July 27, 2016 (Montreal, QC) – Forty cyclists took to their bikes at the Tour of Legends on July 19, held between two blocks of events as part of the Finale des Jeux du Québec, in Montréal. The squad included 14 Olympians and several distinguished guests who pedalled over a portion of the route for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, including the formidable Camillien-Houde hill.
Those who participated in this “Olympic” road cycling event were met at the start line by the applause from the crowd. They were joined by several guests and dignitaries who have been or are still important players in the development of the sport in the province. Antoine Duchesne (Direct Energie) – who recently competed at the Tour de France – delivered the start signal via a pre-recorded video. Before the countdown, Duchesne thanked the “Legends” for having paved the way for later generations of athletes like him.
“It was really fun,” said Pierre Harvey, after the ride. “To see people with whom we spent 10 or 15 years to train, travel and compete, and we have not seen each other for 20 years, it’s magic. It revives many memories. ”
“It not apparent on TV, but there was a lot of talking between riders (from different teams) in the pack during races. Despite the passage of time, we didn’t lose our old habits including making jokes like ‘that rider will bonk – we will have to pick him up at the bottom of the hill’ – we still remain somewhat competitive,” he added jokingly. Harvey participated at two Summer Olympics (1976, 1984). He also competed at two Winter Olympics (1984, 1988) in cross-country skiing.
Some took the ride seriously and the front of the peloton was heating up. These guys were not riding like tourists, even several years after retiring from their sporting careers!
Alexandre Bilodeau, who attended the activity as a guest, overheard some of the jokes. “It was fun to share the road with them and hear their stories,” recounted the dual gold medalist in Olympic freestyle skiing and president of the Finale des Jeux du Québec – Montreal 2016.
In addition to pay tribute to the “Legends”, the objective of the event was to allow several generations of cyclists to mingle. If more young people aspire to one day to qualify for the Olympics, the Quebec Games are often one of the steps towards achieving that dream.
“Young spectators may have found it funny to see old men sprinting. But perhaps they wished that they too, could do that still have such fun when they get older. I hope it inspired some of them,” concluded Harvey.
“The Jeux du Quebec is a smaller version of the Olympics. Some will persevere and get to a higher level, and others will move on. But what is certain is that they will keep the memories of their experience,” added Bilodeau.
Marie-Claude Audet |
1984
|
Jules Béland |
1968
|
Michael Belcourt |
1988
|
Marc Blouin |
1972 & 1976
|
Gilles Durand |
1972 & 1976
|
Pierre Harvey |
1976 & 1984
|
Manon Jutras |
2004
|
Yves Landry |
1968
|
Jacques Landry |
1992 & 1996
|
Czeslaw Lukaszewicz |
2000
|
Serge Proulx |
1976
|
Marcel Roy |
1968
|
Robert Van den Eynde |
1976
|
Ivan Waddell |
1988 & 1992
|