Montreal, Monday, May 30, 2011 – Yesterday, the 10th Metropolitan Challenge officially kicked off the Montreal Bike Fest, a week of events and activities culminating, next weekend, with Un Tour la Nuit (Friday) and the classic Tour de l’Île de Montréal (Sunday). This year’s Metropolitan Challenge, the first major bike touring and sports event of the season, attracted 3,600 cyclists pedalling routes of 75 to 150 km.

“The Metropolitan Challenge is definitely the cycling event par excellence for avid cyclists. I was eagerly anticipating this first excursion,” said Sébastien Delorme, actor and spokesperson for the Montreal Bike Fest. “The next events on the schedule, Tour la Nuit and Tour de l’Île de Montréal, will be a family affair! By day or night, the general public is invited to enjoy a Montreal configured especially for them.”


One full week of cycling activities

OPERATION BIKE-TO-WORK | May 30 to June 3 Program details >>>

An ongoing campaign to encourage biking as a part of daily life, Operation Bike-to-Work is in full gear during the week of the Montreal Bike Fest. Workshops, information booths and entertainment at different points in the city help promote this healthy, rapid and economical means of transportation. Montrealers are invited to get on their bikes and have some fun before work!

Today, over 1,800 companies and organizations participate in the Operation Bike-to-Work program. Some of them have won the Bicycle Friendly Organization Award for the scope and importance of their initiatives in 2010:

• Organization with fewer than 100 employees: Recyc-Québec (Montreal)
• Organization with 100 to 1,000 employees: Cégep de Sherbrooke
• Organization with more than 1,000 employees: Université Laval (Quebec City)

PRESENTATION OF MIKAEL COLVILLE-ANDERSEN (in English) | Wednesday, June 1 | 10:30 a.m. | Free admissionAuditorium de la Grande Bibliothèque, 475 De Maisonneuve Blvd East, Montreal

Vélo Québec is proud to welcome Mikael Colville-Andersen, creator of the famous Copenhagen Cycle Chic and Copenhagenize blogs. In his lecture – presented throughout the world and entitled Four Goals for Promoting Urban Cycling – he explains how cities can and should make the bicycle a feasible and acceptable form of transportation that appeals to the average citizen. This lecture is presented by Vélo Québec in cooperation with the Danish Embassy.


LAUNCH OF MONTRÉALCYCLECHIC.COm| Thursday, June 2 | 5@7 | Free admission Club Waverly, 5550 St. Laurent, Montreal

Montreal will officially join the Cycle Chic™ international blog movement by unveiling the photographic content of montréalcyclecgic.com. The event will take place in the presence of the movement’s creator, Mikael Colville-Andersen and six Montreal photobloggers. This squad’s goal is to promote cycling in Montreal by portraying the urban cyclist as chic and beautiful!

This 5@7 will also provide participants with an opportunity to be photographed with their bikes and chic cycling gear! Extra bicycle stands will be installed near Bar Waverly to accommodate the cycling crowd.


UN TOUR LA NUIT | Friday, June 3 | 8:30 p.m.

• 15,000 participants, 20 km
• Start: Parc La Fontaine Avenue at the corner of Cherrier Street.
• View the start of Tour la Nuit live on the Web site of Tourisme Montréal >>>
• Finish: Jeanne-Mance Park. The celebrations continue in a colourful, musical atmosphere at the finish site! An illuminated 35-meter-high Ferris wheel will greet cyclists.
• Infocirculation >>>

TOUR DE L’ÎLE DE MONTRÉAL | Sunday, June 5 | 9:15 a.m.

• 30,000 participants, 52 km
• Start and finish: Jeanne-Mance Park. Entertainment will be provided along the course, at three rest stations, as well as at the finish site, where the Ferris wheel will again greet cyclists!
• Infocirculation >>>

INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION514 521-8356, ext. 504 | 1 800 567-8356, ext. 504 | www.velo.qc.ca

Montreal Bike Fest general press release >>>


The Montreal Bike Fest is produced by Vélo Québec, following the creation of the Tour de l’Île de Montréal in 1985. Presented by the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec, in collaboration with the Jean Coutu Group, the Montreal Bike Fest also relies on its associate sponsors, which include Gaz Métro, Mouvement Desjardins, Metro, Sports Experts, Loto Québec and the Société de transport de Montréal (STM). In addition, it receives invaluable support from its public partners, namely the Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions, Tourisme Québec, Transport Québec, the City of Montreal, Tourisme Montréal and the Direction de santé publique of the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Montréal.


Velo Québec
For over 40 years, Vélo Québec, a non-profit organization, has been a key player on the Quebec cycling scene. The organization constantly encourages the use of bicycles, whether for recreation, tourism or as a means of clean, active transportation, in order to improve the environment, health and well-being of citizens.

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SPOKESPERSONS

• Sébastien Delorme, actor and spokesperson for the Montreal Bike Fest
• Joëlle Sévigny, Executive Director of Vélo Québec Événements

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES

• Mikael Colville-Andersen
• Bicycle Friendly Organizations

INFORMATION
Véronique Lavoie
Press Agent, Vélo Québec
514-521-8356, ext. 358
Cell: 514-942-0743
vlavoie@velo.qc.ca

>>>All releases