The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has awarded a Certificate of Recognition to Cycling Canada and the Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes (FQSC) for their commitment to grassroots cycling among children and teenagers.
The certificate was presented by UCI President David Lappartient on Friday 25 September in the Bonjour Montréal Fan Village, just metres from the finish line at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships. The ceremony took place in the presence of representatives of some 30 National Federations, as well as Adam van Koeverden, Canada's Secretary of State (Sport), and Jim Dimitrios Beis, Mayor of the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough and member of the City of Montréal Executive Committee responsible for security and prevention.
The UCI Certificate recognises the nationwide reach of HopOn, Cycling Canada's youth programme, and the FQSC's role in bringing it to life in Québec under its French name, Embarquez. Designed for young people aged 6 to 12, HopOn uses games and age-appropriate challenges to help build skills and confidence on the bike, encouraging safe riding habits from the very first pedal stroke.
HopOn shows how National Federations and provincial Federations can work together to bring young people into cycling. Building on the success of iRide, a programme developed by Cycling BC (the provincial federation in British Columbia), Cycling Canada rolled HopOn out nationally, with provincial federations delivering it on the ground. The programme runs both in schools, over three days, and in communities, over two to six weeks. Each session combines a skill, a ride and a game, and is led by instructors trained through the National Coaching Certification Program and Cycling Canada's Community Coach pathway.
Tomorrow’s cyclists
In Montréal, the visiting National Federation delegations saw the model in action as pupils from a local school took to their bikes for a demonstration. They also heard from programme instructors, as well as athletes such as 2016 Olympic road race Champion Greg Van Avermaet (BEL), on the importance of a positive first experience on the bike.
UCI President David Lappartient said: " HopOn is a fantastic example of what grassroots cycling can achieve. It gives young people the skills and confidence to ride safely, and values that will stay with them for life. Initiatives like this, which teach young people to handle a bike well and safely, are what secure the future of our sport."
Chief Executive Officer of Cycling Canada, Mathieu Boucher, said: “This recognition from the UCI confirms the strength of a vision we share across the country: to give every young person the opportunity to discover cycling, build their confidence, and above all, enjoy it. With HopOn, we want to create a genuine gateway into cycling and, together with our provincial and territorial partners, reach more young people and communities across Canada. The true legacy of this programme is the cycling culture we are building together and the future generations we are inspiring.”
Director General of the FQSC, Fabien Blot, said: “Receiving this recognition from the UCI is a source of great pride for the FQSC. It highlights our collaboration with Cycling Canada, but also the remarkable work of our instructors who bring Embarquez to life every day for young people across Quebec.
Every year, our programme enables an average of 15,000 children to discover cycling in Quebec. During these [UCI] World Championships alone, more than 800 children got on a bike for the first time thanks to Embarquez.
These results perfectly illustrate our ambition: to make learning to ride accessible to as many people as possible, whilst instilling in young people a love of cycling and the confidence to keep riding.”
National Federations that want to follow Canada's lead can draw on the UCI's own framework, Ride & Learn. This methodology helps educators and coaches around the world use cycling to teach life skills and bring people together.
Co-developed by the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) and Peace and Sport as part of the UCI Global Solidarity framework, Ride & Learn was launched in June 2025 and piloted in Rwanda with the participation of 108 children. It combines technical cycling education with the promotion of life skills and values such as respect, inclusion and cooperation. Structured into 75 sessions, the programme is now available in the form of a handbook to all 207 National Federations affiliated to the UCI. More information is available on the UCI website.
Photo credit: @refinedmoment