April 13, 2007 (Montreal, QC) – Details of the 2007 Montreal Women’s Road World Cup and the 2007 Greater Montreal Tour were revealed at a lunch hour press conference held in the elegant green marble Hall of Honour of Montreal’s City Hall yesterday. At the conference table were World Cup President, Daniel Manibal, and the representatives of participating municipalities. These included Michel Gilbert, Mayor of Mont St Hilaire; Sergio Pavone, Mayor of Chateauguay; Francine Senecal, Vice President of Montreal’s Executive Committee, officer for sports, leisure and scientific equipment; Claude Dauphine, borough mayor for Lachine; and Richard Goulet, Mayor of Granby.

The Montreal Women’s Road World Cup taking place on Saturday, June 2, is the sixth stage of a nine-leg circuit taking place across Europe and Oceania. The event, sanctioned by the UCI, is the only road cycling World Cup to take place in the Americas. This year marks the tenth edition of this 100-km race that climbs up and over the 764-foot high Mount Royal twelve times. The event will start and finish this year on Park Avenue, giving the public many opportunities to see the world’s top women cyclists.

The Greater Montreal Tour, also organized by Manibal’s group, has become one of the largest women’s road cycling tours in North America. This year sees the sixth edition of this event that will comprise five stages, beginning in the town of Chateauguay, southwest of Montreal, on June 4. On June 5 riders will face a road stage in Granby, east of Montreal. The third stage will be a 20-km individual time trial on June 6 around Rene Levesque Park in the Montreal suburb of Lachine. That evening, there will be a 50km criterium race in Montreal’s Little Italy district. The fifth and final stage will be a 115km race taking place in the hilly town of Mont St. Hilaire, east of Montreal, on June 7.

Chateauguay Mayor Sergio Pavone joked that having a bike race in his municipality provided a good excuse to repave some local streets. On a more serious note, he talked about promoting cycling – not only for elite athletes but also for the general population – and the health benefits of doing so. He also touched on cycling as a way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Other mayors alluded to similar themes in their speeches. Michel Gilbert, Mayor of Mont St Hilaire, also spoke about the tremendous community support afforded by local businesses and volunteers. Manibal thanked the many sponsors for both events, including local bike manufacturer Argon 18, bike shop Cycles Gervais Rioux, and Swiss International Airlines.

Also on Wednesday, June 6, there will be a Defi des jeunes (youth challenge) ride in Lachine for elementary and secondary school students. And Thursday, June 7 will see a similar event in Mont St Hilaire. Registration details remain unclear at press time, but Pedal will post this information as soon as it becomes available.

During the press conference there were numerous references made about the upcoming Montreal-Boston race (a UCI-sanctioned men’s ProTour event to be run for the first time in 2007), but no new details were revealed.

Manibal, who is also organizing that event, smiled knowingly as Senecal ribbed him on this subject. Pavone told Pedal how Manibal had first approached the Chateauguay city council last year, asking them “if we could imagine such an event taking place in our community.” Pavone added that he hopes this race will come through. As reported previously, some North American cycling teams and cycling events are experiencing difficulties finding major sponsors.

More information is available at www.world-cup-cycling.org