The Best Trails for Initiating Yourself to Mountain Biking in Bromont

Everyone knows that Brome-Missisquoi is a paradise for cyclists! Our mountain bike handles turn automatically to Mount Brome in the Eastern Townships to explore this unique playground, vast enough to spend all the energy you have in a few hours! But you neophytes, are you hesitant about which trail to take as you hold on tightly to your bikes?

As an instructor with the Club de vélo de montagne de Bromont and the Muddbunnies (a women’s club dedicated to teaching and sharing their passion for mountain biking with other women) and founder of Trail Junkies, I’ve travelled far and wide on all my hometown trails! Here, I’m sharing with you my personal favourite Mount-Oak trails for beginner mountain bikers, should you want to head out and discover our beautiful “Montérégienne !”

Photo : Tourisme Bromont / Sept24

Mount-Oak, nestled behind the Canaël Bakery in Bromont, invites cyclists, small and tall, to strengthen their leg muscles on this 15 km network of cross-country trails. * Especially accessible for adepts who are just starting out in this sport, the trails are well designed with a slow progression to allow you to develop your technical skills. If you need to familiarize yourself with your equipment (e.g., learning to change gears efficiently), start out on the wider trails like the Sintra (K1), the Secondaire (K2) and the Smoothie (K3). They will allow you to warm up your leg muscles and develop a more fluid pedalling movement.

I suggest you then move on to the easier trails (green), the Wam Bam (K10), the Cassonade (K11) and the Piccolo (K13) which will take you to the Fruit Loop (K15), an intermediate trail (blue) I affectionately call the small bowel! Indeed, the trail ends up making you feel a bit queasy with its many turns, but oh! So efficient for piloting!

A Mount-Oak outing is never complete without trying the Phooz (K18) and the Yakattak (K19). These two intermediate trails truly give meaning to the word “flow!” their raised turns (berms) were designed for tearing down a trail at high speed. A real treat…

For my part, mountain biking is an excellent excuse for me to refuel in the heart of the forest, to appreciate the wealth of all the natural environment here. I’m always looking for ways to balance performance and mindfulness. Yes, I know! It’s quite a challenge to be Zen while cycling on a mountain bike, but it’s possible, believe me!

Mélanie Frenette, Head Trail Junkie

https://www.facebook.com/trailjunkies.zenlanature/

*link to trail maps for Mount Oak

http://sentiersbromont.org/cartes/