By Claude-Héléne Desrosiers

BMX. This Saturday, Jan^um In July, the Parc des Voltigeurs swarms with people from across the country for the Canadian BMX Championship. More than 700 participants took part in the race, including 25 from Drummondville.

Carine Lecomte, Vice President of the Drummond BMX Club, was delighted to be able to attend the event. However, she regrets the difficulty of having enough volunteers, as there are around 25 volunteers in a large championship. However, the departures followed one another in a fluent manner and nobody could have guessed about this organizational challenge.

The Club’s President, Alexandre Poudrier, highlighted the collaboration of the City of Drummondville. “On the track side we had very good maintenance by the city ahead of the event. The track is of very good quality. It must be said that the organization has been preparing for this day full-time for three months. The support of the partners up to the last minute also helped in every way.

Drummondville is lucky to have a track like this. “All runners think the route is super nice. We have the most beautiful track in Canada, the fastest. Chief Inspector Chris Bullivant has confirmed it to us,” added Mr Poudrier. Yves Grondin, Deputy Mayor of the City of Drummondville, added. “Here we have a plateau at the national level thanks to the commitment of volunteers. Without them the route would not exist.

runners of all ages

Apart from Gabriel Vasquez-Dionne, who is part of Team Quebec, the participants in Drummondville are mostly young people. “We are a developing club in Drummondville. Our athletes are young people who are developing their sport,” explained Carine Lecomte. Among the 25 Drummondvillois riding today were three daughters and two fathers aged 35 and over.

After a first race, Nathan, Andy, Félix, Hayden and Bryan ate while waiting for their second lap. The experiences of each of them were different: one finished first, another fell. When asked what the secret of success is, the answer is simple: “You have to train.” It’s all about analyzing the bumps and how they arise. “In the beginning you have to think about what the best racing line is, what techniques you’re going to use, how you’re going to overcome every bump…” they explained. No crippling stress for them: “Stress, I’ll turn it into energy,” one of them shouted.

Nathaniel, 17, also waited after his first run. “The track is really nice, it goes fast. Performing on a track like this takes a lot of technique and also a lot of visual ability. You have to push your business even if we want to finish first,” he said. This was not his first championship experience: last year he took part in the World Championships in Belgium. “It wasn’t how I imagined it would be. I lacked the experience and the level was really high.

sports tourism

According to Yves Grondin, 3,000 to 5,000 people are expected on the site by the end of the week. “That’s 700 runners of all ages and from all over the place, as half are from outside of Quebec. Such events are sports tourism. Hotels and campsites are full. “It’s good for the city,” said the man, who warmly welcomed the organizers’ work.

Please note that tomorrow the participants will be in action as part of the first leg of the Canada Cup series. The second round of the BMX Canada Cup will take place on July 8th and 9th in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The series will travel to Saskatchewan and Alberta in August.