Louis Garneau (born August 9, 1958, in
Sainte-Foy, Quebec
Sainte-Foy (; ) is a List of former municipalities in Quebec, former city in central Quebec, Canada alongside the Saint Lawrence River. It was 2000–06 municipal reorganization in Quebec, amalgamated into Quebec City at the start of 2002. Most ...
, Canada)
is a retired competitive
cyclist
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
, artist, and businessman of
French-Canadian
French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...
descent.
In 1978, Garneau was the Canadian champion in
individual pursuit cycling. In 1983, he founded Louis Garneau Sports, which sells cycling clothing and accessories.
Early years
Garneau was born in Sainte-Foy, Quebec on August 9, 1958, the son of Paul Garneau and Jeannine Lehoux. He obtained his bachelor's degree in
visual arts
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...
from
Laval University
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxe ...
and won an excellence scholarship there in 1983.
From 1970 to 1983, Garneau was an international cyclist and won the title of Canadian champion in individual pursuit in 1978. He was selected to participate in the
1980 Moscow Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...
, but could not participate due to the boycott of these games by Canada. After taking part in the 1984
Los Angeles Olympics,
he retired from competition.
Business career
In 1983, Garneau began making clothing for cyclists in his father's garage, supported in this project by his wife, Monique Arsenault. The company became Louis Garneau Clothing. In 1984, the company moved to larger premises (140 square meters or 1,500 square feet), then was forced to expand again in 1985, to premises of 464 square meters (5,000 square feet).
In 1988, when the company reached 118 employees, it moved to a building of 2972 square meters (32,000 square feet) in
St-Augustin-de-Desmaures. The building was enlarged in 1993 and 1999, with the creation of a distribution center.
Louis Garneau decided to launch an assault on the American market in 1989, with the opening of the Louis Garneau USA plant in
Newport, Vermont, in 1989. This new division initially employed 12 people. The area of the American building will be doubled in 1999.
The Newport, Vermont building no longer sufficient for the company's needs, a major investment will materialize on August 15, 2014, with the inauguration of a new
state-of-the-art
The state of the art (SOTA or SotA, sometimes cutting edge, leading edge, or bleeding edge) refers to the highest level of general development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field achieved at a particular time. However, in some contex ...
building in
Derby, Vermont
Derby is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,579 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous community in Orleans County. The town contains four unincorporated villages: Beebe Plain, Clyde Pond, Lake S ...
, which includes a distribution center for the American market.
In 2015, the Louis Garneau Sports Inc. employs around 450 people and exports to more than 50 countries. Louis Garneau Sports, which celebrated its 30th anniversary of founding in 2013, holds numerous patents, mainly with the
Canadian Intellectual Property Office
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO; French: ''Office de la propriété intellectuelle du Canada, OPIC'') is responsible for the administration and processing of the greater part of intellectual property (IP) in Canada. CIPO's areas ...
(CIPO) and the
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency in the United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark ...
(USPTO), in order to protect its many innovations.
Since 2018, the Garneau Group includes the Canadian trilogy of three brands: Garneau, Sugoi and Sombrio. Their products, intended for cyclists, triathletes, as well as several disciplines of
winter sports such as
snowshoeing
Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...
, are sold in more than 40 countries, starting with Canada and the United States.
In March 2020, the company filed for creditor protection, but announced its intention to take the company public in 2023 thanks to e-bike market.
Cycling team
Louis Garneau operated a cycling development team for several years, in order to help young talented cyclists reach their full potential and allow them to pass into the ranks of professional cyclists. Some big name Quebec cyclists who went through this development team are:
David Veilleux
David Veilleux (born 26 November 1987) is a Canadian former professional cyclist, who competed as a professional between 2011 and 2013. He is best known for his victories in the Italian semi-classic Tre Valli Varesine in 2012 and winning a stage ...
(first Quebec cyclist to participate in the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
within the professional continental team
Europcar
Europcar Mobility Group is a French car rental company founded in 1949 in Paris. The head office of the holding company, Europcar Group S.A., is in the business park of Val Saint-Quentin at Voisins-le-Bretonneux (Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines), Fr ...
),
Antoine Duchesne (who joined Europcar in 2014 and is now part of
Groupama FDJ),
Hugo Houle (a member of the
UCI World Tour
The UCI WorldTour is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an annual ranking system based upon perfor ...
AG2R La Mondiale
AG2R La Mondiale is a French multinational insurance firm headquartered in Paris that engages in global insurance, financial services, supplementary retirement fund and supplementary pension.
With €29 billion in contributions in (2017), AG2R ...
team from 2013 and now with
Astana-Premier Tech
XDS Astana Team () is a professional road bicycle racing cycling team, team sponsored by the Samruk-Kazyna, a coalition of state-owned companies from Kazakhstan and named after its capital (political), capital city Astana. Astana attained UCI Pro ...
), as well as Canadian
Michael Woods Michael Woods may refer to:
*Michael Woods (Australian politician) (1857–1934), member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
*Michael Woods (comics), American writer/editor of comic books
*Michael Woods (cyclist) (born 1986), Canadian cyclist
*M ...
(who will start his 2021 season within the UCI World Tour
Israel Start-Up Nation
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. It occupies the Pale ...
cycling team.)
Through conferences and cycling events, Louis Garneau is socially involved with the organization
Les Petits Frères, whose committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly.
On December 22, 2018, Garneau launched the international "Don't Text and Drive" day, in memory of his cycling friend
Jason Lowndes, who died on his bike during a training session in Australia, by a distracted driver, on December 22, 2017.
Top honours as a cyclist
* 1975
** First place at Canadian Junior Team Championship
* 1976
** Provincial Junior Champion
* 1977
** Track Cycling Canada Championships , Team Pursuit Canada Championship
* 1978
** Track Cycling Canada Championships , Canadian Champion in Individual Pursuit
** Quebec Team Pursuit Championship
* 1979
** Canadian Road Cycling Championships , Canadian Time Trial Champion
** Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
** Marc Blouin Grand Prix
** Grand Prix de Sutton
** Critérium de Verdun
* 1980
** Maine International Bicycle Race
** Vancouver Criterium
** Canada Week Grand Prix
* 1981
** Grand Prix de Lévis
** Tour de la Gaspésie
** Grand Prix cycliste de Beauport
** Sherbrooke Award
** Canada Week Awards
** Price Italian Super Prestige
** Grand Prix Terre des Hommes
** Critérium de Contrecœur
* 1982
** Canada Week Awards
** Provincial Road Championship
* 1983
**
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, also known as the Longsjo Classic, was an annual road bicycle racing, bicycle stage race, race held in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States. The race began in 1960 as the Arthur M. Longsjo Jr ...
**
Ocean Gate Tower
** Hartford Criterium
** Lebanon Grand Prix
He competed in the
individual road race event at the
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...
.
Honours
* 1990 –
Raymond-Blais Medal
* 1997 – Chevalier de l'
Ordre national du Québec
The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (National ...
* 1999 – Officer of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
* 2007 – Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa
*2012 – Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Medal
* 2014 – Recipient of the Medal of Honour of the Quebec National Assembly
* 2015 – Recipient of one of 50 Canadian flags awarded by the Prime Minister to 50 deserving Canadians on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the
Maple Leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is most widely recognized as the national symbols of Canada, national symbol of Canada.
History of use in Canada
By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by ...
References
External links
Louis Garneau's websiteBBC article about the photograph of Garneau and the Queen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garneau, Louis
1958 births
Living people
Canadian male cyclists
Cyclists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Knights of the National Order of Quebec
Officers of the Order of Canada
Olympic cyclists for Canada
Cyclists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games competitors for Canada
Cyclists from Quebec City
20th-century Canadian sportsmen