June 13, 2017 (Saint-Georges, QC) – The 2017 Tour de Beauce kickS off on June 14^th. Approximately 120 cyclists from 17 teams will compete over five days for the top honors of this prestigious 643-kilometer race covering the Chaudière-Appalaches, the Eastern Townships, and Quebec City regions – start list is a bit further down.

“The majestic roads that Beauce and adjacent regions offer to racers are now recognized by the cycling community worldwide, thanks to the Tour de Beauce,” commented Francis Rancourt, general manager of the Tour de Beauce.

“We also take this opportunity to thank all our municipal government partners who facilitate the use of the roads throughout the Tour de Beauce. The warm welcome we receive annually in the various municipalities is remarkable and allows an exceptional tourist showcase for the regions,” Francis Rancourt continued.

The first stage will take place on Wednesday, June 14 in Saint-Georges (185 km) and will give fans a glimpse of team strategies as the general classification takes shape.

The next day, the peloton will face its first major challenge in the second stage, which will showcase the designated climbers with the finish atop the grueling climb of Mont-Mégantic after more than 170 kilometers in the saddle. The start will be given in the town of Lac-Mégantic, at the Mégantic Sports Centre.

The traditional time trial, a solo 20-kilometer race, will take place during stage 3A, on Friday, June 16 in the Saint-Jean-de-la-Lande sector of Saint-Georges, a course that Tour de Beauce veterans have experienced in the past.

Later in the day, stage 3B will see the riders leave the Lacroix-Dutil Sports Centre in Saint-Georges for a 77-kilometer ride during which the peloton will notably race through the municipality of Saint-Martin. The proposed course was slightly modified from the 2016 edition. The stage finish will test climbers on the short but steep 178th Street in the Jersey Mills sector, which had earned the nickname of “the wall” by the peloton in the 2016 edition.

Again this year, Québec City will play host to the fan-favorite criterium, a spectacular stage that promises thrills to the many spectators who will be gathering along the course. The start and finish area will be on the Grande Allée, near the Parc de la Francophonie. The 2-kilometer circuit will be traveled 35 times by the peloton.

Finally, the 2017 Tour de Beauce champion will be crowned on Sunday, June 19, following a 122.4-kilometer stage displayed on a difficult 10.2-kilometer urban circuit in the town of Saint-Georges. This stage is just as exciting as the riders will give everything left in the tank to either make final moves in the general classification or protect their leaders.

The public is invited to come and encourage the riders in large numbers during this final stage preceded by a “Tailgate Party” organized by IGA Families Rodrigue and Groleau near the start/finish line at the corner of 150th Street and the 10th Avenue. A festive rendezvous sportif not to be missed!

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Start list HERE
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Another Intense Competition Expected at the 2017 Tour de Beauce
UCI America Tour’s top teams come to Beauce after an electrifying start of the season

(Saint-Georges, QC –May 30, 2017) Only a few weeks after the presentation of the Tour of California, a race newly added to the UCI WorldTour where the top cyclists on the planet faced off against eachother, the headliners of the America Continental peloton will travel to the 2017 Tour de Beauce as motivated as ever!

Currently, at the top of the UCI America Tour team standings, the Rally Cycling, United Healthcare and Holowesko/Citadel are teams most definitely to watch. However, these three contenders will have to work hard to contain the aspirations of the many other teams vying for the America Tour standings, teams that could very well cause several surprises.

This will undoubtedly be the case for the Continental Team Inteja (Dominican Republic), Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis (United States) and Silber Pro Cycling (Canada), all of whom have already been very successful in Beauce in the recent past and are excited to display their colors again this year. As for the American team Axeon Hagens Berman, entirely comprised of U23 riders, there is no doubt that it will want to make every effort to keep the yellow jersey, won last year by Greg Daniel, now with WorldTour team Trek-Segafredo. However, it is likely that the top step on the final podium will be strongly coveted by Robin Carpenter (Holowesko/Citadel), who finished third in Beauce last year and won the Tour of Alberta later in September, edging the big guns of the World Tour. The American cyclist had a great start to the season by taking the overall standings of the Joe Martin Stage Race early on in April.

Among other serious contenders for the title is American Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling), who displayed impressive skills at the recent Tour of California by winning two stages, both time as part of the main breakaway surviving to the finishing line.

Many other riders could impress throughout the week for a cycling show that promises to be rich in twists and turns. Among the most likely to set fire to powder, we must emphasize the presence of two veterans who will want to take center stage, starting with the Spaniard Francisco Mancebo (Canyon Bicycles). The 2011 Tour de Beauce champion has not said his last words just yet, which he proved in a beautiful way by winning a stage victory at the last Redlands Classic. As for Bruno Langlois (Garneau-Québécor), there is no doubt that he will do everything to draw attention to the Canadian National Champion jersey, which he earned by winning the 2016 Canadian Championships in Ottawa last summer. There will be plenty of interest in the peloton as it boasts high-level athletes from more than 20 countries, many of whom are some of the most hopeful cyclists in the world.

Once again in the Beauce region, the pro-continental team Novo Nordisk will feature riders hailing from 7 different nations, while Team Keyi Look will make the trip all the way from China in order to compete on canadian soil ! In addition to Axeon Hagens Berman, the new American team Aevolo, Team Ecuador, French-based Team Probikeshop, Canadian-based Smart Saavy-Garneau and American-based Foundation Cycling will provide most of the youth in the peloton. Finally, the organization of the Tour de Beauce welcomes the presence this year of a woman to the position of sports director, as legendary Lyne Bessette will be at the helm of the Canadian-based Team LowestRates.ca.

Sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.2 category race, the Tour de Beauce is a must for the men’s cycling elite.

Tour de Beauce 2017 — Stages
Stage 1 — June 14: Saint-Georges-Saint-Georges (185 km)
Stage 2 — June 15: Lac Mégantic/Parc National du Mont-Mégantic (169 km)
Stage 3a — June 16: Saint-Prosper (19.4 km) [Time Trial]
Stage 3b — June 16: Saint-Georges-Saint-Georges (77km)
Stage 4 — June 17: Ville de Québec (70 km) [Criterium: 35 laps of 2 km]
Stage 5 — June 18: Ville de Saint-Georges (122.4 km) [Urban Circuit: 12 laps of 10,2 km]

Total distance: 643 km

Tour de Beauce 2017 — Jerseys
Yellow Jersey Desjardins: Leader of the General classifications
White Jersey Hydro-Québec: Leader of the Points classifications
Polka Dots Jersey Procycle: Leader of the King of the Mountain classifications
Red Jersey Le Georgesville: Leader of the Best Young Riders classifications (U23)
Blue Jersey Ville de Québec: Winner of the Quebec Stage

PARTNERS PLAY CRITICAL ROLE IN SUCCESS AND LONGEVITY OF THE TOUR DE BEAUCE
The Tour de Beauce, supported by loyal and tremendous partners

The Tour de Beauce, in its 32nd edition this year, is very proud to count among its major sponsors again this year Hydro Quebec, Desjardins, Procycle, Georgesville and the governments of Quebec and Canada. These partners play a key role in the continued success of the Tour de Beauce.

Among the official suppliers, we are pleased to reconnect with the great family of the Tour de Beauce, namely: Thule, LaPlaza.io, Champion System, Pepsi Alex Coulombe, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, IGA Familles Rodrigue et Groleau, St-Georges GM, SRAM and Cogeco Connexion. These suppliers allow us to maintain the excellent event that the Tour de Beauce has become, and continually improve it by their many products and provided services.

Media partners are also essential to the smooth operations of the Tour de Beauce and helped greatly in its longevity. They include: CogecoTV, Le Soleil, Look Media, EnBeauce.com, 103.5 COOL FM and MIX 99.7.

The organization also wishes to thank all municipalities along the route, especially the host cities of Saint-Georges, Quebec and Lac-Mégantic, Parc National du Mont-Mégantic, Tourisme Chaudière-Appalaches, the Sûreté du Québec, the Quebec municipal police and the Ministry of Transport of Quebec, as without them this premier international event would not be possible.

Tour de Beauce President, Mme Catherine Leblanc is proud of the support that the organization still enjoys this year. “I want to send a sincere thank you to each of these partners that allow the Tour de Beauce to continue growing, and I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of the many area businesses that support the event as Friends of the Tour Beauce. Same can be said of all the volunteers who offer their time and services of incalculable importance,” mentioned Ms. Leblanc.