Eastern Canada - Quebec day ride ideas

Greetings from Oregon! I have to be in Montreal Jul 16-19 for a reunion. I would like to spend about 3 days the following week doing scenic day rides of 30-50 miles in Quebec province from a fixed location (Montreal, Quebec City or anywhere in between). Also, what are some good options for bike rentals in the region. Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

Lots of nice rides are possible in the Montreal area. In Montreal, you could start from the Old port area and follow the bike paths and roads that go along the Lachine canal and along the St-Louis lake, down to the west part of the island. If you ride up to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and then back to Montreal, that will be a good 90 km ride.
If you go to Quebec City, there are lots of nice rides along the St-Lawrence river, for example near the city of Deschambault (route 138). You can also go up to the Charlevoix region (north-east of Quebec City) for lots of nice and very hilly rides.
I suggest that you obtain of the nice publications printed by Vélo Quebec to obtained detailed routes:
http://www.velo.qc.ca/english/index.php

Good luck

If you ride to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, go on a few miles further to the Pointe du Moulin on Ile Perrot. There is a historic park with a 300 yr old windmill and millers home. Since Ste-Anne-de-B is west of downtown you will probably have a following wind for the return ride - no hills. If you want hills you can do the 17 km grand-prix circuit over and around Mont Royal, it takes me about 70 mins, but you can try to match Eddy Merkxx's 22 mins (1974)

Thanks a lot, NDG and AndrewP. I will add these to my Quebec rides wish list. Any thoughts on bike rentals in the area. I might consider bringing mine along on a longer tour, but for just 3 days it does not seem worthwhile.

Living here with my own bike, I have never had to consider rental. There are rental places during the summer at the Old Port, and on the Lachine Canal by the Atwater market, but I suspect they are the usual beach cruisers. My 7 yr old grand-daughter will be visiting this summer from the UK, and I expect I will have a used bike built up for her from Recycle Bicycle on de Maisonneuve West. I can ask about rental when I next visit my LBS. Do you know where you will be staying in Montreal?

I suggest that you give a phone call to a bike shop called "Cycles Regis".
514-274-4334
They might rent good road bikes.
Might be expensive though, but you'll see if it costs less then bringing your own bike.

Thanks again, folks. Will make a note of both rental options and follow up closer to my mid-July trip. Will be staying in a downtown Montreal hotel (to be confirmed by the organizers) for the reunion weekend, but am flexible for the following few days.
AndrewP - I missed the reference to Eddy Merkxx the first time around. I had a good chuckle. I'm more in your league, not his.

This quality shop has not set up their rental program for the summer, but last year they rented hybrids for $25/day. It is close to the Lachine canal bike path and 5 mins walk from the Lionel Groulx metro station, which is a few stops west of downtown http://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/Quebec/Montreal/Cycle-Technique/2214476.html

A one day ride.. And miss the beauty of the St Lawrence River Valley. Once you head east of Quebec City, you'll want to not stop..

Quebec is great for riding! We were in Quebec City last summer and rented bikes for couple of days. One day, we took a path to la Chute-Montmorency, and another day we rode around Ile d'Orleans. For rentals, we used Cyclo Services http://www.cycloservices.net/ and on the island place called Ecolocyclo, if my notes are correct. Both places had hybrids, which were OK for a day, nothing spectacular. It's hard to find really good rentals though.

Eastern Townships are also great for riding. And you can find a lot of great info here: http://www.routeverte.com/rv/index_e.php

Thanks to all for the great suggestions. Based on your inputs, the trip has now expanded to a full week of day rides. The better half and two friends are coming too, so we will probably keep it to a leisurely 40-60 km each day. Here is the general plan.

2 days riding around Montreal
3 days riding on sections of Le P'tit Train du Nord
2 days riding in Quebec City and environs

I'm glad I will be working multiple times in Montreal this summer. Gonna put my car's new bike rack to work!

Lachine Canal is one of the most popular bike tours. Tourists and locals alike frequent this area which stretches from Old Port to Lake Saint Louis. It has a rich history that cyclists really enjoy.

If you ride west from downtown on the Lachine canal make the return trip from Lachine along the St Lawrence river around Lasalle and Verdun. There is a scenic bike path passing the Lachine rapids where you can see people shooting the rapids in kayaks and surf boards & lots of birds.