A cyclist’s wet dream

Ever since I started bicycling, I complained about the pot-holes and obstacles on the road with the most dangerous of those being absent-minded people who opens their car door the second before you pass by. People just aren’t aware of their surroundings nowadays, going through their days like a zombie. These difficulties made me dream about the biker’s wet dream: long paved and uninterrupted road without pot holes nor cars. In Montréal, it’s called the Green Line 1

I stumbled upon it 3 weeks ago and have diligently been trying to conquer it every weekend and as a result, I finally did manage on my third try. Let’s take a look at the path from Google map first. (Click here for the Google map location)

Green Line 1 A total of 21.69km
My first try was child’s play and I turned back after crossing the Champlain service bridge. It was an exploratory run with light gear, definitely not enough to sustain me through the brutal 42.38km trial now that I look at it with hindsight. But that day, I was happy, I had a smile that stayed on my face for the better part of the week. Co-workers thought I got laid big time. I believe, that you too will understand once you have the sea wind in your face, the sun behind your back and a long straight path going into infinity. Kind of like this panorama.

Here are some more picture on the service bridge.

I was late in discovering the bike path, so by the time I return, the sun was already setting.Pont Champlain from the point of view of my bikeBike view #2. I really like the emphasis on the chains, giving it a rough feel.

My second try was another futile attempt because I couldn’t judge how far it actually is and drank most of my water half way through the path. I did however took some good pictures though.

This is a view of Montreal from the wave breaker. The view was perfect.This is what the road looks like on the wave breaker. The subject is my lone shadow on the bike and the context is the long stretch of road and yes, I shot my shadow on purpose.

I completed the whole thing on my third try. It was brutal and I was dehydrated by the end because I opted to bring my camera instead of an extra bottle of water. When you are biking such a long distance, a small change in weight can mean a lot. It was twice as long as I imagined and I fool heartedly charged through the end without thinking about the way back. End result? One hour to get there, two hours to get back.

The reward at the end of the path is a huge recreation park.A man made beach. The water is not directly from the Saint-Laurent river. Thank god because I’d never swim in that.To take this picture, I waded to the middle of the small river. After I was done, I looked like I’ve peed my pants big time. It was worth it.From the bank of the river. This is a heaven for duck and fishes. Did I just spotted a future fishing/camping ground? Definitely coming back.Some view of the thick trees that lined the path. Did I mention that you can’t hear the city from here?This is the end of the park. To go on further you’d need a dirt bike which I don’t have and I didn’t know how close I was from home.This is the perfect spot, to snap a souvenir picture. That I’ve conquered this path.

Here is a panorama of the whole path.(This panorama shows the path that I took. It’s not a straight line)

Why did I go through with it? If I must bring it out in words, I can only say that it was the sun, the open endless road and the promise of a heaven at the end that drove me to complete it. I find solace in hearing the winds in my ear on a completely abandoned path where the end cannot be seen. Merged with the quiet noise of nature, there’s almost a mysterious beauty to it. Or perhaps I just love it because it gets me away from people. Too much people that suffocates my mind during the week.

So, if you are in Montréal and enjoys biking. Try it out.

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