Mont Tremblant Questions/Feedback

Triathlon Forum
1

This is my first post in ST, so go easy on me please. I am doing MT later this year and was wondering how it was for those who have done it in the past? Really just general race experience questions…road quality? Any congested spots on the bike/run? The transition/finish and town area good for spectators? Montreal a cool place to spend a few nights before or after the race? etc.

This will be my third IM. I live in the Houston area and normally ride pretty flat roads. A long ride of 80+ miles will usually net me 2k to 2,500 ft in elevation gain. I’ve done CDA before, so how does the bike course compare to that for anyone who has done both?

Thanks!

2

This is my first post in ST, so go easy on me please. I am doing MT later this year and was wondering how it was for those who have done it in the past? Really just general race experience questions…road quality? Any congested spots on the bike/run? The transition/finish and town area good for spectators? Montreal a cool place to spend a few nights before or after the race? etc.

This will be my third IM. I live in the Houston area and normally ride pretty flat roads. A long ride of 80+ miles will usually net me 2k to 2,500 ft in elevation gain. I’ve done CDA before, so how does the bike course compare to that for anyone who has done both?

Thanks!

lots of threads with good info

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/IM_Mont_Tremblant_August_2016_P5854052/?search_string=mont%20tremblant#p5854052

Dev Paul has written several articles about IMMT on slowtwtich. the search engine will help

Road quality - mostly recently paved. town sweeps the course a couple of times a week during the summer
minimal congestion spots
transition/finish area are literately steps away from some hotels
i know someone who came up from Houston. They did hill repeats in a parking garage
weather can be tricky. last year, brutally hot. 2014 was raining and chilly

3

Thanks for the reply. I’ll check out that link!

4

The race and venue are fantastic. You have nothing to worry about at all if you are prepared and look at the course map in advance.

Yes, Montreal is worth spending time in before or after. I did that last time and will be doing that this year as well.

5

Great venue for family & spectators. It’s a ski resort with a great village with mountain activities and restaurants. Locals love us there. My hotel had a balcony overlooking the race finish. Make sure you train on hills: cycling & running. About 6000ft elevation. There are a few steep ones at the end of each loop. Weather can vary from cool 60s to high 80s. The lake is very clean and the roads are smooth.

6

OP asked about the difference between CDA and Tremblant bike courses. I will just add that I believe the CDA climbs are longer and more steady, whereas Tremblant has several shorter, steeper hills. There are a few long grinders but the short, steep hills in the back half of the course are what I really remember.

7

IMMT will also be my first full. There is a lot of info on here as others have said.

Montreal is a very cool city, even more so if you are into food. Tons of amazing restaurants.

8

Did it last year…awesome venue. The concert Friday night was really cool. They do a really nice job there, and the ski resort/village is a lot of fun. Great area for spectating.

Regarding the bike course…I highly recommend riding the Chemin Duplessis at least once. It’s not overly difficult, but it comes right at the end of each lap, and some of the climbs, while short, can be steep, and it’s tough on the second lap. I highly recommend a compact gear setup if you’re not strong on the hills or used to them. Going out is harder than coming back in as you can use your momentum to better effect; again, something that pre-riding will help you get a feel for. Start of the run is challenging with some hills, but a lot of the run is on a trail through the woods which is pancake flat.

Overall, a great venue and a great race…you’ll enjoy it. I’d like to go back and do it again someday.

9

IMMT will also be my first full. There is a lot of info on here as others have said.

Montreal is a very cool city, even more so if you are into food. Tons of amazing restaurants.

Any particular recommendations?

10

Have a look into the below options, they were great in my opinion but check them out online:

Joe Beef
Le Bremner (Chuck Hughes’ restaurant)
Au pied du cochon (the famous “duck in a can”)
Schwartz’s, it’s the original Montreal smoked meat. Good for a late night snack or a quick lunch. (similar to Katz’s deli in New York)

Make sure you book in advance if you decide to go to any of them, other than Schwartz’s.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

11

Thanks!

12

IMMT will also be my first full. There is a lot of info on here as others have said.

Montreal is a very cool city, even more so if you are into food. Tons of amazing restaurants.

Any particular recommendations?

Oh ya, you bet! Basing myself on another email I sent out recently.

Le Quartier General,
Probably on the top of my list with another restaurant. This is a French restaurant in the plateau, really nice food and atmosphere, not uber-expensive but it’s not cheap either. It’s bring your own wine which is nice.

Le P’Tit Plateau,
This is probably my favorite one, I always swing between this one and the one above, but the more I think about it the more I like this one. The food is a killer, you can see the chef working from like two meters away and deserts are amazing. It’s also bring your own wine and a very cosy small place.

Le Pegasse,
Another bring your own wine place (I love these). Food is very very good but you are going to be hungry after. Deserts are a killer. I think there is a desert there called death by chocolate and it is every bit as good as it sounds J

Panos,
This one is nothing fancy but if you want good food no frills this is the place to go. It’s a greek (bring your own wine) place with just good food. Can’t go wrong there, but again it’s not a romantic place or particularly cosy place.

For pizzas.

#1. Botega
Just good pizza and fun place in little Italy. I think the crust here is the best in Montreal honestly.

#2. Magpie
Close second. Pizza is really good but the place is always jammed and is so so. Waiters are kinda weird too hehe.

#3. Bevo
This is good one in old port. It’s just a bar and pizza place, nothing crazy but pizza is good. There is another pizza place that was better than Bevo, but I can’t remember what was the name. I roughly know the location though it’s somewhere on St. Denis, but can’t find it even on the map.

Kazu
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND checking this one out if you like japanese fusion kinda place. It’s well worth waiting in line, and yes, I guarantee you there is always a line there. The food will blow your mind, extremely creative, extremely good, it’s just unbelievable how good this place is. The guy even makes his own beer-thingy (can’t explain really, but it’s like wheat beer, and he makes kind of a foam thingy on top). Again, this place in UNREAL and you should check it out.

There is tons more, will write more if something particular comes to mind :slight_smile:

13

Don’t forget Le Newtown, Jacque Villeneuve’s restaurant. I’m sure the locals will have more insight on it, but I’ve always wanted to go…

http://lenewtown.com/

14

If you go to Montreal and you don’t go get Poutine at La Banquise I’m pretty sure that you are not allowed back in the city ever again. When in Rome …

15

Tremblant is quite possibly one of my favorite courses. I’ve done the full there twice (2013, 2015) and loved it both times. Compared to IMCDA (raced there in 2014), I found the Tremblant bike to not be that hilly aside from the Chemin Duplessis portion, which will be much steeper than anything you find in CDA—choose gearing accordingly. In general, the elevation gain on the IMMT bike and run courses are much more manageable than CDA with a few exceptions.

The road quality is also fantastic and the town is great. The only race production I experienced that was more of a grand spectacle than IMMT was Kona… they definitely “do it up” in Tremblant compared to your standard IM race.

For lodging, I highly recommend the airbnb route. I had a great condo last year and in 2013 and can put you in touch with either location if interested. Also, both years I flew into Montreal and stayed there a night - very cool city to explore.

Not sure if helpful but:
IMMT 2013 race report: http://www.ruschracing.com/rusch-racing/2013/08/28/ironman-mont-tremblant
IMMT 2015 race report: http://www.ruschracing.com/rusch-racing/2015/09/01/immt
CDA 2014 race report: http://www.ruschracing.com/rusch-racing/2014/07/02/imcda-amateur-champ-kona-bound

16

I’m going up in June for 70.3 and flying into Montreal. What do you think is the best way to get to MT? I’ll be bringing my bike in a Tri3 case so no compact car.

17

+1. La Banquise is an experience not to be missed.

18

Did this in 2013. The hills on Duplessis (probably spelled that incorrectly) are no joke, and they come with about 10 miles left in each loop. The great news is, what goes up comes back down, and the combination of a big drop, straight road and well paved streets made the descents there the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike.

I also found the town and the people living there to be incredibly supportive of the event and the participants. Agree that the weather can be unpredictable. In 2013, it was chilly on the days around the race, and race day itself was 86 degrees and sunny and breezy. Definitely try to “vacation” this one a bit – Montreal is a great town to visit as well as MT.