Montreal, July 13, 2011 – Veritable bicycle touring institution in Quebec, Vélo Québec presents the 18th edition of the Grand Tour Desjardins – being held for the first time in Ontario! From August 6 to 12, an impressive caravan of 1,950 cyclists will cover approximately 600 km in seven days.


ROUTE THROUGH A THOUSAND AND ONE ISLANDS

Cyclists will pedal for three days in undulating, pastoral hinterland, mainly along the Rideau Heritage Route. This will be followed by four days in the lovely Thousand Islands region – including stopovers in Belleville, Kingston and Brockville – against the backdrop of Lake Ontario, a veritable landlocked freshwater sea ringed by sandy beaches. Most certainly, the beautiful surroundings and rich historical context of this Grand Tour Desjardins combine to make it a very special edition.

"For a few years now, cyclists have been asking us to hold the Grand Tour Desjardins in Ontario. We spent a lot of time examining this possibility in order to come up with an ideal itinerary highlighting the most beautiful areas of southern Ontario, while offering a selection of optional routes for cyclists of different levels," explains Joëlle Sévigny, Executive Director of Vélo Québec Voyages et Événements.












The Grand Tour Desjardins Village, which is set up and dismantled at every stage, serves as the campsite as well as the start and finish point of each route. In the Village, cyclists also have access to a host of services, including meals, sanitary facilities, a first aid station, a sports medicine therapist, massage therapists, a mechanics booth and an Internet room. Activities are featured there each day: bicycle touring workshops, cinema, artistic performances at the Bistro and news of the day thanks to the Déchaîné, the Grand Tour Desjardins daily newsletter.

• A turnkey bicycle touring event: meals, accommodations, en-route supervision, mechanical support and baggage transportation are included;
• An original concept and packages for all tastes: “Under the Stars”, “Under the Covers” and “Grand Tour Desjardins Weekend”;
• A support team of 200 employees and volunteers;
• A festive atmosphere day after day! A real vacation…

Participants profile >>>
Grand Tour Desjardins facts and figures >>>


DAILY ITINERARY

DAY 1 | Saturday, August 6 | 81 to 121 km | Brockville to Perth
DAY 2 | Sunday, August 7 | 111 to 150 km | Perth to Napanee
DAY 3 | Monday, August 8 | 98 to 121 km | Napanee to Belleville
DAY 4 | Tuesday, August 9 | 104 to 186 km | loop around Belleville
DAY 5 | Wednesday, August 10 | 118 to 152 km | Belleville to Kingston
DAY 6 | Thursday, August 11 | 32 to 89 km | loop around Kingston
DAY 7 | Friday, August 12 | 91 to 137 km | Kingston to Brockville


VÉLO QUÉBEC VOYAGES

The Grand Tour Desjardins is produced by Vélo Québec Événements and its travel agency, Vélo Québec Voyages, with the participation of Mouvement Desjardins and in partnership with Ontario Tourism, VIA Rail Canada and RONA. In addition to bicycle touring events, Vélo Québec Voyages offers more than 70 exclusive cycling trips, specially designed by its team of professionals. Vélo Québec Voyages organizes trips for over 6,000 cyclists every year, both here and abroad! Visit www.explorebybike.com

– 30 –

CONTACT
Véronique Lavoie
Press Agent | Vélo Québec
514 521-8356, ext. 358 | Cell. 514 942-0743
vlavoie@velo.qc.ca

>>>All releases