Jules Béland

Jules Béland was a Canadian cyclist who was active in the late 1960s. In 1966 Béland rode in the Tour of Mexico, but was unable to finish due to a fall. After finishing ninth in the road race at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, he was selected to represent Canada at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. At the Games he participated in the road race, but did not finish the course, and placed 25th with his compatriots in the team time trial. By 1971 he had retired from cycling and went to work for the Molson Brewery company, working as a beer delivery driver for 40 years.

Béland remained active in sport including judo, karate, and cross-country skiing, competing in the 1989 World Masters Championships in the latter. He continued to cycle too, riding many thousands of kilometres each summer. Béland was inducted into the Québec Cycling Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Drummondville Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. Since 2016 the Jules Béland Classic cycling race has taken place in and around L’Avenir.