D.C. to Lac Mégantic 95 / 125 155km . Very difficult and hilly

The loop start in La Patrie

To reach la Patrie by car from Bishop College. Take the 108 Eastbound to Cookshire .In Cookshire turn right to proceed on route 212 to LaPatrie and park at the school next to the church. It is 51 km from Bishop College.

Start of the ride:
From La Patrie to Notre Dame des Bois the road is almost straight but always going up or down. The gradient is reasonable and the climbs are not very long but altitude is gained in Notre dame des bois.

Turn left toward Val Racine .You will encounter the intersection with Chemin du Parc that goes up to the observatory.But it suggested to keep the climb to the observatory for the end of the loop.

On your way to Val Racine and Milan you will encounter25 Km of unpaved road, this stretch is wide and well maintained and presents no particular difficulty.

From Milan there is a climb on rte 214 toward Nantes.Folowed by a long gentle descent on rte 161 into the town of Lac Mégantic.
Lac Mégantic is reached after 65 km. You will find all the services in town. There is a nice park on the lakeshore for a good rest.

From Lac Mégantic take rte 161 again it follows the shore of Lac Mégantic for15 km. Before Woburn.

In Woburn immediately after a sharp right turn onto the 212 west the road becomes hilly again it is all climbs for the next 10 or 15 km. You will reach an unnamed peak and the take a plunge into Notre Dame Des Bois (it is the highest village in Québec)

You can carry straight to La Patrie on rte 212 and call it a day after 125 km.

Or you can make a 30-km detour to the summit of Mont Mégantic to the observatory for a total of 155 km.

The first 10 km. To the base pavilion are easy But from there it is a rise of 600 meters in 5,5 km (Average gradient 11%) The first stretch is at 13%. Then after a short rest a killer stretch at 18%, it is then followed by two ramps at 15%. These 600 meter take about 40 minutes to scale. It is advisable to have a 39/26.

You can also reduce the distance to 95 km by starting and finishing the ride in Notre Dame des Bois.