In addition to the World Cup and a great variety of activities, VÉLIRIUM 2008 will hold the National Championships

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Quebec, July 9th, 2008- For its 6th edition, Vélirium holds successively the National Championships, Quebec Cup and Mountain Bike World Cup. More competitions means more adrenaline! In addition to cross country, downhill and 4-cross racing on the provincial, national and international level, Vélirium promises to satisfy the expectations of bike lovers and audience with the traditional 3-weekend program. Weither it is to challenge themselves, to admire the best in the world, to hike Mont-Sainte-Anne or to simply celebrate, everybody is in for unforgettable memories!

"Vélirium is a World Cup classic but it’s also a festival for bike and outdoor activities lovers! Vélirium is now a summer must-see in terms of both sport and cultural events !", says Yves Blouin, president of Corporation Coupe du Monde de vélo de montagne Mont-Sainte-Anne. " Since 2003, Velirium established itself as an important international mountain bike event. Mountain bikers, both athletes and amateur riders, look forward coming back to Mont-Sainte-Anne each year. It is very encouraging for us; it makes us want to get better and better all the time! " adds Chantal Lachance, vice-president of Gestev.

Festive atmosphere, competition and adrenaline are the key words between July 12th ahd 27th, for the biggest mountain bike festival in North America!

Weekend #1 Saturday and Sunday July 12 and 13
Raid Velo Mag ● Downhill National Championships and Quebec Cup● Freeride Cup Crux

Saturday July 12  Raid Velo Mag
More than 600 athletes gather in the streets of Old Quebec City to start a high adrenaline race! Every group and individual will find a challenging course, rated from intermediate to advanced. The starting point of this 5th edition of the Raid Velo Mag (72 km) is located under St.Jean Gate, on Place D’Youville while the starting point of the 32 km will depart from Château-Richer. Both courses will run through Côte-de-Beaupré area, between Quebec City and Beaupré, to end up in Mont-Sainte-Anne. A "Pasta Carbo" evening with music of the "Charlie Price Band" will reward the ahtletes and all the festival-goers.

Sunday July 13  Downhill National Championships and Quebec
What are the Downhill National Championships and Quebec Cup? Simple! 400 crazy riders going from top to bottom (almost the same course as the World Cup) as fast as they can! To whom is it for? Those who do not fear speed and danger and want to challenge the best in the province such as Charles-Alexandre Dubé, Hans Lambert, Marie-Ève Marcotte and Mylène Kim-Fortier! Best Canadians on the World Cup ranking, Steve Smith and Andrew Mitchell as well as Claire Buchar and Micayla Gatto, respectively ranked 10th and 18th will also be part of the event. Everyone from 15 years of age and older can participate since you can register in 20 different categories.

Sunday July 13  Freeride Cup – Presented by Crux Magazine
Freeride Cup Crux represents a perfect synergy between endurance and downhill racing and guess what, it is open to everyone ! Freeride lovers have 5 hours to accumulate the most mileage. They can choose between 4 different courses, some being mainly downhill and others mainly cross country courses. Adrenaline is simply everywhere during this race since the one having the best strategy will win! Riders motivation and endurance will be directly linked with DJ Slipmat’s mix at the base of the mountain !

Weekend #2  Saturday and Sunday July 19 and 20
Cross Country Tim Hortons National Championships and Quebec Cup ● Challenge Timbits

Saturday and Sunday July 19 and 20  Cross Country Tim Hortons National Championships and Quebec Cup
The National Championships and Quebec Cup are open to everyone. The track goes through the World Cup course and each year since 1983, year of the first World Cup at Mont-Sainte-Anne, 25 categories allow 800 ahtletes from 10 to 90 to participate in the race! Everybody is going to enjoy, weither it is for fun or for the podium!

Sunday July 20 and 27  Véli-Kidz Races – Presented by Timbits and Shimano
FREE – Two friendly races for kids aged between 4 and 9 are scheduled : both Sunday July 20 and 27. Kids will ride a short loop a certain number of times determined by age and categories (total duration : 5 to 10 minutes). Each participating kid will receive his/her own medal, t-shirt and gift. A high level of smiles, emotions and good memories!

Weekend #3  Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 24 to 27
Yop Urban Delirium ● Nissan UCI Downhill World Cup ● Nissan UCI 4-Cross World Cup ●
Nissan UCI Cross Country World Cup ● Hike MSA● Dark Dog Attack ●
Party Bleu Nuit ● Shimano Kids Race

Thursday July 24 Urban Délirium – Presented by Yop Tropixs
On July 24 in Place d’Youville, stunts, skills and speed are what await you with Ryan Leech, best trial rider in Canada and other trial kamikazes! During the Urban Delirium, athletes will perfom on "North Shore" style track and jump crazy obstacles built directly on location. DJs and bands on site. Vélirium… from mountain to town!

Friday July 25  Hike MSA New!
It’s on July 25 that athletes will hike Mont-Sainte-Anne’s 600 meters to ride down as fast as they can ! By bike or jogging, there’s gonna be a winner per section per category. Riders will race against the clock on the way up, the way down and the combined races. The "Association régionale de vélo de montagne Québec Chaudière-Appalaches" (VMQCA) will support this competition.

Saturday July 26 Nissan UCI Downhill World Cup – Presented by Right Guard Xtreme
Downhill World Cup promises to be a high adrenaline race! Best Canadian riders such as Charles-Alexandre Dubé, Quebec champion in 2007, and Hans Lambert, 3rd at the National Championships in 2007 will challenge each other for the the podium this year. Canadians Luke Kitzanuk, Steve Smith and Andrew Mitchell, respectively 1st, 11th and 23rd at the 2007 National Championships will be there as well as Australian rider Sam Hill, English rider Gee Atherton, Champion at the World Championships in Italy this year. French rider Sabrina Jonnier, 2006 and 2007 World Champion will compete against her English opponents Tracy Moseley and Rachel Atherton, also Champion at the World Championships this year. Riders will race from top to bottom in less than 5 minutes on a 3.2 km-course.

Saturday July 26 Nissan UCI 4-Cross World Cup– Presented by Right Guard Xtreme
As its name evokes, 4-cross is a race in which 4 riders depart at the same time on a short downhill course. Riders coming from all around the world will show their skills with jumps and tight burms in an unpredictable race in which technique and bravery are must-have qualities! After all the elemination rounds, the 4 riders remaining will challenge themselves to finish first! A not-to-be-missed breathtaking show on a course longer than before!

Saturday July 26 Dark Dog Attack
Ramps, jumps and many obstacles… Inspired from "north shore", Darg Dog Attack will stun you right after the 4-Cross World Cup finale. At 8:20pm at the base of the mountain, get ready to be amazed by the most skilled bike experts in the world.

Saturday July 26 Party Bleu Nuit – In collaboration with Belle Gueule Beer
From Los Angeles to Montreal, passing by London, popular electro artists gather all night long to celebrate the 5th edition of "Bleu Nuit". Everything starts at 9pm on July 26th! Artists such as Steve Aoki, La Riots, Aaron Lacrate, Jokers of the scene, Fokus Eyes and Ears, Metronomy Live, Numero # Live, Purple Crush Live, Payz Play Live and Mashup Potatos, will take possession of the stage right next to the Vélirium Lounge until 5am !

Sunday July 27 Nissan UCI Cross Country World Cup– Presented by Fromages de Suisse
Nissan UCI Cross Country World Cup is well-known for the quality of its course and its accessibility for the audience to cheer for the best riders in the world. Best athletes will fiercely compete against each other on a modified course! Every single reason is good to come and cheer for our local heroine, Marie-Hélène Prémont, who will race to keep her title of World Cup leader. She will ride again against her Spanish, Chinese and Russian opponents, Maragrita Fullana Riera, Champion at the World Championships, Ren Chengyan and Irina Kalentieva.

Quebecer Mathieu Toulouse, 86th on the World Cup ranking, Canadians Geoff Kabush and Seamus Mc Grath, presently 9th and 24th on the World Cup circuit, as well as Ricky Federau and Derek Zandstra will fight against the European favorites. Swiss Christophe Sauser, Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel, respectively 1st, 3rd and 4th on the overall ranking should be challenged by French rider Julien Absalon, ranking 2nd..

Quebecer Raphaël Gagné competing in Senior Elite U23, finishing 7th at the 2008 World Championships in Italy and 2nd at the 2007 National Championships, will also honour us of its presence and will be interesting to follow.

Véli-Fun Site Ÿ On weekends from July 12 to 27
Veli Fun is a family-oriented site where you can find many activites such as : face painting, clowns on wheels, mini biking course, etc.

Velo Arto Ÿ July 12 to 27
New from last year, Velo Art is back with a great exhibition of well-known photographs, established video directors and emerging artists. The latter will exhibit their work and the public will be asked to vote for their favorite. A winner will be determined per category. There’s also gonna be a contest of amateur pictures and videos under the theme of Velo Arto. The winner, determined by a jury, will have his/her picture published in Vélo Mag.

Véli Expo Ÿ July 12 to 27
More than 100 exhibitors representing many companies related to the mountain bike and health scene will be at the Veli Expo. It is the best opportunity to learn more about mountain bike-specialized companies through workshops, conferences, product tastings and much more. Your meeting point to rest is known as the Lounge where you’ll find a relax bar, DJs, music and our Informatique Mercier Internet Café.

All Vélirium events are in turn officially recognized by the "Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes", the Canadian Cycling Association and the "Union cycliste internationale".


In 2010, Mont-Sainte-Anne will host the UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships.
The Corporation Coupe du Monde de vélo de montagne Mont-Ste-Anne is actively preparing this event through its delegate Gestion d'événements GESTEV INC., a young and creative enterprise specializing in sport and cultural event management.

Source : Marie-Claire D'Aoust, Press Room Coordinator – Vélirium 2008
Phone : (418) 827-6608
Cellphone : (418) 802-6275
Email : presse@velirium.com
Website: www.velirium.com