Saint-Charles-Borromée, Friday, April 22, 2022 - With the support of Mouvement Desjardins and Décathlon, Vélo Québec today launched the new season of its program Cycliste averti, by presenting Lorenzo-Gauthier School with one of the 36 fleets of bicycles that will be offered to as many schools this year.
The «A fleet of bikes for my school» initiative is the fruit of a partnership concluded in 2020 between Vélo Québec and Desjardins to donate two fleets of 15 bikes and helmets each year to schools participating in the Cycliste averti program. Initially put on hold due to the pandemic and supply difficulties, this year the initiative is taking on exceptional scope thanks to the combined support of Desjardins, which is offering 20 additional fleets as part of its Tous engagé pour la jeunesse program, and Décathlon, which is offering 10 more fleets. With the fleets planned from 2020 onwards, a total of 36 fleets, or 540 bikes and helmets, will be donated this spring to elementary school and school service centers in 12 regions.
The bicycles will be used primarily to enable young 5ème and 6ème grade to take part in Cycliste averti, the school-based cycling education program developed by Vélo Québec. Since its inception in 2015, the program has trained some 12,700 children from 139 schools in 14 regions, equipping them to ride their bikes safely and more independently. Each student benefits from around 15 hours of theoretical and practical instruction, in a closed environment and on the road, and receives a report card reporting on their progress following an individual road test.
«We know how complicated it can be for schools to have access to a sufficient number of bicycles in satisfactory condition, especially in less privileged environments," explained Magali Bebronne, Program Director at Vélo Québec. We are grateful to Desjardins and Décathlon for their generous donations, which facilitate participation in the Cycliste averti program and help train future generations of cyclists. For many of our schools, these bike fleets were a determining factor in their decision to take part in the program.»
«Cycliste averti is a program in which we believe strongly in order to get our young people moving more, and in a safe way," he adds. Jonathan Brault, a physical education teacher at Lorenzo-Gauthier school. As a teacher, it's quite a challenge to get enough bikes together, because not every young person has a personal bike. So with a fleet that stays at the school, not only will it be easier and more efficient for us to teach practical classes and take part in road outings, but it also broadens the possibilities of cycling activities for the whole school.»
«At Desjardins, encouraging young people has always been one of our priorities. That's why we choose to support great initiatives like Vélo Québec's Cycliste averti program, which contributes to the development of healthy lifestyle habits among young people, as well as making a stimulating and environmentally-friendly leisure activity safer and more accessible. This project will certainly bring many benefits to our young people on a daily basis,» said Mr. Bélo. Joël Landry, General Manager of Caisse Desjardins de Joliette et du Centre de Lanaudière and Desjardins representative.
Back row, left to right: M. Jonathan Brault, a physical education teacher at Lorenzo-Gauthier school, Mr. Joël Landry, General Manager, Caisse de Joliette et du center de Lanaudière Caroline Rochon, assistant principal of Lorenzo-Gauthier school.
Middle row, from left to right: Mrs. Ariane Gaudreau of the Academy Parascool, regional representative for Program Cycliste averti, Ms. Véronique Desgreniers, Leader Sport for the cycle department for the Decathlon store in Laval.
Front row : The 5e and 6e Lorenzo-Gauthier school.
Photo credit : Benoît Champagne
