Members of the Abitibi Subway junior team will take take part in the Nordic Trials. In order: Lucas Auger (Barraute), Solstice Lanoix (Amos), Léane Ouellet (Val-d'Or), Christophe Blais (Rouyn-Noranda) and David Létourneau (Rouyn-Noranda).
The Northern Trials cycling races will return to the streets of Amos from July 5 to 8.
This provincial competition, which began in 2021, could not be held last year due to a scheduling conflict. It is a series of criteriums, fast races of several laps of a loop of 1 to 2 kilometers contested on a street circuit.
On the female and male side, cyclists will be able to race in the junior, open and master categories. They and they will take four of the five circuits offered in 2021, namely those of the Hôtel Queen sector, the industrial park in front of the Canadian Tire, the city center and the Saint-Viateur school sector.
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“Criterium series, there really aren't any in Quebec. There is the BC Superweek in British Columbia. We wanted to do a little different from what is already on the circuit. »
— Roxanne Pépin, from the organizing committee
It's fun for our young people, it helps with technique. They can run with the oldest, juniors with seniors. It gives a good running rhythm. The speed is quite high. That's what we especially wanted to find. It's the funalso for our spectators, who see them pass for an hour of time, underlines Ms. Pépin.
The Nordic Events hope to attract as many cyclists as possible, while the peloton in 2021 numbered around forty of cyclists. Organizers hope to take advantage of the fact that the competition just precedes the Tour de l'Abitibi, which begins July 10 in Amos.
It was on purpose, basically. We would like to attract people who will come to do the Tour, that cyclists come to do our shopping. These are small races. It is a perfect training just before the Tour. It gives the right speed, says Roxanne Pépin, who is also president of the Abitibi Subway junior team.
The organizing committee also hopes to attract enough runners this year to hold women's criteriums . Otherwise, participants will once again be offered the opportunity to run with the men, as in 2021.
The junior team from Abitibi Subway climbed on the podium for the first time this season, this weekend. Solstice Lanoix finished in 2nd place in the Hell of the Patriots race, contested on Sunday in Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu. The Amossois won the sprint of the pursuit group to cross the finish 3 minutes 49 seconds behind the winner, Filipe Duarte (Ottawa Cycling Club). It was an 87 kilometer road race.
