July 6/23 10:05 am - I Remember Ten Years Ago at Lac-Megantic

Posted by Editor on 07/6/23
 

Ten years ago today, I was in British Columbia, along with much of the Canadian road community, for the Tour de Delta, the opening event of BC Superweek. We learned that morning, before racing began, of the horrific train accident in Lac-Megantic, and it had a special resonance - less than a week earlier, most of us had been in Lac-Megantic for the Road Nationals.

2013 Downtown Megantic crit

Lac-Megantic has a long history of hosting bike races; I can't remember the first time I was there, but it would have been the late-80s. We had Nationals there in 1992 and 1993 (see poster below), it has been a fixture in Tour de Beauce (including this year); the start of the legendary Mont Megantic stage. And, we were there in 2012, 2013 and 2014 for Road Nationals. Local organizers insisted that the event come back in 2014, despite the entire decimated downtown still being a disaster zone being remediated.

"They want to continue their life," an organizer told me.

I remember that one of the highlights of the Nationals in Lac-Megantic was the criteriums, which were held on that main street that was destroyed in the massive oil spill fire. People hung out on the patios to watch the races and that evening, after the final day of racing, many of us would spend time in those bars having a drink to rehash the racing from the previous week. I stayed in a hotel walking distance away. All destroyed.

2014

When we came back a year later, it was all gone, an open area straight through to the lake, fenced off and full of excavation equipment still removing the contaminated soil. This fully brought home the magnitude of the destruction.

Since then, much has been done. A new shopping area has been built, and a memorial park has been developed. But the trains still run through the town; one before the start of Beauce this year.

The town is still recovering, and still hosts bike races, but the loss is still felt. The lively bar and restaurant scene at the lower end of the main street is not there; the town is missing a big part of its heart. We are all the poorer for it.