As many as 20,000 cyclists showed up Sunday morning despite rainy skies to ride the cross-island Tour de L'ile.
The heavy rainfall couldn't stop the enthusiasm of avid cyclists who began the 50-kilometre trek at Jeanne Mance Park, before touring the eastern half of the island in the city's largest annual cycling event.
The tour is an opportunity for local cyclists to trek through the island, from Plateau Mont-Royal to Montreal North, to Riviere des Prairies and back, for a total of nine boroughs and one city, turning major thoroughfares into cycling paths for the day.
"I thought it was a nice way to sort of reconnect with the city, and sort of see parts that I've never seen before," said cyclist Sylvie Gravel.
Others travelled for the event, including a group from Vermont, and others from Florida.
"It took two days, but we take it pretty easy: One 65-mile day and one 35-mile day," said Jason Vandrische, who cycled to the event from Vermont.
Joelle Sevigny from Velo-Quebec, which organizes the annual cycling trek, said Tour de L'ile is attracting more outside cyclists.
"This year we have five per cent more tourists or people coming from outside of Montreal just to do the event," she said.
The event comes after Friday's shorter Tour La Nuit, where 14,000 two-wheelers rode along 20 kilometres of city streets before finishing at Jeanne Mance Park.
The Tour de L'ile ended at Jeanne Mance Park, at Mont-Royal and Park Aves., with a concert featuring Antoine Gratton, Sebastien Plante and Coral Egan, though some cyclists admitted they weren't in the mood for music given the weather.
"Coffee. Hot coffee," said one frozen biker.
