By: Normand Gosselin

Some funny events and facts are worth mentioning, but only briefly. This article aims to bring together these side-events of the Tour.

Miracle in Malartic

Believe it or not, the sun was shining brightly for this half-stage run in an above-average time: 46.713 km/h. A passage to Malartic without rain… to be noted in the annals of the Tour!

Falls are part of the scenario

There are few cycling races without falls. The Tour would have liked to do without them but, no; the inevitable was for four riders during the second stage, at the end of the criterium. What is less usual is that a spectator is injured. During this fall on Tuesday evening, two of the runners completed their incident by striking the fence. Léonie Roy, 7 years old (she will be 8 on Monday, July 22), was hit at the front by the metal fence and had to receive medical care. The great misfortune for her is that she was not able to participate in the ceremony of medals and leaders’ jerseys, which she usually does. However, she was seen again on the platform the next day, very happy to accomplish her usual task.

As for the riders injured in the crash, there was no question of abandoning the competition, as shown in the photo taken at the start of the next day’s time trial. When we talk about endurance and resilience…

Complicity, you say?

It’s often said that teenagers always have a bit of a dip…. That’s pretty close to the truth. Especially for athletes. The staff of the Tour has made it a habit to place on a table designated for this purpose the food chosen in the cafeteria but which has not been eaten and the runners know that they can help themselves without restrictions in order to eliminate their « little need ». And it works!

The champions of food

Food is an important aspect of the Tour. Kathy Boucher and Véronic Bolduc have made lots of friends during the Tour. Feeding athletes, coaches, volunteers and the Organizing Committee three times a day is a very demanding task. Kathy founded La Sandwicherie 15 years ago and Véronic joined her seven years later. Today they sell their «baby» to La Piaule de Val-d’Or, a social services organization that will use it to reintegrate its members into employment, just as the Commensal restaurant chain used to do and was very successful.

After all these years of hard work, the two ladies chose to take on new challenges. Kathy returns to school for a year to learn about forest management and Véronic will initially transfer knowledge to new buyers; for the future, Véronic will take the time to evaluate her possibilities according to her interests.

Relax before the adrenaline rush

In hockey Juniors are pushed very hard and must, as the former National Hockey League instructor and TV hockey commentator Michel Bergeron says, have to play with emotions. In cycling, it is rather the adrenaline rush that pushes runners to surpass themselves. The teammates of the Abitibian team EC Subway club take the time to calm down a little, more than an hour before the start of the half-stage of Malartic. A few hours later, the six riders managed to stay in the peloton. After stage 5, Senneterre – Val-d’Or – Senneterre, the team was seventh out of 16, just behind a group of teams representing their country and far ahead of Colombia and Mexico. Note that five of the six riders are in their first Junior year.

History of Minnesota couple

Many years of marriage and 22 years of running a cycling club, Charles and Sherry Townsend decided to taste the joys of the Tour de l’Abitibi for the first time. Their good mood shows that they appreciate the experience despite a 17 hour drive and as much to return.

Serving at the cafeteria

It is important that the Tour pays correctly all meals that are served. A dedicated team notes all meals served. Many young people volunteer at the Tour, but the photo shows that a number of «grey or white heads» also contribute, year after year. Here, France and Pierre Galarneau discuss with Marie Diane Bessette how to write down useful information. Later, the «three musketeers» will help La Sandwicherie prepare the lunch boxes for Sunday’s dinner, as the riders will leave Val-d’Or for Senneterre around 11:45 am. The seventh and final stage of the Tour will start from Senneterre at 2 pm hitting for Val-d’Or where the group will perform 10 laps of 5.2 km critetium. This portion of the stage is the most interesting for the public.

These four have often been with their hands in the bags. Marie Diane Bessette, France Galarneau, Diane Gauvreau and Pierre Galarneau, who prepare the dinner for those who must leave Val-d’Or before noon to go to Senneterre where the riders will leave for Val-d’Or. A lot of work, yes, but done with so much dedication.