Motorcycle trip in the Wild West

A motorcycle lover since his early childhood, Jeff Boudreault has always dreamed of elsewhere. With the end of the filming of District 31the comedian seized his chance and embarked on the journey of his life, alone with his adventurous bike in the hinterland of the American Far West. The Press will keep in touch with him throughout the summer.

Pierre-Marc Durivage
The Press

Jeff Boudreault took off from Montreal last Friday, heading to Denver, where his motorcycle was waiting for him, sent a few days earlier by AmeriKaMoto. It was in the premises of the Candiac company that we met the actor, who had difficulty retaining his contagious enthusiasm.

“In my early twenties, I had no ties, no job, I imagined that I could go on a crazy trip, remembers the one who we also saw recently in The Blue House. But I already had my girlfriend Catherine and, in Lac-Saint-Jean, it was a different mentality at the time, it seemed like there was a rush to fall into life, that is to say to have children then a house, that was how it was. »

“Also, I would never have thought of being an actor either, I thought of making my life at the lake! So I’ve always had this idea of ​​going on a long motorcycle trip. I had the idea of ​​leaving for my 50th birthday, but my girlfriend saw that I was scratching, she offered to do it this year. We were waiting for the right window, we got it. »

Jeff Boudreault is currently in Colorado, he intended to stay there for about two weeks. He will then join a friend in Salt Lake City, Utah, via the Moab desert, if it is not too hot. It will then be Nevada to Yosemite National Park, in California, a state that he then intends to travel from north to south. Finally, the return will be made partly by the mythical route 66, passing in particular by Nashville and Memphis – essential for Boudreault, a great fan of country music.

Play in the gravel

The motorcyclist will swallow tens of thousands of kilometers of asphalt before returning home to Bromont, in time to sit in the chair of the morning show on Rythme FM, a new challenge he could not refuse. , but which forced him to revise the duration of his trip, reduced from 75 days to 58.

Boudreault plans to ride on beautiful stretches of road like the famous Pacific Coast Highway, but 60% of his route will be away from the asphalt, on the Backcountry Discovery Routes. BDRs, as they are known in the industry, are an extensive network of trails, logging roads and service roads on public lands, currently concentrated in the western and northeastern United States.

“The type of bike I have lends itself beautifully to those regions,” says Jeff Boudreault. Because what turns me on to motorcycling is when I play on gravel roads. I always wonder what’s at the end. And there are precisely points of view that, often, we do not see otherwise. »

To put yourself in danger

But leaving alone, like that, does that come with a certain amount of apprehension? “A little… I can’t wait to see how I’m going to manage the risk, recognizes the 48-year-old comedian. But I’ve also always said that if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough. You have to put yourself in danger. The actors, precisely, we have no choice, if we do not put ourselves in danger, we do not work. That said, even if I’m used to doing hard enduro, I plan to do some tourism, it’s going to be more contemplative. »

Jeff Boudreault has been planning his trip for more than a year now; he says he spent at least 10 hours a week planning it. “I documented myself to determine what equipment I really wanted to have, what tires to choose, if not to look at maps, analyze the route a little, he tells us. Also, just to trip, to make me dream a little while waiting for the big day. »

It is therefore a veritable war machine that he had delivered to Colorado; his KTM 890 Adventure is equipped with all the devices that take him far off-road, while every cubic centimeter of the panniers is expertly filled: first aid kit, tools, complete camping equipment, GPS, video cameras – the motorcyclist will indeed testify to his adventure in capsules which will be broadcast next year at Motosports.tv, on TVA Sports. To be continued !

Have your motorcycle delivered to your destination

Having your motorcycle delivered to your destination is the service offered by AmeriKaMoto, from Candiac. “Leaving home is 5,000 km more and I found myself losing four or five days,” explains Jeff Boudreault. With gas, food, hotels, oil changes and maybe an extra tire change, it wasn’t worth it. Round-trip delivery service with AmeriKaMoto costs $1,399 including customs clearance. For those who prefer to travel with a little more supervision, we also offer a group package that includes everything, including experienced guides. For the moment, we remain on the asphalt, but AmeriKaMoto is considering adding routes for adventurous motorcycles in the not so distant future.