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FQSC 2013 Gala Honours Gagné, Molnar, Numainville, Veilleux, Roy, Duchesne, Rochette and More

by John Symon

November 11, 2013 (Montreal, QC) – Quebec’s cycling federation, the Fédération Québécoise des sports cyclistes (FQSC), held its annual end-of-the-season gala on Sunday, November 3 to honour cyclists, organizers, volunteers, and events. The venue was at Mont Sainte-Anne near Quebec City with almost  almost 300 people in attendance.

The “athlete par excellence” award recipients’ list included: David Veilleux (Europcar) as the top male track and road rider, Daniel Chalifour and Alexandre Cloutier (para-cycling), Raphaël Gagné (mountain bike), Gaby Malenfant (BMX), Marie-Claude Molnar (para-cycling), Joëlle Numainville (the top female road and track rider), and Andréanne Pichette (mountain bike).

Among others named, Maghalie Rochette (who just signed with the Luna Pro team) was honoured with the title of relève athlete of the year in mountain biking.  Most athletes were in attendance but Gagné and Rochette were absent due to competitions. Also honoured were:

– Pierrick Naud (Senior M 1-2)
– Nicolas Azara (Senior M 3)
– Joëlle Numainville (Senior F)
– Hendrik Pineda (Junior M)
– Dafné Théroux-Izquierdo (Junior F)
– Dominic Chalifoux (Masters A)
– Michel Jean (Masters B)
– Sylvan Adams (Masters C)
– Roger Simard (Masters D)

The Mérité cycliste québécois gala also included categories for:

– Volunteers
– Coaches
– Commissaires
– Development clubs
– High performance clubs
– Interprovincial / Rrovincial / Regional events
– Masters athletes
– U23 athletes

Relève Athletes
– Prix de distinction (those who earned medals at world championships)

Some 430 cycling events were organized in 2013 under the auspices of the FQSC. Of these, two were honoured in the category of National / International Event:
– Coupe Canada à Baie-Saint-Paul (mountain bike)
– Tour de l’Abitibi Desjardins (road cycling)

The FQSC Hall of Fame marked its 27th anniversary in 2013 and three new people inducted into the Hall of Fame. This list includes Éric Tourville (athlete), Pierre Blanchard (builder) and  Jean-Claude Fortin (builder).

“David Veilleux, who completed the Tour de France and retired from professional racing following the WorldTours in Quebec City and Montreal, looked relaxed and happy with his decision,” said Louis Barbeau, Director General of the FQSC. “We had our first-ever BMX inductee (Jean-Claude Fortin) into the Hall of Fame this year. The gala was a nice activity and it is always great to acknowledge the achievements of people. For me, the highlight was recognizing the organizers of the Para-cycling Worlds in Baie Comeau and and World Cup in Matane.”

More info (in French) here.





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