Underexposed: Lac Beauport, Quebec

Underexposed is a self-shot and produced series of documentary short-films by Pivot Cycles athlete Brice Shirbach. The series is dedicated to showcasing mountain bike advocacy and stewardship while exploring trails across the globe. Join Brice as he explores the relationship between community and trails.

My very first trip to Quebec City began with unbridled excitement and ended with some broken ribs. It was an eye opening experience and laid the groundwork for a whole lot more time spent in the last remaining cradle of French culture in North America. I realized very quickly that the trails surrounding one of Canada’s oldest cities are incredibly fun and often gnarly, and they produce one of the most talented and quick collections of riders you’ll find anywhere.

Throughout the entire province, though especially in the capital city itself, there's an idiosyncratic aesthetic that sets the region apart from the rest of Canada. One of the oldest cities in all of North America, Quebec combines an old world beauty with an active local contingent, and a forward thinking approach to tourism that makes for one of the most comprehensive adventure destinations in the country. Within a stone’s throw of Quebec City are 5 singular mountain bike destinations that combine to form a coalition called Quebec City Mountain Bike, or Québec Vélo de Montagne. Included within QC MTB is the venerable World Cup venue Mont Saint Anne, the backcountry paradise of Vallee Bras du Nord, local favorite Empire 47, up-and-coming Le Massif de Charlevoix, and arguably the most popular of them all, Sentiers du Moulin. 

Located in picturesque Lac Beauport, Sentiers du Moulin boasts 70 km (or 43 miles) of trails spread out across multiple summits. The original secteur-the SDM secteur-first saw trails around 2012 via volunteer efforts from people like Pat Perreault and the volunteer organization known as LB Cycle. Inspired by a number of adventures to their western Canadian counterparts in the sea-to-sky corridor, LB Cycle saw the immense potential to replicate what they were riding in places such as Squamish and the North Shore here in Lac Beauport, and went about doing just that. Eventually Lac Beauport would end up purchasing several hundred acres of land, securing it for longterm recreational access and solidifying Sentiers du Moulin as an epicenter for mountain biking in the Quebec City region.

Over the last 5 years, SDM have been averaging an additional 10 km of new trail annually, which includes the new Maelstrom secteur that is adjacent to the original property. Where the original SDM secteur features a variety of trails, from highly technical to hypersmooth flow, as well as some significant freeride options, the Maelstrom secteur features granite. Lots and lots of granite. The trails are very reminiscent of Squamish riding, with steep slabs piled upon steep slabs, accented by an occasional stretch of woodwork, root gardens, and chutes. The totality of the two zones makes for categorically spectacular riding, and combined with a trailhead that includes an amazing restaurant-bar, a bike shop, and a sprawling outdoor deck, you end up with what may very well be one of the single best places to ride your bike on the planet.

The rubber to dirt experience is enough to make clear why I have chosen to spend as much time here over the years that I have, but there’s certainly more to the story than that. Despite not speaking an ounce of French, the connections I have made here have been among the strongest I’ve made anywhere during my career. Whether it was filming alongside my former Pivot teammate Antoine Caron on his home trails, or producing travel guides for Pinkbike, or simply swinging by unannounced for a few days, I always leave Quebec City with more friends than when I arrived, and that is a testament to just how authentically welcoming the people who call this place home are. I have said this many times before, but it’s a helluva time to be alive with so many great places to ride your bike nowadays, so more often than not it’s the people who leave the strongest imprint on my adventures. The people in Quebec are the reason I keep making my way across the border into Canada time and time again.