News – Page 118 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES WORLD-CLASS TEAM FOR PARA-CYCLING WORLD CUP

(Ottawa, ON – May 16, 2016) Cycling Canada is pleased to announce that 19 riders will be representing Canada at the second round of the Para-Cycling World Cup in Ostend, Belgium, on May 20-22. Ostend is the last major competition for the para-cycling squad before the Paralympic Games, and the final selection event for the team.

The team will be led by 2012 Paralympic champion Robbi Weldon of Ottawa, ON, plus Shelley Gautier of Toronto, ON, and Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, both multi-time world champions. The team includes riders from the tandem, tricycle, handcycle and bicycle divisions.

While most of the athletes will participate in both the time trial and road race events for their categories, the objective of the project is to achieve podium results in the time trials, as well as assess the competitiveness of the Canadian athletes in the international field as they begin final preparations for the Paralympic Games.

PARA-CYCLING WORLD CUP #2, OSTEND, BELGIUM – MAY 20-22

Shelley Gautier (Toronto, ON) Time Trial/Road Race, WT1
Marie-Eve Croteau (Quebec, QC) Time Trial/Road Race, WT2
Marie-Claude Molnar (Montreal, QC) Time Trial/Road Race, WC4
Nicole Clermont (St Denis de Brompton, QC) Time Trial/Road Race, WC5
Robbi Weldon (Ottawa, ON) Time Trial/Road Race, WB
Audrey Lemieux (Montreal, QC) Time Trial/Road Race, WB
Shawna Ryan (Saskatoon, SK) Time Trial/Road Race, WB
Joanie Caron (Rimouski, QC) Time Trial/Road Race, WB
Mike Sametz (Calgary, AB) Time Trial/Road Race, MC3
Tristen Chernove (Cranbrook, BC) Time Trial/Road Race, MC2
Louis-Albert Jolin-Corriveau (St-Claire, QC) Time Trial/Road Race, MT2
Rico Morneau (St-Liguori, QC) Time Trial/Road Race, MH3
Daniel Chalifour (Mont-Laurier, QC) Time Trial/Road Race, MB
Jean-Michel Lachance (Quebec, QC) Time Trial/Road Race, MB
Alexandre Carrier (Bromont, QC) Road Race, MB
Aroussen Laflamme (St Augustin des Maures, QC) Road Race, MB
Charles Moreau (Victoriaville, QC) Time Trial/Road Race, MH3
Ross Wilson (Sherwood Park, AB) Time Trial, MC1
Alex Hyndman (Morpeth, ON) Time Trial/Road Race, MH3

May 19, 2016/by Communications

TORY NYHAUG HEADS CANADIAN SQUAD FOR BMX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

(Ottawa, ON – May 16, 2016) Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the team selected to represent Canada at the BMX World Championships, which will be held in Medellin, Colombia, on May 25-29, 2016.

The team of 16 athletes will be led by Tory Nyhaug, of Coquitlam, BC. Tory is the reigning Pan American Games champion for men, and will enter the world championships looking to continue his streak of three consecutive wins in the Time Trial event on the World Cup circuit this season. The world championships will also serve as Tory’s final major competition before the Olympic Games in Rio this summer. James Palmer [North Vancouver, BC] and Gaby Malenfant [Drummondville, QC] will compete alongside Tory Nyhaug in the Elite Men’s category.

Amelia Walsh of Ayr, ON, is Canada’s lone entry in the Elite Women’s category. Walsh will be in a tense battle with riders from four other countries to qualify for an Olympic spot. The top two countries at the world championships that have not already earned a berth for Rio will qualify for the Games in Colombia.

For the Junior Men and Women [17-18 years], Canada is bringing a contingent of seven riders, led by Alex Tougas [Pitt Meadows, BC]. Tougas won the Challenge world title as a 15 and 16 year old, and finished 17th in his first year as a Junior last year; this year he is looking for a return to the podium. Megane Belanger [Oka, QC] is the sole competitor for Junior Women.

Cycling Canada will also continue, for the second year, its development program, with five athletes named to the NextGen Development Team. Racing in the entry-level Challenge Classes, these athletes will receive support to help them develop for future world championship success.

“We have selected a really good group of athletes,” stated Adam Muys, National BMX Development Coach. “Leading into the Olympics this is going to be a high pressure event, where our top athletes are looking to perform and our development athletes are going to get an intense experience to lead them to future success.”

Most of the team competed at the Canada Cup national series event in Abbotsford, BC, on May 14-15, and will follow that with a final training camp at the Abbotsford national training centre. The team will depart for the world championships on Monday, May 23rd.

BMX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA – MAY 25-29

Elite Men

Tory NYHAUG, BC
James PALMER, BC
Gaby MALENFANT, QC

Elite Women

Amelia WALSH, ON

Junior Men

Deven KAWA, AB
Riley LAVORATO, AB
Alex TOUGAS, BC
Benjamin LESLIE, BC
Josh SAMELLS, ON
Nicholas DOYLE, ON

Junior Women

Mégane BÉLANGER, QC

NextGen Development Team

Avriana HEBERT, AB (16 Female)
Alison GRECHT, BC (16 Female)
Aidan WEBBER, BC (16 Male)
James HEDGCOCK, ON (15 Male)
Felix MALTAIS, QC (16 Male)

SUPPORT STAFF

Adam Muys – Championship Team Manager
Brendan Arnold – Support staff
Kit Wong – Strength & Conditioning Coach
Jen Turner – Medical staff
Nicoline Hebert – Chaperone for Devo team
Brian Mansell – Challenge Team Manager

May 16, 2016/by Communications

CANADA LOSES ONE OF ITS FINEST DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKE ATHLETES TO A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT

(Ottawa, ON – May 10, 2016) It is with great sadness that Cycling Canada has learned of the recent passing of Mountain Bike Downhill professional Steve Smith, of Cassidy, B.C.

Steve Smith passed away earlier today as the result of a massive brain injury sustained from an enduro motorcycle crash that occurred near his home of Nanaimo, British Columbia, this past weekend.

“We are really stunned and disheartened to hear of Steve’s passing. From all accounts he was definitely the best downhill mountain biker Canada has ever known. Steve left his mark by winning multiple national titles and winning the overall World Cup series in 2013, as well as three World Cup events. He will be greatly missed by the international Downhill community, Canadian Mountain Bikers and the people he was the closest to. Our sincerest condolences go out to Steve’s family, team mates and supporters in this very sad time,” said Jacques Landry, Cycling Canada’s High Performance Director.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened to lose a Canadian role model who had such a great and long future ahead of him. Like all of the cycling community, both in Canada and around the world, we at Cycling Canada are in mourning at the passing of Steve. We cannot fathom what his family and friends must be feeling,” said John Tolkamp, President of Cycling Canada.

In this time of sorrow, Cycling Canada would like to extend its deepest condolences to Steve’s family and friends.

May 10, 2016/by Communications

Cycling Canada is hiring!

The Marketing Coordinator will help develop and execute annual plans in the areas of marketing, communications and business development that drive the Cycling Canada brand and support the organization’s goals. This will be essential to supporting the organization’s strategic direction and continued growth which includes the ability to benefit from the performances of our athletes across all cycling sports and the significant event calendar we manage.

The Marketing Coordinator will work closely with the Director of Marketing and the Business Development Consultant to develop and activate the marketing and business development plans. Related to that, the Marketing Coordinator will be responsible for sponsor servicing and assisting sponsors and suppliers with activation strategies that promote their relationship with Cycling Canada.

More information: https://cyclingcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/MarketingCoordinatorJobPosting.pdf

May 5, 2016/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA SEMI-ANNUAL BOARD MEETING

(Ottawa, ON – May 05, 2016) The Cycling Canada Board of Directors met over the April 29 to May 1, 2016 weekend in Ottawa with a full agenda of business matters plus the necessary work on the organization’s strategic plan for the 2017-2020 quadrennial. A full day session under the facilitation of Robin Porter was held with the results of the stakeholder surveys, inputs from the Deloitte Best in Class initiative and a benchmarking of other national cycling federations among the areas reviewed. The goal is to have a draft plan ready for review by the members at the 2016 Annual Conference at the end of October in Ottawa.

The Board received a full briefing on the performance of the organization against the operating plan in each of the strategic pillars over the past twelve months. They also reviewed the Cycling Canada Risk Registry and have added a couple of newly identified risks that will require attention over the next year. The review of policies saw six policies reviewed and necessary revisions approved for implementation.

The current CEO / Secretary General, Greg Mathieu, has given notice that he will be retiring at the end of the 2016 calendar year and the Board has begun the process of succession planning for that position. The CEO Succession Sub-committee of Cycling Canada chaired by President, John Tolkamp, has been working on the succession plan process for search and recruitment. This includes the timing of major activities such as the finalization of the position description and the process for inviting and vetting candidates beginning later this summer. The intent is to have an overlap period of transition for the successor with Greg to facilitate the necessary orientation and passing of the active files.

In acknowledgement of the significant increase in the annual budget, and additional accountability to funding partners and members, the Board has promoted Director of Finance & Administration Brett Stewart to the newly created role of Chief Financial Officer effective immediately. President John Tolkamp, who also chairs the Finance & Audit Committee noted that; “the annual budget of Cycling Canada was just under 4.0 million in 2009-10 fiscal and has now increased to a projected budget of just over 8.0 million for 2016-17. With this added activity the level of financial oversight and budgetary control becomes paramount. Brett’s work has been exemplary and we are pleased that he will be taking on this enhanced responsibility.”

The Cycling Canada Annual Conference will take place in Ottawa from October 28 to 30, 2016 and will include the Olympic / Paralympic Recognition Gala acknowledging our athletes and support staff that will be competing at the Rio de Janeiro Games.

May 5, 2016/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA PLANNED LEADERSHIP TRANSITION

(Ottawa, ON – May 04, 2016) Cycling Canada announced today that CEO / Secretary General Greg Mathieu has confirmed with the Board of Directors his plan to retire at the end of the calendar year.

The plan to choose a successor, including the final job description, search parameters and recruitment process has been entrusted to a CEO Succession Sub-committee of the Board that is chaired by President, John Tolkamp.

With this planned change to the organization being on the horizon the Board is also engaged in strategic planning for the next quadrennial and beyond. The CEO Succession Sub-committee will look to have the outcomes of the plan aligned with the skills and expertise that will be expected in the next senior staff member of Cycling Canada.

John Tolkamp noted: “we have enjoyed the stability of our senior management team under Greg’s leadership since 2009 and are appreciative of the efforts made to further the growth of the organization while increasing our capacity in key areas of high performance, development and marketing. His successor will be expected to build on this growth and ensure continued recognition of Cycling Canada as a leading national sport organization.”

“It has been, and continues to be, an incredible experience working in a sport with such dedicated and passionate staff and volunteers,” said Mathieu. “We have moved the yardsticks together and I feel that the organization is ready to capitalize on the emerging cycling culture and the systemic improvement of Canadian cyclists across all cycling sports. Seeing Canadian cyclists succeed at the highest levels and becoming role models for the next generation has been quite rewarding as has the development of more world class cycling races in the country. I intend to make my final eight months in this position of measurable value to those that we serve.”

For more information on the Cycling Canada CEO / Secretary General position, please contact John Tolkamp at john.tolkamp@cyclingcanada.ca.

May 4, 2016/by Communications

CANADA TO SEND 13-STRONG TEAM TO JUNIOR TRACK WORLDS

(Ottawa, ON – April 28, 2016) Cycling Canada has announced the team of athletes that will represent Canada at the 2016 UCI Junior Track World Championships, to take place in Aigle, Switzerland, on July 20-24.

Following the well-attended and successful Canadian Junior Track Championships at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario, 13 athletes were chosen for the World Championships project. Specific event participation will be determined closer to the event.

Five women and eight men from four provinces will compete in endurance and sprint events, including the Women’s Madison, a new event for the World Championships. The team will be led by Ian Melvin, Cycling Canada’s Men’s NextGen Track Endurance Coach. The team will undertake a preparation camp in Milton on July 2-14, before travelling to Aigle.

“It’s the biggest group of athletes we have taken to Junior Worlds for some years,” says Melvin, “and that is a reflection of the hard work that has been taking place in the provinces. There’s some really exciting young talent starting to emerge.”

“We have a complement of five men and women each for endurance and three male sprinters. The primary focus is very much in line with the elite national team and is focussed on Olympic events first and foremost. This means the Team Sprint and Team Pursuit will be the basis of our focus.”

“However, we are also excited about the potential of some of our athletes to ride very strongly in some of the individual events. In both the Omnium and Individual Pursuit we have strong contenders. Both Erin Attwell and Maggie Coles-Lyster on the women’s side, and John Willcox and Cameron Fitzmaurice for the men, will be riders to look out. As well, Stefan Ritter for the men’s Sprint will be one to watch.”

JUNIOR TRACK CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, AIGLE, SWITZERLAND – JULY 20-14

ENDURANCE – WOMEN

Erin J. Attwell (Victoria, BC)
Maggie Coles-Lyster (Maple Ridge, BC)
Devanney Collier (Edmonton, AB)
Laurie Jussaume (Contrecoeur, QC)
Ali Van Yzendoorn (Orillia, ON)

ENDURANCE – MEN

Cameron Fitzmaurice (West Vancouver, BC)
Tristan Guillemette (Trois-Rivières, QC)
Jordann Jones (Jerseyville, ON)
Félix Pelletier (Québec, QC)
John Willcox (Victoria, BC)

SPRINT – MEN

Adam Lefebvre (Oakville, ON)
Stefan Ritter (Edmonton, AB)
Nick Wammes (Bothwell, ON)

April 29, 2016/by Communications

PODIUMS FOR PENDREL AND FLEURY AT MTB WORLD CUP OPENER

(Cairns, AUS – April 24, 2016) The opening round of the Cross-country World Cup in Cairns, Australia, saw two Canadians on the podium, with Catherine Fleury (Canadian National) finishing second in the Under-23 Women, and Catharine Pendrel (Luna) taking fourth in the Elite women. Two Canadian men finished in the top-20 in the Elite Men’s race. In Mountain Bike, the podium is determined by the five top finishers.

Pendrel overcame a slow start to move into the top five after two laps, then fourth a lap later, and then to third with two laps to go. However, a mistake on a descent allowed Australian Rebecca Henderson to get away on the final lap to take third. Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing) also had a strong race, finishing seventh. Sandra Walter (Canadian National) was 24th and Cindy Montambault 36th. Haley Smith (Canadian National) did not finish after crashing. Danish rider Annika Langvad was the winner.

“Fourth isn’t what I ideally wanted to start with,” admitted Pendrel, “but I had thumb surgery two weeks ago, so I’ll take it today. I was riding pretty sketchy out there, so I’m happy that I kept it together for fourth.”

Raphael Gagne (Canadian National) had a top-20 start in the Elite men’s race and managed to improve on that in the first few laps, moving as high as 13th. He faltered in the middle portion of the race before recovering to finish 12th; a career high in a non-North American World Cup. World champion Nino Schurter of Switzerland was the race winner.

“I’m absolutely satisfied with my ride,” said Gagne. “I started around 18th or 20th and picked my way up. So I rode a consistent race and paced myself. I felt strong physically and technically and felt that I finished well for the high heat conditions. Last year I cracked the top-20 in World Cups, so this year I wanted top-10 to top-15. Last year, outside of North America my best result was 14th, so I improved on it today.”

Léandre Bouchard (Canadian National) is only a second-year rider in the elite ranks. However, he moved from his 47th start position to the mid-20s in the first two laps and then held that position until the finish, when he outsprinted others in his group to take 19th.

Other Canadian results include Derek Zandstra (Scott-3Rox) in 29th, Geoff Kabush (Scott-3Rox) in 56th, Evan Guthrie (Norco) in 57th and Andrew L’Esperance (Norco) in 58th. Evan McNeely (Norco) did not finish after crashing.

In the Under-23 Women’s race, Catherine Fleury moved into second on the first lap, behind American Kate Courtney. Fleury rode a consistent race to maintain her position unchallenged through the entire race.

“This is my best result ever,” said Fleury. “I think I rode really strongly, and I was catching Elite riders [who started two minutes ahead] every lap, so I’m pretty happy with what I have done.”

In the Under-23 Men’s race, Marc-André Fortier (Equipe du Quebec) was the top finisher, in 25th place, after Canadian national champion Alexandre Vialle flatted on the final lap while a few spots in front of him. Vialle recovered to finish 29th. Other Canadian results include Felix Belhumeur in 32nd and Raphael Auclair in 35th.

April 24, 2016/by Communications

CANADIANS SUFFER MISFORTUNE AT CAIRNS DH WORLD CUP

(Cairns, AUS – April 23, 2016) It was a hard day for Canada on Saturday at Round 2 of the Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Cairns, Australia.

Steve Smith (Devinci Global Racing), second in the first round of the World Cup for Elite Men and fifth in qualifying at Cairns, flatted high on the course during the Final, ruining his chances of a podium. Finnley Iles (Specialized Gravity), the winner of the first round in Junior Men, crashed heavily in qualifying, injuring his right arm, and did not start the Final. Canada did not have any women competing, with Rachel Atherton (Trek Factory Racing) of Great Britain taking her second consecutive win.

Two Canadians did finish the Elite Men’s race, with Mark Wallace (Devinci Global Racing) finishing 26th, 8.622 seconds behind winner Loic Bruni (Specialized Gravity) of France, the world champion. Forrest Riesco was 44th, 12.955 seconds behind Bruni. Henry Fitzgerald (Steve Peat Syndicate) was the only Canadian the Junior Men’s Final, finishing 13th.

Smith drops from second to sixth in the Elite Men’s overall standings after two rounds, having scored no points in Cairns. Mark Wallace fell two spots in the standings, to 13th, while Riesco is 63rd. American Aaron Gwin (The YT Mob) leads the standings. In the Junior Men, Iles drops from first to second, behind Round 2 winner Matt Walker (Madison Saracen) of Great Britain, with Fitzgerald 19th in the standings.

April 23, 2016/by Communications

CANADA PULLS OUT OF PAN AM ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR SECURITY REASONS

(Ottawa, ON – April 15, 2016) Cycling Canada has decided not to send a team to the Pan American Road Championships in San Cristobal, Venezuela, due to security risks. The event is scheduled to take place on May 18 to 22. USA Cycling has also decided not to participate in these Championships, due to security concerns.

The location of the event would necessitate flying into Cucuta, Colombia, and then travelling by ground transportation to San Cristobal. The Government of Canada has issued a regional advisory for that area over concerns of cross-border violence, kidnapping, smuggling and drug trafficking, with foreigners being specifically targeted. A state of emergency is in effect, with an increased military presence.

The non-attendance will have little impact on Olympic qualification. The quota for the men’s road and time trial events has already been announced by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

“On the women’s side,” according to the High-Performance Director, Jacques Landry, “not participating will have an impact — but not a huge one — if we continue performing on the world stage as we are now with riders such as Leah Kirchmann and Karol-Ann Canuel. As of March 27th we are still ranked ninth among nations, which would grant us three spots in the Road Race at the Games, and we are more than 500 points from falling past the 14th nation; which would give us only two Road Race spots.”

“The impact on World Championship quotas is more significant and could affect the ability to obtain maximum quota spots,” explained Landry. “As an example, there is 250 points up for grabs to win the men’s Road Race. With the new UCI points system, there is even more importance placed in racing and performing at Pan American Championships, as compared to UCI 2.2 category races in North America.”

“However,” continued Landry, “the security of our athletes and staff is paramount and, based on the information and advice we have received, we are not comfortable with sending anyone to these championships. Given this security and safety issue in Venezuela, we will be contacting the UCI to voice our concern and frustration around this event.”

For more information, please visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (http://travel.gc.ca/destinations/venezuela).

April 15, 2016/by Communications