By LOHR McKINSTRY
TICONDEROGA — As many as 2,000 Canadian bicyclists will descend on the North Country for a week this summer, bringing about $1 million to the area.
Le Grand Tour, out of Montreal, will bus the bicyclists to Lake George, then they'll bike north to Ticonderoga for three days, then to Plattsburgh and home to Quebec.
"This is a huge event for the North Country," Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas said in a press release.
"It means 2,000 visitors coming to experience our region and drawing wide attention to Lake Champlain as a biking destination."
During a press conference in Plattsburgh Wednesday, Joelle Sevigny, executive director of Velo Quebec Evenements and Velo Quebec Voyages, said the region is perfect for Le Grand Tour.
"We have this objective every year to attract people to new regions, to new roots.
"(The area is) historical, so for us it was a plus. It's rich in history ... (the bikers are) following in the footsteps of Champlain."
SET FOR AUGUST
The event is Sunday through Friday, Aug. 8 to 13, and is organized by Velo Quebec Voyages of Montreal. Most of the bicyclists will be French-Canadians.
The Grand Tour charges about $1,000 a person for the week on the road and brings with it a staff of 250 people and a fleet of tractor-trailers carrying a small village of tents and showers for the participants.
A 2007 survey conducted by Velo Quebec found that 83 percent of participants planned to return to the host region in the future.
LAYOVER IN TI
Ticonderoga Central School Superintendent John McDonald Jr. is helping coordinate the three days they'll spend in Ticonderoga. The School District is giving them the use of the Elementary-Middle School and grounds.
"The support team will arrive first," McDonald said. "When the cyclists get here, they'll head for the Middle School, where the majority of them will camp on the grounds."
He said one side of Alexandria Avenue will be a tent with a bistro where meals can be served, and the other side will be local vendors and an information booth. Meals will be provided by a local caterer hired by Velo Quebec.
Shuttle buses will take the bikers around town, including Fort Ticonderoga, Mount Defiance, the Town Beach and other places.
"They'll reimburse us for any costs we incur," McDonald said. "There are also opportunities for local organizations to do some fundraising."
The tour will pay for activities, and part-time jobs are available. Some of the bicyclists are bilingual, but McDonald said both of the district's French teachers will help translate.
ON TO PLATTSBURGH
The tour will leave Ticonderoga Tuesday, Aug. 10, and head to Plattsburgh.
"This is truly an exciting announcement," Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Bernie Bassett said at Wednesday's press conference.
"As a town, we are committed to promoting healthy lifestyles and wellness. This exposure of cycling for sport and recreation should generate a local interest, as well."
CAMPOUT AT CCC
The tour will spend two days and two nights in Plattsburgh, where they will stay the night under the stars at Clinton Community College.
"There has to be a will in the region," Sevigny said. "We have to feel the will."
That is something she said she felt here, with the help of the Chamber of Commerce, Clinton Community College and the Town of Plattsburgh.
CCC President John Jablonski said he recognized the "public good provided by a community college.
"We welcome Joelle and her colleagues to the Clinton Community Campus this summer. We are extremely proud that Clinton Community College has helped make that possible."
ECONOMIC BOOST
Douglas said the tour will not only bring economic impact — estimated at $1 million — to the area but will also promote green tourism and further a bi-national relationship with "the roll that it plays in deepening our connection with Quebec in an entirely different way."
Economically, Douglas said, cyclists will visit shops, hotels, restaurants — all of the basic things, "except buy gas," he joked.
"It's more than just passing through; this is really the centerpiece of the Grand Tour."
He said the prospect of cyclists revisiting the area also offers future economic prosperity.
"If you have a good product and you do a good job, you have those secondary impacts, as well."
'WELL ORGANIZED'
The trucks that arrive in advance of the Grand Tour will bring tents, a bicycle shop, showers and lavatories and even 40 Internet terminals.
"They have this worked out in great detail," McDonald said. "They're very well organized."
Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Barbara Brassard said she'll be staffing an information booth at the village set up by the Grand Tour near the Middle School.
"The chamber is working to welcome the Velo Quebec Voyages Grand Tour bicyclists. We're delighted to show off our beautiful area."
McDonald said the school's Key Club, French students and other groups will be able to make money for their activities by helping the tour.
"It's very exciting. It's a good opportunity for the community, for our kids. And between 50 and 70 percent of them come back to visit later. That's the real impact."
E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
