At the request of the Mayor of Quebec City, Louis Garneau has presented a bold proposal to the Tour de France's organizers by inviting the 2008 Tour to stage its prologue in Quebec City in honour of the city's 400th birthday. The oldest city in North America, Quebec City was founded in 1408. Garneau has enlisted the support of Mayor Jean-Paul Lallier (who came up with the idea), Pierre Blanchard, the president of the Quebec Cycling Federation, and Marc Lemay, former CCA president and head of the UCI's mountain bike commission.

Tour officials did not reject the idea. In fact, they expressed interest and Blanchard has already met with Tour director Jean Marie Leblanc in France. With lots of time for planning and a desire to internationalize the Tour, the proposal has a 50% chance of succeeding.

The announcement caused quite a stir in Quebec and France in December 2002 when it became public. A planning committee has been formed in Quebec to put the idea in motion and work out the logistics with Tour organizers. If successful, Quebec City could see riders for three days and the event could include a road race and time trial.

“We're excited about the idea,” said Garneau. “The Tour is loved around the world and with the special occasion of Quebec City's birthday perhaps we can plan something truly unique for cycling with the Tour de France.”