I live in the Bay Area and am thinking of flying into Montreal for IMLP. It seems to be the closest major airport, and while it’s a little more pricey than some options, I can get a direct flight on Air Canada and I have a sneaking suspicion the meal service and overall attitude will be better than what I’ve encountered with recent US carriers.
One thing I cannot tell - is it cheaper or about the same to rent a car from Canada? And if I rent in Canada, am I allowed to drive the car into the US? I would assume so but cannot tell from the web site I’m using (www.destina.ca).
If it was my call (and it has been 6 times) I would go into Burlington VT. The travel time from there to LP is about the same as that of Albany…only from Burlington you can take the ferry across lake Champlain. This is about an hour boat ride (and an hour of site’s and not staring brain dead at the road). Plus there is a good resturaunt where the ferry leaves from. I have flown into Burington, Albany and driven…for me, in the Chicago area I choose to drive myself now.
The only problem with flying into Montreal is driving out of it and back into a few days later. Burlington will be a much quicker drive to LP, the ferry ride is a treat, and it is indeed a terrific city. And by driving about 25 minutes south of Burlington you can catch a more quaint, less expensive ferry that leaves from Charlotte. Another option is Syracuse, which has one of the most user-friendly airports on the planet. Getting to LP from Syracuse would take about 3 hours. A final option would be Ottawa, also about 3 hours from LP. Flying into either of those Canadian cities will, of course, require Customs hassles, and then there is the additional headaches of crossing and re-crossing the border. With Burlington and Syracuse (as well as Albany) as options, I’d avoid the hassles and fly domestic.
Hmm…my problem is with the carriers who fly into those other cities you mentioned. I find all of them to be extremely frustrating to deal with. Seats are cramped (and I’m not a big person), staff is rude and unaccomodating (yes, because they all just lost their pensions). I fear what will happen to my bike in their hands.
Thats what we did in 2002 for IMLP. Its a few hours drive. Not really great scenery but ok. The border crossing was a five minute wait each way. Traffic in Montreal was similar to any large city. I agree with the above post to spend a few days in Montreal. And try white water rafting down the river.
This is the best way to go. Only the whole world flew into Montreal for the 1980 Olympic Games into Lake Placid. Not sure if there is still a direct flt from SFO to Montreal, but if there is, then take it. This is clearly the best option and as another poster suggested, worth a few days of relaxation after the race. I am biased cause I grew up in Montreal. Don’t listen to Record10Carbon. Anyone who rides a tricycle in a speedo might have questionable advice
As for driving in and out. When heading to LP, head out from Dorval (actually Pierre Trudeau) airport , go east and take the Pont Mercier (Mercier Bridge), over to the south Shore of the Saint Lawrence and drive from there to LP. Whatever you do, do not take the Champlain bridge nightmare !
I have flown into Albany for the last 4 yrs, very easy commute to LP, Rental car is easy and on the way stop in I forget the town and load up with quality food, just off the highway.
Burlington is easier. Montreal involves getting across the border, likely to add a lot of time. Burlington has lots of connections to Chigago, should be pretty easy. Ferry across lake is way better than sitting in line at the border an no one will want to try to figure out if you have heroin stuffed in your down tube.
I guess I will not be successful in convincing my American friends that it only takes 5 min to get across the border, plus you get a visit to Montreal to boot. Nothing against Burlington VT (i’ve been there several times), but it just does not compare to Montreal…and if you can avoid flying through ORD, that is always a good thing
Best way to go is through to Albany and driving from there. Would not recommend that you go into Canada. You’ll have to clear customs twice going in and out which is a pain these days.
Jet Blue from Oakland through JFK to Burlington. Maybe this is one of the carriers you don’t like, but I’ve had good experiences. The only downside is the JFK part.
If you need a meal in Burlington, hit Smokejacks on the bottom of Church Street. The owner, Leslie, is quite the triathlete.
Clearing customs is NOT a big deal! i go to montreal every 6 weeks! i am from there so it’s a no brainer. But no problems with the car ental issue and montreal IS a phenomenal city, especially in the summer. It’s not far from Placid at all.
Marisol, for some reason, people think that clearing customs and crossing the border is the end of the world. Go figure ! It is much faster than lining up to get on and off the Lake Champlain Ferry (although I do admit, the ferry ride is very relaxing).
I rememeber when I was in College in St Jean Sur Richelieu, I’d go for afternoon rides down to Lake Champlain and cross the border twice in one ride (of course, that was 20 years ago, no ID was needed then) !
I don’t know how to train in Montreal… especially riding. I grew up swimming/water-polo and got into tri’s while in college in iowa… When It comes to biking back home, I am lost:-) Do you still live in Montreal? I am coming in 2 weeks to actually go to lake placid for a training camp.
I have not flown into Montreal either of my trips to Lake Placid but I would recomend anyone going up to Lake Placid to schedule a day to spend in Montreal after the race if you can. The drive is not bad and it’s an awesome city with some great restaurants, shopping, etc. Lots of fun.
Striver: been to Placid 4 times through various points. Albany is the fastest with the most airline service, and easiest drive to Placid. Burlington, a very nice cool little city, is a close second. Remember the ferries don’t run at night (at least they didn’t last time i checked), so if you arrive in Burlington after 4:30 pm, you are probably stuck until the next morning. Not really a bad thing… but don’t even bother driving around the lake, it is a long slow and painful process.
The ugly part about going to Albany or Burlington is the connections. Especially if you are taking Untied. And if you are, you are screwed by connecting through the black hole that is O’Hare. As a frequent business flyer, I use United almost exclusively. I would rather have my toes gnawed on by rabid wolverines than fly through Chicago.
That said, I’ll be burning 40K in frequent flyer miles to get to Placid through Albany. Also wait a few more weeks for ticket prices to drop. Last year, this time, my ticket would have been almost $600. Mid-June, it dropped to under $300.
I’ve gone in to Burlington once and Albany once. Flights were cheaper from the West Coast to Albany, but the town of Burlington and the drive over to LP was far prettier. Stay a night in Burlington on either side of the trip if you are flying in long distances. I visited Montreal once a few years ago and loved it, very European etc., but it would be spendier and put you through the immigration hassle. You can fly in to Saranac Lake (15 min. drive) if you want to pay the price.
i currently live in Montreal and ride the placid course roughly once a month.
the drive down to LP (without traffic) should take you roughly 1h45. from the airport i would suggest the champlain bridge (other than 3-6pm because of traffic) to hwy 15, to the boarder, hwy 87 to LP.
as for renting a car, anything except enterprise. they are the only car rental company that will not allow you to cross the boarder with you rental.
crossing the boarder (either way) is a joke as a canadian or american. no need for passport, just your drivers license. when i crossed for IMLP '04, the boarder guard spent more time looking at my bike and telling me “we” are crazy for doing anything like an ironman as opposed to asking me any relevant questions. five minutes later, i was on my way again.
and most importantly, spend a few days after your race in montreal to enjoy the beautiful people and great beer
Just to throw another wrench into the equation. This year, we’re flying into Buffalo. We’ll spend some time driving down to LP, but we’ll end up our trip with 4 days in the Niagara area. Flying into Albany was pretty easy too. While the drive up the interstate looked pretty easy, we ended up driving due west from Albany, getting into the foothills and wound our way up to Lake Placid through some absolutely stunning areas. Take your time and enjoy the journey.
