November 6, 2006 — On Sunday, Nov. 5 it was time for Quebec’s cycling milieu to celebrate as the FQSC (Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes) handed out its 2006 Awards at the Brunch des mérites cyclistes québécois.

Amidst the Laurentians’stunning autumn décor at the Auberge Chantecler in Ste-Adèle, the crème de la crème in Quebec was honoured, as well as legends of past and recent years – the FQSC enshrined four new members in its Hall of Fame.

Samplonius – a Career Year

Considering herself “an under achiever” throughout her career, Anne Samplonius had a career year in 2006. Among her biggest feats were three medals at the Canadian Road Championships, in Quebec City. Her gold medal at the criterium was an early crowning of things that would only get better.

As for Rollin, he too was crowned at the Canadian Roads, winning the prestigious elite men’s road race, over many worthy opponents such as Svein Tuft and Dominic Perras. He also won a stage at the Tour de Gironde with his European Club, VC Roubaix and ended up in 6th at that stage race.

Also in the track-road category, Karol-Ann Canuel and David Veilleux were named Best up-and-coming Athletes, following their stellar performances at the Canadian Roads. In the Hopefuls category, the awards went to Laurie-Anne Dupont-Renaud and Simon Lambert-Lemay. Lambert-Lemay won the Juniors’ crit at the Canadian Road Nationals, whereas Dupont-Renaud was Quebec’s best U17 female racer in 2006.

MTB РPr̩mont, Who Else?

In the MTB category, Marie-Hélène Prémont easily won the award, after another hard-fought season with her archrival, Norway’s Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa. Prémont won her fair share of duels this season, and is still the marquee MTB performer in Canada. Among her faits d’armes, she had five top-10 World Cup finishes (including a win at Mont Ste. Anne), and a bronze medal at the MTB Worlds in New Zealand in August. In the Men’s MTB category, Raphaël Gagné emerged from the pack with a solid season, after joining the powerhouse Rocky Mountain-Buisness Objects team.

Alexandra Gélinas-Gamelin and Hans Lambert were honoured as MTB’s up-and-comers, whereas Andréanne Pichette and Jonathan Boucher won the Hopefuls category

Coaches of the Year

All that success doesn’t come alone, we all know that for a fact. The mentors were also rewarded for their work behind the scenes, preparing these athletes to their top-notch performances. Rémi Lessard (road-track), Serge Desrosiers (MTB) left Ste-Adèle with their respective awards. As for the officials, Véronique Marcotte (road-track), Louise Lalonde (MTB) and Yvon Arbour (BMX) saw their efforts noticed by the FQSC.

Claude Garon (road-track), Denis-St-Amand (MTB) and Mario Champagne (BMX) were named Volunteers of the Year.

Four new Hall-of-Famers

The FQSC inducted four new members into its Hall of Fame. At age 66, Vincenzo Meco still rides more than 10,000 kms a year. When he came to Canada from Italy in 1968, Meco was already a force to be reckoned with in the cycling world, having won a stage and worn the Pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia. He dominated the cycling scene in Quebec In the early 70’s, winning the Québec-Montréal Classic in 1971 and 1972.

Before Meco, Aurelio Battello was Mr. Cycling in Quebec. In 1965, he became the only racer to win Québec-Montréal three years in a row. He retired that same year, at age 24, much too soon for many fans. Battello passed away last year, at the age of 65.

Now established in Germany as a respected photographer, Claude Langlois raced with the best during his career in the late 70’s. A track specialist, Langlois held many Canadian records (220m launched, 500m launched, the Hour). He also won Gold at the Pan-Am Games in Puerto Rico in 1979. On the road, he took part in many international 6-day events alongside such great names as Steve Bauer and Gordon Singleton.

Richard Michaud was inducted as a builder, although he had a well-filled 10-year career as a rider. He was the maître d’oeuvre for many races, including the Canadian and Quebec Cyclo-cross Championships in 1992. He was also involved in coaching, with such athletes as Dany Deslongchamps and Dominique Perras. He passed away 10 years ago, at the age of 44. He is remembered by the Richard-Michaud Award, handed out to the Volunteer of the Year.

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