As the Tour de l’Alberta gets set to roll out of Morinville for the fourth straight year, organizers are looking to give a tip of their caps — or helmets, as it were — to the major milestone their hosts are celebrating.
Co-ordinator Dan Boonstra, with the Edmonton Bicycle and Touring Club, said the annual bike tour — which starts and finishes on Sunday at the Ray McDonald Sports Centre and takes cyclists on routes of varying lengths through Sturgeon County — is planning several tributes to the centennial of Morinville being incorporated as a town.
“We are planning on having some exhibits at the arenas, some signs and banners, that sort of the thing,” Boonstra said. “There’ll be a kids’ mini-route that will be right in the town itself, and we hope to have some signs along the course too, depicting the highlights of Morinville and cultural events in the past, historical events, things like that.”
He added that Morinvillians have been very gracious hosts over the time the tour has been based there.
“It’s a very helpful community, very helpful staff there at the town,” he said. “We’ve had a very good relationship.”
Participants can choose courses of 20, 50, 100 or 185 kilometres in length. There is also a five-kilometre mini tour just for kids. The 185-kilometre course will even bring cyclists into St. Albert, giving the city a nod for its 150th anniversary.
Boonstra can thank some road construction in the area for the chance to do that.
“It ended up working out really well, because I was thinking to myself, ‘Boy, it would be great to tie in St. Albert’s 150th anniversary this year as well as Morinville’s 100th,’” he said, noting that Bellerose Composite High School in St. Albert used to be the starting point for the tour.
As the tour heads into its 17th year, Boonstra said its popularity continues to grow.
“For a number of years there, in the mid-2000s, we were getting up in the couple of hundreds of registrants, the 300 or 400 mark,” he said. “Then in 2007, when we first moved to Morinville, we were at about 500. … Last year, we jumped to just over 1,000, and this year looks to be about the same.”
He added that the 100-kilometre distance tends to draw the most riders, about 60 per cent of the total number.
While Boonstra won’t be able to get on his bike and ride in this year’s tour thanks to all the behind-the-scenes work he’s doing, he has done so in years past, and knows how strenuous the training can be, especially for the longer distances.
“The 185 kilometres is for those that are, shall we say, a little more confident in their cycling abilities,” he said with a laugh.
Despite the preparation that goes into it, though, Boonstra is hesitant to call the Tour de l’Alberta a “race,” given that some of the riders in the 20- and 50-kilometre distances take their time.
“They have a 10 a.m. start, and we encourage everyone to be back at the arena by at least 5 p.m., so they have some opportunity to have their dinner before the caterer leaves at 6,” he said. “Even for the 50 kilometres, that gives them a good six hours to finish their ride. That’s enough time for even the most recreational cyclist out there.”
“We just want cyclists to go out there, have fun and be safe,” he added.
With the event just days away, Boonstra said they’re still looking for a few more volunteers to round out their requirements for event day.
“Last year, we had about 200 volunteers, and this year, we have about 150 so far, so we still need a good 50,” he said. “But it’s coming together. This week will be a little maddening for everyone as we try to get all these positions filled.”
Organizers are holding a volunteer orientation session Wednesday evening at Ă©cole Father Jan in St. Albert.
For more information on the Tour de l’Alberta, check out their website at www.tourdalberta.ca.
