Quebec’s still on the cards but this is an interesting gig. Having made it north to Sorel-Tracy, the route of Around The World faces a dilemma. To carry on north east alongside the Fleure Saint-Laurent results in a dead end at Chenal Croche where multiple waterways stand between the road and the Lac Saint-Pierre which is basically the direction the journey needs to go in. So something has to give, and the give is that a significant detour is required resulting in the stage ending no nearer the city of Quebec than it started as the crow flies. It’s also another powerfest if you’re that way inclined: less than two hundred feet of ascent or descent but as jaggy as hell. It’s just another stage that will leave your legs wrecked if you decide to give it a go.
The rollout is steeply downhill into Sorel-Tracy if you can call twenty five feet in a mile a big descent. Here’s a clue: it’s the biggest descent on the stage from the highest elevation. But by the standards of what’s gone before, it’s not big at all. Faced with the Fleure Saint-Laurent as the straight on option, the road hangs a double right at the Parc de l’ancre and the Boulevard Fiset to start heading south east out of town: that’s absolutely the wrong direction in terms of making forward progress.
A left/right combo at six miles crosses the Riviere Pot au Beurre and as Highway 132 heads out of town, it makes further river crossings at eight miles (the Riviere Bellevue), nine miles (the Petite Riviere Pot au Beurre) and at ten miles (Ruisseau Saint-Thomas et Saint-Sophie).
By now the route has taken a left and is at least heading north east but that’s relatively short lived. At twelve miles there’s more water (the Riviere Saint-Louis) ahead of a proper crossing of a much bigger river in Yamaska in the shape of the riviere of the same name. It’s a left onto the bridge then a right/left at fourteen miles to continue the run north east.
There’s a short climb away from the river, which is not unusual, then the rest of the stage is lumpy flat all the way to Pierreville. However Pierreville is on the other (north eastern) side of the Riviere Saint-Francois) so that means another river crossing immediately before the finish on the run in to the line. Saint Francois du Lac is on the southern side of the river and it’s the first community that Highway 132 reaches before it crosses the water: but as the finishing line is literally two hundred metres away on the other side, the race across the river is sure to be a good one.
Distance: 21 miles / 34 kilometres
Ascent: 197 feet / 60 metres
RGT Magic Road: Al92shHMM9L7
Max elevation: 155 ft
Min elevation: 119 ft
Total climbing: 195 ft
Total descent: -218 ft
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