Many of you have suggested your favorite motorcycle rides on the roads of Quebec. Over the past few weeks, we’ve brought you some of these route suggestions. Last stop of four: the foothills of the Laurentians, in the Portneuf region, suggested by Guy Laroche.
Posted at 11:30 a.m.
Guy Laroche is another of those motorcyclists who have recently converted to adventurers, those bikes who can do just about anything, including going where the asphalt stops. One of his favorite terrains is the wilderness area that borders the Portneuf Regional Nature Park. However, the marked roads that surround the area are not pitted with worms either, as long as one appreciates driving a tad sporty.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY GUY LAROCHE
Guy Laroche has been driving his Honda Africa Twin since the summer of 2020.
“We are five guys from Quebec who ride together, we are called the Riding Stones for fun, explains Guy Laroche on the phone. We often drive in this area, there are beautiful little circuits of forest roads. But when we come back, we like to come back by route 367, it’s a classic hike for us. »
The 367 starts near Notre-Dame-de-Montauban, at the junction of the 363, where you set off for Rivière-à-Pierre. “The most beautiful portion begins at Notre-Dame-des-Anges, where I suggest stopping to buy a refreshment before going to enjoy it at the Parc des Chutes-de-Montauban, nearby,” Guy Laroche tells us. A parking lot on the Route du Moulin allows you to descend a few meters lower to the famous “fall of the $5” – for a long time it was mistakenly believed that these were the waterfalls represented on an old $5 bill. Regardless, the look is worth it!
PHOTO PROVIDED BY GUY LAROCHE
Guy Laroche
The Batiscan River
The rest of the journey is done for the most part along the Batiscan River, where you have to be ready to play with the handlebars. “We go there for the bends and the panorama, you follow the river all the way, it’s really superb, supports the 58-year-old biker. Curves, climbs, descents and still other curves follow one another to the greatest pleasure of the pilot. It’s such a beautiful road that youtuber Ryan Kluftinger, better known as Ryan F9, shot a video there. He left Toronto to do that route. »
From Rivière-à-Pierre, the 367 is a little more docile, but nevertheless very pretty, as far as Saint-Raymond. After a stop at the Roquemont microbrewery, Guy Laroche continues on the 367 to get to Quebec, taking care, however, to make a few suggestions there for those who have to return to the Montreal region. “The best thing is to come back by road 354, there are plenty of beautiful turns there too, especially in the part after Saint-Casimir, supports the one who crossed last year no less than 22,000 km on a motorcycle. And there too, there is a good microbrewery, I suggest stopping at Les Grands Bois! »
PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE FACEBOOK PAGE OF THE CHUTES-DE-MONTAUBAN PARK
Montauban Falls
Obviously a great lover of craft beers, Guy Laroche also tells us about the Le Presbytère microbrewery in Saint-Stanislas, a must, he tells us, on Route 352, which connects Highway 40, east of Trois- Rivers, with the village of Sainte-Thècle. It is also, according to him, one of the best routes to reach Route 367. We promised ourselves to try it.
Adventure in sight
This summer, Guy Laroche intends to leave for the Atlantic provinces, from where he intends to return by Newfoundland and Labrador, by the famous Trans-Lab. “I would also like to do other parts of the new Trans-Québec trail, as well as sections of the North East Backcountry Discovery Route, in New England. These paths allow you to go through places where hardly anyone passes, you can camp, and you can also meet people in otherwise very little frequented villages. »
Why do all this on a motorcycle? do we bother to ask. “First, because you’re not in a cage,” laughs Guy Laroche, who works as manager of the Chic-Chocs mountain lodge. “I like leaning in bends, smelling the elements, the smells, even the rain in a pinch! Someone who tells me that it compares to a convertible, frankly, no! »