Founded in 1968, the Espoirs Laval Cycling Club is the largest and oldest competitive cycling club in Quebec. It has about 120 young people in the development section (from 6 to 16 years old), and between 10 to 15 young people in the junior teams (from 17 to 18 years old). The Club also wants to prepare young people to join the seniors (from 19 to 29 years old).

“These projects are beefier and more expensive. Our mission is really the development of these young people,” explains Claudine Tremblay, the co-president of the Club. In addition, the Club also has a Master team made up of older adults.

The Vélo Espoirs Laval Cycling Club is a cycling development club for young people from 6 to 16 years old. “We introduce young people to cycling, and gradually bring them to participate in cycling competitions. It's also a way of creating healthy lifestyle habits for young people through sport,” says Tremblay.

Young people do age group workouts. The Quebec Federation of Cycling Sports provides a competition and development program for them. Tremblay notes that there are several regional competitions in the greater Montreal area and at the provincial level, there are five stages for the Quebec Cup, as well as a Quebec championship that concludes the season. “It's really for development, so young people from 6 to 16 can participate in these competitions. There are several clubs and it really feeds motivation everywhere in Quebec,” she says.

The Cycling Club also has two junior teams; a women's team and a men's team. “Junior teams are smaller and make more competitive or elite projects. They will be racing more provincially, nationally and internationally, including the Abitibi Boys Tour or the Girls' Tour of the Future,” Tremblay explains.

The Club's activities are mainly from the beginning of April to the end of August, when they can ride outside. There are some initiatives for indoor training, especially in January, but the Club favours young people playing outside during the winter. “We would rather have them go cross-country skiing or downhill skiing for the long-term development of the athlete,” she says.

Subaru de Laval is one of the three major sponsors of the Laval Espoirs Cycling Club with Primeau Vélo and Planète Courrier. In addition to supporting them financially, the dealer offers the Club a car for the summer season. This car tracks athletes during road training. Subaru de Laval also supplies cars for the cyclists to travel to competitions across Quebec, in addition to the lead vehicle for the Laval Cycling Merits race. For the two cycling enthusiasts, Stéphane Guilbault, owner of Subaru de Laval and Erik Durand, general manager, this is a way to give back to the community.

The Laval Espoirs Cycling Club Day Camp
In 2020, a new day camp will be offered for young cycling enthusiasts. This is the initiative of Club coach, Camille Desjardins-Leduc, who has experience as a day camp instructor. “She is very passionate about cycling, she is very good with our kids, and she wanted to start a cycling day camp,” says Tremblay.

In the morning, there will be cycling activities, and in the afternoon, other types of activities. “We also want to include notions of nutrition, bike safety and competition, to really go around cycling. The camp will be held for three weeks in the summer of 2020, from June 29 to July 3, July 6 to 10 and July 13 to 17. We start with three weeks this year, and if all goes well, next year we will add weeks according to the demand,” explains Tremblay.

The camp is aimed at young people of all levels, from discovery level to competitive, but Tremblay recommends knowing how to ride two wheels. The Club has a fleet of bikes for young people, so if they do not have a bicycle or personal helmet, they can borrow.

For young Laval residents who would like to register for the Club, an information session will be held in February 2020, but the date remains to be confirmed. “Young people can register at any age. There are several top cyclists who have decided to start at age 15 and have gone very far. In any case, it's never lost. We develop the athlete, but we also develop the person,” explains Tremblay.

For more information on the day camp or competitive cycling, you can visit the website of the Vélo Espoirs Laval cycling club and its Facebook page. You can also call (450) 664-1917 # 304 and Claudine Tremblay will take the call. For those who prefer email, you can write to espoirs.laval@gmail.com.