News – Page 62 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

SILVER & BRONZE FOR CANADA ON DAY 1 OF PARA ROAD WORLD CUP #1

Corridonia, Italy (May 10, 2019) – Team Canada had a strong start to the opening round of the UCI Para-Cycling World Cup in Corridonia, Italy, on Thursday, with athletes winning silver and bronze medals. In the 18 kilometre H3 Men’s time trial, Charles Moreau of Victoriaville, Quebec, finished second to Austria’s Walter Ablinger by 8.34 seconds. In the Women’s H4 time trial of the same distance, Kara Douville of Calgary, Alberta, won the bronze medal, five minutes and 54 seconds behind winner Jennette Jansen of the Netherlands.

“It was an exciting race and I’m really happy to finish second in the first World Cup of the season. It was an exciting course with technical sections that I particularly enjoy. I think it kicks off the season in the right way,” said Moreau.

May 10, 2019/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA HIRES NEW WOMEN’S TRACK ENDURANCE COACH

Milton, ON (May 6, 2019) – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce that Matt Shallcrass will be leading Canada’s Olympic medal-winning women’s track endurance program through the Tokyo Olympics. Shallcrass, who recently left his post as interim men’s endurance coach with Cycling New Zealand, took up his new role as Cycling Canada’s Women’s Track Endurance Coach on May 1.

Canada won Olympic medals in the women’s Team Pursuit at both the London Olympics in 2012 and the Rio Olympics in 2016. Shallcrass will be aiming to repeat this in Tokyo in 2020.

“I’m really looking forward to working with this phenomenally talented group of athletes and help them express their potential in 2020,” said Shallcrass. “The squad is a great mix of younger athletes and Olympic veterans.”

“We are extremely fortunate to have Matt come on board for the critical last 16 months to the Games. Having worked alongside him over the last several years, I know his coaching skills and work ethic are exactly what this team needs to get them to the line in Tokyo in optimal shape,” said Cycling Canada’s Head Track Coach Brendon Cameron.

May 6, 2019/by Communications

TEAM CANADA HEADING TO PARA ROAD WORLD CUPS #1 & #2

Ottawa, ON (May 2, 2019) – Canada is sending a strong team of athletes to the first two rounds of the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup, including two multi-time world champions. In total, eight athletes will participate in the first round on May 9-12, in Corridonia, Italy, with ten taking part in Round 2, a week later in Ostend, Belgium. These events count towards qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, with riders and nations collecting ranking points that will determine country quotas for the Games.

“We are looking forward to these first road events of the 2019 season,” said Sebastien Travers, Para Head Coach at Cycling Canada. “Italy will be a very interesting course, with key technical features as well as two hills per lap. This will be one of the few courses that is similar to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, so it will be valuable to see how our athletes perform. For the Ostend World Cup, the High Performance team will be joined by a multitude of Next Gen athletes, who will try to qualify for the remaining World Cups, Parapan Am Games and/or Road World Championships.”

Racing at each event will begin with the individual time trials for all categories on the first two days, followed by the road races on the final two days.

World Cup #1 – Corridonia, Italy
Keely Shaw (Women’s C4) – Saskatoon, SK
Shelley Gautier (Women’s T1) – Toronto, ON
Kara Douville (Women’s H4) – Calgary, AB
Tristen Chernove (Men’s C2) – Cranbrook, BC
Joey Desjardins (Men’s H3) – Hawkesbury, ON
Alex Hyndman (Men’s H3) – Morpeth, ON
Charles Moreau (Men’s H3) – Victoriaville, QC
Mike Sametz (Men’s C3) – Calgary, AB

World Cup #2 – Ostend, Belgium
Keely Shaw (Women’s C4) – Saskatoon, SK
Shelley Gautier (Women’s T1) – Toronto, ON
Annie Bouchard (Women’s Tandem) – Baie-St-Paul, QC
Evelyne Gagnon (Women’s Tandem Pilot) – Quebec City, QC
Charles Moreau (Men’s H3) – Victoriaville, QC
Alex Hyndman (Men’s H3) – Morpeth, ON
Lowell Taylor (Men’s Tandem) – Lethbridge, AB
Andrew Davidson (Men’s Tandem Pilot) – Calgary, AB
Ross Wilson (Men’s C1) – Edmonton, AB
Tristen Chernove (Men’s C2) – Cranbrook, BC
Mike Sametz (Men’s C3) – Calgary, AB
Michael Shetler (Men’s T2) – Montreal, QC

May 2, 2019/by Communications

WALLACE 8TH AT DH WORLD CUP OPENER

Maribor, Slovenia (April 29, 2019) – Canadian riders had a strong start to the Downhill World Cup season in Maribor, Slovenia, with Mark Wallace (Canyon Factory) qualifying first in Elite men and finishing eighth in the Final. In the Junior men, Ethan Shandro (Trek Factory Racing) was on the podium in second place at his first-ever World Cup, while Lucas Cruz (SRAM TLD Racing) was just off the podium in fourth. Rachel Pageau was the only Canadian woman competing, but did not qualify for the Final.

World champion Loic Bruni (Specialized) of France took the Elite men’s win, ahead of Danny Hart (Madison Saracen) and Troy Brosnan (Canyon Factory). Wallace sits sixth overall in the standings, due to his qualifying win. Finn Iles (Specialized) qualified third, but had problems on his run, finishing 52nd, and is 25th overall in the standings.

April 29, 2019/by Communications

RECORD PERFORMANCES AT CANADIAN U17/JUNIOR/PARA TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

Milton, ON (April 15, 2019) – The Mattamy National Cycling Centre hosted a weekend of record-breaking performances for the 2019 Canadian U17/Junior/Para Track Championships that took place from April 12-14 in Milton, Ontario. A record 111 athletes from five provinces took part in the Championships, where five Canadian records were broken in individual and team events.

In addition to winning the prestigious maple leaf jersey of national champion, the Championships served as part of the selection process for the team that will represent Canada at the Junior Track World Championships later in the year.

Nine athletes won multiple titles, led by two Under-17 riders, each with seven titles in the ten events contested. Nicole Bradbury (NCCH Elite p/b MGCC) dominated the U17 women’s category with seven gold medals, a silver, a bronze and a Canadian record in the Individual Pursuit. Bradbury had won the first round of the Mountain Bike Canada Cup a couple of weeks earlier, so admitted she lacked some confidence going into the Track Nationals. “Coming back from mountain biking, I hadn’t been on the track in a couple of weeks, so I wasn’t quite sure how I would perform. My goal was to do well in the IP [Individual Pursuit] and break the record, and I had mostly been training for the endurance races.”

In the U17 men’s category, Dylan Bibic (Ascent Cycling p/b MGCC) also won seven gold, plus two silver and bronze, as well as setting Canadian records in the 200 metre time trial and the Team Sprint. Other performances worthy of note were the four gold medals each for Junior riders Madison Dempster (Team Ontario) in the women’s field and Riley Pickrell (Cycling BC) in the men’s.

In the Para categories, national titles were awarded in the Individual Pursuit and 500/1000 metre time trials. Marie-Claude Molnar (Equipe du Quebec) took both titles in the women’s C4 category, with Megan Miller and her pilot Candice Moote (School for the Blind) winning the women’s tandem events, and Matthieu Croteau-Daigle and his pilot Benoit Lussier (Équipe du Québec) winning the men’s tandem events.

April 15, 2019/by Communications

U17/JUNIOR/PARA TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS RETURN TO MILTON THIS WEEKEND

Milton, ON (April 9, 2019) – The most prominent young track riders and para cyclists in Canada will converge at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario, this weekend for the 2019 Canadian Track Championships for U17, Junior and Para athletes.

A record 111 athletes from five provinces across Canada will participate in the three day event, which begins on Friday afternoon and continues through to Sunday. U17 and Junior (U19) women and men will compete in the Individual Pursuit, Keirin, Scratch Race, Sprint, Points Race, Elimination Race, 500/1000 metre time trials, Madison (Junior only), plus the Team Pursuit and Team Sprint. Para-cyclists will compete across multiple categories for women and men in the Individual Pursuit, as well as the 1000 metre and 500 metre time trial.

In addition to winning the prestigious maple leaf jersey, the Championships will serve as part of the selection process for the team that will represent Canada at the Junior Track World Championships later in the year.

“Every year, this group of talented athletes deliver amazing performances during these Championships. It’s exciting to see the depth and the quality of the riders coming through our provincial systems. The presence of our Para athletes is another guarantee of great performances this weekend, since Canada is one of the strongest para-cycling nations in the world,” said Mathieu Boucher, Head of Development and Operations at Cycling Canada.

April 9, 2019/by Communications

RAPHAEL GAGNE WINS PAN AM MTB TITLE

Aguascalientes, Mexico (April 7, 2019) – Canada’s Raphael Gagne won the Elite men’s title at the Continental Mountain Bike Championships on Saturday, in Aguascalientes, Mexico, after previously winning the silver medal in 2013 and bronze medal in 2014. Catharine Pendrel was the top Canadian in the Elite women’s race, finishing fourth.

Held at 2000 metres altitude, the Pan American championships offered important UCI ranking points towards Olympic qualifications, and all six Canadians competing finished in the top-10 in their respective races.

“Definitely over the moon with this win,” said Gagne. “I came second, nine seconds from winning, in 2013 and one minute from winning in 2014 with bronze. Today I finally got it. I’d like to thank the Canadian national team for supporting me here and at some of the key races this season when I need it the most. It’s a tough situation now with no team, and the Québec team is there to help me at some races too. I am really happy I could make it happen for myself, but I am more thankful to those that are helping me right now.”

Leandre Bouchard finished seventh in Elite men, while Quinton Disera was sixth in the Under-23 men’s race.

The Elite women’s race was led from start to finish by world champion Kate Courtney (USA). Pendrel, the Olympic bronze medalist in 2016, was part of the four rider group that dropped the rest of the field and challenged for third in the final laps. Canadian champion Emily Batty finished sixth and Sandra Walter was ninth.

Jeff Ain, Canadian Team Manager, said, “The course is a tough one with the desert heat and altitude, but we came in with a well-laid out plan and everyone executed really well. Raph showed some exceptional tactical skills to pull off the win in the elite men, and Catharine was in a tight last lap battle for bronze. Everyone was in the top-10 with some very deep fields.”

April 7, 2019/by Communications

TRACK ATHLETE CHARLOTTE CRESWICKE PASSES AWAY

Ottawa, ON (April 5, 2019) – Cycling Canada and the Ontario Cycling Association extend their sincerest condolences to the Creswicke family. Charlotte was a passionate cyclist and member of Team Ontario during her junior years where she achieved tremendous success in track sprint, including being selected to represent Canada at the 2017 Junior Track Cycling World Championships. Charlotte’s loss is felt deeply within the cycling community and she will be missed greatly by all who had the pleasure of knowing her.

https://www.rodabramsfuneralhome.com/charlotte-creswicke/

If you or anyone you know need to talk, please contact Crisis Services Canada.

April 5, 2019/by Communications

CANADA ANNOUNCES TEAM FOR PAN AM MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ottawa, ON (April 5, 2019) – Canada is sending a strong team to the Pan American Mountain Bike Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico, this weekend. The Championships are the Continental Championships for Cross-country, and carry valuable nation ranking points for Olympic spots at the 2020 Games.

For the Elite women’s competition, Canada will send three of its top-ranked women, led by 2018 world championship bronze medalist Emily Batty and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Catharine Pendrel. They will be joined by Sandra Walter, who won the silver medal at the 2018 national championships. Cindy Montambault was also named to the team but had to withdraw due to illness.

The men’s squad includes 2016 Olympians Leandre Bouchard and Raphael Gagne in the Elite category, and Quinton Disera for the Under-23 category.

“The goal here is just to earn points,” said Dan Proulx, national mountain bike coach. “It’s still early season, and it is a bit of a tricky race; it is in a difficult location, with extensive travel time to get to and from, and it’s at altitude. There are a lot of points on the line, and the trick is to go down there and come back healthy enough to benefit.”

Women
Emily Batty – Brooklin, ON (Elite)
Catharine Pendrel – Kamloops, BC (Elite)
Sandra Walter – Coquitlam, BC (Elite)

Men
Leandre Bouchard – Alma, QC (Elite)
Quinton Disera – Horseshoe Valley, ON (Under-23)
Raphael Gagne – Quebec City, QC (Elite)

April 5, 2019/by Communications

17/05/2019

SMITH & DISERA TAKE OPENING CANADA CUP WINS

Victoria, BC (March 31, 2019) – The Canadian mountain bike season opened on Saturday at the Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, BC, with the now traditional first round of the Canada Cup XCO series at the Bear Mountain Bike Festival. The Canada Cup has been the career starting point for many of Canada’s top professional and Olympic riders, and attracted most of Canada’s top pros for this edition.

Weather conditions were almost perfect, and a record number of entrants took part in both the UCI C1 sanctioned Canada Cup categories and in age group categories ranging from Under-13 to 50-plus.

The powerful Norco Factory Team took both the Elite titles, with Haley Smith winning the women’s race and Peter Disera the men’s. Both riders rode at the front of the race from the first lap, steadily opening a gap on the rest of the field to solo in to victory, with Smith beating three-time defending champion Catharine Pendrel (Clif Pro Team), with Laurie Arseneault (ACQ) taking third.

“It has been a strong start to my season,” said Smith. “I didn’t really expect to go this well, but I’m racing as hard as I can and having fun. It’s a well-known rule that the first 20 minutes are the hardest, so if I could just stay away for the first couple of laps, hopefully the gap could grow, and that’s what happened.”

In the men’s race, Disera, the defending champion, quickly opened a gap on a chase group consisting of Raphael Gagne (Equipe du Quebec), Gunnar Holmgren (Hardwood Nextwave) and Leandre Bouchard (Pivot-OTE). Disera rode alone through the race to take the win, with Holmgren and Gagne chasing together until the final lap, when Gagne dropped his rival to take second. Holmgren faded in the last half lap and was overtaken by Bouchard for third.

In the Junior categories, Emilly Johnston (Pendrel Racing) and Carter Woods (Rocky Mountain Factory) completely dominated their races to win. The Under-17 event saw Nicole Bradbury (NCCH p/b MGCC) win the women’s title and Erik Ashton (Trail Bicycles) take the men’s.

March 31, 2019/by Communications