Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa

It was supposed to be hush-hush, but when has that stopped us ? Word from Beacon Hill is that an international, 1,000-mile bike race - a la the Tour de France - is headed to Boston this summer.

Some 120 cyclists - 15 teams of eight riders - will start off from Montreal on Aug. 5, travel through Vermont and New Hampshire, and then finish up in Boston on Aug. 12.

While on the Boston leg, the cyclists will make a 90-mile loop through the city - actually, it will be a 9-mile loop that they’ll make 10 times - finishing up on Charles Street between the Common and Public Garden.

This bicycle buzz came out of a super-secret meeting at the Parkman House the other night attended by Mayor Tom Menino and his special events peeps; Rich Krezwick and Jonathan Paris of the Mass. Sports Partnership; Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas; Dr. Susan Lynch, the first lady of New Hampshire; assorted officials from Quebec and Montreal; and Boston Bruins [team stats] icon Ray Bourque.

Now, before you pose the obvious “Pourquoi ?” who better than the Quebec-bred Bourque - who continues to live in Boston even after fleeing to the Colorado Avalanche and retiring from NHL - to bring together both countries ?

“Ray’s the real deal,” said Someone Who Was There.

The race, which won’t be just some sporty tourism stunt, will be sanctioned by United Cycling International, which is the sport’s governing body, and will feature top professional bike racers.

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