Montreal, Monday, July 29, 2024 - This year the Grand Tour, presented by Chocolate milk, will celebrate its 30the anniversary in the Outaouais region. From August 3 to 8, departing from Plantagenet, Ontario, cyclists will ride between 60 km and 150 km per day, depending on their preference. The Grand Tour is available as a 1, 3 or 6-day package. Under the stars (camping) or as a package Under the comforter (hotel accommodation), and includes: itineraries, meals, accommodation, roadside supervision, a lively village, and much more. Registration is still open: www.veloquebecvoyages.com.
In addition to a route that's more accessible than ever, the 2024 event offers a number of great new features: the possibility of sleeping on site the day before the start, an unusual village in Gatineau, «Bike Day Off» shuttles that get you to the next village without driving, the possibility of adding an extra piece of luggage, an improved selection of rented tents, and so on.
A unique village in Gatineau
This year, the event features an innovative site for its visit to Gatineau. Located at the parc Jacques-Cartier, The village where participants will be staying on August 3, 4 and 5 is unique in its kind: a little corner of paradise in the middle of the city! Its tranquility and location will appeal to cyclists, who will find it a natural and peaceful setting. While the park doesn't have an on-site school, we've put all the amenities in place to make sure your stay is as comfortable as possible.
A little history
The Grand Tour introduced Quebecers to the pleasures of bicycle travel and the virtues of a bicycle adapted to the road. Today, when we see the thousands of participants in the event riding road and touring bikes, we forget that two-thirds of the cyclists in the first edition, in 1994, were on mountain bikes. A mount totally unsuited to this kind of circuit. At the time of the first edition, the organizers weren't sure they could get cyclists interested in taking part. However, by the spring of the same year, all available places were snapped up in less than five weeks. The signal was clear: Quebec cyclists wanted longer cycling experiences and tours. And so, since 1994, the Grand Tour, then the Petite Aventure, have helped thousands more cyclists travel every year.
ITINERARY
DAY 1 | Saturday, August 3 | 60 to 133 km | Plantagenet to Gatineau
DAY 2 | Sunday, August 4 | 67 to 104 km | Loops around Gatineau
DAY 3 | Monday, August 5 | 47 to 106 km | Loops around Gatineau Park
DAY 4 | Tuesday, August 6 | 60 to 140 km | Gatineau to Papineauville
DAY 5 | wednesday, august 7 | 38 to 142 km | Loops around Papineauville
DAY 6 | Thursday, August 8 | 33 to 136 km | Papineauville to Plantagenet
