Despite the capricious weather, 159 runners from 23 teams took part on Sunday morning on the 12th^e This year’s Montreal Cycling Grand Prix was won by Britain’s Adam Yates in 5 hours and 54 minutes. Canadian Michael Woods took 15th place^e, while the crowd’s favorite, Quebecer Hugo Houle, was forced to retire. But beyond the competitive aspect, the event reflects the vitality of the sport and aims to promote healthy lifestyle habits.

The Quebec and Montreal races are the only events in the Americas of the International Cycling Union (UCI) World Tour, which also hosts the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. The route, which circles Mount Royal over a length of 12.3 km, was completed by the athletes a total of 18 times, which corresponds to a total distance of 221.4 km and almost 5,000 meters of altitude.

Several spectators along the route are cyclists themselves and enjoy watching professionals on their training route. The same goes for Quentin Gluzman, who regularly trains on the mountain: “I’m used to completing the circuit, but not 18 times,” he jokes.

Another amateur, Raphaël Limbourg, has been taking part in the race for several years. “It’s a great event,” he says, but he believes Montrealers don’t realize its importance. “My colleagues, I don’t think they know that this exists and that it is this weekend. »

In this context, Sébastien Arsenault, CEO of the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Québec and Montréal, emphasizes that the event is “at the highest level, the equivalent of the NHL or the NFL”. According to Mr. Arsenault, the Montreal event also enjoys an enviable reputation internationally. Because of its distance and altitude, “it makes it the most difficult one-day race on the World Tour.” Runners said it again in interviews this week.”

Increased difficulty in the rain, like today, but nothing to deter cyclists. “Yes, it is more slippery,” admits the CEO, “but they are professionals.” I am often more worried about the rest of the vehicle fleet that follows.” It is really impressive to see how the service cars operate smoothly with around a hundred Kilometers per hour along Boulevard Édouard-Montpetit.

For more than victory

The aim of the event is also to promote the sport among beginners. “The symbol of the bicycle represents physical activity and healthy lifestyle habits [et] sustainable mobility,” says Sébastien Arsenault.

Promoting physical activity was cited by many as the aim of such a competition. A goal that has special meaning for some, including Quentin Valognes, a former runner on the Novo Nordisk team made up entirely of diabetic runners.

“Instead of fighting my diabetes, I learned to fight it,” says the former athlete. When you start a race, the aim is of course to achieve the best possible result. But we also have a mission: to inspire people on the side of the road. »

Building a “bicycle culture”

Jean-François Rheault, CEO of Vélo Québec, who met near the route, explains that “sports competitions are generally part of building a cycling culture” and are characterized by their accessibility and free access.

“What we see is professional athletes who […] can inspire people to cycle, he adds. I’m not a pro at the Mount Royal course, but I can walk and run it tomorrow morning. For example, when we think about ice hockey, we can’t go and play hockey [au] Bell Center. »

Mr. Rheault is pleased about the popularity of the bicycle in the sporting sector, but also in the transport, leisure and tourism sectors. However, he cannot help but criticize the safety on the Camillien-Houde route. “It really is time to do something, the status quo is untenable,” he said. […] We hope the city will announce its intentions as soon as possible. »

To watch in the video