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TOP-10 FOR CANADIAN JUNIORS AT MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLDS

Lenzerheide, Switzerland (September 7, 2018) – Canada had top-10 finishes in both the Junior women’s and men’s cross-country races on Thursday at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Marianne Theberge took eighth in the Junior women’s race, while Holden Jones was ninth in the men’s. Laura Stigger of Austria repeated as the women’s champion, while Alexandre Balmer brought Switzerland their second gold medal, after the Swiss won the Team Relay on Wednesday with Balmer on that team also.

Theberge moved up on the first lap into the top 12, and then slowly began to reel in other riders. Other Canadian results were Roxane Vermette in 22nd, Mireille Larose Gingras in 28th, and Eva Poidevin in 43rd.

“On the start climb I was in the 20s,” explained Theberge, who is at her first world championships, “and on the descent I was able to catch some girls, and after that it was just full gas all race. For a while I was up to seventh, but then I had problems on the roots, and she [Schneebeli of Switzerland] passed, and I didn’t have time to catch her before the finish. I didn’t know what to expect, so I’m really happy.”

The Junior men began in rain, making the track slick and treacherous, although it gradually dried out in the second half of the six lap race. Jones, who won the bronze medal last year, had a strong start, and was in the top five after the first lap. Mid-race he faded a bit, losing a few spots before the finish. Other Canadian results were Carter Woods in 12th, Charles Antoine St-Onge in 25th, Tyler Clark in 56th, and Colton Woods in 61st.

“I was watching the forecast all week and it showed that it was going to start raining just before our race,” said Jones. “So, I was messing around with tires, and I think I chose the right ones. I ride in the rain quite a bit in Squamish, so I’m pretty used to it. The start was pretty hard, going right uphill on a paved climb and I didn’t want to burn all my matches, so I held back a little bit. I moved up a few spots on the first couple of laps and then I faded a bit, but it was a pretty perfect race.”

September 7, 2018/by Communications

CANADA 8TH IN TEAM RELAY AT MTB WORLDS

Lenzerheide, Switzerland (September 6, 2018) –Team Canada finished eighth in the Team Relay on the opening day of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, with the favoured Swiss team taking the gold medal ahead of Germany and Denmark.

This is the second year since the Team Relay increased to five riders from four, with the addition of the Under-23 women’s category to the existing Elite women and men, Under-23 and Junior men. Each rider does a lap of the cross-country course, and countries can send the riders off in any order they wish, which can result in constant lead changes.

Team Canada started with under-23 national champion Sean Fincham, who was delayed slightly by a crash on the start loop. Fincham finished sixth and handed off to Junior national champion Carter Woods, who jumped Canada up to fourth. Under-23 women’s national champion Laurie Arseneault had to ride against a number of men and dropped to 11th, with Elite woman Haley Smith moving Canada up to tenth before handing off to Elite men’s national champion Peter Disera for the final lap. Disera was able to move Canada back up to eighth by the finish, 58 seconds out of the top-5.

“I was a lot happier this year being the anchor,” said Disera, “instead of riding first like last year. Honestly, I believe with the team we had, that we could have gone top-5, but everybody rode great. I’m guessing Carter’s lap time was close to mine, because he was flying [25 seconds slower]. I tried to do what I could at the end, but the gaps were just a little too big. I reeled in a few riders, and it was good prep for the cross-country on Saturday.”

September 6, 2018/by Communications

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR CYCLING CANADA BOARD & COMMITTEE POSITIONS

Ottawa, ON (September 5, 2018) – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the opening of the annual nomination process for positions on its Board of Directors and Program Committees.

The Cycling Canada Board of Directors is elected by Cycling Canada’s member Provincial & Territorial Cycling Associations and is comprised of 6 Director-at-Large positions, a National Team Athlete representative plus the position of President (Chair of the Board).

In 2018, there are four Director at Large positions open for nomination. Board elections will occur at the Cycling Canada Annual General Meeting to be held by conference call on September 25, 2018. Nominations for the four Board positions will close ten (10) days prior to the Annual General Meeting (September 15th, 2018).

Nominations are also open for 2 positions on each of Cycling Canada’s three Program Committees – the High Performance Committee, the Events Committee and the Officials Committee. Elections for Program Committee positions will be held at Cycling Canada’s Annual Congress, to be hosted in Ottawa from October 12^th to 14^th.

The table below provides a summary of the positions that are open for nomination:

Committee / Position	Incumbent	Term	Election

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Director at Large	Bill Kinash	2 yrs	Annual General Meeting (Sep 25)
Director at Large	Deb Intas	2 yrs	Annual General Meeting (Sep 25)
Director at Large	Vacant	2 yrs	Annual General Meeting (Sep 25)
Director at Large	Vacant	1 yr	Annual General Meeting (Sep 25)

PROGRAM COMMITTEES

High Performance Committee
Committee Chair	Randy Ferguson	2 yrs	Annual Congress (Oct 12-14)
Development Program Rep	Jayson Gillespie	2 yrs	Annual Congress (Oct 12-14)

Events Committee
Committee Chair	Andrew Paradowski	2 yrs	Annual Congress (Oct 12-14)
Road & Track Rep	Andy Holmwood	2 yrs	Annual Congress (Oct 12-14)

Officials Committee
International Road & Track *	Wayne Pomario	2 yrs	Annual Congress (Oct 12-14)
International BMX *	Loyal Ma	2 yrs	Annual Congress (Oct 12-14)

Note – to be eligible for these positions on the Officials Committee the nominee must be an international level commissaire in the associated discipline.

Nomination Forms are accessible at https://cyclingcanada.ca/governance/.

September 4, 2018/by Communications

CANADA FINISHES PAN AM TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH 7 MEDALS

Aguascalientes, Mexico (September 3, 2018) – Team Canada added a silver and a bronze medal to their tally on Sunday, the final day of the Pan American Track Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico. In the women’s Keirin, Lauriane Genest won silver and Amelia Walsh bronze, to bring Canada’s five day medal total to seven – two gold, two silver and three bronze. The team also set four Canadian records during the event.

“Being behind the Colombian was perfect so I could try to surprise her,” said Genest, “but I hesitated for a split second on the last lap and I wasn’t able to get around her. This result gives me a lot of confidence – I was getting tired of fourth!”

In other results, Vince de Haitre was fourth in the men’s 1000 metre time trial, setting a new Canadian record of one minute and 0.193 seconds, and Maggie Coles-Lyster was fourth in the women’s Points Race. The other Canadian records were set in the women’s and men’s 200 metre time trial and the women’s 500 metre time trial.

“Our results here in Aguascalientes help set us up for the World Cup season,” said Kris Westwood, High Performance Director at Cycling Canada. “Hugo [Barrette] in particular really needed a strong kickoff to Olympic qualifying, and he delivered [two gold medals]. We also saw four new Canadian records, which shows our athletes are progressing, and it was great to give some of our development athletes a shot at this level. I really want to thank our staff for stepping up in the wake of Stefan’s [Ritter] crash. He’s flying back to Edmonton on Tuesday and we’re hopeful he will recover quickly.”

September 3, 2018/by Communications

BARRETTE WINS SECOND GOLD AT PAN AMERICAN TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

Aguascalientes, Mexico (September 2, 2018) – Hugo Barrette of Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, won his second gold medal on Saturday in the men’s Sprint at the Pan American Track Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico. In the women’s Madison, the Canadian team of Allison Beveridge and Steph Roorda won the silver medal. The Continental Championships offer valuable points for nations ranking in qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Barrette had won the Keirin on Thursday, and qualified second fastest on Friday for the Sprint competition. He raced the Sprint final against Nicholas Paul of Trinidad and Tobago, the fastest qualifier. Barrette won the first race in the best-of-three competition, but lost the second to Paul before winning the decider.

“It was a long day with four rides in the final after Nicholas flatted at full speed in ride three,” said Barrette. “He was a very worthy competitor and put on a great show. I’m really proud to defend my Pan Am title and I’m looking forward to the World Cup season.”

In the women’s Madison, Beveridge and Roorda finished with 25 points, three points behind the winning team from Mexico. The United States finished third with 20 points.

In other Canadian results, Amelia Walsh was sixth in the women’s 500 metre time trial and Maggie Coles-Lyster 13th. Aidan Caves finished ninth overall in the men’s Omnium, after winning the first of four events. In the women’s Individual Pursuit, Laurie Jaussaume was fifth and Miriam Brouwer seventh.

After four days of competition, Canada has two gold medals, one silver and two bronze.

September 2, 2018/by Communications

GOLD & BRONZE MEDALS FOR CANADA ON DAY 2 OF THE PAN AM TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

Aguascalientes, Mexico (August 31, 2018) – Team Canada continued to win medals at the Pan American Track Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico, with gold and bronze medal performances on Thursday, the second day of competition, to add to the bronze medal won on the first day. The Continental Championships offer valuable points for nation ranking in qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Hugo Barrette of Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, won the men’s Keirin competition, defeating two Colombian riders in the final. Unfortunately, Canada’s other competitor in the race, Stefan Ritter of Edmonton, crashed in his semi-final race and had to be taken to hospital for observation.

Kris Westwood, High Performance Director at Cycling Canada, said, “Hugo put together some fantastic rides to win gold in the Keirin on a difficult day for the Canadian team. Everyone’s thoughts are, of course, with Stefan Ritter after his crash this afternoon. Fortunately, it appears his injuries are not as severe as initially feared and the medical staff expect him to recover fully. We will share updates on his condition when appropriate.”

Canada also won a bronze medal in the women’s Team Pursuit. Canada sent a development squad to Aguascalientes, comprised of Maggie Coles-Lyster, Laurie Jussaume, Devaney Collier, Erin Attwell and Miriam Brouwer. The team caught the Chilean team in the race for the bronze medal.

In other competition, the men’s Team Pursuit squad finished fourth, Evan Burtnick was seventh in the men’s Scratch Race, and in women’s Sprint qualifying, Lauriane Genest was second and Amelia Walsh was seventh. Genest advanced to the semi-final with her second place, and is guaranteed to ride for a medal.

August 31, 2018/by Communications

CANADA WINS BRONZE MEDAL ON DAY 1 OF PAN AM TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

Aguascalientes, Mexico (August 30, 2018) – Team Canada opened the Pan American Track Championships on Wednesday in Aguascalientes, Mexico, with a bronze medal on the first day of competition. In the women’s Team Sprint, the squad of Amelia Walsh of Ayr, Ontario, and Lauriane Genest of Levis, Quebec, finished with a time of 33.515 seconds for the two lap race, to beat Cuba for the bronze medal. Mexico defeated the United States for the gold medal. The Continental Championships offer valuable points for nation ranking in qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games.

“It’s really good,” said Genest, “at Commonwealth Games we had a good ride but we were disqualified. So getting a good ride in this morning [in qualifying] was really important. Then to be on the podium, I’m really happy about that and it’s great for my confidence. We’re already faster than at Commonwealths so this is a great sign that we’re progressing well.”

In other competition, both the Canadian women’s and men’s Team Pursuit squads qualified for Thursday’s bronze medal final by finishing third and fourth, respectively, in their opening heats. In the women’s Scratch Race, Devaney Collier of Edmonton, Alberta, finished fourth, despite crashing in the final sprint.

August 30, 2018/by Communications

CANADA ANNOUNCES TEAM FOR MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lenzerheide, Switzerland (August 30, 2018) – Cycling Canada has announced the team of 44 riders who will represent Canada at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in the XCO (cross-country) and Downhill events. The Championships will be held in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on September 5-9. This is the first world championships within the qualifying period for the 2020 Olympics, so the stakes go beyond racing for the medals, as nations begin to collect valuable ranking points for athlete quotas.

“We’re really excited about this year’s team,” said Dan Proulx, Mountain Bike Head Coach at Cycling Canada. “It’s a nice mix of rookies and experienced riders. We have a good team dynamic in this group already, which will certainly help us create an environment that is conducive to personal best performances. We hope to build off the momentum we had at last year’s World Championships in Australia.”

The team includes the reigning national champions for every category. In the Elite women, two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Catharine Pendrel will be coming back from an early season injury, while national champion Emily Batty is having one of the best seasons of her career, with three podium results so far in the World Cup. Other top-20 World Cup riders are Haley Smith and Sandra Walter.

The Elite men’s squad is led by World Cup riders Leandre Bouchard and national champion Peter Disera, a former world championship silver medalist as a Junior rider.

Junior Women – XCO
Mireille Larose-Gingras – Lac Beauport, QC
Eva Poidevin – Canmore, AB
Marianne Théberge – Levis, QC
Roxane Vermette – St-Ferrol-les-Neiges, QC

Junior Men – XCO
Tyler Clark – King City, ON
Holden Jones – Squamish, BC
Charles-Antoine St-Onge – Saint-Denis-de-Brompton, QC
Carter Woods – Cumberland, BC
Colton Woods – Barrie, ON

Under-23 Women – XCO
Laurie Arseneault – Terrebonne, QC
Mackenzie Myatt – Musquodoboit Harbour, NS
Juliette Tétreault – Val-des-Monts, QC
Emily Unterberger – Revelstoke, BC

Under-23 Men – XCO
Raphaël Auclair – Haut-Saint-Charles, QC
Quinton Disera – Horseshoe Valley, ON
Sean Fincham – Squamish, BC
Marc-André Fortier – Victoriaville, QC
Gunnar Holmgren – Orillia, ON

Elite Women – XCO
Emily Batty – Brooklin, ON
Catherine Fleury – Saint-Gedeon, QC
Cindy Montambault – Val-David, QC
Elyse Nieuwold – Newmarket, ON
Catharine Pendrel – Kamloops, BC
Haley Smith – Uxbridge, ON
Sandra Walter – Coquitlam, BC

Elite Men – XCO
Léandre Bouchard – Alma, QC
Peter Disera – Horseshoe Valley, ON
Raphaël Gagné – Quebec City, QC
Andrew L’Esperance – Halifax, NS

In the Downhill category, Team Canada includes the current Elite women’s Downhill world champion, Miranda Miller, and former Junior men’s world cup champion Finn Iles. Miller just finished 14th overall in the season-long World Cup, while Mark Wallace was 14th in Elite men and Iles was 15th. In the Junior men’s category, Lucas Cruz was seventh overall, including three top-10 performances.

Junior Men – DH
Justin Clements – Calgary, AB
Lucas Cruz – Pemberton, BC
Keegan Fry – Rossland, BC
Elliot Jamieson – White Rock, BC
Kendall McLean – Victoria, BC
Ian Milley – Squamish, BC
Ben Wallace – North Vancouver, BC

Elite Men – DH
Henry Fitzgerald – Vancouver, BC
Finn Iles – Whistler, BC
Magnus Manson – Sechelt, BC
Forrest Riesco – Sunshine Coast, BC
Luke Stevens – Revelstoke, BC
Mark Wallace – Duncan, BC

Elite Women – DH
Miranda Miller – Garibaldi, BC
Rachel Pageau – Chicoutimi, QC

August 30, 2018/by Communications

EMILY BATTY THIRD IN WORLD CUP STANDINGS

La Bresse, France (August 27, 2018) – Canadian women’s mountain bike champion Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing) had a strong finish to the 2018 Mountain Bike World Cup season on Sunday in La Bresse, France, with a second place result that was her fifth podium of the season. The result moved her up to third in the overall standings after seven rounds of racing. Two other Canadian women finished in the top-15, with Haley Smith (Norco Factory) in 13th and Catharine Pendrel in 15th.

The women’s race proved to be one of the most exciting in years, with multiple lead changes as riders flatted and chased back to the leaders. World Cup leader and world champion Jolanda Neff of Switzerland took an early lead, with Batty in a chase group behind. After Neff flatted, Batty moved into the lead for two laps before she was finally chased down by Neff. The Swiss rider attacked on the final lap, but Batty continued to fight, finishing only five seconds back.

“This has been an amazing season altogether,” said Batty. “To finish strong and fight for first was an emotional rollercoaster today. I left it all out there and it was an exciting race. This is definitely my most successful season so far. I’m so excited for two weeks from now when we race world championships.”

In other competition, Canadian Under-23 men’s champion Sean Fincham (Forward Racing – Norco) finished 17th in the Under-23 race, while Leandre Bouchard (KMC-Ekoi-SR Suntour) was the top Canadian in the Elite men’s race, finishing 47th.

August 27, 2018/by Communications

THREE NEW ATHLETES TO BE INDUCTED IN THE CANADIAN CYCLING HALL OF FAME

Ottawa, ON (August 22, 2018) – The Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame was created in 2015 to recognize outstanding achievement and contribution to the sport of cycling by both athletes and builders. At present, nineteen members have been inducted to the Hall of Fame, including sixteen athletes and three builders.

The class of 2018 consists of three athletes who will be recognized at the annual Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame celebrations to be held on Sunday, September 30^th at Glencairn Golf Club in Milton in conjunction with the Canadian Track Championships. The athlete inductees are Linda Jackson, Eric Wohlberg and Nora Young.

Linda Jackson had a remarkable career in road cycling despite entering into the sport at the age of 32. She won a bronze medal at the 1996 World Championships in the Road Race, as well as several medals at the Commonwealth Games. In 2004 she founded the women’s road racing team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank which is now the longest running professional women’s cycling team in North America. She was also a founding Director of the CCA – Hamilton 2003 Road Cycling Foundation, which has supported numerous road riders through the years.

As a professional athlete, Eric Wohlberg represented Canada in three different Olympic Games, eight Road World Championships and one Commonwealth Games, winning several medals in the process. From 1996 to 2006, Eric was on the podium at every single Canadian Road Championships in the Individual Time Trial. Since retiring, he has continued with his passion for the sport acting as Sport Director for Rally Racing, America’s top ranked continental women’s and men’s program.

Nora Young (1917 – 2016) was a leading early era athlete who rose to prominence as one of the top female road cyclists in Canada in the 1930s and 1940s. She is one of Canada’s most important early female cycling pioneers, distinguishing herself in the top-level cycling races open to women in that era. Young’s cycling career never fully came to a halt, and she continued to win multiple medals in her 60s, 70s, and 80s in Master’s competitions throughout the world.

The Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame celebrations will be held on Sunday, September 30^th at Glencairn Golf Club in Milton, ON. The event will kick-off in the morning with the third annual Lexus Ride with Legends, where guests will have the opportunity to enjoy a VIP, fully-supported road ride in the Halton Hills alongside many of Canada’s Hall of Fame inductees as well as current National Team athletes. The ride will be followed by the induction luncheon where the 2018 class will be honoured and celebrated.

When:                        Sunday, September 30^th from 8:00 to 14:30
Where:                        Glencairn Golf Club (Milton, ON)
Info & Tickets:           https://hoponcanada.ca/product/ridewithlegends/

August 22, 2018/by Communications