ConferenceS
BIKE CONFERENCES
This evening will be an opportunity to listen and exchange on different themes always related to the bike. Specialists will do us the privilege of being present to share their experiences.
Programme 2023 en cours d'élaboration
Pedal for the Planet by Anne de Bortoli
“Transportation is responsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in Quebec, and generates all sorts of environmental problems such as damage to human health, biodiversity, and non-renewable natural resources. But rest assured, cycling is one of the least polluting ways to get around! However, not all bicycles and cycling practices are equal. Come and discuss with us to learn more about the environmental performance of our mobility. We will talk about life cycle analysis, impacts of transport infrastructures and vehicles, carbon footprint of transport modes, bike trips, velotaf… We will also see how consumption habits, the life span of your bike, the electric assistance, and the choice of the frame material of your bike affect its environmental performance!”
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About : Anne de Bortoli
Anne de Bortoli is a researcher in carbon neutrality and sustainability of transportation at the CIRAIG (International Reference Center for Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainable Transition) of Polytechnique Montreal, as well as an associate researcher at the Laboratoire Ville Mobilité Transport of the École des Ponts ParisTech in France. She has worked on the environmental impact of transportation modes, particularly cycling.
Positive trauma or pedaling to heal by MaSo L'Heureux
“He had laughed at me when I told him that I too wanted to join his social-sports cycling club, which was open even to novices. “That’s ridiculous, you’ll never keep up. You’re so pocket. You have no talent.” Those words had stuck with me, as had so many of his too many words of denigration, indifference, and criticism during our life together. For years, I was crushed by his dislike. I thought I would die. One day, after at least six attempts to leave him over several years, I decided to get up once and for all, to spit in my hands, to get on my horse, and to “leave him for good” in order to go to the end of the world, 1200 kilometers away from my home. In reality, I had already left him a long time ago. I had to leave the trauma that this relationship had inescapably engraved in me. I had to reverse this trauma at all costs. I had to create a “positive” trauma if I really wanted to heal. And I was going to fight it where it had attacked me too often: my lack of talent. It was the bike – and the allies in my path – that saved my life. You never know how much stronger you are than you think. Like many people, it was doubt that most often nailed me to the spot. The immense doubt about my abilities, my worth. When I realized that I had no reason at all to question myself so much, that was the day I started to heal for real, to move forward and that the world opened up to me, with all its possibilities. Because everything depended on the answer to this one and only question: who did I really want to be? And who, above all, did I not want to be?
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About : Marie-Sophie L’Heureux (MaSo L’Heureux)
Marie-Sophie is a journalist and assistant news director for general and political news at Le Devoir. She is also the writer and producer of the short film Septième fois, shot during her solo cycling adventure between Montreal and Gaspé, to fight against intimate partner violence and family violence. A nurse by trade, and having always wanted to help others, MaSo took advantage of her cycling adventure to raise $60,000 in less than two months, a considerable amount of which she donated to the non-profit organization SOS Violence conjugale. “As long as you’re going to be free from your own past, you might as well give a boost so that others can be free from theirs too.”
Cycle tourism in developing countries
“An engaging discussion to discover how to combine passion and commitment in your cycling trips. Through Jesse’s exciting experience on his three-week cycling journey in Lesotho, Africa, we will explore the ethical issues of cycling tourism in developing countries. From safety to equipment to interactions with local communities, Jesse will share practical tools for becoming a more responsible and supportive bike traveler.”
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About : Jesse Herbert
Jesse is an avid cyclist, environmental engineer, industrial designer, and owner of the popular Montreal-based cycling accessories brand, Oopsmark. With over 16 countries covered independently by bicycle, Jesse has extensive experience exploring the world on two wheels. His most recent adventure took him to Lesotho, Africa, where he embarked on a three-week bike tour to climb the country’s majestic mountains while organizing a fundraiser for a local charity to help underprivileged children graduate from high school. When he’s not traveling, you can find Jesse on the gravel roads of Quebec.
How to book ?
Online ticketing on the Le-Sportif booking platform
How to get there ?
Montréal Cowork
Retour sur les conférences de l’édition 2022:
« Sur les traces de la célèbre course Te Araroa qui signifie le long sentier en Maori, j’ai traversé les Deux îles de la Nouvelle Zélande, du point le plus au Nord Cap Reinga au point le plus au Sud Bluff. Pour un premier voyage à vélo en autonomie, j’ai commencé par un gros morceau, puisque quelques 4500 kms m’attendaient à travers la diversité des paysages incroyable que propose ce Pays. Loin d’être un long fleuve tranquille, l’aventure restera un épisode important et enrichissant dans ma vie personnelle et de voyageur à vélo.
Autrice aux éditions Ulysse et créatrice du site internet « La Cyclonomade », Laura cumule plus de 34 000 km à travers l’Europe et les Amériques.
![Festival vélocité Montréal 2023](https://festival-velocite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Gerel-photo-1-1.jpeg)
A propos de : Laura Pedebas
“En solo, entre amis ou encore en famille, c’est toujours à vélo que je préfère voyager. Après de nombreux parcours en Europe, l’Amérique m’a ouvert les bras. J’ai choisi le Québec comme point d’ancrage et y ait déposé mes sacoches après plusieurs années de nomadisme, puis célébré mes noces en 2015 en faisant un tour de la province.
A propos de : François Guimard
“Passionné de vélo depuis le plus jeune âge, j’ai d’abord commencé par la pratique en compétition. N’ayant pas vocation à en faire un métier, je me suis dirigé dans le domaine de l’événementiel, ce qui m’a permis de participer à 10 reprises à la célèbre caravane publicitaire du Tour de France . Aujourd’hui je me lance dans la création de mon propre événement à travers le Festival Vélocité. Depuis le Nouvelle Zélande, j’ai également fait le Tour de la Gaspésie en 2020, et la traversée de la France d’Ouest en Est en longeant la Loire en 2021 dans le but de me rendre à une course de Trail autour du Mont Blanc (UTMB)”.