The chequered flags and crowned champions of Hochelaga’s most joyful race

Now a neighbourhood's proudest annual tradition, here's how far an all-access triporteur (mobility aid) course has come over the years.

Marie Rousseau

Marie Rousseau

24 juillet 2025- Read time: 6 min
The chequered flags and crowned champions of Hochelaga’s most joyful racePhotography by Marie Rousseau / @marieourse

“This event is something we don’t see anywhere else,” says organizer and time keeper Pierre-Alexandre. “It’s unique to Hochelaga—and we’re proud it’s part of our cultural landscape.”

Loulou Leblanc rolls triumphantly around the course in a red wig, one hand on the steering wheel while her amputated arm clutches a water bottle. She’s just won second place.

Loulou Leblanc celebrating her second place.

The Course des Glorieux Triporteurs started in 2019 when Patrick Legault, the director of the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Société de développement commercial (SDC), asked the locals with triporteurs—three-wheeled electric mobility scooters commonly used by people with disabilities or limited mobility—if they would participate in a friendly race. The now-iconic Hochelaga event has only grown since, and now includes quadriporteurs and electric wheelchairs.

Article réservé aux membres

Découvrez Montréal autrement. Rejoignez la communauté The Main.

Lisez cet article gratuitement.

Entrez votre courriel pour débloquer votre premier article et recevoir The Bulletin, notre infolettre sur la bouffe, l’art et la culture locale.

  • 5 articles gratuits par mois
  • Sauvegardez vos adresses et guides
  • Infolettre hebdo The Main Brief
  • Restez branché sur la culture montréalaise

Allez plus loin. Devenez Insider.

Faites partie d’une communauté qui soutient les histoires montréalaises indépendantes et célèbre les gens qui font vivre la culture.

Subscribe
  • Accès illimité à tous les articles
  • Contenu exclusif & perspectives locales
  • Offres spéciales et invitations à nos événements
  • 10 % de rabais à la boutique
  • Soutenez les médias locaux indépendants

Déjà membre? Se connecter

Enjoying what you're reading?

Related articles

Radical proximity is the antidote to digital exhaustion
The Main

Radical proximity is the antidote to digital exhaustion

A new wave of gatherings in Montreal—dinners with strangers, life drawing, and apartment galleries—is bringing back the risk and reward of unscripted human contact.

If you want to understand Montreal's dance scene, start with Ferias
J.P. Karwacki

If you want to understand Montreal's dance scene, start with Ferias

Guthrie Drake and Alina Byrne built their dance community on borrowed time, clandestine spaces, and the belief that range matters more than genre.

Old Montreal's losing its soul and we've got to get it back
Kevin Demers

Old Montreal's losing its soul and we've got to get it back

"Nine years running bars in the neighbourhood has taught me one thing: we're fumbling what should be our greatest asset."

Things to do in Montreal during November
The Main

Things to do in Montreal during November

The best things to do in Montreal during November bring enough festivals, holiday markets, and cultural programming to make you forget the cold.

Illustrator Raymond Biesinger's self-defence guide against getting ripped off
J.P. Karwacki

Illustrator Raymond Biesinger's self-defence guide against getting ripped off

After two decades of wage theft and rip-offs, a Montreal illustrator pens a tactical guide to defending creative work.

Montreal's got a nightlife policy, so why are venues still at risk?
Max Honigmann

Montreal's got a nightlife policy, so why are venues still at risk?

A year into the city's first-ever nightlife framework, the future of Montreal's independent venues still hangs in the balance.