News – Page 42 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

CANADA WILL NOT ATTEND 2021 JUNIOR TRACK WORLDS

Ottawa, ON (January 12, 2021) – Due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, Cycling Canada has made the difficult decision to not send a team to the 2021 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships, scheduled for April 5 to 9 in Cairo, Egypt.

“Given the health risks involved in international travel and current travel restrictions, we do not believe it is responsible for us to send a team of young athletes to an event where we cannot guarantee their safety,” said High Performance Director Kris Westwood. “On top of this, current health restrictions in Canada make it impossible for us to hold selection events to choose a team, or for that team to prepare for the worlds.”

Health authorities in most of Canada – including Ontario and BC, where indoor velodromes are located – have imposed restrictions on group activities, including sports. Elite athletes targeted for the Tokyo Games are currently exempt from some of these restrictions, but juniors are not.

While the situation continues to evolve, Cycling Canada’s development coaching team is shifting its focus to finding meaningful training, selection and competition opportunities for younger athletes. In the short term, this will mean delivering training camps remotely through online education sessions and workshops, and holding training sessions on virtual platforms like Zwift. This will expand to in-person training camps and competitions later in the year when it is feasible and safe to do so.

“The junior category only lasts two years, but it’s a critical phase in athlete development,” said Cycling Canada’s NextGen Lead Coach, Jenny Trew. “With the pandemic affecting most of 2021, some athletes may be effectively losing their entire junior racing career, and we’re working hard to help fill that gap.”

Cycling Canada continues to recommend following public health guidelines and government advisories regarding social distancing and both international and interprovincial travel. We urge anyone who does travel to take all necessary precautions to protect their health and the health of those around them.

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WHAT MY HEAD INJURY TAUGHT ME

By Alex Tougas, BMX National Team Athlete

My name is Alex Tougas and I am a BMX racer competing as part of the Canadian National Team. I am twenty-two years old, from Pitt Meadows, B.C., just outside of Vancouver. My time on the National Team has been more than I could have ever wished for, and over the years I have been fortunate enough to travel the world with some really cool people doing even cooler things. Being part of the team has shaped me into the person I am today, through training, racing, traveling, and unfortunately injuries. Today, I want to share the story about what suffering a head injury has meant to me.

Prior to having a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), I didn’t know much about head injuries. As far as I was concerned, a concussion was a collection of headaches, visual issues, and maybe some memory issues down the road. I had witnessed my teammate Tory Nyhaug deal with multiple head injuries and seen its implications on his life so I knew head injuries were serious, but I was far from prepared for what transpired next. I was diagnosed with what is called a diffuse axonal injury, which is the result of tearing of the axons of the brain and is much more than a concussion.

In the spring of 2019, I was competing at the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Papendal, the Netherlands, when I crashed. In retrospect, it was a pretty awesome day. I remember some of it; I remember getting ready that morning and having a good feeling and being really excited to be riding and racing. It helped that I was feeling fast on the bike. At a race like this, we go through a series of qualifying rounds, before competing in the final at the end of the day. I remember that my 1/8th final qualifying round was with my teammate James, and of course I remember the banter of how we were going to finish first and second in the round. And then my memory cuts off. I have seen the videos of what happened, but to make a long story short, I made a minor technical error, landed a jump out of position, lost traction, and then hit the ground . . . quite violently.

As the seriousness of my head injury was diagnosed, my father was flown in to be with me in the hospital. At first, I was not able to communicate at all, but gradually I started to communicate little by little. I was not aware of where I was or what had happened, I was really tired, very confused, and I felt like I was constantly looking through a fish-eye camera lens. After two and a half weeks, I was cleared to fly home with the supervision of a doctor. My memory at that point was still pretty foggy, but I remember landing in Vancouver, and being transferred to a local hospital before being released to my family. At this point, I was still not too sure what had happened to me, I was unsure if I would ever recover, but I was convinced that I would never touch a bike again, let alone race one. Walking down the stairs was scary enough.

For anyone who knows me personally, I am a pretty quirky individual. I have a thing for order, a desire to keep a routine schedule, and a fear of lacking either, which in turn can make me anxious. As I started to transition into my new normal, the cognitive aspect of my injury really came into full swing: the anxiety, the paranoia, the anguish. I was convinced that the life I had known was a thing of the past.

I love BMX racing. Up until my crash I had allowed it to define who I was as a person. There was no way of talking about me without BMX racing being part of the conversation. I was completely oblivious to how unhealthy this was. Following my crash, everything changed; here I was, a 20-year-old BMX racer, convinced I would never touch a bike again, and that I would walk around for the rest of my life in bubble wrap. I was completely aware of how illogical my thinking was, but it would not change no matter how hard I tried. As you can probably guess, this did not align with the BMX racer characteristic I had let define me in the past and this led to many sleepless nights. BMX is who I am, it is what I am – what am I if I can’t race or ride? Months of this thinking led me down some pretty dark rabbit holes and made me feel like I would never recover.

If having a head injury has taught me anything, it has been to not let only one dimension of life define me. As much as I love what I do, I want to be more than just an athlete. I’ve realized that I am more than a BMX racer, I am more than an injury statistic, I am more than a neat freak. I don’t let that take away from my passion for the sport one bit – I love what I do, and there is no changing that. I have learnt that BMX racing and injuries don’t define me, they have simply helped make me into the person I am today and will continue to shape me as I pursue my BMX racing dreams. I am grateful for the fact that I am back to feeling like myself and have gotten back onto the BMX track. This summer I ended up having knee surgery, but I continue to work towards getting back into racing shape, learning from my injuries.

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NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR CYCLING CANADA BOARD POSITION

Ottawa, ON (December 23, 2020) – Cycling Canada is announcing the opening of a nomination process for one Director-at-Large position on its Board of Directors.

The Cycling Canada Board of Directors is elected by Cycling Canada’s members (Provincial & Territorial Cycling Associations) and is comprised of 6 Director-at-Large positions, a National Team Athlete, the position of President (Chair of the Board), plus one additional position which may be optionally appointed by the Board of Directors.

The role of Cycling Canada’s Board of Directors is to provide overall strategic direction, leadership and stability for the organization. The Board establishes the overall mission and purpose for the organization and it is responsible for a number of key governance-related activities including approving the appointment of (and providing direction to) the CEO and senior management team, the development and adoption of organizational policies, financial oversight and approval of the annual budget.

Board members meet by teleconference once per month, meet in-person twice per year and are also expected to participate on Board committees on a regular basis.

Cycling Canada is looking to build upon the expertise within its existing Board and is seeking to include a range of diverse voices and skills that will enable the growth and development of the organization and the sport of cycling in Canada. For the upcoming special election, the Nominations Committee will prioritize the skill sets, competencies and considerations outlined below:

  • Diversity & Inclusivity
  • Geographic Representation
  • Financial Acumen
  • Fundraising Experience and Capability
  • Governance Expertise
  • Corporate or Non-Profit Board Experience
  • Strategic Planning & Implementation

The election for this position will occur at a Special Meeting of the members of Cycling Canada to be held by conference call on a date to be determined in February 2021. Nominations will close on January 15th.

For additional details please refer to the Nomination Form and the Cycling Canada Policy on Organization Structure.

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COCONUT SQUARES

By Peter Disera, Professional Mountain Bike Athlete & Canadian MTB Champion

This is a recipe that my mom always makes out of the Company’s Coming – Home for the Holidays cookbook. In the last year, I’ve done a little freestyle baking and have filmed a few of my recipes. Make sure to check it out here.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
  • Walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter and mix in sugar until well blended.
  3. Add eggs one at a time, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and remove from heat.
  4. Incorporate the following dry ingredients until smooth: flour, baking powder, salt.
  5. Once smooth and no flour is visible, gently incorporate the coconut flakes and the walnuts.
  6. Put into a slightly greased baking dish, spread even and slap it in the oven for 25-30 minutes. The edges will be chewy and amazing.

Enjoy!

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SOFT AND CHEWY GINGERSNAP COOKIES

By Sarah Orban, Track sprint athlete & founder of Sorbs Cooking food blog

These gingersnaps are my favourite cookies to bake because they always remind me of the holidays! I have done lots of experimenting to get the perfect soft and chewy gingersnap with the right amount of spice. These are fun to make and the cozy aroma that fills the air in the house while they are baking in the oven is so heavenly. Plus nothing compares to biting into a warm cookie fresh out of the oven!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature or shortening
  • 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Extra sugar for rolling the cookies in
  • Sugar Substitute: You can use 1 cup of brown sugar, eliminating the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar OR use 3/4 cup of palm sugar instead

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, vanilla, egg and molasses. Beat until smooth.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk the dry ingredients: flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
  4. Roll cookie dough into balls, 1 tablespoon each. Roll in granulated sugar before placing on the baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 10 minutes for softer cookies or 12 minutes for slightly chewier cookies. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

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DATES ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 CANADIAN TRACK & CYCLO-CROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ottawa, ON (December 16, 2020) – Following the release of our 2021 national calendar for the road, mountain bike and BMX disciplines, Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the dates of the 2021 Canadian Track and Cyclo-Cross Championships.

“2020 has been a challenging year for all those involved – directly and indirectly – in the delivery of cycling events across the country,” said Josh Peacock, Events & Partnerships Manager at Cycling Canada. “We are thrilled to continue to work with a dedicated group of local organizing committees and host communities who remain committed to welcoming the highest level of national cycling events to their regions for 2021. Cycling Canada will continue to work within local public health guidelines to ensure that nationally sanctioned events are delivered in the safest possible manner, and remain optimistic that a return to competition remains in sight.”

The Elite, Masters and Para Canadian Track Championships are scheduled to return to the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, ON, from September 23-26, 2021. Previously included in the U17 & Junior Track Championships event programme, para-cycling categories will now be hosted in conjunction with the Elites and Masters in September. Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 trends and the situation in Ontario, we are not in a position to announce spring dates for the U17/Junior Track Championships at this time. Cycling Canada will continue to monitor the effects of the pandemic closely and review all possible options to identify a potential summer or fall date for the safe return of this important event.

Originally slated for the early months of 2021, organizers of the Western Track Challenge have also made the decision to postpone the event to a later date, citing March or May 2021 as preferred options. Cycling Canada, in conjunction with Cycling BC and the Burnaby Velodrome Club, will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates for confirmed postponement dates as they become available.

Later in the season, Canada will play host to two cyclo-cross events which will kick off on November 27th with the 2021 Canadian Cyclo-cross Championships in Langford, BC, followed by the UCI C2 sanctioned Bear Crossing Grand Prix the next day. Both events will take place at Langford’s newly constructed Jordie Lunn Bike Park featuring the nation’s first full-time purpose-built cyclo-cross course.

At the heart of Cycling Canada’s national event portfolio remains a commitment to ensure the health and safety of all stakeholders involved in event delivery. All relevant event updates will continue to be communicated via the Cycling Canada website in the weeks and months to come. For the complete list of Cycling Canada events, click here.

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TO WHAT LENGTHS WOULD YOU GO TO GIVE BACK?

By Ed Veal, Para-cycling pilot & Founder of Real Deal Racing

What could possibly make you ride 300 kms in one day? How many out there have gone that far on their bike and if you have, what made you do it? I am always trying to figure out why I do the things I do and why others do the things they do. I find it fascinating. The physical challenge is one thing but that isn’t enough for me. It has always been the mental challenge that keeps me coming back for more. The reason why you do certain things may change, but it is incredible what you can accomplish if you believe in it strongly enough. I believe in this sport. I love cycling. It continues to add joy and purpose and I am thankful every day that it has come into my life.

As the words left my mouth, the commitment started to settle in. While texting with the Board of Directors of the Forest City Velodrome, I mentioned that I would ride 300 kms a day, every day, until the end of September as a stunt to help save the place. My goal was to raise funds to keep the doors open at this great little track in London, Ontario. As you all know, the COVID pandemic has been hard. We are all feeling it – many small businesses including gyms and fitness facilities have been rocked due to restrictions and/or closure. We worked so hard to bring FCV back to life with the RealDeal 24 Hour Track Attack. We cleaned, polished, painted, and then partied. It was such a success; new heating was installed, new events took place, membership was up and pride was restored.

It felt like things were heading in the right direction until they weren’t. When I heard the financial report during one of our board meetings, I got so sad. Then it left my mouth: “I will ride 300 kms every day until we raise enough funds to pay the bills.” I couldn’t write a cheque to cover the costs but I could use another type of currency to help do my part. Immediately we started working on a name, a concept, some sort of structure. We needed a timeline, a schedule, a plan. It all happened so quickly. With one slip of the tongue I had now devoted all my thoughts and energy to trying to pull this off.

Only a few days later, on September 11th the Ride4Real endurance challenge fundraiser began in support of the Forest City Velodrome, The MS society of Canada and the RealHero project. 300 kms a day until… well we would see. I really had no clue how long I would be able to do it for, but I told myself I would try to make it until the end of the month. Saying that out loud was overwhelming. 300 kms a day for 21 straight days. This was very much a “let’s take this one day at a time” approach. I reassured everyone I wasn’t going to injure myself to pull this off.  It was known this wouldn’t be a big deal on day one and we knew it wouldn’t get any attention on day two or three either. The hope was that by the end of the first week people might start to take notice. 300 kms once is tough, 300 kms 7 days in a row riding 60 hours and covering 2100 kms is really tough. Most days were between 9 and 12 hours on the bike.

Many days I would start before 8 a.m. and with food and bathroom breaks finish after 10 p.m. only to clean up, go to bed and do it all over again the following day, all the while trying to promote the ride and spread the word. It was beyond grueling. Right from the start the roller coaster of emotions was in full swing. I would be down, cranky, even lethargic and then laughing and smiling. I would question does this even matter? Does anyone even care? And then a nice message or generous donation would come in and make it all worthwhile. The messages of support and the very generous donations were the only thing keeping me going. Well, that and about 10,000+ calories of whatever I wanted to eat all day, every day. Yes there were some perks, and eating my face off was one of them. The grocery bill was massive but so was the calorie expenditure. Good quality fuel (food + love and support) are what made this possible.

Another thing that got me through this challenge was the variety of bikes I rode. I needed to switch things up so I would have something to look forward to. I would ride 150 kms to the FCV in London and then ride the remainder of the kms on the track. Getting a recumbent bike might have been the best decision I’ve ever made. Seriously, that bike saved my butt and back on numerous occasions throughout the entire challenge. It also gave my hands a rest. Of everything that was hurting (and everything was) my hands hurt the most. I even had the recumbent at the top of the track, up on the yellow line doing hot laps at FCV.  I would hit the trails on my mountain bike and then would rush home to get the remainder of the kms on Zwift rolling along in a fast group.

One of the highlights was meeting up with my hand cycling buddies and going for a rip with them out near the Thursday Night Time Trial course. To make that amazing ride happen, I had to go home afterwards and ride past midnight. Day 7 was the 300 km ride to Windsor. How cool is it to be able to do a point to point 300 km ride? That will be a memory I will cherish forever. Sun up until sun down, and arriving only to ride 500 kms with Darcy Haggith of Infinit Nutrition. The Rick Meloche Memorial Ride was a 500 km adventure that started at midnight on September 18 and ended around midnight the following day.  As crazy as this may sound, we drove home from Windsor in the morning and I was on the trainer getting my 300 kms the very next day. It’s impossible to recap the entire adventure day by day but on October 1st, after 21 grueling days, the Ride4Real had finally come to an end. It may have ended for me but many others continued to take part and do their very own Ride4Real challenge individually and as teams, trying to set their own personal best time and distance goals. It was very inspiring to say the least and my hope is to grow this event for years to come.

21 days – 185 hours – 6300 kms – 200,000+ calories and $13,500 raised for 3 very deserving and worthwhile causes.

I do this for the sport and the people involved in it, especially the kids. Cycling has really changed me and my life for the better. It showed up when I needed it the most and I am forever grateful. FCV and cycling facilities across the country are hard to come by and everyone involved with keeping them alive and supporting our sport should be embraced and cherished. It was worth every pedal stroke if this place and this sport can affect someone else’s life as much as it has affected mine. Thank you to everyone who gives back and does their part to foster growth. Thank you to all the people who rode in support of the event and gave generously. Who knows what stunt is next but if it can somehow effect change and help our sport please count me in!

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CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES THE RECIPIENTS OF ITS ANNUAL AWARDS

Ottawa, ON (December 10, 2020) – It is with great pleasure that Cycling Canada announces the recipients of its 2020 Annual Awards, all of whom have had significant impacts on the sport of cycling in Canada and around the world. This year, three awards were allocated: Best Junior Rider of the Year, Best Performance in Competition at the World Championships and Provincial Association of the Year.

“Although the 2020 season wasn’t what we initially expected, we saw many outstanding performances from Canadian athletes throughout the year,” said Cycling Canada’s Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Jeffries. “We’d also like to highlight the tremendous work that was done by all of our provincial partners, clubs, event organizers and other stakeholders to respond and adapt in a cohesive fashion amidst such a challenging environment.”

The Russ Copeland Award for Best Junior Rider of the Year was awarded to Squamish’s Teigen Pascual who won all three UCI BMX events she was entered in at the start of the season. Cycling Canada would also like to specially recognize all second-year Junior cyclists who, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, missed the opportunity to express their true talent on the world stage this year.

The President’s Trophy for Best Performance in Competition at the World Championships went to C4 para-cyclist and world record holder Kate O’Brien. O’Brien made her para-cycling debut at the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Milton, where she set two world records in the flying 200m time trial and the 500m time trial, earning her a gold medal in the process.

Finally, the Torchy Peden Award for Provincial Association of the Year was awarded to Quebec for the quality of their COVID-related communications and protocols throughout the year, as well as their collaboration and support throughout the postponement and cancellation of numerous national and international events, and for their ongoing contributions towards Cycling Canada’s strategic planning and implementation processes.

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RECOVERY HOT CHOCOLATE

By Leah Kirchmann, Olympian & professional road cyclist

Riding outdoors these days in Canada is quite chilly, so this is one of my favourite drinks to kick-start my recovery. I discovered this idea a few years ago after struggling to regain my energy after long rides in the cold. This hot drink speeds up the defrosting process and gives me the energy to wash my bike, shower and cook a good lunch.

Ingredients:

  • 1 scoop chocolate flavoured protein powder (or add 1 Tbsp cocoa powder to plain protein powder)
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk (or other milk alternative)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions:

  1. Warm up the almond milk in the microwave or on the stovetop being careful not to scald.
  2. Add the protein powder and maple syrup and use a whisk or a blender to mix until smooth. It is better to add the protein powder after heating the milk to prevent it from clumping together.
  3. You can also add other flavours like cinnamon or almond extract if you want to be adventurous.

Enjoy!

 

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CYCLING CANADA PARTNERS WITH WAHOO FITNESS

Ottawa, ON (December 7, 2020) – Cycling Canada is excited to announce a 2-year partnership with fitness technology company Wahoo Fitness. Through this partnership, Wahoo will provide KICKR smart trainers and ELEMNT GPS bike computers for National Team and Cycling Canada high performance programs.

Wahoo will also be heavily invested in Cycling Canada’s virtual events calendar by temporarily providing KICKR smart trainers for major virtual competitions. More information regarding these events will be announced in the new year.

“We are thrilled to welcome Wahoo to the Cycling Canada family,” said Josh Peacock, Events & Partnerships Manager at Cycling Canada. “This exciting partnership will provide our High Performance program with best-in-class equipment from a true industry leader, which we are confident will translate to elevated success on the international stage.”

“We are thrilled to announce this partnership with Cycling Canada,” commented Colin Eustace, VP Global Marketing at Wahoo. “Their core values resonate perfectly with Wahoo thanks to their desire to help every cyclist develop their full potential. The development of athletes is something Wahoo has always stayed close to; by recognizing and understanding the needs of these athletes, we are able to offer them the latest in innovation to aid them on their journey.”

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