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We hear and read regularly about the pleasures and woes of cycling on Montreal’s extensive network of urban bicycle paths.

Cycling for the simple enjoyment of the pastime or for its usefulness as a means of transportation through the congested streets of the city has long been discussed. What many people might not know, however, is that competitive cycling has a lengthy and splendid history in the province, and that narrative exists to this day.

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Perhaps no period was as remarkable for cycling in this city as the years immediately before, and just after, the outbreak of the Second World War.

In 1939, for example, several notable races took place.

On June 11 of that year, Montreal’s Wolfe Cycle Club sent six representatives to participate in the 100-mile Long Island Classic in New York City. The Verdun-based club, with 37 riders, was the largest of the eight bicycle organizations operating in Quebec at that time. The Long Island competition, which was often compared to the Boston Marathon in terms of prestige, regularly attracted the best amateur racers from across North America.