February 5, 2007 (Montreal, QC) – The third annual Coupe des Glaces (Ice Cup) was held Saturday, Feb. 3 on ice next to the Bonsecours Basin Skating Rink in Old Montreal. An estimated crowd of 200 was on hand to watch the event was organized by Montreal bicycle messengers to demonstrate that winter should not deter people from riding their bikes. Participants came from Ottawa, Toronto, and the USA to take part and some riders had home-made studded tires as they whisked around a 330-metre circuit on the ice. In the middle of the rink is Bonsecours Island where tents were set up by various event partners. And true to its name, the Ice Cup offered a cup made from ice to its winners.

“This is not an extreme sport,” explained Harry Zadek, a bicycle messenger for the past 9 years who co-organizes the event with Tom Ostreiko who founded the Coupe des Glaces concept.

“This is simply a demonstration of what we live every day. As bicycle messengers, we have more in common with fellow bike messengers in Helsinki or Osaka than with most suburbanites who typically drive cars,” continued Zadek. “Bike messengers have no pensions, no unemployment insurance, no workers’ compensation, no benefits and get low pay, but we believe in what we’re doing. We want to show that riding bicycles through the winter is possible and to encourage a lifestyle where people leave a minimal footprint on the environment.”

Of the various events on Saturday, a race in the late afternoon involved messengers riding around the ice and on Bonsecours Island, simulating the daily life of messengers. Cyclists were given a manifest that they had to take to various relay stations to get punched and receive directions about where to go next. At one station, they had to pick up three copies of Pedal Magazine to take to the bike repair tent. The messenger race was won by Montreal’s Danny L’Anglais.

Montreal’s Vincent Courcy, the 2006 Ice Cup winner, showed off his green tires, each studded with 400 3/8 inch wood screws. “It’s better to use 1/4 inch,” he explained, “but I couldn’t get them.”

Only partial results are available at press time. The overall winner was Kevin Black of Toronto who drove back home on the 401 with his ice cup trophy tied to his car roof so that it wouldn’t melt. The women’s winner was Lucie Poulin of Montreal and race organizers are keen to increase the number of women riders next year from the five who participated in 2007.

Event partners included les Quais du Vieux Port (site owners), Cocotte Equipment (messenger bags), Kona Bikes (Paddy wagon bikes), Mountain Equipment Co-op (clothing), Foundry Frameworks (bike shop), Cycle Technique (bike shop), Le Grand Cycle (bike shop), Montreal Messenger (newsletter), QA Courrier, Quick Messenger Service, Service de Courier Loumar, Courriercom Express, Velo Courrier, Velomakak (retrofitted bikes), La Porte à Bicyclette (bike shop), Velo Expresso (bike shop), Bessec (lube tubes), Zephyr (DVDs) and Pedal Magazine.

Full results for the various races and events should be posted Tuesday at: www.coupedesglaces.org

Results (brief)

Men

1. Kevin Black (Toronto)
2. Alexis Richer (Montreal)
3. Jim Kooz (Toronto)

Women

1. Lucie Poulin

Messenger Race

1. Danny l’Anglais (Montreal)