Let's be honest: who really has time to work out three times a week, block off an hour to go to the gym or get up at the crack of dawn to run around the block? Well, I don't. And probably not you either.
But what if we could move without even realizing it? Without having to gear up, sweat, plan... or even think about it?
That's exactly what the bike offers.
It's not just another workout to add to our to-do list. It's a way of getting around. A reflex. A gentle, natural, almost lazy way of staying in motion.
Every pedal stroke is a small investment in health - for our heart, our lungs, our morale. An article by La Presse recently reminded us: you can get healthy simply by biking to work. No need to go faster. Just... go.
And while our bodies are moving without us even thinking about it, the city is also changing. Less traffic, cleaner air, a newfound conviviality. Quebec City is ahead of the game: WHO already considers it a pioneer in urban health. It's encouraging. And above all, it's proof that collectively, we're moving in the right direction - by calf power.
So this month, no extreme resolutions. No pressure. Just an invitation to make a simple, joyful, light choice: to get on your bike. Even once a week. Even just to fetch milk. Just because health sometimes starts with a little detour on two wheels.
And to encourage you, Vélo Québec is launching a challenge in name only Join or launch your favourite community - your employer's, your school's, your neighbourhood's, your region's, or Vélo Québec's - and register your journeys to participate in the Bike Month challenge. A little emulation between colleagues or neighbors, here's something to liven up this beautiful month of May on two wheels!
For our part, we'll continue to state the obvious: to improve the health of the Quebec population, we can't afford to ignore cycling! This is what the Bike Month promotional campaign, which will be rolled out throughout May on the web and in your living environments, and which the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux is rightly supporting as a partner.
This is also what we underlined when we recently took part in the government consultation on the National Prevention Health Strategy 2025. Our demand? That all children in Quebec be able to benefit from cycling education from elementary school onwards. A small gesture that could save them many worries in the future.
Jean-François Rheault
President and CEO, Vélo Québec