One of the most prominent women's events on the international racing calendar, Tour de Gatineau, will return after a three-year hiatus and is set to take place from September 15-17 in the Gatineau area of Quebec, Canada.
The race has been revived by two retired professional cyclists, Karol-Ann Canuel and Alex Cataford, who have a long-term vision to build the race heading into the 2026 UCI World Championships in Montreal.
This year's event will include an individual time trial and one-day road race, both 1.1-level, and both finishing in front of the iconic British Hotel in Gatineau. The weekend of racing will also include a women's and men's criterium that are part of the Global Relay Bridge the Gap Canadian Cup.
“It’s extremely important for women’s cycling to be seen and to have young people be inspired about health and fitness through this event," said Canuel, who has taken over as the event's executive director while Cataford is the vice-director.
“The goal is to reach the top level of the sport to be ready for 2026 when the Montreal World Championships will take place. It will be a unique opportunity to have the highest level of athletes in the world racing at the Tour de Gatineau and, furthermore, to bring a significant positive economical impact to the region."
Canuel said it has taken a village to bring the Tour de Gatineau back to the international calendar and especially thanked the Quebec Cycling Sports Federation (FQSC) and the City of Gatineau for their support.
“It warms my heart to have so many people come together to ensure the success of the return of the Tour de Gatineau. Despite the enormous workload at hand, I immediately had their interest and their support,” Canuel said.
The revamped Tour de Gatineau is the new version of the former Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau that appeared on the official programming of UCI since its beginning in 2010.
Former winners of the time trial included Evelyn Stevens, Clara Hughes (twice), Carmen Small (twice), Tayler Wiles, Lauren Stephens and Amber Neben (three times). The winners of the road race were Leah Kirchmann (twice), Lauren Hall, Kimberley Wells, Kirsten Wild, Denise Ramsden, Shelley Olds, Ina Teutenberg, Giorgia Bronzini and Joëlle Numainville.
"To have an international event on Quebec soil is essential for young female athletes from here to race against the world's elite," said Louis Barbeau, executive director of the FQSC.
"For the past decade, the Tour de Gatineau has contributed to improving the results of young female cyclists. We saw this with Karol-Ann Canuel, who went on to race in the Olympic Games. ”
Tour de Gatineau's women's road race and time trial are two of seven UCI-sanction road racing events held in Canada along with Tour de Beauce (2.2), Tour de l'Abitibi (2.NCup), Gastown Grand Prix (CRT), Grands Prix Cyclistes des Quebec and Montreal (WT).
Canuel retired from a successful cycling career at the end of 2021. She raced for teams Vienne Futuroscope, and Specialised-Lululemon, and for the last six years of her career with Boels-Dolmans - SD Worx. She also represented Canada at Olympic Games in 2016 and 2021.
Canuel currently lives in the Gatineau area and helped organise a local criterium and women's-only ride, and was interested in taking over the race when she realised the former organisers wouldn't be able to manage the event any longer.
"I felt like managing those helped to prepare for a big race," Canuel said. "It's time for a new generation to take it over. This race is so important to me and young female cyclists in Canada. I might not be totally ready to run it, but I'm just going to try and put it together.
"We have really big support from the city and mentorship from the former organisers. Also, Alex Cataford has been super helpful. We are both learning, and he has good skills, and I think we complement each other."
The event was cancelled for three years during the COVID pandemic, and currently, Canuel's role is to rebuild working relationships with the event sponsors and city and local businesses while also moving toward the various logistics of the race in September.
"I really want to involve the community, so we moved the start-finish to a new location right outside of the British Hotel. There are current discussions with the city for the specific courses and routes, but they will feature Gatineau Park because it is the most beautiful place to ride in this area."
Canuel says that she has a long-term vision for the event over the next three years and how to grow alongside the organisation of the Montreal Worlds.
"I'm really ambitious in how I want to grow the race in the future. I really see a long-term vision for the race, especially with 2026 in Montreal. I think for us; it's a nice time to start building the race again. I really think we can attract bigger teams in the future," Canuel said.
"This year, I just want to do it simply, and do it once, and understand what we have to do, and then take notes after that and then do it again, but better."
