February 04, 2016 (Montreal, QC) – Vélo Québec and the City of Montreal are proud to confirm that the 2017 Winter Cycling Congress – Congrès sur le vélo d’hiver will be held in Montreal from February 8 to 10, 2017. The official announcement was made today in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, where this year’s congress is currently underway.

Until recently, winter cycling was virtually unheard of outside of a few countries in northern Europe. But with cycling on the rise around the world, this form of urban transportation is growing in popularity, not only in Europe, but also in Canadian and U.S. cities known for their harsher winter conditions.

The Winter Cycling Congress – Congrès sur le vélo d’hiver will bring together winter cycling enthusiasts, researchers, professionals and policymakers united in their commitment to leverage infrastructure design and maintenance to make cities more active 12 months a year.

“We are proud to be the 2017 host city for the Winter Cycling Congress – Congrès sur le vélo d’hiver. Widespread bicycle use is without question one of the things that define our city. This excellent news will encourage us to keep working with our partners to strengthen our leadership in North America among proponents of four-season cycling,” stated Montreal mayor Denis Coderre.

“The 2017 event will enable Montreal to shine the spotlight on its efforts to promote this practice and meet cyclists’ growing needs by incorporating the principle of four-season cycling into our public facilities and lifestyle habits,” said Marc-André Gadoury, the city’s spokesperson for cycling matters.

Suzanne Lareau, president and CEO of Vélo Québec, added: “This is excellent news for Montreal and those who cycle, or wish to cycle, year-round. An event like this one is an opportunity for participants to share and exchange information with their counterparts from around the world in order to make four-season cycling more viable and shed light on the many possibilities in this regard.”

The Winter Cycling Congress – Congrès sur le vélo d’hiver is in line with Vélo Québec’s efforts to promote winter cycling through the Vélo sous zero event, back for its third year on Sunday, February 14. The international congress will be organized by Vélo Québec, in collaboration with the City of Montreal and other public- and private-sector partners.

The Winter Cycling Congress is an initiative of the Winter Cycling Federation. Previous events have been held in Oulu (Finland – 2013), Winnipeg (Manitoba – 2014), Leeuwarden (Netherlands – 2015) and, this week, in Minneapolis–Saint Paul.