A few weeks ago, Dileep Netrabile invited Roller-Montreal to Burlington, Vermont, to see if we'd enjoy skating there as much as he does. If it worked out well, maybe next year we would add it to our list of regular Sunday outings? On Saturday the 28th, 5 members of the club responded to the invitation: Julie Robert, Pierre Pauw, Xavier Raclin, Robert Landry and Rod Willmot. We also had a friend of Robert's, Alain, following along on bicycle. Plus our all-important hosts: Dileep, Jeff Tolbert, and a girl who could only be there for an hour or so. It was a good mix, for we were able to stay together the whole day without anyone feeling held back or overworked, despite the difficulty of certain sections. Actually we had to stay together, because we were all depending on Dileep to show us around. The meeting-place was Burlington Skatepark, practically on the shores of Lake Champlain and an easy 10-minute walk from downtown Burlington. I arrived over half an hour late, and was extremely grateful to see everyone still there waiting. Move it Rod, get that skinsuit on, lace up your skates, slather on sunblock, don't forget the Camelbak... And off we went, with Dileep leading us out pretty fast for no warmup, clearly excited about showing us his favorite asphalt. Dileep had divided the day into two outings, both beginning on the bike path which stretches along the lakeshore. For the first outing we headed south, initially through the city but soon climbing up streets and into forest. Dileep had promised a superb preparation for the Festival de la Santé's infamous Berri hill, and man did he deliver! Climb, climb, climb some more... But the trail was winding through impressive forest and alongside pretty fields, with short flat sections separating the uphills, and it always felt wonderful to be out there no matter how hard we were working. Great asphalt, sweet curves, cool scenery, all in a very different environment from where we usually skate. It was hot that day! Hot and humid as a tropical jungle. After reaching the heights we finally got to rest, gloriously, in a little park where the fabulous view over the lake and the Adirondacks was... completely veiled by the day's thick haze. Even so, it was obvious that we were in a very beautiful place, an ideal rest-stop for exhausted/exhilarated athletes. Afterwards, Dileep led us on a "real-estate tour" of streets with some gorgeous houses. But the real reason for going there wasn't the real-estate but the pavement, with still more climbs to eat up and some delicious downhills. Then we noticed that Alain had disappeared. Had he taken a wrong turn somewhere behind us? We had just repeated a certain loop for the pleasure of getting some more woops out of a downhill. Robert decided to do it again to see if he could find him. Dileep decided to do it again in the opposite direction. Still no Alain to be found anywhere. Meanwhile the rest of us were wisely waiting at a corner. Julie took out her camera, and a local man driving by stopped his car and offered to take our photo for us! That was the best but far from the only example of how nice people were the entire day. Finally we got back to the Skatepark, where Alain was waiting all smiles. We found our way to a shelter next to the water where we collapsed for a while to absorb some calories and more liquid. Dileep had brought a big cooler packed full of ice, water-bottles and Powerade, plus a platter of rabbit-food and dip that I in particular did justice to, since I'd been running on empty for a while. Julie observed later that Dileep was a real "skater-mommy", looking after us the way he did. Then we went out for skate #2, heading north this time on a significantly easier route. The bike path follows the lakeshore for a considerable distance and is very picturesque; there's even a long elevated section made of concrete, and a lovely bridge over a river. On all the bridges, the wood was much more skateable than what we stumble over in Montreal. The path ranged from a bit worn at the beginning to excellent later on, but was always narrower than bike paths in Quebec. There was much less traffic than we encounter at Granby or on the Lachine Canal path, and not a single cyclist wearing a skinsuit, training, or behaving aggressively. Many people went right off the path to watch us go by, always smiling and astonished to see us. For a little train of just 6 skaters! We got the impression that if Roller-Montreal were to descend on Burlington with a train of 25-30, it would be front page news. After some long and pleasant kilometers on the bike path, Dileep took us on another real-estate tour, and here the many turns and detours in search of sweet pavement were sheer pleasure. Nonetheless, when we finally got back to the Skatepark we were surprised when Dileep and Jeff informed us that we'd only skated about 45 km for the whole day. Our legs were certain we'd done at least 70. But that was the effect of all that climbing in the morning, plus having been on unfamiliar terrain. A lovely day was given a satisfying finish at Papa Frank's, an intimate and informal little Italian place with damn good food and terrific drinks... The perfect haven for happy/famished/thirsty skaters, and I've a good idea we'll be back there often. The truth is we all came to the same conclusion: next year, Sunday outings to Burlington must absolutely be a part of our calendar. The skating is superb and extremely rewarding, with wonderful variety in what you get to do and the demands made on you as a skater. Above all, it's different from where we usually skate. To make the day more accessible to all, we'll reverse the order and begin with the outing over the flat section, which is very easy and makes a good warmup. Actually the climbing section isn't necessarily all that hard, because you can go up easily if you take it slowly, and none of the downhills are as fast as at Oka. We would simply divide into two or three groups like usual, and some would get more enjoyment out of the surroundings while others would push harder and add or repeat a few loops. On both courses there are perfect locations for resting a while and meeting up, so the groups would frequently reconnect. Bravo and huge thanks to Dileep for getting this started: for believing the club would enjoy extending its activities south of the border, for inviting us, and for guiding us with such care! We will definitely be back in greater numbers. And here I'll mention to readers that directions to Burlington Skatepark can henceforth be found on our Directions page. To view the photos Julie brought home, click here. Rod Willmot