Tens of thousands of cyclists will ride en masse this weekend in Montreal's annual biking events, the Tour la Nuit and the Tour de l'Ile.
The organizers of what is officially known as the Go Bike Montreal Festival say the Tour la Nuit ride begins at 8:15 p.m. on Friday and heads to the Olympic Stadium and back, while the Tour de l'Ile starts early Sunday and rolls from Jeanne Mance park to the tip of the West Island and back.
With hundreds of streets closed for the rides, motorists can expect detours and delays. Velo Quebec is recommending drivers use the Waze app which will have real-time data about street closures.
Police, cadets, and volunteers will be on at intersections to direct drivers and to hand out maps of closed streets.
Pedestrians and cyclists are allowed to cross the bike route .
Priority is also given to emergency vehicles, and anyone with a medical emergency is advised to call 8-1-1 or 9-1-1 before attempting to go to an emergency room or medical facility.
Tour la Nuit
Tour la Nuit is an evening ride and the party starts at Jeanne Mance park at 6 p.m.
From 8:15 p.m. and onwards riders will head north up Park Ave. to Bernard St., then make their way east to Maisonneuve Park.
The ride will then head south to Lafontaine St, then proceed west along Ste. Catherine St. and René Levesque Blvd. before going north along Berri St. to return to Jeanne Mance Park.
Tour de l'Ile
Tens of thousands of cyclists are expected to take part in Sunday's Tour de l'Ile, with the first riders hitting the pavement at 7 a.m.
Riders can choose between 25, 50, 65, and 100 km routes that start at Jeanne Mance Park and wend their way through the western half of the island.
The shorter routes head through Outremont, CDN-NDG, Montreal West, Lachine, LaSalle, and Verdun.
The longer routes go to the back river, then hug the edge of the island to Cap Saint Jacques and Senneville before returning along Lakeshore Rd. beside Lake St. Louis.
One route also goes through DDO and Pointe Claire.
At the ride's end several musicians will be playing concerts, while a Ferris wheel and other amusement rides will be in the park and Montreal Completement Cirque will stage several performances.
