MILTON, February 13, 2017. – Riders from across Canada, plus the United States, attended the Eastern Challenge track competition on February 11th and 12th at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario.

Over 50 male and female athletes in the Under 17 and Junior categories competed in events ranging from the Individual Pursuit to the Sprint and Keirin, to mass start competitions such as the Points Race and Elimination.

The Eastern Challenge and Western Challenge (which takes place February 24-25) were created by Cycling Canada following the Track Competition review of the domestic competition system for track. Among the recommendations from the review were the creation of events aimed at development riders; to give them the opportunity to race an event with a caliber (and degree of organization) comparable to the Canadian Track Championships p/b Lexus.  This will give riders the opportunity to measure their preparedness for the world championships selection that takes place at the Championships.

Cycling Canada has been working in collaboration with the Ontario Cycling Association (OCA) for the Eastern Challenge and with Cycling BC in British Columbia for the Western Challenge.

“It’s great to have a chance to see the riders progress and this event also gave us a chance to witness some of the new talents coming in through the U17 ranks,” said Jessika Grand Bois, Track Coordinator at Cycling Canada. “It was an excellent collaboration with OCA and we are grateful they offered the athletes two great days of racing, just 6 weeks away from the U17/Junior/Para Canadian Track Championships.”

Some of the top performers included Sydney Flageole-Bray (Team NCCH p/b DEC Express) of Ontario, who set a new Canadian record in the Under 17 men’s Individual Pursuit as well as winning the Scratch Race and Elimination, 13 year old Dylan Bibic (Midweek Cycling Club) of Ontario who won the Under 17 men’s Keirin, Sprint and Points Race, and Michael Foley (La Bicicletta Cycling Club) of Ontario who won the Junior men’s Points Race, Scratch Race and Individual Pursuit.  In the women, Erin Attwell (Trek Red Truck) of British Columbia was the Junior women’s champion in the Points Race, Elimination, Scratch Race and Individual Pursuit.  Charlotte Creswicke (Kallisto-FCV p/b Peloton Contracting) won the Junior women’s Keirin and Sprint, while Elizabeth Archbold (Madonna Wheelers Cycling Club) of Ontario won the Under 17 women’s Individual Pursuit and Points Race.

The Western Challenge will take place at the B.C. Lower Mainland Burnaby Velodrome, on February 24-25, for Under-15, Under-17, Junior, Elite and Masters athletes. Spectators will be encouraged to attend on both evenings and, aside from the racing, highlights will include: a beer garden, food truck, DJ, and a host of family friendly activities. Alberta has already confirmed that they will be sending their provincial team.

WESTERN CHALLENGE
Organizer: Kelyn Akuna and Cycling BC
Dates: Friday, February 24 – Saturday, February 25, 2017
Where: Burnaby, BC
Events for U15, U17, Jr, Elite & Masters
Registration:  https://cyclingcanada.ca/sport/track/events/type-of-event/domestic/

Click here to watch the races:

Eastern Challenge (February 11)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxbA5lqBYIE

Eastern Challenge (February 12)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkrIwJ0RRb4

OTTAWA, February 7, 2017. – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the teams that will represent Canada at the final two rounds of the UCI Track World Cup in late February. Round 3 of the World Cup will take place in Cali, Colombia on February 17-19, followed one week later by the World Cup final in Los Angeles, California, on February 25-26.
Canada will send a full men’s and women’s sprint squad to both events, led by Rio Olympians Kate O’Brien of Calgary, AB, and Hugo Barrette of Iles de la Madeleine, QC.  O’Brien will be joined by Amelia Walsh of Ayr, ON, who will be attending her first World Cup, and will team up with O’Brien for the Team Sprint.  O’Brien will also compete in the Sprint and Keirin events.

Barrette will be joined on the men’s squad by Stefan Ritter [Edmonton, AB], the 2016 Junior world champion and world record holder for the Kilo, plus Joel Archambault [St-Christine, QC] and Patrice St-Louis-Pivin [Sherbrooke, QC].  The team will compete in the Team Sprint, with Barrette also competing in the Keirin and Sprint, while Ritter will race the Kilo.
On the endurance side, Canada will send a women’s squad to both events, but not the men’s team, who competed in the first two rounds of the World Cup, winning the Team Pursuit in Apeldoorn, Netherlands and finishing third in Glasgow, Scotland.

For Cali, the squad will consist of Rio Olympic bronze medalist Laura Brown [Calgary, AB], plus Steph Roorda [Vancouver, BC], Kinley Gibson [Edmonton, AB] and Ariane Bonhomme [Gatineau, QC].  They will compete in the Team Pursuit, as well as the Scratch Race, Points Race and Omnium.  Selections for the individual events will take place closer to the event dates.

At the final round in Los Angeles, Brown and Roorda will be joined by two more members of the Rio squad – Jasmin Duehring [Vancouver, BC] and Kirsti Lay [Montreal, QC] – plus Rio alternate and current national road champion, Annie Foreman-Mackey [Kingston, ON].  In addition to the Team Pursuit, riders will compete in the Madison, Scratch Race and Individual Pursuit.  Selections for the individual events will take place closer to the event dates.

“The Cali World Cup marks the start of the second part of the World Cup season and the first time our sprint and women’s track endurance programs hit the boards in this level of competition since the Olympic Games,” explained Jacques Landry, Director of High Performance at Cycling Canada.  “This first incursion into higher level of international competition since August will serve as a gauge to see where other countries are in terms of being competitive in this new quadrennial.”

“Our men’s track endurance program, in the first two World Cups, have set the bar with a third place and a win in the Team Pursuit events, and so it will be interesting to see what our sprint and women’s track endurance programs can come up with; keeping in mind of course that Tokyo is still 1,260 days away.”

Women
Sprint
Kate O’Brien – Calgary, AB [Cali, Los Angeles]
Amelia Walsh – Ayr, ON [Cali, Los Angeles]

Endurance
Ariane Bonhomme – Gatineau, QC [Cali]
Laura Brown – Calgary, AB [Cali, Los Angeles]
Jasmin Duehring – Vancouver, BC [Los Angeles]
Annie Foreman-Mackey – Kingston, ON [Los Angeles]
Kinley Gibson – Edmonton, AB [Cali]
Steph Roorda – Vancouver, BC [Cali, Los Angeles]
Kirsti Lay – Montreal, QC [Los Angeles]

Men
Joel Archambault – St-Christine, QC [Cali, Los Angeles]
Hugo Barrette – Iles de la Madeleine, QC [Cali, Los Angeles]
Stefan Ritter – Edmonton, AB [Cali, Los Angeles]
Patrice St-Louis-Pivin – Sherbrooke, QC [Cali, Los Angeles]

BERLIN, Jan. 26, 2017. – Two members of Canada’s world-class women’s track endurance program had a strong start to the 2017 season with multiple podium results at the Berlin 6 Day competition over January 22-24.  Steph Roorda of Vancouver finished fourth overall, while Laura Brown of Calgary won the Scratch Race on the second day of competition.

According to national coach Craig Griffin, the goal of the trip was, “To provide a condensed program of races that will enhance athlete fitness in front of the Cali and LA World Cups in the last two weekends of February.”

Each day of racing included a variety of mass-start competitions, such as Elimination Race, Points Race and Scratch Race, with riders accumulating points based on their results in each event.  The field included both Olympic and world champions.

Roorda got off to a strong start with a third place in the opening day Scratch Race, and followed that up on Day 2 with second places in both the Points and Scratch Races and third in the Elimination.  On the final day she did not achieve any podiums, but still finished fourth in the overall standings, just five points out of third.

Brown struggled on the first day, but in the Day 2 Scratch Race, a well-timed counterattack saw her take a lap on a pack that got caught by surprise. Immediately after Brown made contact with the field, Roorda countered with a move of her own, taking a lap by herself. With both Canadians a lap up on the field, Brown covered a last ditch attack in the final laps to secure the win, for a Canadian 1-2.

“It is hard out there when you are alone,” commented Brown, “but the crowd cheering kept me inspired and going.”

“The girls enjoyed a solid second night of racing,” said Griffin, “overcoming some jet lag and ‘knocking the rust off’ their racing legs. It’s been a while since they’ve raced and it showed the first night. Hopefully they can continue to improve and we will see more podiums as we move into the final World Cups in the lead up to the world championships in April.”