The Grand défi Pierre Lavoie returns every year to raise funds for the Fondation du Grand défi Pierre Lavoie, which supports many causes including research into orphan diseases.
Cyclists pay to take part in the challenge, and the public can also make a monetary contribution to support the riders. Participants benefit from fully protected circuits where car traffic would normally cause problems. Above, police officers prohibit access to cars as cyclists arrive on Avenue des Gouverneurs in Sillery, Quebec.
Cyclists take it in turns to cover a series of circuits totalling 1,000 kilometers in the Quebec City region over three days. Depending on the route chosen, the difference in altitude ranges from 199 metres to almost 900 metres.
Each route starts and finishes on the Université Laval grounds in Quebec City.
The first stage of the GDPL 2024 took place on June 14. It was only a 21-kilometre warm-up circuit, and I photographed the participants as they completed their journey and headed for their base camp at Université Laval. There are just 979 kilometers to go between now and the afternoon of June 16…
Photos were taken with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.
Click on the link for more photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring on my blog.