There's going to be another French-speaking bicycle race this summer, and it's happening in North America.
The Montreal-Boston Cycling Tour runs from Aug. 5 to 12, beginning with four stages in Quebec, followed by one stage in Vermont, two stages in New Hampshire and the final stage in Massachusetts for the finish in Boston.
This makes four stage races in the US and Canada this summer that are sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale, which means the top professional teams can send riders to compete.
The others were February's Tour of California, the Tour de Georgia (April 16-22), and the Tour of Missouri, Sept. 11-16. The two new races — the Tour of Missouri and the Montreal-Boston — received category 2.1 licenses from UCI; the more established Tour de Georgia has a higher 2.0 ranking.
From what I've seen, this Montreal-Boston race has been flying a little under the radar, compared to the Georgia, California and Missouri races. Like all the others — except for the Amgen Tour of California — it has yet to land a title sponsor.
Organizers have high hopes, considering the popularity in the California and Georgia races as well as its timing two weeks after the completion of the Tour de France. Unfortunately, I don't see Montreal-Boston or Tour of Missouri on the Versus Cyclysm TV schedule.
As many as 20 cycling teams are expected to compete in the 750-mile event.
The Manchester Union Leader reported recently that Stage 6 will begin in Franconia and end 115 miles down the road in Concord. Stage 7 begins in Manchester and finishes the 94-mile loop in Nashua.
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