William Bourbonnais, Cyclist: The One to Beat
He recounts his first races with passion, using the vocabulary of the fully converted. At nearly 12 years old, William Bourbonnais is already competing with the best in his age group and steadily emerging as the one to beat.
It all started around age 10—or maybe even earlier. You know the type: when someone says a person “has sports in their blood”? William Bourbonnais is exactly that kind of athlete—whether through hard work, genetics, or sheer luck, he’s managed to rise among the best in his chosen sport. For William, cycling seems to be the path that could lead to podiums becoming a regular occurrence.
“Who is this kid?”
After finishing his day at Marguerite-Bourgeois School in Les Cèdres, William trains at the ZVP Opto-Réseau Club at the Centre Multisports, plays defense in AA peewee hockey, or steps into the boots of Captain Elias Walker, leader of the Ghosts in Call of Duty on his PS3. Like many his age, William tried various sports before settling into road cycling, a discipline that has taken him and his parents all across Québec over the past two years.
He started karate at age 3, played soccer for three years, and still plays hockey. Cycling entered his life via a triathlon in Valleyfield that he completed with his mom, Katy Da Ponte. After a school duathlon, his love for cycling emerged, and his parents bought him his first road bike. He was 7.
“Do you have to be a good kid to get a road bike at 7?” I ask.
“No,” he shoots back. “You have to be good!”
A confident young man, William continues to focus on one goal: becoming even better.
First Race, First Victory
Natural talent aside, William’s rise is also thanks to the coaches who’ve guided him since day one. At his very first session at ZVP in spring 2016, the youngest of the group, he immediately caught the eye of coach Philippe Raymond.
“At the first practice,” William recalls, “they said, ‘Okay, you’re good, we’re keeping you.’”
His mother adds: “He wasn’t just good—he was disciplined, motivated, focused, and fit in well with the others.”
Soon after, he was invited to his first race in Boucherville—and he won:
“My coach joked, ‘I bet on you—you have to win!’ I was a bit nervous at the start line. But even if he hadn’t said that, I would’ve pushed myself. It was my first race.”
It was a promising start to a standout season. By his second year with ZVP under coach Michel Brazeau, William placed 5th overall in the 2017 Québec Cup series. But beyond the podiums, William’s story is one of parental pride and commitment.
“His endurance always surprises us,” says his dad François, also a cyclist. “From the beginning, he was determined.”
His mom Katy, a bit more anxious watching him speed down hills, adds:
“He has a performance mindset, but you never know what a season will bring. Still, William is a natural. He just does things instinctively—and understands them later.”
His determination carries over into hockey and everything he does. While he still loves the sport, his passion for cycling is starting to take over, and he’s aiming to join the Chêne-Bleu Sport-Études program next year.
“I can still improve,” says William. “But every time I race, I give it my all. And each year, I can give even more.”
Expect many heads to turn come spring—everyone’s watching the one to beat.
Notable Results
2016 – Atome Category (9–10 years old)
- 1st – Boucherville Cyclist Rendezvous, June 12
- 2nd & 3rd – Québec Cup Boucherville, June 18–19
- 3rd – Alma Québec Cup, July 2
- 1st – Lachine Little Stars #1 & #2, July 9 & 16
- 2nd – Québec Road Championship (St-Georges), Aug 6–7
- 1st – Lachine Little Stars #3, Aug 14
2017 – Pee-Wee Category (11–12 years old)
- 1st – Québec Cup, Boucherville, Aug 6
- 3rd & 2nd – Challenge Lacasse (Mirabel & Contrecœur), Aug 19–20
- 2nd – Québec Road Championship, Thetford Mines, Aug 26
- 4th – Québec Championship General Ranking
- 4th – Challenge Lacasse Overall Ranking
- 5th – Québec Cup Season General Ranking
- White Jersey – Best First-Year Pee-Wee, Challenge Lacasse 2017