Montréal, April 27, 2010 – Summer is on its way, and just as it has for the last twelve consecutive years, with it rides in the Montréal Bike Fest. From May 30 to June 6, cycling fans will have no lack of things to do, thanks to the extensive array of event choices included in the festival’s 2010 edition.

All in a spirit of good-natured fun, thousands of cyclists will participate in three main recreational activities, according to their preferences and endurance, throughout this seven-day festival dedicated to two-wheeled fun: the Metropolitan Challenge, the Tour de l’Île de Montréal and the Tour la Nuit. Operation Bike-to-Work, an initiative that encourages Montrealers to use their bicycle as a means of daily transportation, is back for its tenth year.

“Montréal is not only renowned for its prominent biking culture, but has also established an esteemed reputation throughout the world as the ‘Best Cycling City in North America’, as dubbed by the prestigious American publication, Bicycling Magazine,” underlines Charles Lapointe, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. “We are extremely proud of this reputation, as it pays homage to the passion and dedication exhibited by thousands of Montrealers for a healthy, economical and environmentally-friendly method of transportation as well as the city’s avant-garde nature as a forerunner for thinking ‘green’ and establishing an extensive network of urban cycling paths,” concludes Charles Lapointe.

Every year since its inception in 1985, the Tour de l'Île de Montréal has attracted thousands of cyclists from across the province of Québec who wish to mix fun, exercise and discovery while riding along a specially-dedicated urban circuit. Following in 1999, the Tour la Nuit has become increasingly popular over the years with both young and mature riders. Finally, the Metropolitan Challenge, inaugurated in 2002, is comprised of a circuit that criss-crosses the Greater Montréal region, covering a distance of 75 to 150 kilometres.

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Source:
Pierre Bellerose
Vice-President
Public Relations, Product Research and Development
Tourisme Montréal
514 844-2404