MONTREAL -- The weather's warmer (random snowfall aside), the streets are clear and cyclists in the Montreal region can now take a rip on one of the most popular spots to ride.
The Societe du parc Jean-Drapeau (SPJD) announced Friday that the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is open for cyclists, runners, rollerbladers and anyone else who wants to cruise on the 4.3-kilometre race track where the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix is hosted.
"Taking advantage of the good weather to accelerate the track's maintenance process, the park's teams were able to finalize the cleaning of the track as well as the signage, in addition to formalizing one-way traffic as of Thursday, April 1," the SPJD said in a news release.
The SPJD says more than 230,000 people use the track for training or leisure and take advantage of the cityscape view of Montreal framed by the St. Lawrence River.
The SJDP reminds users to respect the two-metre distance rules set out by public health authorities and to avoid gathering.
Cyclists on the South Shore are reminded that the Grand sentier and Route verte links to the park are not officially open until mid-April.
Up-to-date info can be found on the SPJD website.
After being cancelled in 2020, the 2021 F1 Montreal Grand Prix weekend is scheduled to take place June 11-13, 2021. Organizers posted March 10 that they are still working on refunding tickets purchased for the 2020 race weekend.
"Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances are causing delays in the refund process. Our team is doing everything in our power to ensure the refund process will be expedited once it begins," organizers wrote on its website. "We understand the frustration this has caused and remain available for all our clients via email or telephone."
