Veterans Laura Brown, Stephanie Roorda and student Allison Beveridge takes top prize at Pan American Championships

(Mar del Plata, ARG – March 05, 2012) Canada has proven again it has great depth in the Women’s Team Pursuit, winning the gold medal 2012 UCI Pan-American Championships in Mar Del Plata.

The Canadian squad, comprised of Laura Brown of Vancouver, BC, Stephanie Roorda, also of Vancouver, and Allison Beveridge of Calgary, AB qualified with the second fastest qualifying time in the morning session, earning their ticket to the Gold Medal race.

In the decisive race, the powerful Canadian team faced off Venezuela, the fastest qualifiers, in the final. Despite posting a slower qualifying time than their rivals, the Canadian women stepped up with a new race place, and crossed the line in first place by posting the golden time of 3:33.540.

The track in Mar Del Plata is an uncovered, outdoor track made of concrete.

Laura Brown was thrilled with the victory, which came after lots of rain delays. “We qualified second this morning next to Venezuela but we had so much to improve on that it was a motivating position to be in. We reassessed our race plan and came up with something new and executed it perfectly. Anytime you nail a team pursuit, it feels pretty amazing. Steph and I have been national team teammates for many years now and it was great to be able to ride with youngster Allison Beveridge and get her hooked on WTP!”

A few weeks ago, at the UCI World Cup in London, Canada had three different riders competing in the Women’s Team Pursuit, and twice broke the Canadian mark in the event.

The performance in Argentina will significantly help Canada secure a spot for the Olympic Games. Entering the event, Canada was sitting in seventh place of the UCI Olympic standings, thanks in large part due to the silver medal performance posted during the Olympic Test event in London.

Both Stephanie Roorda and Laura Brown, seasoned veterans on the Canadian Track Cycling Team, were part of the Canadian Team who won the Gold medal at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Allison Beveridge, who is just coming out of the Junior ranks, stepped up and rose to the challenge to race at this event. Beveridge took a break from her reading week to come and race. Since the last Los Angeles training session in December, Beveridge has been training in Calgary, on rollers, while attending the University of Calgary.

In December, Beveridge posted a strong time at the trials in Los Angeles, and showed great technical abilities. Early on, she was able to understand the rider transitions during the race, and earned her way to the Pan-American Championships based on her camp performance.

In terms of Olympic qualifications, this Gold medal will give Canada the maximum numbers of UCI points at grab. The points will allow Canada to head into the UCI World Championships without worrying about times and results, but to focus instead on improving on the technical aspects

The 2012 UCI World Championships will be the last time the Canadian Women’s Team Pursuit will race prior to the Olympic Games.

Heather Moyse races to fourth place in career first cycling race

(Mar del Plata, ARG – March 04, 2012) The Canadian squad rose to the challenge in the Men’s Team Sprint at the 2012 UCI Pan-American Championships in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, winning the silver medal on Friday to open the critical event for Canada’s Track Cycling Team.

The squad comprised of Travis Smith of Calgary, AB, Joseph Veloce of Fonthill, ON and Hugo Barrette of Cap-Aux-Meules, QC, qualified for the gold medal race in the morning qualifications, and went on to face the United States of American in the evening.

As Travis Smith explains, the United States had the race of their lives to win the gold.: “We finished 2nd. All of us improved our times, but the American second rider had the ride of his life tonight to help the Americans win. In our first ride it was so windy I was just struggling my whole last lap, but the final I went down a gear and felt much better.”

In the bronze medal match, Argentina edged to the finish line Canada’s main rivals in the hunt for the last Olympic spot, Venezuela, who placed fourth.

Heather Moyse of Summerside, PEI, who suited up for Canada for the first time in a cycling race, also rose to the occasion and proved that she was a contender among an international field. Moyse posted the fourth fastest time of the 500m Time Trial at 36.207 seconds. Cuba’s Guerra Lisandra was the fastest by posting a time of 34.601 seconds.

Competition resumes today in Argentina, with the Men’s Sprint, where Smith and Veloce will battle it out in yet another important event for Canada’s Olympic qualifications.

Many Track Cycling Olympic spots on the line this weekend in Mar Del Plata, Argentina

(Mar Del Plata, ARG – March 1, 2012) It all comes down to this weekend for many Olympic dreams as the top track cyclists of the Americas join together to compete at the 2012 UCI Pan-American Championships in Mar Del Plata, Argentina.

For many Canadian Track Cycling team members, these championships held this weekend are critical on the road to their Olympic dreams. With only two Olympic qualifying events left on the track cycling calendar, the stakes are as high as they can be for aspiring Olympians.

For the Men’s Team Sprint, Canada is currently chasing Venezuela in the fight for the last Olympic qualification spot. Venezuela, currently in the 11th spot of the UCI Olympic Ranking, has a 120-point lead over Canada, which sits in 12th position. Only the Top 10 nations will compete at the Olympic Games, and with Europe having one more country in the Top 10 than their quota allows, Venezuela falls in tenth spot. Venezuela currently has the final qualification spot with Canada right behind in 11th place.

The event in Mar Del Plata represents an opportunity for Canada to bridge the points gap to keep their Olympic dreams alive. Three of the fastest men in Canada will ride in Argentina: Travis Smith of Calgary, AB, Joseph Veloce of Fonthill, ON and Hugo Barrette of Cap-Aux-Meules, QC.

“This event is really important for many reasons. As per UCI Olympic qualifications standards, qualifying a spot in the Men’s Team Sprint would allow us to put a rider in both the Keirin and the Individual sprint. We have worked hard on the sprint side and are looking good for spots in 2012 and winning medals come 2016,” said Richard Wooles, Head Coach of the Canadian Track Cycling Program.

In the Women’s Sprint event, Canada is also in a tight hunt with Venezuela, and has a 40 point lead over their south American rivals heading into the weekend. Canada will have two women’s sprinter to the line: veteran Monique Sullivan of Calgary, AB and Heather Moyse of Summerside, PEI.

The fight with Venezuela continues in the Women’s Keirin, but this time Canada is ninth, one spot behind Venezuela. In the women’s keirin, only the Top 8 nations will receive a spot to compete at the Olympic Games. The Keirin battle will be intense, as only a few points separate the two countries. Sullivan will race for Canada this weekend in the keirin.

In the Men’s sprint events, Canada is fighting against the United States of America. Only 30 points separate Canada from the coveted Olympic spot, which makes this event critical for Canada to overtake their natural rivals and southern neighbours. In the Men’s keirin race, Canada is sitting comfortably in seventh place of the UCI Olympic Rankings, and it looks promising for a start at the Olympic Games. Smith and Veloce will race for Canada in both the sprint and keirin events this weekend.

Laura Brown of Vancouver, BC, Stephanie Roorda of Vancouver, BC and youngster Allison Beveridge of Calgary, AB will represent Canada in the Women’s Team Pursuit this weekend.

Canada is sitting comfortably in the rankings for both the Men and Women Omnium, sitting fourth and first respectively, as well as in the Women’s Team Pursuit where they rank in seventh place, thanks to their recent silver medal performance in London.