MONTREAL, May 18, 2016 /CNW/ - More than 165 participants will be cycling across Canada in the fourth annual Great Canadian Ride / La Grand Traversée (LGT). From May 18 to June 18, cyclists from all over Canada will complete a relay covering more than 2,200 km, taking them to the finish line in Vancouver.
For the second year in a row, the Great Canadian Ride will cross the country from east to west, finishing in British Columbia, where the project's magic has been created for the last four years!
The objective of the 2016 cycling relay is both to inspire our up-and-coming athletes and to convey to the general public the importance of adopting a healthy, active lifestyle while having fun. The LGT team is highlighting this Olympic year by kicking off the event at Saputo Stadium, right next to Montreal's Olympic Stadium, and the finish line will be at the Olympic flame in Vancouver.
Through values of perseverance and challenging personal limitations, the Great Canadian Ride aims to teach young people that high-level sports are not just for a small elite, but are accessible to everyone who is willing to make the necessary effort.
Teams will have the honour of being accompanied by sports personalities and Olympians throughout the cycling relay. This year, Olympic champion Jean-Luc Brassard is supporting the Great Canadian Ride as its official spokesperson. Olympic athletes David Veilleux, Ashleigh McIvor, Dominique Maltais, Ariane Lavigne, Maëlle Ricker, Joé Juneau and Nancy Greene Raine (athlete and senator) will also be taking turns participating. The Great Canadian Ride also has the honour of being supported by the Trevor Linden Foundation, the foundation of current Vancouver Canucks president and former NHL player Trevor Linden.
"This is my fourth year as coach and spokesman, and I'm as proud as ever to be part of this cycling relay, which shows young people that you can do great things if you put in the necessary energy, perseverance, and team spirit," said Jean-Luc Brassard, Olympic champion and official spokesman for LGT. "LGT allows young people to become ambassadors of the sport."
"On the eve of the Rio Olympics, the 2016 Great Canadian Ride wants to bring Canadian youth a message of perseverance and following our dreams, just like the Olympians who will represent Canada this summer," said Great Canadian Ride founder Laurent Brisebois. "We want young people to see how enjoyable a healthy, active lifestyle can be and how important it is to push our limits.".
The project was made possible through close collaboration with Pierre Lavoie, a man with just as much passion and ambition as the Great Canadian Ride team. Thanks to his inspiration and the dedication of a team of volunteers spread across the country, every year LGT allows hundreds of young people to accomplish what most would have considered to be an impossible feat.
The Great Canadian Ride / La Grande Traversée
The Great Canadian Ride / La Grande Traversée is a national cycling relay that began in 2013 with 51 participants. In 2014 it grew to a 5-week event between Victoria, British Columbia and Quebec City. Two hundred participants from all over Canada took up the challenge. It is now in its fourth year, and cyclists will cover a 2,200 km route from east to west in thirty days, creating ambassadors for healthy lifestyles in the schools they visit along the way.
SOURCE Conseil scolaire francophone de la C.-B.
Image with caption: "Start of La Grande Traversée (CNW Group/Conseil scolaire francophone de la C.-B.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160518_C2182_PHOTO_EN_693663.jpg
Pascale Cyr, Public Relations, Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique / La Grande Traversée, 778-840-2733, [email protected]
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