With its undeniable popularity, the Tour de l'Île paved the way for other successful cycling events. As a result, every year, Montreal vibrates to the rhythm of cycling for an entire week.
1992 marked a turning point for the fledgling Tour de l'Île. That year, not only was the mega-event sold out with 45,000 participants - a first - but it also spawned a little brother: the Tour des Enfants! This cycling experience for 6- to 12-year-olds, held a week before its adult counterpart, was a response to Vélo Québec's desire to introduce other audiences to the pleasure of pedaling car-free in Montreal.
«We put up to 10,000 youngsters out on the streets without their parents,» recalls Joëlle Sévigny, who for many years was General Manager of Events and Travel at Vélo Québec. The Tour des Enfants continued for 12 years, until the Tour de l'Île took a family turn, with shorter, more accessible routes. «It corresponded to a change in mores. Mom and Dad now wanted to ride with their children.»
Sparkling fashion show
In the meantime, other events were born in the wake of Tour de l'Île. More than mere spin-offs, each has its own identity. Such is the case, for example, with the Tour la Nuit, a night-time ride on two wheels unrivalled anywhere else in the world. Unsurprisingly, a significant proportion - around a third - of the 17,000 participants in this memorable evening on the streets of Montreal are under 18.
The Tour la Nuit was an instant hit with over 2,000 participants in the very first edition. The event quickly developed into a memorable parade featuring costumed cyclists riding glittering bicycles. We didn't expect it to be such a success,« admits Joëlle Sévigny in retrospect. At around 25 km long, the Tour la Nuit has cemented the democratization of cycling in the city.» What's more, it is helping to change attitudes to night-time cycling safety.
An annual event
All these events - and others, such as the Défi métropolitain - have followed one another since 1999 to form a week dedicated to bicycle culture. The Festival Go vélo Montréal - known as the Féria du vélo until 2014 - kicks off Montreal's summer festivities in late May and early June. From an institutional point of view, it is accorded the same importance as events such as the Francos de Montréal and the Festival d'été de Québec.
«As the flagship event of the Festival Go vélo Montréal, the Tour de l'Île is an opportunity to reflect on urban mobility by bike. Above all, it's synonymous with fun
for 40 years,» says a delighted Joëlle Sévigny. She knows all about it: in 2024, she took part in her first Tour de l'Île as a cyclist rather than an organizer. «The state of mind is to take possession of the city, not to do laps on a circuit!»
