The Tour de l’Île de Montréal celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The creation of this mass event, which holds the Guinness record with 45,000 participants, turned out to be a good idea for Vélo Québec and, what's more, it came at just the right time. In 1985, Montreal had 140 km of bike paths, Jean Drapeau was in power and cyclists were taking to the streets with placards demanding a place to ride and the right to take their bikes into the metro.
Today, cycling is part of the political discourse in Montreal and Quebec. Montreal has an active transportation division, whose mandate is to integrate cycling into the urban fabric, and offers 650 km of bike lanes. BIXI counts over 4 million trips per year. Bike paths are invaded by thousands of cyclists at rush hour, and there's even talk of saturation and the need to add new routes. In short, the bicycle now has its place in the city, even if there's still a lot of work to be done to improve safety and cyclist-friendliness.
Created at the request of Minister Guy Tardif to inaugurate Montreal's east-end cycling network in 1985, the Tour de l’Île de Montréal has since introduced over a million people to the pleasure of cycling in the city, and fuelled a pro-cycling movement that is present throughout Quebec. The festive, relaxed atmosphere that characterizes the event is a reminder that cycling is an accessible, useful and eminently democratic mode of transport and leisure.
Over the past 30 years, the Tour de l'Île has helped change the city and the perception of cycling in the city. It's an event that has grown with the cycling movement, and is now a proud part of Montreal's festival culture. Come and ride with us on 1er June: it's so rare to get the chance to drive in a car-free city!
Suzanne Lareau
President and General Manager
