Road Cycling Returns, Mountain Biking Arrives
Development First
A few rays of sunlight lit the conference table as we gathered at the Centre Multisports to discuss the creation of a new club for youth aged 11 to 16. The weather was just right to start dreaming of the next cycling season.
“Cycling is a very democratic sport,” says Centre director and lifelong cycling enthusiast Gilles Besner. “It connects with youth, adults, families, solo riders, couples, and teams.”
The ZVP-Opto Réseau Club, he adds, was born out of passion—but also out of necessity. The last noteworthy clubs in the region date back to the Rayon Alpha Club in Coteau-du-Lac in the 1970s–80s and the Suroît Club of the 1990s, which only had a youth competition program for a few years.
“With the Horizon 2035 project, we want to launch clubs in underrepresented sports,” Besner explains. “And with the Zone Vélo Perfo we created last fall, we now have the infrastructure to train athletes toward excellence.”
A permanent structure has been established to support the new cycling club and its development mission. It offers young riders training in road or mountain biking—guided by certified, passionate coaches—based at the Centre Multisports.
Expertise at the Core
The season will begin in May: road for some, mountain for others (through a partnership with Ski Mont Rigaud), or both for those who can’t choose. Weekend outings for youth and parents will also be part of the program. The club's young athletes will wear official team gear and be backed by major sponsors.
This spring, coach Philippe Raymond will visit regional high schools and municipalities to promote the new development club—not an elite or performance-based structure, as he is keen to clarify. A team of certified coaches and a strength and conditioning program will support participants, with tools like VO2 max testing available to monitor and enhance performance.
“This makes us quite unique,” says Davidsen Jugnah, the Centre’s programming director.
The project, part of Horizon 2035, is close to Besner’s heart: “We have the facilities to help young people go as far as they want.”
Also involved is Pierre Hutsebaut, a Rigaud resident and Cycling Canada’s 2015 Coach of the Year, who brings over four decades of experience and has mentored elite riders like David Veilleux, Hugo Houle, and Antoine Duchesne.
The Year of the Quebec Games
After a 25-year absence, the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region will rejoin the cycling ranks—just in time for the upcoming Quebec Games.
Road events will take place July 18–21 at the Université de Montréal, and mountain biking will follow July 22–25 in Terrebonne. The club will host qualifiers in June.
Members will also compete in the Minime and Cadet Cup (boys and girls) at the Mardis cyclistes de Lachine and in various Quebec Cup road and MTB events.
Master riders will have additional opportunities to race in provincial cyclosport events.
The ZVP Opto Réseau Club will hold an information and registration night on April 12 at 6:30 PM at Centre Multisports.