News – Page 63 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF CRAIG GRIFFIN

Ottawa, Ontario (March 22, 2019)– Cycling Canada is making changes to the leadership of its women’s track endurance program in the wake of the departure of head coach Craig Griffin.

Griffin joined Cycling Canada in 2013 and led the program to Olympic bronze in the team pursuit in 2016, along with medals at the Pan Am Games, Commonwealth Games, world championships and world cups. The team pursuit squad has not reached the world championship podium since 2016, finishing sixth in 2017, fifth in 2018 and fourth in 2019.

“After reflecting on our performances over the past three seasons leading up to the track world championships in Poland earlier this month, we realized the team needed a fresh approach to reach the podium in Tokyo,” said High Performance Director Kris Westwood. “We have an amazingly talented group of athletes, and we believe strongly in their potential.”

Recently hired track head coach Brendon Cameron will take the reins of the program until Cycling Canada hires a new program coach.

“We’ve seen flashes of brilliance from the team this season – the performances are still in there,” said Cameron. “The timing is right to rebuild our approach as the athletes are just starting the preparation phase for the 2019-2020 season, and we’re in a really good position for Olympic qualification, which gives us some breathing space to make the changes we need.”

Cycling Canada would like to thank Craig for his six years of service at the helm of the program.

March 22, 2019/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Ottawa, Ontario (March 19, 2019) – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors following a Cycling Canada Board meeting held on Tuesday, March 12^th.

The three appointments include Annie Foreman-Mackey, who was recommended by the Athlete Council as the National Team Athlete Representative and two Director positions which will be filled by Curt Harnett (Toronto, ON) and Shauna Finlay (Edmonton, AB.).

Annie Foreman-Mackey, who serves as a Road and Track representative on the Athlete Council, is a current member of Canada’s National track cycling team. She is a world championship and world cup medalist on the track and was the Canadian road champion in 2016.

No stranger to the Canadian cycling community, Curt Harnett is a three-time Olympian and one of Canada’s most decorated cyclists of all time. After retiring from cycling in 1996, Harnett was involved in sports marketing and business development, leading up to his current role as Senior Advisor at Deloitte Canada. Harnett is still heavily involved in the sport community, having served as Canada’s Chef de Mission at the 2016 Olympic Games as well as the 2015 PanAm Games. He is a member of the Toronto 2015 Legacy Fund Allocation Committee and currently sits on the board of the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario.

Shauna Finlay has been practicing law for almost 20 years and is currently a Partner at the RMRF LLP law firm based in Edmonton. Throughout the years, she has developed an expertise in municipal, environmental and regulatory law and has provided independent counsel for different governing bodies.

“We are thrilled to welcome Annie, Shauna and Curt to our Board of Directors,” said Cycling Canada President Pierre Laflamme. “They will each bring unique skills and expertise to the table and I have no doubt they will be valuable contributors in moving our organization and our sport forward. I want to thank all the phenomenal candidates who put their names forward for these positions – it is a healthy sign to see so many new and qualified individuals interested in contributing.”

Current Board Members
Pierre Laflamme – President
Greg Cote – Director-at-Large
Paul DeVries – Director-at-Large
Shauna Finley – Director-at-Large
Curt Harnett – Director
Scott Kelly – Director-at-Large
Bill Kinash – Director-at-Large
Robin Porter – Director-at-Large
Annie Foreman-Mackey – National Team Athlete Representative

March 19, 2019/by Communications

CHERNOVE WINS GOLD AT PARA TRACK WORLDS

Apeldoorn, NL (March 17, 2019) – Team Canada concluded the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships on Saturday in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, with gold and silver medals, bringing the total number of medals for the event to five – one gold, two silver and two bronze.

In the men’s C2 category, Tristen Chernove finished his world championships by winning the Scratch Race, adding to the silver medal he won on Thursday in the Individual Pursuit, and the bronze medal on Friday in the 1000 metre time trial. In addition, Chernove topped the standings in the first ever Omnium; a compilation of points over four events. The Omnium in Apeldoorn is a test event for possible inclusion at the 2024 Paralympics, so no medals were awarded.

“It was a super fun day,” said Chernove. “I always love bunch racing, so this is the event I was most excited about. To come away with a victory in the Scratch, I feel thrilled. It was a great race that finished in a bunch sprint, and to take home the jersey for the Scratch was my goal coming here. And to win the Omnium was a bonus.”

In the women’s C4 competition, Keely Shaw won her first ever world championship medal, finishing second in the Individual Pursuit to Emily Petricola of Australia, who set a world record. Marie-Claude Molnar finished just out of the medals in fourth place for the same event. Molnar finished third overall in the Omnium standings; Shaw did not compete in all four events.

“I really excited for the outcome,” said Shaw. “I don’t think any of us were expecting this, so when I realized I was racing for the world title, I was super excited.”

Ross Wilson was fifth in the C1 men’s Scratch Race, to finish third overall in the Omnium standings.

Sebastian Travers, Para Head Coach at Cycling Canada, said, “It was a very good Worlds for us. If we include the Omnium podiums, we tied our best Worlds ever. This is great to see in our athletes, one year away from the Paralympic Games. Although we haven’t put everything together for peak performances, I happy to see how everyone worked together as a team. I have been relying on personal coaches as well as national coaches to get our athletes ready, and everyone has done an amazing job.We developed a four year mission plan following Rio and we continue to progress according to this plan. We are confident that this will lead to key performances in Tokyo 2020 .”

March 17, 2019/by Communications

CHERNOVE WINS SECOND MEDAL AT PARA TRACK WORLDS

Apeldoorn, NL (March 16, 2019) – Tristen Chernove took his second medal of the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships on Friday, in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. The Cranbrook, BC, rider won the bronze medal in the men’s C2 1000 metre time, after winning the silver medal on Thursday in the Individual Pursuit. Ross Wilson, winner of the bronze medal in the men’s C1 Individual Pursuit on Thursday, finished seventh in the C1 1000 metre time trial.

For the first time, the world championships include a 200 metre flying start time trial event. While not a medal event, the 200m standings for each category count towards an overall Omnium standings, a test event for the 2024 Paralympic Games. Both Wilson and Chernove finished second in their respective categories for the 200m time trial, while Marie-Claude Molnar was third in the C4 women’s competition.

Chernove now leads the C2 men’s Omnium standings after three of four events, while Wilson is second overall in C1 men. Molnar is fourth in the women’s Omnium standings after two of four events.

“It was a challenging day for me,” admitted Chernove. “I haven’t been feeling great, but I’m super happy with the incredible staff support to keep me in the competition today, and I’m glad I persevered. It’s really great to be leading the Omnium and I hope to get the overall win, but it will come down to the Scratch race on Saturday.”

March 16, 2019/by Communications

TWO MEDALS FOR CANADA AT PARA TRACK WORLDS

Apeldoorn, NL (March 15, 2019) – Canada opened the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, on Thursday with silver and bronze medals.

Defending men’s C2 world champion Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, had to settle for silver in the Individual Pursuit. Chernove qualified first, but in the medal final finished behind Australian Darren Hicks, who took the gold medal.

“I tried something I hadn’t tried before and it didn’t work,” said Chernove, “so the game plan will have to change for next time. I went out there trying to win the final by catching my opponent in the first kilometre and that didn’t work out. It’s a well deserved win for Darren Hicks.”

In the men’s C1 competition, Ross Wilson of Sherwood Park, Alberta, qualified third and maintained that position in the medal final, beating Pierre Senska of Germany for the bronze medal.

“I’m happy to see that my riding has improved,” said Wilson, “although the results don’t necessarily show my potential and abilities. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a mechanical in the qualifier [and did not make the gold medal race], but I was able to put in a repeated effort [in the bronze medal final] and it was rewarding to finish the race as strong as I did.”

In other Canadian results, Marie-Claude Molnar and Keely Shaw both competed in the women’s C4 500 metre time trial, finishing 11th and the 12th, respectively.

March 15, 2019/by Communications

CANADIAN BMX CHAMPION LOSES LIFE IN WORK ACCIDENT

Ottawa, ON (March 12, 2019) – It is with great sadness that the Canadian cycling community learned of the loss of one of its own late Sunday night. Aidan Webber, 18, was killed in a workplace accident at a fish farm in northern Vancouver Island.

Webber, of Nanaimo, BC, was the reigning Canadian junior BMX champion after winning the title in Drummondville, QC, last summer. He also represented Canada at the 2018 BMX World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.

On behalf of all our members, Cycling Canada would like to extend its condolences to Webber’s family and loved ones.

March 12, 2019/by Communications

CANADA SENDS STRONG TEAM TO PARA TRACK WORLDS

Ottawa, ON (March 11, 2019) — Cycling Canada is sending a small but powerful team of four athletes to the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, on March 14-17.

“We look forward to racing in Apeldoorn again, as we have had success on this track in the past,” says Sebastien Travers, Para-cycling head coach at Cycling Canada. “The 2019 Track World Championships will be a great way of evaluating how our athletes stack up against the world. Our eyes are set on Tokyo and we will use Apeldoorn to refine our processes, fine tune our preparation, equipment and strategies in the final push towards the Games.”

In addition to Time Trial, Pursuit and Scratch Race events, the 2019 world championships will add the Flying 200 metre time trial, so that a comprehensive Omnium standing can be awarded.

The team will be led by defending world champion Tristen Chernove, who won the 2018 world title in the Men’s C2 Pursuit, took the silver medal in the Time Trial and bronze in the Scratch Race. For the men, he will be joined by C1 rider Ross Wilson, who won the silver medal in the Pursuit last year.

In the Women’s C4 category, Canada will be represented by Marie-Claude Molnar and Keely Shaw. Molnar finished fourth and Shaw fifth in the Pursuit at last year’s world championships.

Marie-Claude Molnar – St-Hubert, QC [Women’s C4 500m time trial, Pursuit, Scratch, Omnium]
Keely Shaw – Saskatoon, SK [Women’s C4 Flying 200m time trial, Pursuit]
Ross Wilson – Sherwood Park, AB [Men’s C1 1000m time trial, Pursuit, Scratch, Omnium]
Tristen Chernove – Cranbrook, BC [Men’s C2 1000m time trial, Pursuit, Scratch, Omnium]

March 11, 2019/by Communications

BRENDON CAMERON JOINS CYCLING CANADA AS HEAD TRACK COACH

Ottawa, ON (March 5, 2019) – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce that Brendon Cameron has joined the organization in the newly created position of Head Track Coach. Cameron is a two-time Olympian for New Zealand in the team pursuit. He switched to a successful coaching career after the Sydney Olympics, helping athletes win individual and team medals at the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games. He was most recently the women’s endurance coach for Cycling New Zealand.

The Head Track Coach position was created in response to one of the recommendations in the High Performance Review conducted by Peter Keen over the past few months. Cameron’s primary role will be to oversee our Olympic qualification and preparation strategy; to cast a critical eye on our programs, and to use his wealth of experience to mentor our coaches. The role will initially be part-time, with the intention of making it a full-time position after the Tokyo Olympics.

“I’m excited to come on board at this stage of an Olympic cycle,” said Cameron. “It’s a new position for me, which is exciting but no doubt will be challenging. I think we have some very capable athletes, and with further refinement of the high performance programs, we can help them achieve our performance goals in Tokyo. It’s my first position outside of a New Zealand program and it’s very interesting seeing how another country operates, with a different culture and different approaches.This is a great learning opportunity for me.”

Cameron will be working part-time out of Cycling Canada’s track headquarters at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, as well as spending extensive time with the team on the road.

“We were extremely fortunate to find someone with Brendon’s skills and expertise this close to the Games,” said Cycling Canada’s High Performance Director, Kris Westwood. “The coaches and I have a lot of confidence in Brendon and he’s already had a very positive influence on our programs in the short time he’s been with us.”

March 5, 2019/by Communications

FOUR TOP TEN RESULTS FOR CANADA AT TRACK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Pruszkow, Poland (March 4, 2019) – Team Canada had a successful five days of competition at the 2019 Track World Championships in Pruszkow, Poland, with a total of four top ten results throughout the week. Overall, the Canadian team’s best results were fourth places for both the women’s and men’s Team Pursuit squads, as well as a sixth place by Annie Foreman-Mackey in the Individual Pursuit and an eighth by Allison Beveridge in the Omnium.

Kris Westwood, Head of Performance Operations, said “We’ve seen an amazing progression from our men’s Team Pursuit squad. They broke the national record four times this season, finished on the podium at the World Cup, and managed to get fourth here at Worlds. That’s historic.”

“The women’s program came a little short of our target here, which was to get back on the podium. We looked like we were getting there; at the New Zealand World Cup we set one of the fastest times of the season for any team, but in the final here we didn’t nail it. There were some simple mistakes that we have learned from and will move forward on.”

“In the sprint competition, it was really encouraging to see Lauriane move through to the second round. It’s easy to forget that Lauriane has only been racing at this level for 11 months; her first international competition was the Commonwealth Games last April. Every race she does, she is learning something.”

March 4, 2019/by Communications

FIRST CANADIAN BMX FREESTYLE TITLES AWARDED

Markham, ON (March 1, 2019) – The first ever Canadian BMX Freestyle Championships took place on Wednesday, February 27th, at the Joyride 150 venue in Markham, Ontario. BMX Freestyle is the latest cycling discipline to be added to the Olympic program, and will take place in Tokyo for the first time in 2020.

“We are very excited to crown our first ever Canadian Champions in the BMX Freestyle discipline,” said Josh Peacock, Events Manager at Cycling Canada. “The crew at Joyride 150 organized a top quality event, attracting some of the World’s top riders amongst Canada’s best. We are looking forward to continuing our work within the discipline of freestyle BMX, and are already looking forward to our next UCI event this weekend at the Toronto XJam.”

Jaden Chipman of New Lowell, Ontario won the men’s title, while Stephanie Nychka of Calgary took the women’s. Chipman represented Canada at the inaugural world championships in Chengdu, China, in 2017, while Nychka is a newcomer to the sport, coming from mountain biking.

“It feels unreal,” said Chipman, “I’ve never been on the podium before with all these guys. I’ve been putting in a lot of work over the winter, and I guess it shows. It’s very special, such a huge honour to be the first Canadian Freestyle champion. I’ve been looking up to the riders I was on deck with ever since I started riding. I’m planning on going to all the FISE World Cup events and proudly wearing the jersey.”
“I started riding BMX about a year and a half ago, and looking back at my progression, I’m so happy with this result. We need to get more women riding, and Joyride itself is a great place for everyone to come,” said Nychka.

March 1, 2019/by Communications