On a muggy June 16th, local Janick Tétreault-Moise and her cycling team, Équipe Vie en Forme participated in the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie, a 60-hour 1,000-km cycling race to raise funds for two elementary schools, Franklin Elementary and Valleyfield’s Edgar-Hébert Elementary School. At the end of their fundraising campaign, the team, which consisted of Tétreault-Moise, Patrick Philie, Pierre Carry, Gail Comeau and Benjamin Charron raised $40,600 towards their cause—half of which will go directly to Franklin school to be used towards equipment and/or activities promoting an active lifestyle.
When asked about the race, Tétreault-Moise said, “For me it was a big challenge having my bike for only a month. But the cause was worth it…I put my head down and tried not to think too much.” To prepare for the race, Tétreault-Moise trained six times a week, sometimes twice a day, working alongside trainer Matthieu Dallaire of La Cité des Arts et des Sports in Valleyfield. She was particularly motivated, as her own son attends Franklin Elementary School. Last year, Tétreault-Moise’s athletic efforts resulted in a donation of $5,000 to the school.
There was no shortage of support for the Rockburn resident and her team. Along with community fundraisers and an impressive show of support, several local businesses, including Groupe Tremblay, Toyota Valleyfield, Chassé Toyota, Vie en Forme and Jeunesse Rurale du Haut Saint Laurent made significant donations. Tétreault-Moise’s own Agence Zel took care of promotion and design.
History of the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie
Since the race’s inception, founder Pierre Lavoie has led every race. The first trek in 1999 was to both raise awareness and fund research about lactic acidosis, an illness that claimed two of Lavoie’s children. In 2015 alone, the efforts of the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie resulted in a donation of close to three million dollars—all of which was used to support hereditary orphan disease research and promote a healthy lifestyle among young people (through the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie Foundation’s scholarships, grants and via the school sponsorship program).
