Welcome to Bromont, a town of 12,000 people located just over an hour east of Montreal. This little town could just be one of those anonymous places in the vastness of Canada, but Bromont has an Olympic history – it hosted the equestrian events of the Montreal Olympics in 1976, when the town itself was only 12 years old. Known for its night-time skiing, Bromont is also on its way to becoming a cycling capital, thanks to its exceptional location and abundance of trails that make it an unparalleled gravel destination (more on that later), as well as its high-end facilities. Somewhat improbably, Bromont boasts a brand-new velodrome with a pump track in the middle, a renowned BMX track and an indoor BMX bowl... Enough already!

It’s precisely here that the founders of Gravel Mafia invited us to meet for a ride on the trails of the rolling hills of Estrie. Andreas and Jasmin have known each other for many years and have raced cyclocross together, their favourite discipline. Gravel Mafia was born from the idea of bringing together a community around a relaxed type of cycling. "We wanted something a bit punk, more wild, for people who don’t take themselves too seriously on a bike," says Jasmin. He spent years racing fixed-gear bikes and discovered a love for cyclocross during a four-year stay in Japan. When he returned to Canada in 2021, his bike turned into a gravel bike and Gravel Mafia was born from a desire to share this growing passion. "It’s not official – not a club – just a gathering of cyclists who want to explore gravel in and around Montreal. We set a time and place to meet once or twice a week in the evening, and there are always 20 to 30 of us riding. The mood's lighthearted – that’s the spirit of Gravel Mafia.”

As for Andreas, he has 30 years of cycling behind him, with plenty of road racing and crits. He met Jasmin when he was also living in Japan, and he too came home addicted to cyclocross. They competed in numerous races together and still devote time to it today. So it was pretty natural for them to begin putting slightly wider tires on their road bikes and venture out to explore the many local trails. Winters here are harsh, from mid-November to the end of April. “You have to be very, very motivated and a bit masochistic to ride in Quebec,” says Jasmin. -30 °C is a common winter temperature here. That’s why the new velodrome, just an hour’s drive from Montreal, has changed their training regimes – and become a new passion. Now, a good crowd of them comes twice a week to ride on the track. It’s exhilarating.

“I’ve prepared a typical ride for us through the small towns of Bromont, Sutton, and Cowansville," Jasmin says. "We’ll make a bagel stop in Sutton, it’s a really nice spot. Then we’ll tackle the toughest climb of the day and make a stop at Dépanneur before heading back to Bromont. It’s about a 70km loop.” The scene is set, the sunny day a promise of good times to come.

Céline and Valérie, the girls in the group, have restless legs. As soon as we leave the first road section, they pull away, barely aware of the switch to dirt. The surface is so compact that it’s hard to tell the difference from asphalt, though the little stones might quickly cause punctures if our bikes had been fitted with road tires. Around here, there’s no long or steep climbs, but a series of bumps, hills and little kickers that add up to over 1,000 metres of elevation gain by the end of the ride.

We pass stretches of multicoloured forests, an autumnal Canadian fairytale, that give the route an undeniable charm. Estrie is an agricultural region, with winemaking as one of its main activities. Beautiful estates line the roads, especially toward the end of the route, as well as attractive properties, homes, and retreats, far from the hustle and bustle, far from the cities. It’s easy to imagine what winter must be like here. Treacherous snow-covered trails leave at the mercy of snowplough that must work even into the most remote areas. There’s the charm of small towns like Sutton, a picturesque, bustling little place, with people seated on wooden terraces at bars and microbreweries (which are popping up all over Quebec). We push open the door of Cycles Campus, where the new owner, Jean-François Bianchi, awaits us with some exceptional bagels and fresh cheese. Son of a family of watchmakers in the Jura, he grew up in Montreal, briefly returning France, where he learned to wrench, before coming back here. He's convinced that the region has a bright future in the world of cycling. With an on-point workshop, the shop in Sutton is a must-stop for fans of fine bikes.

Back on our bikes, there's another essential stop a few kilometers away at under a sign that reads 'F.G. Edwards – Since 1928'. The Dépanneur, a small store straight out of a Western, is the kind of shop where, crammed into a few square metres, you can find a bit of everything – or nearly everything. You almost expect Charles Ingalls to walk through the door at any moment. It’s a throwback to a time when marketing and expansive product lines didn't exist. From pruning shears to hammers, from shovels to blankets, there’s often just one product… if you want variety, look elsewhere. But Edwards has become a curiosity where you can find rare, well-made, authentic items.

Seventy-five kilometres later, we lay down our bikes, marking the end of the kind of day we love. Our bikes took us through the countryside, let us meet people, experience new things, stunning landscapes and colours, and push ourselves in a way that makes us feel alive. 

Quebec is a prime destination for cycling, as we already knew. The Estrie region, for its part, is unmissable. Explore it – Gravel Mafia will bring your adventure to life!

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