April 06, 2017 (Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, QC) – Entrepreneur, artist and Olympic cyclist Louis Garneau is proud to realize a dream that has been close to his heart for a long time. With the support of Quebecor and several generous sponsors, the 2017 season of the Garneau-Quebecor professional cycling team will be funded mostly by the sale of paintings of great personalities and artists of Quebec signed Louis Garneau. The ten paintings will be unveiled at the vernissage that will take place on May 4 at the Louis Garneau Art Gallery.

“I have lived my cycling dreams, I continue to live my entrepreneur dream, and now, I am living my artist dreams,” stated the President, Designer and Founder of Louis Garneau Sports. “Art allows me to give back to the community. So why couldn’t it finance a race team? It is a passion that fuels another. It is sport powered by art.”

“We are proud to support the oldest UCI professional team in Canada for a sixth consecutive year,” stated Sylvie Cordeau, Vice President of philanthropy and sponsorship at Quebecor. “Our company has always been committed to supporting emerging talents and encouraging young people to do sports. We find it just as important to support those who wish to push their limits and pursue their dreams. We wish the whole team a great season.”

With its roster of eight riders from the province of Québec, the team will once again this year be led by veteran and 2016 Canadian champion Bruno Langlois. Simon-Pierre Gauthier, Olivier Brisebois and Marc-Antoine Soucy return to the team, while Jean-François Soucy, Elliott Doyle, Jean-Simon D’Anjou and Félix Côté-Bouvette join them for a first season with the team from St-Augustin-de-Desmaures.

The riders were able to log hundreds of kilometers during their March training camp in Florida, while participating in local events, such as the Granfondo Garneau Florida, to be ready for the first races of the season. “It didn’t take long for the riders to develop a good team spirit, which promises great results for the 2017 season,” stated team captain Bruno Langlois.

Many riders that were once with Garneau have already joined the highest levels of professional ranks, including David Veilleux (Europcar), Hugo Houle (Ag2r), Antoine Duchesne (Direct Énergie) and now Michael Woods (Cannondale-Drapac). Many others also shined in national and international competitions, the likes of Rémi Pelletier-Roy who has been crowned Canadian champion on the track on multiple occasions and won a Commonwealth Games Bronze medal. Studies are also important to the team; Rémi is currently completing medical studies at Laval University.

The team will officially kick off the season by participating in several American races, starting with the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic from April 27 to 28. Upon returning to Canada, the team will take part in the Saguenay Grand Prix (June 8-11), the Tour de Beauce (June 14-18), the Canadian Championships in Ottawa (June 24-28) and the BC Superweek in British Columbia (July 7-11). Several other races are also scheduled. Follow the team here.