The 1,000 km of the Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie will be held from 14 to 16 June. This year, a completely new formula is proposed to limit the environmental impacts of this annual event. Instead of a 1,000 km loop that crosses several municipalities in Quebec, with each team driving their own RV after the cyclists on the course, the participants must complete 12 loops with a total distance of 1,000 km, all starting from a main campsite at Laval University.
Cyclists will therefore sleep in tents instead of their motorhomes and will have access to Laval University’s infrastructure to shower, wash clothes, etc.
This year’s Children at Heart team consists of Jean-Jacques Gamache, Isabelle Mimeault, Jonathan Carrier, Francis Fréchette and Jacque Dubé. For Mr. Gamache and Mr. For Carrier, this will be a first experience of the Grand Défi, while the other members of the team have already undertaken it in the past.
According to Jacques Dubé, the athletes have already been preparing for a while, both with the help of VO2 Gym equipment and alone at home. They also took out their bicycles as soon as conditions permitted. For his part, Mr. Dubé spends between three and six hours a week training for the challenge.
This year, the funds raised will be donated to Saint-Pie-X primary school in Montmagny. Sir. Dubé mentions that Enfants d’cœur tries to encourage a different school in the region each year, and after touring the schools of the surrounding communes during the last editions, they are back in Montmagny. Currently, the team has raised about $23,000, but Mr. Dubé points out that the event is still a few weeks away.
Sir. Dubé admits that the new version of Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie does not really make the team happy. In fact, the latter had become very well equipped in recent years by acquiring a motorhome, where it was possible to sleep well, take a shower and wash clothes. In addition to having to sleep in tents, athletes will have to share Laval University’s infrastructure with all the other participants, and Mr. Dubé believes that this may cause certain waiting times, time that could previously be invested in recovering athletes.
The Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie is also shorter than in previous editions because the event will be held over three days rather than four, requiring cyclists to cover the same distance in less time. Sir. Dubé also noted that the 12-loop route contains a lot of ascending slopes compared to the old routes.
Sir. Dubé finally admits that he thinks it’s a bit of a shame not to be able to pass through the region when the cyclists stopped in Montmagny last year, which was a great moment for the team.
Despite these negative aspects, the athlete says he is ready to take on the challenge again for a good cause. “This is my 7th Grand Challenge this year and I think it will be the hardest. On the other hand, we have trained accordingly, but it will be important to manage our fatigue well and to distribute the tasks well to achieve this. »
It is always possible to encourage Hjertebarn by going to the event’s website and clicking on “1000 km” and then on “Registered teams” and selecting the team “Hjertebarn” from the suggested list.
