Originally Posted by
thecrunge
I've ridden from Espanola east to Sudbury on Jacklin Rd, the TCH shoulder for 8 km (which was okay) Spanish River Rd, then onto old Hwy 17 (C.R. 55). That worked out well. But west from Espanola I haven't. Though I've read about Lee Valley Rd (from Espanola) out to the village of Massey (25 km) as being a good detour. There's another bit of road that might be nice, just east of the Soo: county road 638 at Bruce's Mines to Echo Bay. Looks like it's ~10 km longer though. Maybe a few paralleling gravel roads too? Other than that, it doesn't seem fun...
As you describe, here and there you do find alternatives. There is one old road that helps take you out of the Soo, another that gets you partway into Sudbury and a couple inbetween but nothing consistent and they can be a bit hard to find if you don't have a decent map.