EASTERN EPIC: Quebec

We will meet you at Montreal Trudeau aiport at 5 pm and hop in the van for a 1-hour drive to Mont Bromont. After checking in to our hotel, we'll head out to the village for a yummy dinner and sample local microbrews at the Brouemont Pub.

Mont Bromont has one of the best mountain bike parks in eastern North America, and is host to a World Cup event every year. Although well-known for its DH scene, the mountain also has lots of fantastic cross-country riding. There's over 25 trails to choose from, ranging from mild to wild. After a full day of riding, we'll replenish with a delicious dinner in town (and perhaps another visit to the Brouemont for some local ales).

We'll spend the morning riding more fantastic XC trails at Bromont. After lunch, we'll take in another short but sweet ride, then hop in the van for a quick jaunt to Vignoble L'Orpailleur - a fantastic local vineyard that makes some great wines. We'll sample a few and enjoy a delicious dinner on the patio at the winery.

After breakfast we're off to Parc de La Gorge de Coaticook, a scenic gorge in the Eastern Townships with a fantastic network of challenging XC mountain bike trails. We'll do the full loop, about 2-3 hours. After lunch in town, we're off to nearby Mont East Hereford, one of Quebec's top riding destinations. A full afternoon of Quebec's finest singletrack awaits, before heading to town for some delicious poutine - a local concoction of french fries, cheese curds and gravy. Yes, it's as yummy as it sounds. Especially with a cold Unibroue to wash it down.

We'll take another crack at the fantastic trail network of Mont East Hereford, and then load up on good food before hopping in the van and heading to Quebec City. Beautifully situated on the St. Lawrence river, Quebec City is one of the oldest (it celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2008) and most spectacular cities in all of North America. Quebec means "where the river gets wide" because it's the furthest inland point where you can find salt in the water from the ocean. We'll check into our downtown hotel, then head out for dinner and a stroll through the city's magical streets.

We hop in the van for a quick drive to the enchanting Vallée Bras Du Nord, an outdoor lovers playground 1 hour north of Quebec City. Mountains, rivers and gorgeous singletrack abound in all directions. The trails are a product of a partnership between private landowners, government, local citizens, and logging companies. The network is being carefully (and beautifully) built as part of a program to create employment and opportunities for youth-at-risk. After a morning ride on the ever-expanding trail network, we've got a fantastic afternoon surprise in store for you!

In the morning we'll head out for another round of singletrack on the local trail network. The trails here are mostly smooth and flowy, with hundreds of berms to perfect our high-speed cornering on. There are maple syrup farms all around, so if we're lucky we'll get a chance to sample the wares! In the afternoon we'll meet up with the trailbuilding team and pitch in a few hours of our time to give back to the community. When we're done we'll sample our handiwork and enjoy another fantastic ride! Tonight's dinner is a barbecue-by-the-river!

We'll tackle one more last climb (it's a biggie), enjoy an incredible downhill to a picnic lunch, then head back to Montreal and say our tearful goodbyes. We'll arrive at Montreal airport by 6 pm, so you can either grab an evening flight home or spend an extra night and fly out the next day.