February 15/19 13:51 pm - Tour de la Releve Internationale de Rimouski Saved

Posted by Editoress on 02/15/19
 

At the beginning of the week, it was announced by organizers that they were cancelling the Tour de la Releve Internationale de Rimouski, and important development stage race for Under-17 men and women, and Junior women.  Through quick work from the cycling community, Quebec cycling federation (FQSC) and Cycling Canada, the race has been saved and will take place for a tenth year.  It will have a date change, be relocated and renamed.

The FQSC said in a statement:

MaKadence Cycling Development, which is based in the Quebec City region, was on hand to take over the event, which over the years has attracted many teams from other Canadian provinces, United States and even elsewhere.  The region of Quebec is largely associated with cycling, and rightly so. Many talents have emerged from this region, which has hosted a number of events, including the prestigious WorldTour races [Quebec and Montreal] since 2010.

"Our motivation is to bring back a race of importance for young people in the Quebec City area. The Rimouski International Tour is an important event for young athletes and even a determining factor in the pursuit of their sport, especially at this age. This is the perfect event for that. In addition, it is in direct line with our mission that is the development of young talents," said Christine Gillard, head coach at MaKadence Cycling Development.

The FQSC and Cyclisme Canada are obviously grateful to MaKadence Cycling Development for taking up the torch to deliver a first edition this summer.

Thanks are also due to the current organization for holding the event for nine years in a row. Despite all their effort, the difficulty of recruiting volunteers and the absence of a development club in the region have defeated this organization. They can, however, rejoice to have participated in the development of young cyclists for whom it was a first experience of a race of this calibre. Many of the cyclists who have participated in recent years are now appearing on the world circuit, and the educational nature of this unique cycling event in North America has contributed in some way to their rise on the international scene. And for that, [the cycling community] are grateful to you.

"This cycling tour for Cadet boys and girls, and Junior girls, is extremely important for the development of road cycling in Quebec, just like other competitions such as the Tour de l'Abitibi or the Tour de Beauce. Some international athletes took part in this Tour when they started in the sport. However, we are convinced that MaKadence's involvement will ensure the sustainability of this event for more years," said Louis Barbeau, Executive Director of FQSC.

"We are delighted to confirm the continuation of this important event in the Quebec and national calendar. It is an event that serves as a springboard for our young cyclists, as it offers a competition format inspired by a Cycling Tour, while being well adapted to the athletes' stage of development and offering activities to maximize the participants' experience," said Mathieu Boucher, Chief of Development and Operations at Cycling Canada.

In addition to the organizing committee and the venue, there are also changes to the calendar. Rather than take place at the beginning of July, the event will take place from August 8th to 11th.

More details will be released in the weeks to come.