1) Cross the MacDonald-Cartier bridge and exit at St. Joseph Blvd. Drive a few km and you’ll come to the bottom of a long straightaway on a hill with traffic lights below it. Turn right at the lights and cross the Gatineau river. Follow the river North as far as the light, the weather and your seat allow.

2) Stay on Highway 5 to Wakefield, drive through the town (with the appropriate stop at Eric’s or a draught of cold spring water – your choice) and cross the Gatineau river at the traffic light on the far side of town. Pass Edelweiss and Mont Cascades, then head north at the junction.

Another great ride is to follow Highway 5 and take the first exit on the left after Wakefield. Follow the road to Lac des Loups. There are a few other really nice roads in that neck of the woods (literally) but unfortunately a number of them are gravel, so at very least they’re not ideal candidates for this particular summer. 8^)

And if you really don’t like the MacDonald-Cartier/Highway 5 option, cross the Princess Alexandria, drive past Le Twist till you reach a T intersection with St Joseph. Follow it straight along until it these directions merge with 1) above.

There is another really nice quickie ride up to Chelsea that goes through Cite des jeunes, but they haven’t worked on the road in years and until they do it’s a hazard for two wheel vehicles.

P.S. I’m not a big bike fan, but boy do I miss summer days spend driving around there….

P.P.S. Weekends can feature some spectacularly stupid drivers, who, hung over (or still half-drunk) are now attempting to balance their loafing-around-till-the-last-minute karma with attempted highway suicide.