To achieve its objectives, Vélo Québec relies on a vast range of tools and means deployed by four different divisions:
Vélo Québec Association – a member-based organization that has been defending the rights of cyclists since 1967. Among other major achievements, it oversees the development of the
Route verte, a cycling route that links Quebec from end to end by means of over 4,000 km of bikeways. The association also offers technical training on bikeway design and development, and compiles statistics and produces studies on cycling. It also represents cyclists, builds consensus, conducts research, coordinates educational and informational activities, and serves as a consultant upon request. Vélo Québec has launched the On the Move in the Community project, which is intended to result in the development of a comprehensive approach to promoting the use of walking and cycling as means of transportation. This initiative includes a school-based component,
On the Move to School, which is designed to encourage primary-school students to make active transportation a part of their daily lives, as well as a community-based component, which provides municipalities with strategies for the development of environments amenable to walking and cycling.
Vélo Québec Événements – a creator and organizer of internationally renowned cycling events such as the Tour de l'Île de Montréal (25th anniversary in 2009), the highlight of the
Montréal Bike Fest, which also includes Un Tour la Nuit and the Metropolitan Challenge. This division also organizes the Summer Challenges, a series of 75- to 150-km bike rides, and produces other events in conjunction with organizations like the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. It has also launched Operation Bike-to-Work, a vast awareness and mobilization campaign designed to promote the bicycle as a means of transportation.
Vélo Québec Voyages –
an agency specializing in bicycle travel that offers various cycling packages in Quebec, including major bicycle tourism events like the Grand Tour, the Petite Aventure and La Virée. This division also plans routes and designs bicycle vacations in North America, the Caribbean, Europe, North Africa and Asia. Every year, more than 6,000 people travel with Vélo Québec Voyages.
Vélo Québec Éditions – the publisher of
Vélo Mag, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2010, and of
Géo Plein Air,
Québec Science and
Nature sauvage, as well as various
books, guides, maps and other publications associated with cycling, outdoor recreation, nature, science, sports and tourism.