May 17, 2012 (Montreal, QC) – This coming Monday, May 21, sees the first edition of the Journée Québécoise des Sports Cyclistes (JQSC), where cycling clubs across the province will hold simultaneous open houses to encourage the general public to learn about cycling and hopefully to become club members. The event incorporates four cycling disciplines: BMX, mountain biking (MTB), road, and track.

“We are especially reaching out to young people, hoping to initiate them to the sport,” explains Louis Barbeau, director of the Quebec cycling federation (FQSC) that is overseeing the event. “Most youths have a bicycle but are unfamiliar with cycling as a competitive sport. We have a lot of masters cyclists in the FQSC, but want to recruit more youth.”

“The idea for this day is to have a date early on the calendar when people can initiate themselves to cycling,” continues Barbeau. “We have experienced cyclists on hand who can welcome the public and inform them about the sport. And, because of negotiations with our insurance broker, there will be no cost to the public, clubs, or the federation.”

The FQSC has also arranged that May 21 is an especially quiet day on the calendar this year. “We have the GP Cycliste in Gatineau this weekend, but that is an international event. We sent out promotional kits to clubs across Quebec and a dozen are participating. Most of the clubs are either BMX or MTB for some reason; perhaps this is because the date is a little late for road cycling clubs. But if we pushed the date earlier, we might still encounter snow on some of the MTB trails.” The May 21st, Fête de Dollard holiday in Quebec, coincides with Victoria Day in the rest of Canada.

The biggest venue on May 21 will be Quebec’s Centre national de cyclisme in Bromont where the road club Estricycle will lead a tour starting at 9:30 a.m. BMX, MTB, and track demonstrations will start shortly afterward at 10:30. There will be a barbeque from noon until 2 p.m. when a recreational ride for families will head off. Aurelion Passeron (Wonderful Pistachios), a TdF veteran from France who also previously rode for the Garneau team, will be there to greet the public. Videos will be presented about paracycling. Other clubs present include the Cyclopetards and Cyclo Club Bromont. The Centre national de cyclisme is located at 400 Shefford Street in Bromont, 80km east of Montreal.

Simultaneous events will also be taking place in: Latuque (BMX); Crabtree (BMX); Beauport (BMX); Drummondville (Road); Sherbrooke (MTB); Saint-Raymond (MTB); Pointe du Lac (BMX); Alma (MTB); Sainte-Martine (BMX); Laurentians (MTB); and Saint-Charles (BMX).

“This is the first edition of the JQSC and it is hard to know what to expect,” mentions Barbeau. “Hopefully, this will bring in a hundred or so new members to the 7,000 we already have in the federation. We also will produce videos of the event with a view to eventually selling a sponsor on this project. There is no equivalent event in the rest of Canada, but we will be happy to share with the CCA everything we learn from this year’s event.”

For more information (in French) at FQSC.