Cycling Canada has been hosting its Canadian Road Championships for the last two years in the region with Lac-Mégantic greeting both the elite Championships in 2012 and the Para/Junior/Masters Championships in 2013.

The announcement will come as a huge boost to the town following doubts over its future hosting potential after the devastating train explosion that killed 47 people last year.

On July 6, barely a week after the 2013 Para/Junior/Masters Championships, a runaway train hauling crude oil careened off the tracks and exploded, levelling dozens of buildings in the heart of the town and igniting a fire so big its rage could be seen from space.

Following the disaster, the cycling community and Cycling Canada jointly fundraised more than $14,000 (£7,600/€9,300), which was presented in person to the Mayor of the 6000-resident town, Colette Roy-Laroche.

"Lac-Mégantic in Quebec is known to be a great place for cyclists," said Roy-Laroche.

"It is with great joy that the council and I have agreed to host the event.

"It's always a great privilege to receive these elite athletes and admire their performance."

A train explosion in Lac-Mégantic on July 6, 2013, just a week after the Para/Junior/Masters Championships, left 47 people dead ©Toronto Star/Getty Images



Greg Mathieu, chief executive of Cycling Canada, claimed he had no doubts about approving the selection of Lac-Mégantic to host its races.

"Hosting a sporting event of the magnitude of a Canadian Road Cycling Championships can have a significant financial impact to a region, no matter where they are being held," he said. 

"For Cycling Canada to return to Lac-Mégantic is a testament of our ongoing commitment to help in the rebuilding efforts of the cycling-friendly town, a town that has welcomed us for the last two years.

"We always feel welcomed in the area, and it's a great pleasure for all our community to race the roads of Lac-Mégantic for this prime event."

Due to take place from June 26 to 29, the event in Lac-Mégantic will feature time trials, the road race and the fast-paced and exciting criterium for the elite, under-23 and Para-cyclists.

Hundreds of road cyclists and their support teams are expected to converge to the Lac-Mégantic region with the hopes of becoming the newest Canadian champions.

The event is organised by Événements Sportifs Région de Lac-Mégantic, with Denis Bolduc at the helm, in collaboration with La Corporation du Grand Prix Cycliste de Beauce.

"We are honoured and pleased to host the elite and Para-Cycling Championships in Lac-Mégantic," said Bolduc.

"The region offer a great competitive platform with roads that will certainly attract Canada's top cyclists, and crown the best.

"Every year, we host a stage of the Tour de Beauce in the Lac-Mégantic area, with the famous climb of the Mont-Mégantic.

"We were all immensely saddened following the incident, with close members of our Organising Committee directly impacted as a result of the derailment.

"Using cycling and tourism to participate in the rebuilding efforts is a testament to our commitment to the region, and its future."

In conjunction with these Championships, the challenge sprint will be held on the final day.

The top two finishers of this short race, about 400 metres in distance, will be selected to race for Canada at the Challenge Sprint Pro event in September, during the 2014 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]