News – Page 99 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

B.C. CONTINUES TO DOMINATE JUNIOR/U17/PARA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

MILTON, April 2, 2017 – Saturday, Day 2 of the 2017 Canadian Track Championships p/b Lexus for Junior, Under-17 and Para cyclists, saw titles awarded for men and women in four different events, for a total of 14 national titles.

Once again, British Columbia was the big winner, with seven titles, followed by five for Ontario. In the Para competition, Alberta and Quebec were the winners.

Maggie Coles-Lyster (TaG Cycling) swept all three of the Junior Women titles, winning the Sprint, Elimination race and Points Race. This brings Coles-Lyster’s total to five gold and one silver medal in the six Junior events contested so far. She is closely followed by fellow B.C rider Riley Pickrell (Tripleshot Cycling) in the Under-17 Men, who won two titles – Points Race and Sprint – to bring his total to five gold medals. A third B.C. rider, Sarah van Dam (Tripleshot Cycling), also won two titles in the Points Race and the Elimination Race, in the Under-17 Women category, bringing her total to four national titles.

Ontario’s Michael Foley (La Bicicletta Cycling) won two gold medals in the Junior Men’s category, in the Points Race and Elimination Race, bringing his total to three for the national championships. In other Ontario results, Je’land Sydney (Kallisto-FVC p/b Peloton Contracting) added the Junior Men’s Sprint title, Madison Dempster (Midweek Cycling) took the Under-17 Women’s Sprint title – her second of the Championships – and Dylan Bibic (Midweek Cycling) won the Under-17 Men’s Elimination title. Bibic, at only 13 years old, is one of the revelations of the Championships.

In Para competition, the Alberta tandem team of Carla Shibley and Erin Rutlan won the women’s competition, while the Quebec team of Mathieu Croteau Daigle and Benoit Lussier took the Men’s tandem title.

The Championships conclude on Sunday with national titles awarded in Team Pursuit, Team Sprint, Madison and Time Trials for Junior and Under-17 women and men, as well as Time Trials for the Para categories.

April 2, 2017/by Communications

12 TITLES AWARDED ON DAY 1 OF U19/U17/PARA TRACK NATIONALS

MILTON, April 1, 2017 – The 2017 Canadian Track Championships p/b Lexus for Junior, Under-17 and Para cyclists opened on Friday at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario, with 12 national titles awarded. Nearly 100 athletes from across Canada are in attendance to compete for national titles. For the Junior category, the Championships have an added significance as the selection event for the world championships team.

National titles were awarded for men and women in three events on Friday – Individual Pursuit, Keirin and Scratch Race – for both the Junior and Under-17 categories. British Columbia was the top province for the day, winning seven national titles, led by Riley Pickrell (Tripleshot Cycling) with three straight wins in the Under-17 category, and Maggie Coles-Lyster (TaG Cycling) with titles in the Junior Women’s Keirin and Scratch Race. Also for British Columbia, Erin Attwell (Cycling BC) took the Junior Women’s Individual Pursuit and Sarah van Dam (Tripleshot Cycling) won the Under-17 Women’s Individual Pursuit.

Ontario was next on the winner’s list with four titles, including Nick Wammes (Kallisto-FCV p/b Peloton Contracting) in the Junior Men’s Keirin, Madison Dempster (Midweek Cycling) in the U17 Women’s Keirin, Elizabeth Archbold (Madonna Wheelers) for the U17 Women’s Scratch and Michael Foley (La Bicicletta Cycling) in the Junior Men’s Scratch. Quebec was the only other province to win a title on the opening day, with Tristan Guillemette (Equipe du Quebec) taking the Junior Men’s Individual Pursuit.

Mathieu Boucher, Performance Development Director at Cycling Canada, said, “What an exciting day of racing! The first day of the U17/U19 Canadian Track Championships p/b Lexus is a testament to the good work that is being done by our coaches and clubs across the country to prepare the next generation of champions.”

The Canadian Track Championships p/b Lexus continue on Saturday with titles to be awarded for Junior, Under-17 and Para athletes, and conclude on Sunday. Admission is free to spectators for all days and all sessions.

April 1, 2017/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA PARTNERS WITH THOUGHT TECHNOLOGY

OTTAWA, March 23, 2017 – Thought Technology has joined Cycling Canada’s family of performance partners with a commitment to provide biofeedback products and technologies to support Canada’s elite cyclists on the road to Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

The long-term partnership will provide state-of-the-art biofeedback and neurofeedback technologies as tools to help evaluate and enhance psychophysiological performances across Cycling Canada’s high performance programs. For over 40 years, Thought Technology has provided technology solutions for optimizing performance across the globe. The Montreal based company has worked with the likes of NASA, the US and international military and police forces, gold-medal winning Olympic athletes, and many of the top professional sports leagues all over the world.

“We are thrilled to welcome Cycling Canada into our peak performance family, and in being welcomed into theirs,” said Lucas Borgo, Sales & Marketing Account Executive. “We look forward to working with them to provide measurable mental performance metrics and mental skills to their competitive teams.”

“Partnering with Thought Technology will allow us to develop a whole new aspect of our mental training service, which is such an important part of helping our team to perform under pressure,” said Andrea Wooles, Sports Science and Medicine Manager for Cycling Canada. “The equipment, training, and expertise that Thought Technology is providing will allow our riders to train their minds using feedback, similar to how they use power meters to help them train their bodies.”

For more information on the various products and solutions offered by Thought Technology, visit http://thoughttechnology.com/.

March 23, 2017/by Communications

NATIONAL TITLES TO BE AWARDED AT U19/U17/PARA TRACK NATIONALS

MILTON, March 21, 2017 – In less than two weeks the most important event in the Junior/U17 and Para track season will take place – the 2017 Canadian Track Championships p/b Lexus. From March 31st to April 2nd, the top men and women in the Under-19 (Junior), Under-17 and Para-cyclist categories from across Canada will converge at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario. Admission is free to spectators for all days and all sessions.

National titles will be awarded in individual and mass start competitions for U19 and U17. For the Junior category, the Championships have an added significance as this will be a selection event for the world championships team. Events include Endurance (Individual Pursuit and Team Pursuit), Sprint (1000m / 500m Time Trial, Keirin, Team Sprint and Sprint) and Mass Start (Points Race, Elimination, Scratch). For the first time, the exciting two-rider Madison race will be added for Junior categories.

On the Para side, the national championship will feature both newcomers to the sport and medal-winning veterans, competing in numerous ability-based classes. Athletes will race for titles in the Individual Pursuit and 1000m / 500m Time Trials. Over the years, Canada has developed a Paralympic and world championship winning program.

“As we start off this new quadrennial leading into the Tokyo Games, the Track Championships are a great opportunity for up-and-coming cyclists and para-cyclists to be noticed by our national program coaches,” said Jacques Landry, Director of High Performance for Cycling Canada. “Coaches and high performance staff are eager to see what these Nationals will produce in the way of future international podium prospects. As participation numbers at Track Nationals continues to grow, so does the track culture in Canada. These are exciting times!”

The 2017 Canadian Track Championships p/b Lexus for Elite and Master categories will take place from September 27-30 at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre.

March 21, 2017/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES TRADE TEAMS FOR 2017

OTTAWA, March 8, 2017 – In its continuing effort to develop programs, policies and services to support Canadian teams, Cycling Canada is pleased to release the list of Cycling Canada Trade Teams as well as UCI Continental and Women’s Teams who have affiliated with our organization for the coming year. Cycling Canada’s success depends on partnership and teamwork and we thank all the affiliated Trade Teams for their support and contribution.

The seven teams who will be taking part in the Cycling Canada Trade Teams program are NCCH Elite p-b MGCC, Team RaceClean, Smart Savvy + Garneau U23 Cycling Team, Transports Lacombe-Devinci, The Cyclery -4iiii, Stingray-Trek par Ultime Vélo and Lowestrates Cycling Team. All will be focused on road with the exception of The Cyclery -4iiii who will include both road and track athletes.

Cycling Canada will also count four UCI Continental and Women’s Road Teams – H&R Block Pro Cycling, Garneau-Quebecor, Silber Pro Cycling and SAS-MACOGEP, the only Canadian UCI Women’s Team. Canada is expecting more good results this year, with Silber Pro Cycling finishing second in the UCI America Tour ranking in 2016.

In other disciplines, Canada will also be working with 4 Mountain Bike UCI Teams – Cannondale-3Rox Racing (XCO), Norco Factory Racing (DH), Norco Factory Team (XCO) and Pivot Cycles – OTE (DH).

Trade Teams affiliated with Cycling Canada will receive benefits from organizers on the Cycling Canada Calendar, including free expo space at Canadian Championship and Canada Cup events. Cycling Canada encourages Canadian Organizers to give priority invitations to Canadian UCI and Cycling Canada Trade Teams to events on the Cycling Canada International and National Calendar when available. The NSO will also promote its Trade Teams through public relations efforts, social media and the Cycling Canada website.

“It’s very exciting to see the list of affiliated Canadians teams for the 2017 season. It is a very encouraging sign of commitment to see these teams and their partners support Canadian athletes who aim to reach international podiums. Trade Teams have such an important role in our ability to support and develop Canadian athletes” said Mathieu Boucher, Director of Performance Development at Cycling Canada.

March 8, 2017/by Communications

CANADA COMPLETES PARA TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH SEVEN MEDALS

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2017 – Canada finished off the Para-cycling Track World Championships on Sunday in Los Angeles with two top-10 performances. In the combined category Men’s Scratch Race, C2 rider Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, finished fourth, while C1 rider Ross Wilson of Sherwood Park, Alberta was ninth.

Head coach Sebastien Travers explained, “The last day was a good one for us, with Ross and Tristen being very aggressive during the Scratch Race. Tristen was marked by his opponents, so Ross put in a tremendous effort to create an opening. Fourth and ninth overall is very satisfying.”

Canada finishes the Championships with a total of seven medals – four gold and three silver.

“This is by far our best track world championship,” said Travers, “and we couldn’t have achieved these results without the help of the personal coaches, our NextGen coach Guillaume Plourde, therapist Mindy Mar and coach/mechanic Alex Ongarro. We will build on these results for the coming season.”

March 6, 2017/by Communications

PENDREL & GAGNE WIN OPENING ROUND OF CANADA CUP

VICTORIA, BC, March 5, 2017 – The first leader’s jerseys of the 2017 Canada Cup mountain bike series were awarded on Saturday at Bear Mountain Resort, just outside Victoria, BC. The Canada Cup has been the career starting point for many of Canada’s top professional and Olympic riders.

Situated in the foothills of Mount Finlayson with breathtaking views of Victoria’s seaside harbour, Bear Mountain Resort is the national training centre for Canada’s mountain bike squad, and offers vistas of the Olympic Mountain Range, the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Four titles were awarded, in the Elite and Junior categories for men and women. Olympic bronze medalist Catharine Pendrel (Clif Bar) of Kamloops, BC, won the Elite women’s race, after leading from the first lap. Canadian national champion Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing) of Brooklin, Ontario, was second, with U.S. champion Erin Huck (Cannondale-3Rox) third.

“I felt really good out there,” said Pendrel. “You never know quite what to expect in the beginning of the season, but it felt like the whole package. I felt strong on the climbs and really smooth in the woods, so I’m happy with how things went. It was a little tricky on the first lap because I got boxed in and didn’t have a good position, but Emily and I were both in the same position; we both cleared it and were able to do our races after that. It’s always great to start the season off strong.”

In the Elite men’s race, it was Rio Olympian Raphael Gagne (Cannondale-3Rox) of Quebec City, Quebec, in the lead from start to finish, with a dominating performance. Evan Guthrie of Peachland, BC, held second place for most of the race before suffering a mechanical problem on the final lap. Geoff Kabush (Scott Sports-Maxxis) of Victoria, BC, moved into second for the finish, followed by Canadian national champion Derek Zandstra (Cannondale-3Rox) of Belleville, Ontario in third.

“It was a little surprising,” admitted Gagne. “Obviously, I felt really strong and good, but I didn’t know what to expect. With a new team it brings very good motivation to do well, and I’m happy I could get the win. I’ve been doing some fat bike races and they have been good preparation for this type of course. It was a fun course and I’m happy to be racing.”

In the Junior competitions, Gunnar Holmgren (Team Ontario) of Orillia, Ontario, was the men’s winner, while American champion Gwendalyn Gibson (US National Team) won the women’s race.

The Canada Cup series will continue with Round 2 at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, on May 21^st.

March 5, 2017/by Communications

MOLNAR WINS DOUBLE SILVER AT PARA TRACK WORLDS

LOS ANGELES, March 5, 2017 – Canada continues to add medals at the Para-cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles, with two more silver medals on Saturday, bringing the Team Canada total to seven. Marie-Claude Molnar of St-Hubert, Quebec, won both medals, bringing her tally to three silver medals in three events.

Molnar started her day off with the C4 3000 metre Individual Pursuit, qualifying for the gold medal final and setting a personal best in the first 1000 metres before being caught by multi-time world champion Shawn Morelli of the United States. Molnar also took second in the C4 Scratch Race.

“Day 3 was a long day for Marie-Claude,” said head coach Sebastien Travers. “She raced two pursuits and a scratch race, earning silver in both events. The qualifying was a first good test, as Marie rode better than expected and set a very good baseline for the coming season. In the final, she went for it and did a personal best on her opening Kilo. The work done by her personal coach Eric Van Den Eynde, as well as her Strength and Conditioning coach Corey Kennedy is noticeable and it shows in her time.”

March 5, 2017/by Communications

CANADA WINS THREE MEDALS ON SECOND DAY OF PARA TRACK WORLDS

LOS ANGELES, March 4, 2017 – Team Canada continues to excel at the Para-cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles, with three more medals on Friday, the second day of competition. Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, and Ross Wilson of Sherwood Park, Alberta each won their second world titles, while Marie-Claude Molnar of St-Hubert, Quebec, won silver. This gives Canada five medals – 4 gold and 1 silver – in two days of competition.

In the C1 Men’s 3000 metre Individual Pursuit, Wilson set a personal best in qualifying, and then caught his opponent in the gold medal final.

Head coach Sebastien Travers commented, “In the qualifying race Ross executed perfectly and surprised us with another personal best. In the finals, we opted for an aggressive pace, which paid off as Ross lapped his opponent, therefore securing the rainbow jersey.”

In the C2 Men’s 3000 metre Individual Pursuit, Chernove had a bit of a scare in the qualifying round after pulling his foot out of his pedal, but came back to make the Final, where he won with a time of three minutes and 47.424 seconds, nearly seven seconds faster than his opponent, Aaron Keith of the United States.

Travers explained, “For Tristen, his qualifier was a race against adversity; after unclipping at the start, Tristen kept going and was enroute for a Personal Best. Going against Mauricio Eckard of Spain, Tristen went for the pass, but the Spaniard sped up, forcing Tristen to stay high for four laps, therefore doing a longer distance. Tristen still managed to get the best time, which was the objective. He came back ready for the finals and executed well to secure the title.”

Molnar finished the day off with a silver medal in the C4 Women’s 500 metre Time Trial, finishing with a time of 42.606 seconds, just over one second behind Shawn Morelli of the United States.

“Marie-Claude’s 500m was very well executed,” said Travers, “with a personal best her opening lap. This is exciting for Marie-Claude, given the [short] amount of time she had to prepare for this event.”

“Overall, Another good day for the nation,” said Travers. Two golds and one silver is pretty awesome! We are looking forward to tomorrow’s events, where Marie-Claude will race the Pursuit and Scratch Race.”

March 4, 2017/by Communications

TWO WORLD TITLES FOR CANADA ON OPENING DAY OF PARA TRACK WORLDS

LOS ANGELES, March 3, 2017 – Canada had a very strong start to the Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles on Thursday, with Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, and Ross Wilson of Sherwood Park, Alberta, each winning world titles in their respective categories.

Chernove successfully defended his Men’s C2 1000 metre Time Trial with a time of one minute and 15.005 seconds, finishing over two and a half seconds ahead of second place Aizono Kentaro of Japan.

In the Men’s C1 1000 metre Time Trial, Wilson’s winning time of one minute and 18.925 seconds shaved half a second off his best time, and was over three seconds faster than silver medalist Darcy Thompson of Australia.

Head coach Sebastien Travers said, “It was a very good day for Canada with two world titles at the Kilo. Ross Wilson rode a PB [Personal Best] by 0.5 seconds and executed his ride perfectly. I have to mention that the work done with his personal coach Cameron Jennings, as well as his Strength and Conditioning coach Dean Sommerset, has paid off.”

“Tristen rode very well also to win his second title at the Kilo. Coming back from a viral infection, he really managed to pull it off, with the help of his personal coach Guillaume Plourde.”

“It is a good opening day and we look forward to tomorrow, where Ross and Tristen will race the Pursuit and Marie-Claude Molnar and newcomer Lachlan Hotchkins will each race the Time Trial.”

March 3, 2017/by Communications