April 25, 2008 (Montreal, QC) — Velo Quebec, a Montreal-based bicycle lobby group that (among many other functions) oversees the Tour de l’Ile mass bike ride, recently released maps revealing the 2008 paths of the Montreal Bike Fest. This includes the 50km Tour de l’Ile on June 1, the 22km Tour de Nuit on May 30, and the 150km Metropolitan Challenge on May 25.

Collectively, these three events are expected to draw some 45,000 cyclists, including 30,000 cyclists just for the 24th annual Tour de l’Ile. The non-competitive Tour de l’Ile is often billed as “the largest mass participation bicycle event in the world,” and on the Sunday that it’s held many city streets are temporarily closed to car traffic. But there has been some controversy surrounding the Tour’s 2008 route.

In March, the Town of Mount Royal (TMR) turned down the usual request from Velo Quebec to let the 2008 Tour pass through the streets of this municipality of 19,300 residents near the centre of Montreal Island. Mayor Vera Danyluk cited traffic problems and lost revenue to local merchants on the day of the Tour as the reasons for TMR’s refusal. “Many people reserve Sundays for going to church, visiting their elderly relatives, or doing the shopping they didn’t have time for during the week. When the Tour comes through TMR, it cuts our little town in two,” Danyluk told Pedal.

Following TMR’s decision we contacted Velo Quebec with no response, and soon after the association announced its new 2008 route and the maps were released. The newly route starts and finishes in east-end Maisonneuve Park from where riders follow Rosemont Blvd to the west, Christophe Colombe Ave. to the north, Gouin Blvd. to the east and return west on Notre Dame Street.

Acting on a tip we contacted Montreal-area fundraiser, Murray Levine, of the Philanthropic Athletes’ Foundation, and asked if he knew anything about TMR’s recent refusal. Levine revealed that he had contacted TMR about the Tour de l’Ile in 2007, urging the municipality to refuse passage to the event. He claims to have nothing against the Tour de l’Ile but is frustrated that Velo Quebec steadfastly refuses to associate with any charities. Levine cited examples of other sporting events such as the London Marathon, the New York Marathon, and Ironman USA that have raised tens of millions of dollars for charity in recent years. He continued that Quebec has the lowest rate of charitable donations in Canada and that if Velo Quebec would sign on, maybe some headway could be achieved in reversing this trend.

“Le Tour says that all charities are welcome to use the event but that they will not do any inviting. That is not good enough. If all the other events can invite their participants to raise money, why not Le Tour? What makes them so special?” asks Levine. He also suggested that Velo Quebec could say “yes” to all charities rather than having to choose one in particular.

Unable to get Velo Quebec to cooperate, Levine has turned instead to sabotaging the event. He claims credit for pressuring Canadian Tire, previously the event’s title sponsor, to abandon the Tour de l’Ile. Current Tour de l’Ile sponsors include Toyota, Jean Coutu Pharmacies and Gaz Metropolitain. He also claims credit for convincing many other smaller municipalities on Montreal Island to refuse the event passage.

Levine claims that the Tour is no longer able to venture very far west on Montreal Island and is apparently now restricted only to the City of Montreal. Montreal Island, which has a land area of 500 square kilometres, incorporates 15 different municipalities. The City of Montreal – at 365 sq km – is the largest municipality on the island, both in land area and in population, dominating the eastern and central parts of Montreal Island.

We finally reached Velo Quebec who dispute the assertion that many smaller municipalities have categorically said “no” to the event. When asked about Levine’s criticisms Velo Quebec’s Director of Public Relations, Patrick Howe sent the following statement by email.

“Murray Levine been harassing the Tour de l’ÃŽle organization since 1992. And every year he says the same things about the Tour’s lack of association with charity and about logistical (traffic and loss of business for merchants) problems along the Tour’s route.”

A document attached to Velo Quebec’s statement noted that participants are free to work with charities and that cycling is a healthy activity that helps prevent many diseases. It was also noted that the 45,000 participants in the Velo Quebec Bike Fest collectively spend $6 million on equipment each year. The tour organizers also spend some $2.5 million annually on the event, 70% of which is spent locally.

Velo Quebec went on to qualify the Tour de L’Ile as “a social and humanitarian cause” and does not need to associate itself with any other causes. Indeed, the event has apparently previously been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). Velo Quebec, which is a non-profit organization, also work to helps organize events for other charities, such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.

Velo Quebec also commented that it’s surprising that Levine has not contacted other major sporting events to convince them to associate with charities. On this point, Levine indicated to Pedal that he successfully convinced the Canadian Ski Marathon to associate with charities starting in 2008.

Joëlle Sévigny, who is in charge of Velo Quebec Bike Fest, was quoted in a recent Journal de Montreal article as saying it is very difficult to organize a 50km tour through an urban area.

Mayor Danyluk confirmed that Levine communicated with TMR city council about this subject last year. But she reiterated that the main reason for TMR’s refusal to the 2008 Tour was the anticipated inconvenience to citizens and merchants. The advent of Sunday shopping [since the 1990s] has meant bigger economic costs when shoppers can’t drive to the store because of the Tour de l’Ile.

Danyluk also noted that the municipalities end up paying for many extra costs (policing, overtime paid to municipal workers for the erection of barricades, etc) during such events. “And it’s not Velo Quebec that gets the complaint calls after the event, it’s the telephone here at City Hall that rings instead.”

The mayor did indicate an openness to work with future Tour de l’Iles, especially if they approached her council several months in advance. And then she concluded that, given the inconvenience caused by the Tour, it would be politically more acceptable for her council to say “yes” to Velo Quebec if the event were associated with charities.

Maps and background information (presently available in French)
http://www.velo.qc.ca/feria/index.php?page=defi

English information and maps to appear soon at http://www.velo.qc.ca/feria/index_e.php