December 16, 2007 — As part of the city’s 400th birthday celebrations, two major road races will finish in Quebec City in 2008 – the Tour de Beauce and the Montreal-to-Quebec City Classic (previously known as the Louis Garneau Classic) – reports Media Matin

The Tour de Beauce stage race will take place from June 10 to 15 in 2008. Although the 2006 edition saw one stage in Quebec City, the 2008 edition will be the first tour to culminate in the provincial capital.

And the Classic is scheduled for August 10. At the request of the FQSC, Quebec’s provincial cycling federation, the event is now being staged by the organizers of the Tour de Beauce. The change is a result of a falling out earlier this year between previous Classic organizer Jean Yves Labonte and sponsor, Louis Garneau Sports. In recent years, the Classic has ended in St. Augustin, a small community 20km west of Quebec City (where LG Sports is based), but the 2008 edition is scheduled to end up in Quebec City’s Old Port, a popular spot with tourists. Tour de Beauce President, Denis Lévesque, says this will increase the event’s visibility.

The 2007 edition of the Montreal-to-Quebec City Classic at 252km is the oldest and longest one-day cycling race in North America. The event was first run in 1931 and the 2008 edition will presumably be over 270km.