Tour Cycliste Frédérick-duguay 2017
ASubmitted by Bruce Porter
s ordinary luck would have it – or maybe due to a lucky star – the 19 cyclists participating in the Tour cycliste Frédérick-duguay completed their 100-kilometre outing Friday afternoon as dark clouds moved in, menacing to drop more rain on Sherbrooke. If it was a lucky star, you can bet that longtime ambassador Fred Duguay himself had asked special permission from the Big Guy upstairs for just enough good biking weather until everyone was back safely at home base!
The 15th edition of this annual bike ride, which raises money for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, was a great success... even with a smaller number of participants than recent years, as a check for $29,072 has presented by the cyclists to Katherine Digby of MDC. This total brings the amount raised by participants since 2003 to just over $514,000.
This year’s first-time Ambassador, Alexandre Lemaire, was there to greet the arriving cyclists and was very pleased with their effort to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, which will help provide service and equipment to the 15,000 Quebecers touched by a neuromuscular disorder, as well as research into treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
While 19 participants crossed the finish line on the final day of this activity, there were five cyclists who tackled an extra 265 kilometres along the hills and valleys of the Eastern Townships, Boisfrancs and Centre-du Québec regions during the two previous days. There were seven first-time participants in this year’s edition, including the mother of Frédérick-duguay.
The organizing committee wishes to thank more than 200 sponsors and donors for their financial contributions, as well as the numerous fire and police departments along the route for ensuring the safety of the cyclists.