April 7/17 12:44 pm - Garneau-Quebecor Announces 2017 Roster

Posted by Editoress on 04/7/17
 

Entrepreneur, artist and Olympic cyclist Louis Garneau is proud to realize a dream that has been close to his heart for a long time. With the support of Quebecor and several generous sponsors, the 2017 season of the Garneau-Quebecor professional cycling team will be funded mostly by the sale of paintings of great personalities and artists of Quebec painted and signed by Louis Garneau. The ten paintings will be unveiled at the opening that will take place on May 4th at the Louis Garneau Art Gallery.

2016 National road champion Bruno Langlois

"I have lived my cycling dreams, I continue to live my entrepreneur dream, and now, I am living my artist dreams," stated the President, Designer and Founder of Louis Garneau Sports. "Art allows me to give back to the community. So why couldn't it finance a race team? It is a passion that fuels another. It is sport powered by art."

"We are proud to support the oldest UCI professional team in Canada for a sixth consecutive year," stated Sylvie Cordeau, Vice President of philanthropy and sponsorship at Quebecor. "Our company has always been committed to supporting emerging talents and encouraging young people to do sports. We find it just as important to support those who wish to push their limits and pursue their dreams. We wish the whole team a great season."

With its roster of eight riders from the province of Québec, the team will once again this year be led by veteran and 2016 Canadian champion Bruno Langlois. Simon-Pierre Gauthier, Olivier Brisebois and Marc-Antoine Soucy return to the team, while Jean-François Soucy, Elliott Doyle, Jean-Simon D'Anjou and Félix Côté-Bouvette join them for a first season with the team, based in St-Augustin-de-Desmaures.

The riders were able to log hundreds of kilometres during their March training camp in Florida, while participating in local events, such as the Granfondo Garneau Florida, to be ready for the first races of the season. "It didn't take long for the riders to develop a good team spirit, which promises great results for the 2017 season," stated team captain Bruno Langlois.

The team will officially kick off the season by participating in several American races, starting with the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic on April 27th and 28th. Upon returning to Canada, the team will take part in the Saguenay Grand Prix (June 8-11), the Tour de Beauce (June 14-18), the Canadian Championships in Ottawa (June 24-28) and the BC Superweek in British Columbia (July 7-11). Several other races are also scheduled.