News – Page 50 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

CYCLING CANADA COVID-19 UPDATE

Ottawa, ON (March 13, 2020) – The COVID-19 pandemic is a novel and rapidly changing situation. Cycling Canada has been monitoring what national and global health agencies are recommending; the best practices being adopted by other Canadian sport organizations and businesses; and travel restrictions that are being put into place around the world.

Our current travel recommendations for Cycling Canada athletes, officials, coaches and staff are below. “Essential” events are ones that have a direct impact on Olympic or Paralympic qualification and preparation; travel to those should be restricted to targeted athletes and key staff, and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Please note that these recommendations may change as the situation evolves.

Avoid all non-essential travel by mass transit (bus, train or plane); travel by car if possible.
Avoid attending non-essential events, particularly indoor events attended by large numbers of people.
Avoid travel to affected areas (see the WHO and Health Canada websites for the latest information).
Travel to essential events will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and must be authorized by Cycling Canada senior management.
Cycling Canada will attempt to accommodate those who are unable to travel or do not wish to travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides the potential health risk, there is a risk of imposed quarantine while abroad or upon return to Canada – this should be addressed in contingency plans.

Status of Domestic Events

In order to support the efforts from public health authorities to minimize the transmission of the virus, Cycling Canada is recommending that all cycling events on the Cycling Canada calendar between March 15^th and May 1^st be postponed or cancelled. This includes the postponement of the 2020 Canadian Youth & Para Track Cycling Championships originally scheduled for April 3-5 in Milton Ontario.

Calendar link: https://cyclingcanada.ca/events-results/find-events/

As this is a rapidly evolving situation, Cycling Canada will reassess the situation on April 3 for events that are scheduled between May 2^nd and June 14^th. Due to the wide range of events and jurisdictions, we are recommending that our provincial and territorial associations implement a similar process. We believe this is in the best interest of the cycling community and public health at large. Event organizers should consult with their local government and health agencies to determine the risk associated with their event.

Cycling Canada will continue to publish updates as they become available. We are committed to ensuring that our members have access to the most current information.

Organizers who are concerned that their event will be impacted should contact their provincial and territorial associations, all of whom are prepared to assist with the postponement or cancelation process.

We will work diligently and collaboratively with our organizers and provincial organisations to reschedule as many of our planned events as possible.

Hygiene recommendations that apply to everyone:

Wash your hands frequently.
Cover both your nose and mouth when coughing. Try to cough or sneeze into your arm, away from others, or into tissue paper (to be disposed in toilet). Wash your hands immediately afterwards.
Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness.
Face masks are most effective in preventing transmission when worn by the person who is ill.

Resources:

Health Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html
World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Government of Canada advice on mass gatherings: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/mass-gatherings-risk-assesment.html
Government of Canada Travel Advice & Advisories: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

March 13, 2020/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA STATEMENT REGARDING UCI INVESTIGATION INTO DOLTCINI-VAN EYCK SPORT WOMEN’S TEAM

Ottawa, ON (March 2, 2020) – Cycling Canada wishes to express its support of the courageous statement given this week by Canadian athlete Maggie Coles-Lyster regarding abuse when competing for the Lares-Waowdeals Women Cycling Team, now known as Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport. The UCI has opened a formal investigation into the Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport women’s team after two riders alleged abuses with the team.

We applaud the courage of these women in stepping forward to challenge and change the sport system and we are confident that their acts of bravery will protect youth for generations to come in sport.

Cycling Canada is committed to the Safe Sport movement and believes that all members have the right to participate in a safe environment that is free of abuse, harassment or discrimination. The organization is currently developing a Safe Sport framework, which includes policy, education and advocacy initiatives. For more information, click here.

March 3, 2020/by Communications

CANADA WRAPS UP BERLIN WORLDS WITH FIVE TOP-5S

Berlin, Germany (March 1, 2020) – In the last qualifying event before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Canada did not earn any medals, but finished the competition with three fourth places and two fifth places. The 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships saw numerous World Records shattered, while Canadian athletes set a new national record in the women’s Team Pursuit.

Canada opened the competition with a fifth place in the Team Sprint for Lauriane Genest and Kelsey Mitchell, who were teaming up for one of the first times in their careers. Kelsey Mitchell went on to break into the upper echelon of world class sprinters with a fourth place in the Sprint competition, only two years after joining the National Team Program.

The women’s endurance squad showed considerable development since the 2016 Rio Olympics, lowering the Canadian record by 2s and finishing fourth in the Team Pursuit. Annie Foreman-Mackey earned a 5th place finish in the Individual Pursuit, while Vincent de Haitre also rode very well in the Kilo setting the fourth fastest time, missing the podium by the narrowest of margins.

“It’s been a pretty hard fought world championships,” said Brendon Cameron, Head Track Coach for Canada. “The athletes and staff have worked really, really hard in the final year of a four year [Olympic] qualification. A big difference is that equipment innovation has been rolled out a lot earlier than for previous Olympic Games, but I think we are ‘in the game’ in a lot of events.”

March 1, 2020/by Communications

MITCHELL AND DE HAITRE FINISH JUST OFF THE PODIUM AT BERLIN TRACK WORLDS

Berlin, Germany (February 29, 2020) – Canada had another strong showing on day three of the UCI Track World Championships in Berlin as Kelsey Mitchell and Vincent de Haitre secured fourth place finishes in their respective events. Both were racing at the World Championships for the first time in their cycling careers.

Vincent de Haitre had an impressive qualifying ride in the Kilo setting a personal best and qualifying with the fourth fastest time. The Ottawa native and Olympic speed skater went even faster in the final round setting a time of 1:00.119 and coming just .016s off the podium.

In the women’s Sprint semifinals, Kelsey Mitchell faced Anastasiia Voinova, pushing the Russian to three rides but did not advance to the gold medal final, instead facing last year’s world champion Wai Sze Lee for bronze. Mitchell faced a tough matchup with the veteran rider from Hong Kong and lost out in two rides but once again showed how far she has come since joining the cycling program just two years ago.

“Fourth place at my first Worlds in the Olympic year…I’m obviously happy to make it to the finals but fourth is tough,” said Mitchell. “There’s no way around it; watching the other three get a medal was hard, but getting those extra races in will definitely help me learn. I’m racing some of the best and learning every single time.”

February 29, 2020/by Communications

FOURTH PLACE FOR CANADA’S WOMEN’S TEAM PURSUIT SQUAD AT BERLIN WORLDS

Berlin, Germany (February 27, 2020) – Canada had another solid day at the 2020 UCI Track World Championships in Berlin, with the women’s Team Pursuit squad setting their second national record in as many days and sprint sensation Kelsey Mitchell breezing through the Sprint competition, making her way to the semifinals.

Three Canadians took the start in the women’s Sprint competition, with Sarah Orban and Kelsey Mitchell competing in their first-ever Track World Championships. Genest and Mitchell were respectively 6^th and 7^th in qualifying, with Mitchell beating Japan’s Ritu Ohta in the 1/16 finals to face Germany’s Lea Friedrich in the quarterfinals. In two closely contested rides, Mitchell powered her way to a place in tomorrow’s semifinals. Lauriane Genest went head-to-head with teammate Sarah Orban to advance to the 1/8 finals before being stopped by Lithuania’s Simona Krupeckaite.

In the Team Pursuit, Canada’s women’s squad of Georgia Simmerling, Annie Foreman-Mackey, Allison Beveridge and Jasmin Duehring set a new Canadian record with an amazing ride of 4:12.627 in Round 1, before finishing 4^th in the bronze medal final against Germany.

I think we can definitely take some positives from the past two days,” said Annie Foreman-Mackey. “In terms of breaking the Canadian record it shows that we have taken steps since the world cups in December, so we are going to use that as motivation.”

The Track World Championships continue on Friday with the Sprint semifinals, the women’s Omnium, the men’s 1km Time Trial and the men’s Points Race. Head to Flobikes to watch the competitions or click here for full results.

February 28, 2020/by Communications

STRONG START FOR CANADA AT 2020 TRACK WORLDS

Berlin, Germany (February 26, 2020) – Canada had a strong start to the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin, the last qualifying event before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Both the women’s Team Pursuit and women’s Team Sprint squads posted very fast rides while Canada’s men’s Team Pursuit were also in action against an extremely competitive field.

The first day opened with the Team Pursuit qualifying with Canada’s endurance squads coming off a two-month long training block in New Zealand. The Canadian women’s team of Allison Beveridge, Jasmin Duehring, Annie Foreman-Mackey and Georgia Simmerling had a fantastic ride in qualifying smashing the previous Canadian record by nearly 1.5s with a time of 4:12.728. On Thursday, they will face Great Britain in Round 1 with the winner heading to the gold medal final.

“It was a very pleasing ride,” said Matt Shallcrass, Cycling Canada’s Women’s Track Endurance Coach. “We’ve made some pretty big steps from the World Cup season and this shows that our hard work over the New Zealand summer paid off.”

Lauriane Genest and Kelsey Mitchell kicked off the women’s sprint events with the Team Sprint, where the duo was competing together for the first time at the world championships level. The pair set a fast time of 32.829 to qualify in third place and faced Germany in the first round. Despite a strong ride, the pair was narrowly beat by .058s and finished in 5th place.

February 27, 2020/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA HEADS INTO LAST TRACK COMPETITION OF THE SEASON

Ottawa, ON (February 13, 2020) – Cycling Canada has selected a team of 13 riders to represent the country at the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin from February 26 to March 1, which will mark the end of the qualification period for the Tokyo Olympics.

The sprint squad will be led by continental Sprint champion and 200 m world record holder Kelsey Mitchell, who will be making her world championships debut after winning four world cups medals this season. She will be joined by continental Keirin champion Lauriane Genest, as well as RBC Training Ground athlete Sarah Orban.

Olympic bronze medalists Allison Beveridge, Georgia Simmerling and Jasmin Duehring will be leading the women’s track endurance team, with Annie Foreman-Mackey and Ariane Bonhomme rounding out the squad. On the men’s side, the young team of Derek Gee, Michael Foley, Adam Jamieson, former speed-skater Vincent De Haitre and Jay Lamoureux will be looking to earn a fifth men’s endurance spot for Tokyo.

“The world championships in Berlin mark the end of the Olympic qualification period and they’re also the last time we’re going to see all of our main Olympic rivals in action before the Tokyo Games,” said Kris Westwood, High Performance Director at Cycling Canada. “For us, it’s a chance to see where we stand on the world stage. Our endurance teams are just wrapping up a very successful preparation block in New Zealand, which bodes well for the worlds. I’m really looking forward to seeing how our sprint women do, particularly Kelsey Mitchell who will be racing her first-ever world championships. Remember, two years ago, she didn’t even own a bicycle!”

(TP – Team Pursuit, OM – Omnium, PTS – Points Race, IP – Individual Pursuit, TS – Team Sprint, SP – Sprint, KE – Keirin)

Women’s Sprint
Kelsey Mitchell – Sherwood Park, AB [TS, SP, KE]
Lauriane Genest – Lévis, QC [TS, SP, KE]
Sarah Orban – Calgary, AB [SP, 500m TT]

Women’s Endurance
Allison Beveridge – Calgary, AB [TP, OM]
Georgia Simmerling – Calgary, AB [TP, IP]
Annie Foreman-Mackey – Kingston, ON [TP, IP]
Jasmin Duehring – North Vancouver, BC [TP]
Ariane Bonhomme – Gatineau, QC [TP, IP]

Men’s Endurance
Derek Gee – Ottawa, ON [TP, OM]
Michael Foley – Milton, ON [TP, PTS]
Vincent De Haitre – Ottawa, ON [TP, Kilo TT]
Jay Lamoureux – Victoria, BC [TP]
Adam Jamieson – Barrie, ON [TP]

February 13, 2020/by Communications

AFEX ANNOUNCES 3-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH CYCLING CANADA

Ottawa, ON (February 4, 2020) – AFEX, a leading foreign exchange and risk management specialist, is proud to be the new official FX partner for Cycling Canada over the next three years. As the Official Global Payments partner, AFEX will help the organization, its teams and supporters manage their international payments needs.

“We’re delighted to extend our support for Cycling Canada,” said Christian Spaltenstein, Managing Director, AFEX Americas. “We’re proud to be associated with the organization and the work they do to foster the development of young athletes and promote the sport of cycling across Canada. The commitment and excellence of the Canadian teams, and the healthy competition they demonstrate, are values we strive to emulate in everything we do.”

Cycling Canada Executive Director Matthew Jeffries added, “We’re thrilled to add AFEX to our existing partners and are proud to have them on board as our official Global Payments Partner. Cycling is a sport that transcends borders, as does AFEX’s reach, creating a natural fit for us and our partners. We look forward to a long working relationship with AFEX and their teams across Canada.”

AFEX provides a full portfolio of customizable FX and risk management solutions to businesses and individuals across Canada and around the world. As a trusted business partner, taking the complexities of global payments and FX risk out of the equation, AFEX helps clients scale operations and achieve their vision of global growth.

About AFEX

AFEX is one of the world’s largest privately held global payments and risk management specialists, providing a tailored solution since 1979. With offices across Canada and the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific, AFEX helps commercial and private clients around the world to better manage their international transactions. With a full portfolio of strategic, secure and cost-effective solutions supported by state-of-the art technologies, AFEX offers personalized support to help clients reach their business goals. Please visit afex.com/Canada to learn more.

February 4, 2020/by Communications

FOUR MEDALS AND MULTIPLE RECORDS FOR CANADA AT THE MILTON PARA TRACK WORLDS

Milton, ON (February 3, 2020) – The 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships concluded on Sunday after four days of intense competition at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario. Canada had a strong outing, with riders winning four medals – one gold and three silver – as well as setting two world records and multiple Canadian records.

“It’s been a really good Worlds for Team Canada this week,” said Sebastien Travers, Head Coach of the Para-cycling program. “Racing on home soil is exceptional for us and we are so thankful to have this experience. All of our athletes were able to achieve personal bests, which means that our preparation was successful and our athletes were able to showcase what they are capable of.”

A total of 151 athletes, representing 31 nations participated in the Championships, the final international track event before the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. A record number of 36 world records were set at the Championships, testifying to the depth of competition as nations build towards the Games.

February 3, 2020/by Communications

CANADA CONTINUES TO IMPRESS AT MILTON PARA TRACK WORLDS

Milton, ON (February 2, 2020) – Canada’s Tristen Chernove won two more silver medals in front of a home crowd at the 2020 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships on Saturday after winning his first medal in the Kilo on Friday. Canada has now earned four medals at these championships- one gold and three silver.

Chernove came into the men’s C2 final Omnium race second in the standings behind Alexandre Leaute of France, as the riders started the Scratch Race, where Chernove was the defending champion. Chernove rode a smart, tactical race, however, unheralded Spanish rider Maurice Eckhard snuck away in the final six laps and opened a gap when the favourites hesitated. Chernove attacked in the final lap and a half, but was half a bike length short at the finish line, having to settle for silver in both the race and the overall Omnium championship after four events.

“I feel good about the race and the way I raced; I stepped up my confidence again after a pretty rough start to the weekend. Maurice got the win, which is terrific for him. With a couple of laps to go I realized it was up to me, and I had to risk burning matches. I reeled him in, but was just a second or two too late,” said Chernove.

In other Canadian results, the new Canadian men’s tandem team of Lowell Taylor and his pilot Ed Veal set a new Canadian record in their first ever attempt at the 1000 metre time trial, with a time of 1:04.722, while Keely Shaw came within 75-thousandths of a second of winning the bronze medal in the C4 women’s Individual Pursuit.

February 2, 2020/by Communications