Strenghtened by past editions’ successes and prizes won during 2011 Mérite Cycliste Québécois awards, the events organizers plan on putting quite a show this year for the athletes, bike enthusiasts, and spectators alike. The racing sites have been revamped while more popular cycling activities like a 40 kilometre randosportive and shortened versions of the cyclosportive and raid (1-day-long-distance mtb race) have been added to the 14th edition.
“Our raison d’être, however, remains to assist the development of our young ones’ cycling talents and skills by sponsoring the Club Cycliste de Charlevoix and promote a healthy lifestyle through physical activity amongst our neighbours. That’s why we organize racing events that reach so many athletes and bike enthusiasts, being aficionados of road cycling, mountainbiking or…both!” reminds us Martin Simard, mastermind and founder of Les Grands Rendez-Vous Cyclistes de Charlevoix.
The Grand Prix Cycliste de Charlevoix, road racing component of this series of cycling events, won the award for the Provincial-Interprovincial Road Event of the year while Club Cycliste de Charlevoix took away the prize in the Development Club of the year category. The Mérite Cycliste Québécois are annual awards held by the Fédération Québécoise des Sports Cyclistes (FQSC), the province’s official cycling association.
MTB Quebec and Canada Cups
Presented by Le Massif de Charlevoix on May 26 and 27
The provincial and national top mountainbiking race series will stop over once again at Charlevoix Regional MTB Training Centre based at camping Le Genévrier, in Baie-Saint-Paul. The best athletes from Québec, Canada, and the U.S.A. have been meeting there every year since the late nineties to compete on sinuous and vertiginous technical single track courses. For the 14th edition, some 900 athletes are sure to amaze us with their skills and velocity while riding their utmost during both of the races scheduled : a breathtaking time trial and gruelling cross-country.
Grand Prix Cycliste
Presented by BMR on June 2 and 3
Winner of the Mérite Cycliste Québécois award for Road Event of the year, this 3-stage grand prix is the perfect opportunity to observe top level athletes perform. Being its decisive time trial, spectacular rallye (criterium) set in picturesque downtown Baie-Saint-Paul, or its challenging long distance race, the spectators will be enthralled and captivated! Impressive bursts of speed, Sisyphean climbs, super scenic courses, and Herculean efforts are some of the feats on display during this amazing spectacle and challenge!
Randosportive
Presented by IGA and APOGEE on June 2
Charlevoix’ superlative topography intimidates you? We thought about you and designed a custom-fit course that rather takes advantage of the wonderful mountainous terrain stretching in all directions around us so we can better enjoy its stunning scenery! Since one always has to climb up to a plateau of about 400 metres when starting from the St-Lawrence seaway level, either from the valleys of the Du Gouffre or Malbaie rivers, we invite you to start «up there» instead, and then pedal over undulating hills until time comes to let it go all the way down! Charlevoix randosportive is a 50-kilometre, non-timed, and guided recreational group ride with a shuttle system taking you and your bicycle up to the starting point. It’s an easy and pratical way to discover the landscapes formed by the impact of a meteorite that hit Charlevoix eons ago, riding at your own pace on idyllic and paved country roads’ segments linking the village of St-Agnès, nested at some 360 metres above-sea-level, and the town of Baie-Saint-Paul…tucked by the seaway!
Presented by IGA and APOGEE on June 3
This event is well on its way to become a must for amateur athletes, anyone with a passion for road cycling. The 200 riders of the 2011 edition unanimously proclaimed that, though demanding, it represents a challenge within everybody’s reach. This cyclosportive sets itself apart amongst all of the other Eastern North American gran fondos. Charlevoix is blessed with all of the attributes road cycling aficionados dream of, riders looking for a sport challenge as well as the more contemplative kind. Launch yourselves on our wealth of paved roads and soak in the natural wonders this unique 75-kilometre course has to offer. It’s a rendez-vous! Ecstasy, awe and…endorphins guaranteed!
Charlevoix Raid
Presented by Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu hotel and Charlevoix Casino on June 9
Following the success of its first ever edition last year, the Grands Rendez-Vous Cyclistes de Charlevoix invite you to tackle any of the three dazzling loops that all start and end at Mont Grands-Fonds ski resort. The three courses specifically crafted for the purpose of this 1-day-long-distance mountainbiking event, a 75 and 50 kilometre roller coaster, and a less perilous 30-kilometre trail, criss-cross and snake their way amidst the wild acres that surround Mont Grands-Fonds itself, La Comporté fish and game outfitter and Lac-au-Sable zec, a vast enclave of forests, lakes and mountains that show how amazing Quebec’s outback really is!
The Little Ones’ Grands Rendez-Vous
Presented by Baie-Saint-Paul’s Pharmacie Jean Coutu on May 26-27, June 2, and June 9
Several biking activities for kids including an exploratory and guide ride on Le Genévrier’s trails, mountainbiking skills games, and a parade, amongst other fun stuff!
Registration
For info about the cycling events and logding, please log onto Les Grands Rendez-Vous Cyclistes de Charlevoix website HERE (French).
For online registration HERE (English).