this trip, but it has to be done.

 

 

The passage on the pier confirms what I feared... As soon as I turn south (to my left), it will be a full headwind!

 

Nevertheless, the legs are fine and the conditions are relatively good, I reach the American border of Noyan / Alburgh just before noon. It's the first time I cross this one by bike but the formalities are settled in a few minutes and I'm on the US side quite quickly. I still have all afternoon and 90 kms to reach my destination, everything should go well! The temperature has warmed up, the landscape has changed as well, and the kilometers along Lake Champlain are very pleasant.

 

Once the border is crossed, the road winds along Lake Champlain. And the sun is out. I enjoy it!

 

The wind is always present but the variety of the landscapes allows to forget it a little. The arrival towards Burlington confirms that the day is almost over. The last kilometers are the steepest. As expected, I arrived in Richmond shortly after 5pm. Perfect! My hosts welcome me with a burger as an aperitif. And for dinner, I have a pizzeria just on the other side of the road... That's all I needed after 180 kms of cycling. I fill up on calories. You can never have too many in these cases!  

 

End of the day in Richmond - Vermont

 

Find the Strava itinerary of this 1st day.

 

Day 2: Richmond (VT) - Lebanon (NH)

 

When you spend 7-8 hours pedalling, you don't have to look too hard to find sleep. After a restful night, at 6:30 am I can barely hear my hosts getting up and leaving the house for a day of riding. I get up at 7 am, my legs are a bit stiff when I get out of bed as I expected!

 

 

Morning companions

 

An hour later I'm on my bike, and as usual, after a few minutes, the legs start to work again, in "automatic" mode and the morning pains fade away little by little.

 

 

It's going to be a great day!

 

The atmosphere in the morning is incredible, with a light mist, the sun is already shining, and the roads are calm... It feels like the perfect day for cycling! It should also be the shortest in terms of kilometres (130-140) and I'll be riding through some familiar corners (I had done the Green Mountains crossing in 2018). I'm already looking forward to it! Passing through the towns of Waterbury (well known to Ben & Jerry's fans) and Montpelier (Vermont's state capital) reminds me how much I love this state! Peaceful, colourful, hilly. A real paradise for cyclists.

 

 

A little break in Montpelier

The roads for this day are much more varied than the day before. A wide road, then a bike path, followed by a few good hills and finally about ten kilometres of gravel are on the program. All of this before climbing quietly towards New Hampshire.

 

 

I'm glad to be back on the bike paths of Vermont. It's been a while!

 

It's the day where I get a real kick out of it, the temperature climbs to 20 degrees in the afternoon, and I don't have too much time pressure because there are fewer kilometres to ride. The distance allows me to take more photo breaks, have coffee or enjoy the landscape and the local fauna.

 

When you ride alone, you find other companions along the way!

 

When I get to the gravel section (about 10 km), 90% of it is quite rideable with my 700x28 tires (smooth and well-tapped dirt, it's even less shaky than on Montreal roads).

 

Vermont gravel roads as we like them!

 

On the remaining 10%, however, my tires are suddenly totally unsuitable. I don't have much of an idea of how far I have to go on this section, but I don't have a plan B in terms of the route... Well. I'm usually not too prone to flat tires, so this will be a good test. I'm going for it!

 

Go or no-go?

 

Finally, everything goes well and it's finally about 1km to ride on this segment more gravel than road. I was right to do it "on the pedal". If I had walked with my bike shoes... it would have taken me at least 15min, and it would have been unpleasant. And if I had a flat tire... probably the same thing. So my risk-taking was measured and I'm doing well. I only have to continue to the New Hampshire border, which I reach quite quickly.

 

It's not even 4 pm when I arrive at my drop-off point in Lebanon. Once again, I was lucky to find a host close to my itinerary. This one is not present at the time of my passage but he left me all the instructions so that I do not miss anything. So I can enjoy his apartment for the evening and the night, all with a grocery store located not far away. I couldn't hope for a better recovery before attacking my last (long) day on the bike.

 

Clearly, I just had the most enjoyable day of this trip! Find the Strava itinerary for this 2nd day.

Day 3 : Lebanon (NH) - Arlington (MA)

 

Let's go for my 3rd day, which is supposed to be my longest since I have about 200 km to go until the entrance of Boston, Arlington to be exact. No time to hang around! I got up at 7 am and didn't waste any time having my breakfast, packing my stuff and getting on the road before 8 am. Once again this morning, I find my clothes a bit light for the 3 degrees on the thermometer. In 1 or 2 hours it should be better!

 

 

A (very) cool and soothing start to the day

 

Fortunately, my ride starts uphill. The first 15-20 km help me to warm up, slowly but surely. To start the day, I have a strange alternation of sunrise, followed by a thick fog that completely blocks the horizon when I reach the highest point of my route.

 

 

At the top, it's not the same story anymore! It's time to turn on the lights to be more visible to motorists

 

 

Once out of the fog, I find magnificent landscapes. We want to come back there on vacation!

 

Therefore, I don't waste time at the top (it's still cold!) and I start the long downhill/false flat that leads to Concord, then Manchester. Two cities that invite me to do some sightseeing, unfortunately, I don't have time for that and especially rain is forecasted from mid-afternoon. I try to hang out as little as possible! I will realize it at the end of the day, it's the day when I will have taken the least pictures. The last 90-100 kilometres are a bit less picturesque (especially compared to the day before) and it's often along a main road with a lot of traffic that I ride the last kilometres.

 

 

My last lunch break... Not the most exotic view. But there are kilometres to go and no time to lose

 

As expected, the rain comes for the last hour of my journey... Not the best way to finish such a nice challenge, but at the same time I consider myself lucky to have had the rain for only 1 hour out of the 20 hours of riding I just did! On the other hand, the course is ideal because I finish by a bike path in the forest that brings me quietly to Arlington.

 

 

The last kilometres of my journey. No doubt, it's autumn!

 

It's time for it to end, I start to feel a pain in my knee that I had never experienced on the bike, but only on the run. I arrive at my host's house around 5 pm, soaked but relieved to be at the end! I'm incredibly lucky, Nathaniel and his wife offer me an aperitif and a more than copious meal. The dream for someone who just pedalled for 8 hours. I was a little disappointed about the mileage, I thought I would finish the day with 200 km. It will only be 190. I'll have the last ten tomorrow morning to reach Boston.

 

Find the Strava itinerary for this 3rd day.

 

Day 4 : Arlington - Boston - Montréal

 

After a more than restful night, the time to dry as much as possible my clothes, I take the road to reach Boston. If I'm not in a big hurry, I don't have too much time to hang out either. Indeed, my bus back to Montreal leaves at 1pm and I have to find a box for my bike and pack it completely for transportation. Working in a bikeshop, I'm pretty confident that a local store will be able to provide me with an empty bike box and that I could manage with that. I had prepared a small list of 3-4 stores closest to the station. That should be enough! I go to the first of them, and after a short discussion with the employees, I get a box and they allow me to stand in a corner of the store so I don't disturb anyone and pack my bike. 45min later, everything is ready, I just have to carry my box and my stuff to the station.

The thing seemed easy to me on paper: about 1,5 kms to walk to the station. Nevertheless, under the rain, in my gougounes (optimization of the business obliges) and with a box of bike to carry, it will take me a good 20min and still some sweat to reach the station. If I had been in a hurry, I would have taken a cab / uber, but I make a point of getting there by my own means.

 

 

Bike packed, ready to take the bus!

 

It's finally noon when I arrive at the bus station, time to find a sandwich for lunch, get my ticket and pay my bike supplement (30$ US) at Greyhound. It is already time to leave the city!

 

For the tourism side, we'll pass! First of all, I'm still tired from my trip, secondly, it's grey and it's raining, and thirdly, I didn't have much time to get to the city center and the train station. But I took advantage of it and passed in front of the iconic Massachussets Institute of Technology.

 

A quick overview of the streets of Boston and a walk in front of the mythical MIT

 

The streets of Boston are quite quiet on this Monday morning, I feel a bit out of place with all these people starting their work week. I want to come back to see more, for sure!

 

 

The atmosphere is gloomy in Boston on this Monday morning

 

It's 1pm, it's raining like crazy, I board my bus with images in my head. My legs are heavy but I'm really happy to have reached my goal, on time, without any problem. I will do it again!

 

 

 

 

My equipment:

To succeed in a trip like this, it is important to ask yourself the right questions before leaving. What is the purpose of my trip: To follow a particular itinerary? To go fast? To ride as many kilometers as possible? Ride alone / in a group? Ride less kilometers but have more time to take pictures/videos? Camping?

Depending on the answers, it becomes easier to make choices about the equipment to bring, or not.

 

My faithful BMC Teammachine SLR One will have fulfilled its role perfectly during this trip. No mechanical problems!

 

As far as I'm concerned, I made the choice to do this trip alone. To go on a road bike for more efficiency, compared to a gravel bike which would be more comfortable, but also a little slower. On top of that, my BMC Teammachine SLR One offers me a position that suits me perfectly. No problem to ride for long hours without fear of back pain or anything else.

 

Having a few multi-day trips under my belt (mostly mountain biking), I know that one of the keys is to travel light. All my hosts were surprised to see me with so little equipment compared to the other bikepackers they had already hosted.

If we always want to bring stuff for every situation, it is often better to leave some clothes or equipment aside. There is nothing more frustrating than dragging 1 or 2kgs of stock that will not be used at the end of the trip. Of course, you have to take into account the environment where you are going to ride. On this trip, I knew that I would always be at most a few kilometers or a few dozen kilometers from a city. If I had left to cross the Andes, I would have a more conservative approach. More clothes, equipment, food, etc. I also don't want to carry anything on my back so I decided to use only my 3 bags directly on my bike:

 

Saddle bag 

Ortlieb Seatpack 11l : a real must-have bag! Waterproof, solid, light, well thought. Nothing to say, it is worth its price without hesitation. On top of that, it is very safe with its reflective patches and the possibility to fix the back light directly on it.

 

 

I mainly put in my saddle bag everything that I would not need to take out from my departure in the morning until the evening: my clothes. I only have 3 evenings to spend so I content myself with the minimum in terms of clothes: a pair of pants, a long sleeve t-shirt, a puffy jacket, a pair of socks, an underwear, a minimum of toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, microfiber towel) and a pair of tongs that I can fix on the top of the bag.

 

For my clothes on the bike, I took the luxury of 2 bibs. I could have settled for one and cleaned it every night if I needed to save some space. Also 2 pairs of socks, a pair of leggings, a short sleeve undershirt, a long sleeve undershirt, a short jersey and on top of that the very versatile Sportful Giara jacket that I love. A little windbreaker too for cooler mornings or in case of rain.

On the bike: sunglasses, neck warmer, long gloves, overshoes and you're done!

 

Frame bag

I mainly keep everything that is a repair kit: inner tube, patches, mini-pump, tire remover, multi-tool, quick link, chain diverter, tape and zip ties (always useful in case of emergency), a small oil can (it makes the difference after long hours of pedaling). Also a small padlock for my stops at convenience stores or other. You can also think of a small first aid kit but as I said before I decided to go for the simplest this time.

In general, the little space left allows me to carry a sandwich or a few cereal bars. I left Montreal with a few reserves in this area but the stocks are going down quickly so I refilled regularly. I always make sure to have 2-3 bonus bars in case of a hard time (or to help a colleague in distress, experienced many times!). A lack of sugar can happen faster than you think.

 

Handlebar bag

I put everything I want to keep handy in this bag: my papers, my phone, my keys, a pair of gloves, some food that is easily accessible.

One of the things I didn't think about a few years ago but can't miss now: a powerpack to recharge all the electronic devices at night: phone, GPS, light, and one thing I almost missed: the batteries of my SRAM AXS group. I finished my trip without needing to recharge them, but it was necessary to do it soon after. One or two more days and I would have had to find a solution! Fortunately, these are interchangeable, which usually allows me to finish my ride staying on the same chainring (the small or the big one depending on the pace you have) and to keep a functional rear derailleur.

On my handlebars, a light (even if I don't plan to ride at night... you never know). I also have my GPS to facilitate my navigation, a red light on the back that I put in flashing mode on the big roads. One can never be too careful.

 

To conclude, the most important thing is to leave with a good dose of good humor and motivation! Anticipate that there will always be... the unexpected, know how to take the time to take breaks when necessary and don't hesitate to push the kilometers a little or increase the pace if you feel good.

 

Finally, if you do this kind of trip in a group, it is always more pleasant to share it with people having a similar level and aspirations as you. Otherwise, one could demotivate some or frustrate others. It would have been possible to do the same trip in 6 days with more accessible distances. Or in 1 or 2 days for those who are more experienced in long distances. Everything is possible!

All you have to do is pedal and enjoy. Have a good trip!