March 8/22 16:58 pm - FQSC Launches 100% Female Cycling Program

Posted by Editoress on 03/8/22
 

The Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes (FQSC) has announced the official launch of its 100% female cycling program, a series of initiatives that will fight against the sports dropout of Quebec teenagers.

"Inclusion is one of the important values of our federation. Aware of the urgency to act, our team quickly mobilized with the objective of reversing the trend that we have seen for several years. Several women have joined us to bring this program to life beyond 2022," said FQSC general manager Louis Barbeau.

According to data from the latest The Rallying Signal report, a large survey conducted in February 2020 by the organization Women and Sport in Canada among teenage girls across the country, the results revealed that one in three teenage girls before the age of 16 years old stopped practicing sports. In Quebec, the situation has deteriorated considerably due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to reverse this trend, the 100% female cycling program will be divided into three fields of action. Initially, interested young girls will be invited to participate in camps dedicated solely to female athletes in the emerging category (U17). These one-day camps will be supervised by the ambassadors of the program, according to the different disciplines. For young girls, it will be an opportunity to ride with Olympians and rising stars of cycling sports. Without their dedication and agreement, this project would not have been possible. The seven ambassadors of the 100% female cycling program:

• Karol-Ann Canuel (Road)
• Lauriane Genest (Track)
• Cindy Montambault (Mountain Bike)
• Maghalie Rochette (cyclocross)
• Marie-Claude Molnar (Para-cycling)
• Thessalie Bruneau and Celeste Bigras (BMX)

Supported by the FQSC, our ambassadors will offer a unique experience to young girls in order to strengthen the feeling of belonging among teenage girls to their sport. Each ambassador will reserve a date in her calendar to discuss with the young girls the importance of sport in their lives, but also to provide them with technical advice.

Calendar of all-female camps:

• May 14, 2022 (Boisbriand) - BMX with Thessalie Bruneau and Céleste Bigras
• May 21, 2022 (Quebec) - Mountain biking with Cindy Montambault
• June 5, 2022 (Gatineau) - Road cycling with Karol-Ann Canuel
• Date to be determined (Montreal) - Para-cycling with Marie-Claude Molnar (Défi AlterGo)
• Date to be determined (location to be determined) - Cyclocross with Maghalie Rochette
• End of 2022 (Bromont) - Track cycling with Lauriane Genest

* The dates are subject to change, depending on the availability of the ambassadors.

Initiate young girls to cycling with Embarquez

A program launched by Cycling Canada, Embarquez is intended to be a tool for introducing cycling to young people attending elementary schools in three major regions in 2022, namely Montreal, Quebec and Sherbrooke. Headed by the FQSC, this program will allow young girls to develop their motor skills on a bicycle, in addition to improving their self-confidence. The program will begin this spring. The FQSC also intends to offer clinics for children, including young girls, as part of summer day camps.

Putting the spotlight on women

In addition to offering young girls a unique opportunity to ride with the big names in their sport, the FQSC intends to broadcast nearly twenty information capsules featuring the players in cycling sports, including athletes, coaches, commissioners and club officers. The latter will be called upon to answer various questions about their career within the FQSC. This initiative is a way to promote and recognize the contribution of women in the world of cycling sports.

First Video