April 28, 2007 (Montreal, QC) — This cycling season looks like a very busy one for Quebec according to recent press releases from the Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes (FQSC), the provincial body that oversees cycling in Quebec.

On the calendar, some 317 events are scheduled between April 22 and November 4 – an average of two events per day! Road races account for 131 of these events, followed by mountain biking at 110. Many of these are international events such as the Montreal-Boston Tour, Montreal Women’s Road World Cup, the Tour de Beauce, the Tour de l’Abitibi, World Cup Mountain bike events at Mont Ste Anne and at St Felicien, etc.

Among the novelties in 2007, Pierre Harvey (a former Olympic cyclist and cross-country skier) will sit as the honorary president over the “Roulez Gagnants au naturel” program that encourages cyclists to compete without the use of banned substances. Sprints have been introduced in mountain biking, inspired by a similar type of competition in cross-country skiing. Cyclists will start off in waves of 4-6 riders, competing over a 1.5km course. New circuits will be constructed for BMX events and the Bromont velodrome will see a very busy season.

Among the challenges facing the sport of cycling in Quebec in 2007 is promoting cycling, especially among youth. The FQSC foresees a caravan travelling around the province to provide enhanced visibility and to attract recreational cyclists. Increasing the security of cyclists on Quebec’s roads also remains a preoccupation. The development of new mountain biking trails is a priority, especially near Montreal where few such trails exist. In paracycling, Quebec and Canada are already world leaders, but the challenge is to improve the detection of talent.

Quebec boasts a disproportionate number of many of Canada’s finest cyclists. In both road cycling and in paracycling, some 47% of the Canadian national team is composed of Quebec riders. In track cycling, this percentage drops to 36%, while in mountain biking (XC), the percentage is only 17% and none of the national BMX team are from Quebec. Overall, some 34% of the national team comes from a province that has only some 20% of the Canadian population.

Licensed cyclists – members of the national team:

– Road Cycling – 46.7% (14 of 30)
– Mountain bike (XC) – 16.7% (3 of 18)
– Track Cycling – 36.4% (4 of 11)
– BMX – 0.0% (0 of 8)
– Handisport – 46.7% (7 of 15)

Total – 34.1% (28 of 82)

These athletes include such road cyclists: Martin Gilbert, Charles Dionne, Dominique Rollin, Anne Samplonius, David Veilleux, Joëlle Numainville, and Keven Lacombe. Mountain bikers include: Marie-Hélène Prémont, Raphaël Gagné, Alex Harvey, Francis Morin, Alexandra Gélinas-Hamelin, Hans Lambert, and Mathieu Laurin. Track cyclists include Lawrence Leroux, Stéphane Cossette, Laurie-Anne Dupont-Renaud, Lyne Bessette. Paracyclists include: Stéphane Côté, Pierre-Olivier Boily, Jean Quevillon, Mark Breton, Eric Bourgault, Rico Morneau, Mark Beggs, Daniel Chalifour and Alexandre Cloutier