October 19, 2012 (Montreal, QC) – Véronique Labonté (Opus) is leading a 43km “friendly” ride from Montreal’s Atwater Market tomorrow – Oct. 20 – in benefit of the non-profit group Cyclo Nord Sud (CNS), a charity that she says “is close to her heart.” Labonté invites the public to join her on this ride, but participants are asked to either purchase $30 memberships with CNS or purchase a $10 calendar.

The ride is scheduled to leave the public market at 11 a.m. and return about 2 p.m., passing by the Gilles Villeneuve race circuit in Parc Jean Drapeau, over the ice breaker bridge (estacade) and by Lachine’s Parc Rene Levesque. In the event of rain, the event will be rescheduled for Saturday, October 27.

CNS collects used bicycles from across Canada, repairs them, and ships the bikes to Third World countries. The charity, which was founded by cycling advocate Claire Morissette (1950–2007), has sent more than 40,000 used bicycles to Haiti and other Third World nations. The group is organizing bike collections in the Montreal neighbourhood of NDG on October 21, in Dollard des Ormeaux on October 27 and in Pierrefonds on November 4.

Labonté, 32, has had some impressive results this year. Riding with CSM Épinay sur Seine, she won the third stage of the Challenge d’Île de France Route Féminin road race in May. In September, Labonté placed 67th at the 2012 UCI Road Worlds road race in Valkenburg, Netherlands.

More information on Cyclo Nord Sud HERE.