Milton, ON (October 29, 2018) – Round 2 of the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup concluded on Sunday at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton with four medals awarded. Canada’s top result was Lauriane Genest, who was sixth in the women’s Keirin. Canada won a silver and a bronze medal in four days of competition, to finish 11th out of 40 in the nation rankings.

Genest, who is racing in her first World Cup, won her first round race and finished second in the second round to make it to the medal round. In the Final, Genest started strong, however, she faded in the final half lap to finish sixth.

“This was my first ever World Cup,” said Genest, “and to compete here on my home track, where I train every day, and to see the stands full; it was an amazing feeling. I gave everything I had, but did a tactical mistake when I followed Stephanie Morton [Australia], rather than going ahead of her. I’m happy to say that at my first World Cup, I made the big final in the Keirin.”

In other competition, Allison Beveridge finished 11th in the four event women’s Omnium, and Hugo Barrette was 16th in the men’s Sprint, after winning the silver medal in the men’s Keirin on Saturday.

“It was tough,” admitted Barrette. “We were out of the velodrome at 11 last night [after the Keirin], and I started back here at 8 in the morning. In the first round, I beat the fifth fastest rider, but that was it … the adrenalin was finished and after that I had no more legs.”

Canadian Team Manager Jessika Grand Bois said, “The level of racing in Milton this year was exceptional, and it was certainly a good test for our athletes as we embark on the qualification process for the Olympics. We had some great performances, took notes on what our team needs to work on and are excited for the next races.”

Milton, ON (October 27, 2018) – Team Canada had a bittersweet morning session on the second day of competition at the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Milton, on Friday. Both the women’s and men’s Team Pursuit squads finished fifth, each missing the medal round by three-tenths of a second. The men’s squad broke the Canadian national record less than 24 hours after previously setting a new mark.

The women’s squad of Ariane Bonhomme, Annie Foreman-Mackey, Kinley Gibson and Steph Roorda set a time of four minutes and 20.855 seconds, nearly three seconds faster than the time they set in qualifying the previous evening, but were 0.304 seconds out of the medal qualifying time.

In the men’s competition, the Canadian lineup of Aidan Caves, Michael Foley, Derek Gee and Jay Lamoureux set a time of three minutes and 56.352 seconds, 0.579 seconds faster than the record they set the evening before. Unfortunately, that was approximately six-tenths of a second slower than Great Britain who took the final spot for the medal round.

“It’s hard to miss the medal round by such a slim margin,” said Lamoureux, “but we set another Canadian record, so I think everyone’s pretty happy. With the coaching change, we are working on the more technical aspects and being faster in the last kilometre, and I think it’s helped us go a lot faster.”

In the women’s Team Sprint qualifying, the Canadian duo of Amelia Walsh and Lauriane Genest set a time of 34.110 seconds for 12th place. They finished 1.417 seconds behind top qualifier Australia. In the Scratch Race, Evan Burtnik, riding for the NextGen development team Medal 2 the Medal, was fifth, while Allison Beveridge of Team Canada was also fifth in the women’s race.

Burtnik was aggressive in the early half of the race, attacking in a breakaway before being reeled in. He was part of a group caught by lone breakaway leader Vitaliy Hryniv of the Ukraine, and sprinted to fifth place in the group one lap down on Hryniv, the winner. In the women’s race, Beveridge took a cautious role, making sure she was always in position near the other top riders. A late break by two riders was not chased down, with Alexandra Goncharova of Russia taking a solo victory. Beveridge was third in the bunch sprint for the final podium spot.

“I was trying to use this race as a warm up for the first two races of the Omnium,” said Beveridge. “It was a bit of an activation race for me, to see how training was going and get a race under my belt.”

Milton, ON (October 24, 2018) – In less than two days, the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup will return to the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, in Milton, Ontario for the second consecutive year. As the second event in the Olympic qualification period, the Milton World Cup will play host to over 300 athletes from 40 nations, a 50% increase from last year.

Mathieu Boucher, Head of Development and Operations at Cycling Canada, stated, “It’s pretty exciting for us to be the host of a Track World Cup for the second time in Milton. With more than 320 athletes from 40 nations, it will be one of the most competitive world cups on the calendar. We are looking forward to seeing how our athletes perform against the best in the world!”

Competition begins Thursday evening with the qualification rounds for the women’s and men’s Team Pursuit, which will be closed to the public. On Friday, six medal events will take place, including the Team Pursuit finals, Team Sprint finals for both women and men, plus the women’s and men’s Scratch Races.

On Saturday, there will be four medal events – the Sprint and Madison for the women, and Omnium and Keirin for the men. Competition concludes on Sunday with the men’s Madison and Sprint, and the women’s Omnium and Keirin.

Canada has sent a strong national squad of 13 athletes, and a development team – Medal 2 the Medal [P2M] – of nine riders. New Zealand, Great Britain, Australia and Germany will be among other powerhouses to watch out for during the three days of competition.  

For information on detailed event schedules and tickets, please visit https://www.twcmilton.com/.

Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France (October 21, 2018) – Canada’s Derek Gee had a strong start to the track season on Saturday, finishing eighth in the Omnium at the first round of the Track World Cup in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.

Gee was eighth in the first event, the Scratch Race, 15th in the Tempo Race and 15th in the Elimination Race, putting him 13th overall going into the final Points Race.  In that race, he was one of the strongest riders in the field, finishing fourth in the race and taking two laps on the field, to move up to eighth overall with 100 points.  Albert Torres Barcelo of Spain won overall with 174 points.

“It was a really great experience at my first World Cup Omnium,” said Gee.  “I learned a lot of really valuable lessons for the future.  I am ready to turn my attention towards the Team Pursuit for the upcoming home World Cup!”

Zach Bell was the team manager and coach for the project, and said, “It was a class field and Derek showed he more than has what it takes to be competitive in the most difficult moments.  Small mistakes can be changed quickly.  Derek has the engine, and even over the course of the day his racing instinct was improving.  Cycling Canada is lucky to have someone with such a balanced skill set at such a young age, and he certainly announced himself as a real prospect in this event now and in the future in a way that can’t be ignored.”