Grand Prix of Vieux-Aylmer!
Aylmer gears up for Canadian road cycling championships
Old Aylmer will host an important component of the 2016 Canadian road cycling championships, June 29. The competition spans the National Capital Region, June 25 to 29, with Old Aylmer the site of the Criterium, defined as the spectacle of the championships.
“This is a mass-start race, contested on a closed city circuit. Races are high-speed, high-skills events where riders pass by every 2 minutes. The first rider across the line on the final lap will be crowned Canadian Criterium Champion,” outlined race organizer John Large.
The start and finish line of the multi-lap races will be at the corner of Bancroft and rue Principale in Old Aylmer. Riders will make a left turn on Court Street, another on Symmes Street before going north on Parker Street. Cyclists will then make a left turn on Thomas Street, before turning left on Tibérius Street. Riders will return up rue Principale to reach the finish line. One lap will be 1.4 km.
The junior women championship race will start at 11:30 am, and the fourth and final race with Olympic-class riders will start at 7:30 pm and end around 9 pm. The street will remain closed until 11 pm for a celebration. “The city has been fantastic!” added Mr. Large.
Apart from generating local interest in the sport, one of Mr. Large’s objectives is to show Old Aylmer to a broader regional community.
“As a 25-year Aylmer resident, I’m excited about the revitalization of rue Principale,” he said. “I’ve seen how much work has gone into rue Principale’s rejuvenation with all the merchants working so hard to improve the area. This event will bring a lot of people over from Ottawa who are unfamiliar with Aylmer.”
The locally-televised races will bring roughly 200 riders from across Canada to Aylmer. Another goal is to start a new Aylmer tradition.
“Hopefully we can continue with the Grand Prix of Vieux-Aylmer for years to come as a standalone race,” added Mr. Large. This could start in 2018, as this year’s Canadian road cycling championships will serve as a preparation for the 2017 edition; it take place in Ottawa and Gatineau, as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary.
The 2016 edition will feature a road race in Ottawa, a time trial in Gatineau Park and the criterium in Old Aylmer.
An Aylmerite since 1991, Mr. Large is a bike race organizer with over 25 years experience. Mr. Large was team manager at the 2015 World Cycling Championships, the Race Director for the first two editions of the Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau, and organized the regional selection of men’s teams to compete in the National Tours of Morocco and Martinique.
