Cover photo credit : Tammy Brimner 

Trade teams are pivotal for an athlete’s career. They give riders from junior, U23 and elite categories the unique opportunity to not only show off their talent but to work with partners for the first time. These teams teach athletes the value of promoting themselves while representing a team that will help propel them to professional racing.

At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Cycling Canada chatted with a few of our trade teams including Red Truck Racing, Siboire, Stimulus-Orbea, Project Dialed In and SPS to share what it means to be a trade team, what they’ve learned from past seasons and goals for the future.

Siboire
Based out of Sherbrooke, QC, Siboire really solidified themselves as a team during 2022 Championship racing.

“Everyone had their best performances at the Canadian Championships,” said team owner, Nicolas Taillefer. “So that was a really, really impressive and big moment for us this year.”

Realizing the difficulties of staying motivated in an individual sport, Siboire is keen to develop athletes starting at the U17 category. They want to give young riders the resources to learn how to self-motivate early on as they progress through their careers, potentially having to train alone without the support of coaches or teammates.

“We find it important to include U17 athletes in our team because that’s what’s going to bring them up in the junior level. I think this year it’s going to make a big difference.”

Looking ahead, the team hopes to share the benefits of riding with a bigger group of athletes. This will pay dividends when it comes to racing not only at home at Canadian Championships but also overseas at world cups. It also gives the opportunity for athletes to work with sponsors to get the financial support needed to race.

While individual performance is at the top of any athlete’s mind, Siboire shows that it’s the team that surrounds them that sticks out. The Quebec team always sees an individual win as a team win and celebrates all victories, big or small.

Stimulus Orbea
By now, people have heard the names of Canadian Championship medallists Ava and Isabella Holmgren, as well as Ian Ackert, Marin Lowe and Roxane Vermette, who are all members of the mountain bike, cyclo-cross and road team, Stimulus Orbea. At its helm is Cycling Canada National Team Coach, Rob Holmgren.

While reaching the domestic and international podium is something that athletes are hungry for, Stimulus Orbea’s objective is to have a team that acts as a family, explained team owner Marc Ackert. Young athletes are on the road for weeks if not months at a time, away from a normal schedule, school and immediate family, which comes with a lot of stress. Stimulus Orbea believes that it is the job of coaches and team members to create an environment that replicates a family knowing the amount of time spent together and the pressures that can come with traveling, racing and practicing.

“Our objective is who fits in the sprinter van for two weeks,” explained Ackert. “It comes down to who supports each other. A huge part of what our athletes learned this year was what they what they need to prepare themselves. Some athletes are still in school (Grade 12), so making sure there’s appropriate internet at places where they’re being housed.”

Like anything, there are always learning curves and the team takes any opportunity for improvement, from taking social media lessons to ensuring their partners remain a priority. After a difficult two seasons plagued with COVID-19, Ackert says just being able to see athletes race was one of the team’s highlights of the 2022 season and they’re excited for what’s to come.

Project Dialed In
The Atlantic-based team, Project Dialed In, wants to inspire their current team while also getting more kids into the sport.

“I think one of the successes we’re now starting to see is younger riders from Atlantic Canada, or from anywhere, wanting to join our team,” said team owner Luc Arseneau. “I really want to fill that gap from the club to the national team. We’re starting to see kids and parents approaching saying, ‘In three years when my kids are old enough, what does he or she need to do to join your team so that we can take it to the next step?’”

It’s encouraging for Project Dialed In as they grow their team. Not only is there significant interest but the team is aware of the level of cycling infrastructure in the Atlantic provinces. The cycling network on the roads and trails give kids plenty of tools and opportunities to develop their skills on the bike. The next step is to get athletes racing internationally so they can bring their experience and lessons learned back to home and strengthen the team mentality.

“Next season I want to level up some of the riders. A few of them should be more experienced, so they can share that,” said Arseneau. “You can race a full season of world cups on your own, you don’t necessarily need a team. But if you want to make it more fun, if you’re always on the road, if you’re always everywhere, you need that team attitude.”

Project Dialed In has already had success domestically with the vast majority of the team qualifying for 2022 Canada Games in Niagara, ON.

Red Truck Racing
It’s hard to miss the track and road athletes of Red Truck Racing with their bright red kits and dominant performances. Despite the team being around for quite some time, being a Cycling Canada trade team is relatively new for them. As they navigate all the demands of a large team, they are constantly learning.

They’re nothing but impressed with what their riders take on. While some have their focus on training and racing, others have the balancing act of being student-athletes.

“It’s tough to do school and try to compete and train,” explained team owner Steve Engh. “We get some pretty amazing young people because they’re studying and competing at the semi-pro level. There are times where they finished a five-day stage race and for half of that trip they’ve been in the books studying or getting ready for exams in between.”

One of the ways that Red Truck supports their student-athletes is by acquiring sponsors to help alleviate the financial stress that comes with practice, travel and competition.

“We’ve got 50 sponsors who all write smaller checks and that’s what makes it work. It’s a model that’s a bit more maintenance but it’s because you’ve got this great mob of people hanging around it at events and it creates more of a community.”

With such a large squad and number of sponsors, Red Truck believes it’s those around them that lift them up. They want to continue to see success on the bike and ensure they maintain a training environment that helps each athlete at any stage of their career.

SPS
SPS, the Saskatchewan team that predominately focuses on road racing, has the goal of developing junior riders to reach their full potential.

“We’re focused on being a great team and progressing people to the next level,” said team owner, Russell Down. “If in the future we get to be in a scenario where we become a U23 team that would be great but for now we’re focused on the juniors.”

One way they help athletes gain valuable racing and training experience is by teaching the riders how to work as a team and be transparent about their journey through the sport.

Successes include winning the junior men’s criterium Championship title at the Canadian Road Championships and having some of their athletes race at Tour d’Abitibi. The team also took part in European projects training and racing, where they were able to see room for improvement for both athletes and the sport as a whole.

“I think it’s kind of a challenge for us to look at all the parts that are needed to make this work. The athletes and coaches need equipment; you need people behind you. You need to do your job and know how to represent sponsors. We started to see the athletes make sure they had the hashtags to stand out there and make sure they said the ‘thank you’s’. They’re starting to understand that to do this sport, they require work from others and you need to be grateful.”

Their vision of what the team and sport could and can be helps them develop a pathway for each and every rider to become gracious champions.

Registration is now open for 2023 Cycling Canada Trade Teams, with the teams being announced officially in early March.