News – Page 52 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

CYCLING CANADA AND FQSC WORKING TO SUSTAIN 2020 GRAND PRIX CYCLISTE DE GATINEAU

Ottawa, ON (December 19, 2019) – The Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau was launched in 2010 and has been a stalwart on the North American women’s road racing calendar for 10 editions. In 2020, the race will no longer be organized by La Grande Visite de Gatineau, but Cycling Canada and the FQSC are confident they have the necessary resources and capacity in place to sustain the future of the event.

Cycling Canada and the FQSC are grateful to La Grande Visite de Gatineau for putting on the GP Gatineau and developing it into a world-class UCI women’s event. While they have decided to step away from the event due to financial concerns, it is an invaluable event for women’s cycling in Canada and North America. Cycling Canada and the FQSC will be working together to ensure the future of the event which will keep its current 2020 date and UCI standing.

More news on the 2020 edition of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau will follow in the New Year. The 2020 GP Gatineau road race remains scheduled for June 4 and Chrono Gatineau individual time trial for June 5.

December 19, 2019/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES THE RECIPIENTS OF ITS ANNUAL AWARDS

Ottawa, ON (December 18, 2019) – Cycling Canada is pleased to recognize the individuals, athletes, organizers and events that have had significant impacts on the sport in Canada in 2019. A fantastic year of bike races and world class performances are being recognized for contributing and growing passion for the sport in Canada.

“The 2019 season was exceptionally exciting with so many great events showcasing the various disciplines across Canada,” said Cycling Canada President Pierre LaFlamme. “Amazing coaches continued their tireless work developing elite and next generation talents, and Canadian athletes showcased our countries world-class talent on the domestic and international stage. We are thrilled to present these awards to the deserving recipients who are helping to build momentum for our sport on home soil and abroad.”

With amazing events spanning the country from coast-to-coast, stand out events in each category set the bar high. CykelHaus Race Promotions brought the UCI Pan-American Cyclocross Championships to Midland, Ontario and Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec hosted the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships bringing some of the best athletes in the world to Canadian soil. Many other events gave Canadians the opportunities to develop their skills domestically.

Tristan Jussaume is being recognized with Russ Copeland Award for best junior rider of the year and Tristen Chernove was awarded the President’s Trophy for the best performance in competition at the World Championships.

The Torchy Peden Award for 2019 was presented to Cycling BC in recognition of the growth of their iRide and junior membership programs as well as their contributions towards the development of a national grassroots development program.

Annual awards

Event of the Year:
Road – Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix Society – BC
Mountain Bike – Mountain Bike Canada Cup XCO – Club Cycliste Charlevoix – Baie-Saint-Paul, QC
BMX Freestyle – Joyride BMX Park International – Joyride 150 – Markham, ON
BMX – Calgary BMX Canada Cup – Calgary, AB
Paracycling – Défi sportif AlterGo – Montréal, QC
Cyclocross – CykelHaus Race Promotions – Pan-American Cyclocross Championships – Midland, ON
Track – Western Challenge – Burnaby Velodrome Club – Burnaby, BC
Canadian Championships – Canadian XCO MTB Championships- Pulse Racing –
Oro Station, ON
International Event – UCI MTB World Championships Presented by Mercedes-Benz – Corporation Événements d’été de Québec – Mont Sainte Anne, QC

National Commissaire of the Year – Marko Rosic / BC
International Commissaire of the Year – Adrien Lévesque / NB

Recognition Award for Coach of the Year:
Road – Christopher Rozdilsky / QC
MTB – Mike Charuk / BC
Cyclocross – David Gagnon / QC
Para-cycling – Eric Van Den Eynde / QC
Track – Yannick Bedard / QC

Torchy Peden Award – Cycling BC
Russ Copeland Award – Tristan Jussaume / QC
President’s Trophy – Tristen Chernove / BC
Builder of the Year – Yves Blouin / QC

December 18, 2019/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES ROSTER FOR FIFTH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CROSS

Ottawa, ON (December 17, 2019) – Nine riders are heading to Belgium this holiday season to compete as part of Cycling Canada’s annual Christmas Cross camp. Beginning on December 17 and running through to January 2, the National Team will be competing in a total of five cyclocross races in Belgium, punctuated by the UCI Cyclocross World Cup stops in Namur and Zolder.

“The goal of our program is to provide world-class support to our Elite cyclocross athletes, to introduce developing athletes to international competition, and to play a role in developing Canadian cycling staff and coaches who can support our athletes while competing abroad,” said Scott Kelly, Cyclocross Program Manager for Cycling Canada. “Projects like these provide the experiences necessary for these younger athletes to continue to climb the ranks.”

Team Canada will race at the Namur and Zolder world cups before heading to Azencross Loenhout on December 27 and Superprestige Cyclocross Diegem on December 29, with the race program wrapping up at the DVV Verzekeringen Trofee GP Sven Nys on New Year’s Day.

Leading the team will be Canadian Elite champion Michael van den Ham, as well as U23 Pan American champion Ruby West. While Maghalie Rochette will not be racing with the National Team, she will be supporting the project through her CXFever Fund which has grown significantly since its launch in 2017. “What Cycling Canada is doing with their Christmas Cross camp is really amazing,” said Rochette. “I really think what they are doing is one of the best ways to help develop young Canadian talent and I want to support it in whatever way I can.”

You can support the CXFever Fund by purchasing a CXFever Neck warmer for $25. To donate directly to Cycling Canada’s national team, visit shop.cyclingcanada.ca with 100% of the proceeds go towards supporting Cycling Canada’s National team programming during the Christmas season. As a non-funded program, the National Cyclocross Team relies on the generous support of their partners Paris to Ancaster and the CXFever fund, and donors and volunteers to develop the next generation of athletes.

National Team Roster

Michael van den Ham (Abbotsford, BC) – Elite Men
Cameron Jette (Toronto, ON) – Elite Men
Ruby West (Dundas, ON) – U23 Women
Kelly Lawson (Barrie, ON) – Junior Women
Claire Steciuk (Midhurst, ON) – Junior Women
Brody Sanderson (Severn, ON) – U23 Men
Malcolm Barton (Uxbridge, ON) – U23 Men
Matthew Leliveld (Mulmur, ON) – Junior Men
Cody Scott (North Vancouver, BC) – Junior Men

December 17, 2019/by Communications

TEAM CANADA EARNS TWO MEDALS AT BRISBANE WORLD CUP

Brisbane, Australia (December 16, 2019) – Canada won two medals at the fifth round of the UCI Track World Cup in Brisbane, Australia. The women’s Team Pursuit secured their second bronze medal in as many weeks while Allison Beveridge won a silver medal in the Omnium having taken a bronze last weekend in Cambridge, New Zealand. The race concludes a three World Cup block for the Canada program over which a total of seven medals were earned in Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia.

On their way to bronze, the women’s Team Pursuit qualified fourth behind New Zealand, Australia and the U.S. and moved to the bronze medal final in a head-to-head against the Americans. The Canadians squad of Beveridge, Georgia Simmerling, Jasmin Duehring, Annie Foreman-Mackey and Ariane Bonhomme rode well to secure their second consecutive medal at a World Cup defeating the U.S. team.

On Sunday, Beveridge rode very strong in the omnium to earn a silver medal. She earned fourth in the Scratch Race, second in the Tempo Race, second in the Elimination Race and third in the Points Race.

In other results, the men’s Team Pursuit finished in sixth place. In the women’s Sprint, Lauriane Genest was fifth and Kelsey Mitchell ninth. Hugo Barrette finished 10th in the men’s Keirin. The endurance athletes head back to New Zealand for a camp to build for the 2020 UCI Track World Championships in Berlin in February while the sprint athletes head back to Canada to prepare for the Milton, World Cup in January.

December 16, 2019/by Communications

TWO MORE MEDALS FOR CANADA ON FINAL DAY OF CAMBRIDGE WORLD CUP

Cambridge, New Zealand (December 8, 2019) – Team Canada had a tremendous outing at the fourth round of the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Cambridge, New Zealand earning four medals. On the final day of competition, Lauriane Genest earned silver in the Keirin and Allison Beveridge took bronze in the Omnium adding to the women’s Team Pursuit bronze medal and Kelsey Mitchell’s silver in the Sprint.

A day after earning a berth in the Sprint quarterfinals for the first time in her career at a World Cup, Genest needed to go through repechage to make it into the second round of the Keirin. She won her heat in the second round to earn a spot in the medal final where she again showed her strength and skill to win silver, her first World Cup medal.

“I’m still learning a lot in the Keirin. You don’t need to be the fastest to be in the big final. I was a bit disappointed with the first round but won repechage with a big gap and also won semis,” Genest said. “I told myself to give everything I had in the final because there wasn’t anything to lose. I have been looking at Kelsey’s success and it looks like it feels good. I am happy we can share it together.”

In the omnium, Beveridge won the tempo race and rode consistently in the scratch, elimination and points race to secure bronze. It was her second medal of the competition having been part of the women’s Team Pursuit bronze medal on Friday.

“Heading in I wasn’t quite sure where I was at. A couple of weeks ago I struggled in Glasgow. It feels good to put together some consistent rides and come away with a bronze medal,” Beveridge said before moving her attention to next week’s World Cup in Australia. “ We keep hoping to build especially in the Team Pursuit in Brisbane so we’ll see what we can do. As much as we love a medal, we are getting a little tired of bronze so we’ll see if we can improve on that.”

The fifth round of the World Cup takes place in Brisbane, Australia from December 13 to 15.

December 8, 2019/by Communications

KELSEY MITCHELL WINS SILVER AT NEW ZEALAND WORLD CUP

Cambridge, New Zealand (December 7, 2019) – On the second day of competition at the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Cambridge, New Zealand, Kelsey Mitchell won a silver medal in the Sprint competition. It’s her second consecutive medal at a World Cup having earned bronze in Hong Kong one week ago. To open the competition on Friday, Canada’s women’s Team Pursuit secured a bronze medal.

It’s only Mitchell’s second career World Cup medal after setting a new world record earlier this year. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native cruised through the opening four rounds and advanced to face European champion Anastasiia Voinova of Russia in the gold medal final. The RBC Training Ground athlete took the first race of the finals round before being narrowly defeated in the final race. Lauriane Genest had a great ride having qualified in third, one place behind Mitchell, and went on to reach the quarterfinals.

“I’m being super strategic and taking each round to three rides which is really helping me gain more experience,” Mitchell, who only started racing two-years-ago, said about her strategy. “It is making it a lot harder but in the long run it’s going to be very beneficial. It feels really good to win a silver medal. I’m really happy to be improving every race so getting a medal is just the cherry on top.”

In other results, Hugo Barrette finished 11th in the Keirin, while Michael Foley unfortunately crashed in the opening race of the Omnium injuring his collarbone. He will be undergoing further medical examination to understand the nature of the injury.

December 7, 2019/by Communications

CANADA WINS BRONZE IN WOMEN’S TEAM PURSUIT AT CAMBRIDGE WORLD CUP

Cambridge, New Zealand (December 6, 2019) – Team Canada had a good start to the fourth round of the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Cambridge, New Zealand. The women’s team pursuit squad won a bronze medal on the opening day of competition while Canada’s men’s team finished in fifth place.

“I think we did a lot of good things in all three rides,” said Georgia Simmerling on the bronze medal performance. “We can take away a lot of positives. The four of us who rode today haven’t ridden at all together till today and those other teams have been riding for months and months together so that’s actually giving us a lot of motivation. We know we have so much more to give and we are ready to do the work.”

Competing together for the first time this season Simmerling, Jasmin Duehring, Annie Foreman-Mackey and Allison Beveridge qualified with the third fastest time and faced Australia in round one. Canada lost to Australia but secured a spot in the bronze medal final against trade team Subway New Zealand. With a strong ride, they secured Canada’s first medal of the competition.

“We are looking at building through the season, running a little hotter into the world championships and making sure we qualify for the Olympics so we are juggling a couple of things,” said team Canada’s head track coach Brendon Cameron.

The men’s team pursuit squad was also in action and qualified with the fourth fastest time. Jay Lamoureux, Derek Gee, Adam Jamieson, Vincent De Haitre and Michael Foley did not move on to the medal round finishing a solid fifth. The World Cup continues on Saturday with Canadians in action in the women’s sprint, men’s Keirin and men’s Omnium.

December 6, 2019/by Communications

KELSEY MITCHELL WINS BRONZE AT THE HONG KONG WORLD CUP

Hong Kong (December 2, 2019) – Team Canada had a successful campaign at the third round of the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Hong Kong over the weekend, with Kelsey Mitchell winning a bronze medal in the Sprint competition. Over the span of three days, the team, which was comprised of both veterans and NextGen athletes, secured a total of five top-10 results.

After setting a new world record earlier this year, RBC Training Ground athlete Kelsey Mitchell managed to win her first World Cup medal after setting the second fastest time in qualifying. Mitchell breezed through the first three rounds, winning against her opponents in two solid rides, before losing against Emma Hinze of Germany in the semi finals. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native faced Olena Starikova of Ukraine in the bronze medal final and Mitchell narrowly edged out her rival to finish in third place.

“I am really happy about my bronze medal in the sprint. I was lucky enough to get to go to three rides in both my semi and final rides so it made for a very long and difficult day,” said Mitchell. “I left everything I had out there in the final ride and was able to walk away with a 0.002 second victory and a bronze medal.”

In other results, the NextGen men’s Team Pursuit squad finished with a solid sixth place, while Hugo Barrette secured eighth in the men’s Keirin, only a few months after breaking his collarbone. In the women’s Keirin, Lauriane Genest finished ninth, while Kelsey Mitchell finished just behind her in tenth place. The Track World Cup series continues next weekend in Cambridge, New Zealand.

December 2, 2019/by Communications

FORMER JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPION STEFAN RITTER STEPS AWAY FROM COMPETITIVE RACING

Milton, ON (November 25, 2019) – Over a year after Stefan Ritter suffered a traumatic injury resulting from a crash at the 2018 Pan American Track Championships in Mexico, the 21-year-old has taken the difficult decision to end his cycling career in the interest of his long term health.

“The road to recovery from a severe brain injury is long and challenging,” Ritter explained. “Although my recovery is going incredibly well, I still have the final portions of it ahead of me. The reason for my decision to leave racing, is a matter of my long term health. Although my career was relatively short, it was indeed a very rewarding journey.”

Ritter’s career began with the Juventus Cycling Club in Edmonton in 2010 at the age of 12. Racing on the road, track, mountain bike and cyclo-cross, Ritter’s first project with the National Team was the 2015 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic followed by the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan that same year where he began to identify sprinting as his main strength.

In 2016, Ritter became the Junior Kilo world champion at the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland where he also won a bronze medal in the Sprint. At the 2016 Pan Am Track Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Ritter set two Junior world records in the Kilo and the flying 200m Sprint. As an Elite, Ritter earned a silver medal at the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Minks, Belarus, in the Keirin.

“I would like to sincerely thank everyone from the bottom of my heart, for all the support during my career, as well as all the encouragement, thoughts, and prayers for me after my crash,” he said. “I will always look back at this part of my life very fondly, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.”

November 25, 2019/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES ROSTERS FOR UPCOMING TRACK WORLD CUPS

Milton, ON (November 21, 2019) – Heading into a critical period of Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification, Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the athletes travelling to compete in the three upcoming back-to-back rounds of the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Hong Kong (November 29-December 1), Cambridge, New Zealand (December 6-8) and Brisbane, Australia (December 13-15).

Canada is sending a strong contingent of endurance and sprint athletes to Rounds 3, 4 and 5 with the aim of securing spots at the Summer Games. After a break over the holidays, the series concludes in the New Year with the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Milton on January 24-26 before the UCI World Championships in Berlin, February 26-March 1.

“The main goal is to maintain and ensure Olympic qualification in our chosen events, we track progress and forecast very closely after each event,” Brendon Cameron, Canada’s Head Track coach said about the teams ambitions. “We highlighted these three world cups some time ago as events we wanted to concentrate on coming in with good form. The athletes will then have a short break before final preparation for the World Championships in Berlin at the end of February.”

Leading Canada’s Women’s Team Pursuit squad in New Zealand and Australia will be Rio bronze medalists Allison Beveridge, Jasmin Duehring and Georgia Simmerling, who will ride alongside Annie Foreman-Mackey and Ariane Bonhomme. Canada’s young Men’s Team Pursuit squad continues to improve as they solidify their Olympic spot and will have teams in all three rounds. Both programs will start riders in the Omnium to aim for a fifth rider quota for the Olympics.

Canada’s sprint team had a fantastic early season highlighted by Kelsey Mitchell’s gold at the Pan Am Games and world record in the 200 m sprint at the Pan Am Championships. She will be travelling to all three rounds, alongside teammates Lauriane Genest, Hugo Barrette, while Nick Wammes and Joel Archambault will be taking part in selected world cups.

(TP – Team Pursuit, OM – Omnium, MAD – Madison, KI – Kilo, SP – Sprint, KE – Keirin)

HONG KONG

Men’s Endurance
Chris Ernst – Kitchener, ON [TP]
Evan Burtnik – Edmonton, AB [TP]
Jay Lamoureux – Victoria, BC [TP]
Aidan Caves – Vancouver, BC [TP]
Derek Gee – Ottawa, ON [TP, OM]

Women’s Endurance
Devaney Collier – Edmonton, AB [OM]

Sprint
Hugo Barrette – Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC [SP, KE]
Nick Wammes (Team P2M) – Bothwell, ON [SP, KE]
Kelsey Mitchell (Team P2M) – Sherwood Park, AB [SP, KE]
Lauriane Genest – Lévis, QC [SP, KE]

NEW ZEALAND/AUS

Men’s Endurance
Jay Lamoureux – Victoria, BC [TP]
Aidan Caves (Only AUS) – Vancouver, BC [TP]
Derek Gee – Ottawa, ON [TP, OM in AUS]
Adam Jamieson (Only NZL) – Barrie, ON [TP]
Vincent De Haitre – Ottawa, ON [TP]
Michael Foley – Milton, ON [OM in NZL, TP]

Women’s Endurance
Allison Beveridge – Calgary, AB [OM, TP]
Jasmin Duehring – North Vancouver, BC [TP]
Annie Foreman-Mackey – Kingston, ON [TP]
Ariane Bonhomme – Gatineau, QC [TP]
Georgia Simmerling – Vancouver, BC [TP]

Sprint
Hugo Barrette – Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC [SP, KE]
Joel Archambault (Team P2M) – Sainte-Christine, QC [SP, KE]
Kelsey Mitchell (Team P2M) – Sherwood Park, AB [SP, KE]
Lauriane Genest – Lévis, QC [SP, KE]

November 21, 2019/by Communications