Louis Garneau, President of Louis Garneau Sports, and Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor, have introduced the new 25-member Garneau-Quebecor cycling team, made up of 11 riders from Québec, 12 from Ontario, the Maritimes and British Columbia, and 2 from New Zealand.
The aim of the team is to develop world-class cyclists. It gives promising young riders a chance to grow and improve as part of a team, providing them with the means to develop their talent and achieve their goals. Team alumni include David Veilleux, who now rides the pro circuit as a member of France’s Europcar team.
“That’s the team’s main raison d’être,” said Louis Garneau. “We want to give our talented young athletes an opportunity to develop and give them a springboard to help them realize their dream, be it to compete in international amateur meets, to join the pro circuit, or even to represent their country at the Olympics.”
During the 2012 season, the Garneau-Quebecor team will participate in a number of international-calibre races, including the Tour de Beauce, and several major events on the US East Coast. In fact, the team is on its way to New York State to compete in the Tour of the Battenkill. One of its members, Brett Tivers, will be defending his title after winning the race last year.
In competition, the riders use the full Louis Garneau cycling solution (shorts, jersey, helmet, shoes, gloves, bikes and accessories), serving as a test bed for product development.
Quebecor, the team’s lead partner, sees its backing as a natural extension of its longstanding involvement in developing young talent in all fields: culture, business, sport. “Our support for elite athletes is in keeping with our commitment to promoting success and excellence,” said Pierre Karl Péladeau. “Helping champions emerge, improve and become tomorrow’s star pro athletes is a way for us to invest in the Québec of the future.”
The Garneau-Quebecor cycling team’s partners – Norton Rose, Cascades, Shimano, Vittoria, Sports Experts, Fedex, Delmar, Aquafina, Deloitte and Couture Rochette – are also seen to be making a vital contribution to the development of young cyclists in Québec and the rest of Canada.
Louis Garneau Sports, founded in 1983, is an industry leader for cycling and triathlon apparel, helmets and shoes, which are distributed in over 36 countries. Louis Garneau also offers a complete line of bikes for the Canadian market. The commitment to outfit both cyclists and triathletes head to toe is known as the cycling solution and triathlon solution respectively.
Quebecor Inc is a holding company with a 54.7% interest in Quebecor Media Inc, one of Canada’s largest media groups, with more than 16,000 employees.
