June 27, 2012 (Saint-­Lambert, QC) – The Québec City and Montréal Grands Prix Cyclistes (GPCQM) organizers are pleased to announce that the International Cycling Union has renewed its UCI WorldTour licences for both events, ensuring that North America’s highest-­profile road races will be run in Québec for several more years. The new licence is effective from 2013 to 2016.

“With a growing number of cities around the world now vying for the right to organize UCI WorldTour races, our continued presentation of these fantastic events is now guaranteed, and we can count on the complete confidence of the International Cycling Union’s executive,” said GPCQM President Serge Arsenault, adding: “The Québec City and Montréal competitions unquestionably have their place among the sport’s great international gatherings. They are here to stay, and for years to come. The close cooperation of the cities of Québec and Montréal as well as our public and private-­sector partners, the universally acknowledged quality of the organizing committee, and incredible support from hundreds of thousands of fans convinced the International Cycling Union as to the merits of renewing our two UCI WorldTour licences.”

“The successful globalization of cycling means that UCI WorldTour events are now presented all over the world. We feel truly privileged to have been selected by the International Cycling Union to organize the only such races in the Americas,” Arsenault concluded.