News – Page 68 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

JACKSON, WOHLBERG & YOUNG ENTER CANADIAN CYCLING HALL OF FAME

Milton, ON (October 5, 2018) – Three new members were inducted into the Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame last weekend at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, located in Milton. Linda Jackson, Nora Young and Eric Wohlberg were honoured at the Hall of Fame luncheon ceremony after the third annual Lexus Ride with Legends through the beautiful Halton Hills region, north of Milton.

The Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame was created in 2015 to recognize outstanding achievement and contribution to the sport of cycling by both athletes and builders. With this induction, twenty two members have been inducted to the Hall of Fame, including nineteen athletes and three builders.

“It is so important to recognize and celebrate the gracious champions and builders who have been instrumental in shaping the development of cycling in Canada,” said Matt Jeffries, Executive Director of Cycling Canada. “There is no better way to honour them than through this induction into our Hall of Fame. We are grateful to Nora, Linda, Eric and their families for the enormous contributions they have made and continue to make to our sport in Canada and abroad.”

Linda Jackson had a remarkable career in road cycling despite entering into the sport at the age of 32. She won a bronze medal at the 1996 World Championships in the Road Race, as well as several medals at the Commonwealth Games. In 2004 she founded the women’s road racing team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank, which is now the longest running professional women’s cycling team in North America. She was also a founding Director of the CCA – Hamilton 2003 Road Cycling Foundation, which has supported numerous road riders through the years.

As a professional athlete, Eric Wohlberg represented Canada in three different Olympic Games, eight Road World Championships and one Commonwealth Games, winning a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. From 1996 to 2006, Eric was on the podium at every single Canadian Road Championships in the Individual Time Trial. Since retiring, he has continued with his passion for the sport acting as Sport Director for Rally Racing, America’s top ranked continental women’s and men’s program.

“I’m very honoured to be part of an exclusive club of Canadian cyclists,” said Wohlberg, who attended the ceremony with members of his family. “To see my name on the plaque in Milton was great. I had a pretty long run in the sport and I try to continue to make significant contributions. Honestly, it was one of the best weekends of my life; all of my family were able to come down from northern Ontario. I was very impressed with how the whole weekend went, and hats off to Cycling Canada and the Hall of Fame Committee for putting this together.”

Nora Young (1917 – 2016) was a leading early era athlete who rose to prominence as one of the top female road cyclists in Canada in the 1930s and 1940s. She is one of Canada’s most important early female cycling pioneers, distinguishing herself in the top-level cycling races open to women in that era. Young’s cycling career never fully came to a halt, and she continued to win multiple medals in her 60s, 70s, and 80s in Master’s competitions throughout the world.

October 5, 2018/by Communications

DEREK GEE WINS 4 GOLD MEDALS AT TRACK NATIONALS

Milton, ON (October 2, 2018) – Over 150 athletes participated in the 2018 Canadian Track Championships for Elite and Masters on September 27-29 at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario.

“We are very pleased with the delivery of the 2018 Canadian Track Championships for our Elite and Masters category riders here in Milton,” said Jolene Dupuis, Events and Officials Coordinator at Cycling Canada. “We continue to see a growth in participation numbers for these Championships, with a total of 156 riders who joined us this year. This has added an increase of competition for the riders, which proved to have some great performances on the track! Although the schedule was quite full, we appreciate the work from our commissaires, volunteers and staff who continuously worked in ensuring a smooth execution of the event.”

The Elite women and men categories each contested for eight national titles in the sprint and endurance events. Derek Gee of Ottawa was the only competitor to sweep his events, winning all four gold medals in the Elite men’s endurance category – the Omnium, Individual Pursuit, Team Pursuit and Madison. Hugo Barrette of Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, won three Sprint titles in the men – 1000 metre time trial, Sprint and Team Sprint, while three women and one man each won two titles – Lauriane Genest of Levis, Quebec, in the 500 metre time trial and Team Sprint, Steph Roorda of Vancouver in the Omnium and Madison, Annie Foreman-Mackey of Kingston, Ontario, in the Individual Pursuit and Team Pursuit, and Michael Foley of Milton, Ontario, in the Team Pursuit and Madison.

Barrette, who won the 1000 metre time trial on the first day of competition, admitted to feeling the effects of his effort in later events: “I haven’t done the Kilo in seven years, so it was definitely hard! I woke up the next day really tired, but as the day went on, I felt faster and faster, and by the Sprint final I was full gas. It’s good to see that the younger generation are coming up, it’s motivating.”

Kelsey Mitchell, riding for the Juventus team out of Alberta, was a first time Elite champion, winning the Sprint. “It feels amazing; I was fourth in qualifying, so to win was a pretty good feeling. I knew Lauriane’s [Genest] top speed was a lot faster than mine, so I just brought the speed up gradually to tire her out, and it worked.”

“We had three really good days of competition at the Championships, and it is good to see that the participation numbers are up,” said Kris Westwood, Head of Performance Operations at Cycling Canada. “But it’s not just the quantity – the quality of competition has improved dramatically. It shows how our track program is raising the level in Canada. It’s been great to watch.”

October 2, 2018/by Communications

MECHIELSEN FINISHES BMX WORLD CUP 8TH OVERALL

Santiago del Estero, Argentina (October 1, 2018) – Canada’s Drew Mechielsen of Langley, BC, finished off the BMX World Cup season with a ninth place finish in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, on Saturday in Elite women. Mechielsen’s result, combined with 11th on Sunday, moved her into eighth place overall for the Series. Avriana Hebert of Edmonton, Alberta, made it to the quarterfinal round of the Elite women at her first World Cup. In Elite men, Alex Tougas of Pitt Meadows, BC, was 34th, and James Palmer of North Vancouver, BC, was 36th.

“I’m happy that I was in position to possibly make the Finals [missing by one spot], said Mechielsen. I wish I could have pushed it a little bit further, but I’m looking forward to improving next year. I’m really happy with my top-8 ranking in the World Cup.”

“I’m happy with Drew’s ride here,” said Adam Muys, Head BMX Coach at Cycling Canada. “She was in position to qualify for the Finals, and contested against some of the major players in the sport; great improvements this season. Alex and James had some really fast rides, but tactically missed spots to move on in their races. Avriana’s first World Cup was a bit of an eyeopener for her, but she came back the second day, finishing in the quarterfinals, which is great for her first time.”

October 1, 2018/by Communications

WOODS TAKES BRONZE MEDAL AND CAPS SUCCESSFUL ROAD WORLDS FOR CANADA

Innsbruck, Austria (September 30, 2018) – Mike Woods became the first Canadian man in 34 years to win a medal in the Elite men’s road race at the world championships on Sunday in Innsbruck, Austria, when he took the bronze medal in a four rider sprint. Steve Bauer is the only other Canadian man to win a medal – also bronze – in 1984, in Barcelona. Alejandro Valverde of Spain won the title, with Romain Bardet of France taking silver.

It has likely been the strongest Road Worlds ever for Canada, with riders finishing with two bronze medals, a fourth, two fifths, a sixth and an eighth. In addition, Canadian riders were on Team Time Trial squads that won silver and bronze. In the nation rankings, Canada finished a remarkably strong fourth, behind the Netherlands, Italy and Belgium, but ahead of cycling powerhouses such as Australia, France, Denmark and Spain.

“This performance by Mike was absolutely amazing,” said Louis Barbeau, Team Manager for the world championships. “It concludes an equally amazing world championships, where Canada had tremendous success. It started off on a very good note with the Junior women’s time trial [fifth for Simone Boilard], the Elite women’s time trial [fourth by Leah Kirchmann and eighth from Karol-Ann Canuel], and the Junior women’s road race [bronze medal for Boilard]. And then Mike’s bronze medal, the first in the [Elite men’s] road race since 1984.”

The 258 kilometre men’s race had the most climbing in recent memory, finishing with a three kilometre climb that reached a maximum gradient of 28% before dropping back down to the finish line in the center of Innsbruck.

Canada’s Rob Britton was a member of an early 11 rider breakaway that took a massive 20 minute lead before the rest of the peloton began to reel them in. Britton was out in the break for nearly 200 kilometres before being caught, eventually finishing 76th.

“It was important for us to get in the break and that was my plan from the get-go,” explained Britton. “I tried to conserve energy the best that I could, so I could be there until the end to help Mike. We’re a small cycling country, but we used our riders the best we could, with Hugo and Antoine taking care of Mike, and myself in the break. I got caught on a brutal section of the second last climb and couldn’t go with them. For sure, this was the hardest day of bike racing I have ever done.”

For the main field, the race became one of attrition, as more and more riders were dropped on each of the seven laps of the 7.5 kilometre climb. Woods remained calm and protected in the field by team mates Antoine Duchesne and Hugo Houle, and stayed near the front as the field gradually shrank.

On the final lap, the race was quickly pared down to Woods, Valverde, Bardet and Gianni Moscon (Italy). Woods was clearly the dominant rider on the climb, moving to the front and setting the pace. He dropped Moscon, but could not shake Valverde and Bardet, and the three went over the top of the climb together, chased by Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands), less than 10 seconds behind. The trio reached the bottom of the descent ahead of Dumoulin, but the Dutch rider joined them with 1500 metres to go. Valverde led out the sprint, with Woods and Bardet both on his wheel as Dumoulin faded. Less than 100 metres from the line, Woods was hit by leg cramps and had to ease up, holding on for third.

“I was hoping I could do as well as Steve has done in the past, and get Canadians inspired to ride bikes,” said Woods. “I felt confident and pretty excited about the course, especially when we did recon – that final climb suited me. After a couple of hours on the bike, I started to think ‘yeah, this is going to be a good day’. On those types of climbs [extremely steep], the draft is irrelevant, so it’s better to just dictate the pace. You might as well put the hurt on others instead of them putting the hurt on you.”

“I was confident in my sprint, but unfortunately I got cramped up with only 50 metres to go and couldn’t keep the momentum up. There was a bit of disappointment; I wanted to win and I think I could have won if I didn’t cramp up. Certainly, this has been the best season of my career; these late results are a product of me losing my son … having Hunter pass away this summer really motivated me to train my butt off and do something big for him and my wife.”

September 30, 2018/by Communications

CANUEL SIXTH IN WORLDS ROAD RACE

Innsbruck, Austria (September 29, 2018) – Canadian women had one of their strongest performances in two decades on Saturday in the Elite women’s road race at the Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. Karol-Anne Canuel finished sixth after challenging for a bronze medal, Sara Poidevin came back from a crash to finish 14th, and Leah Kirchmann finished 25th, to put three Canadians in the top-25. Olympic champion Anna van der Breggen of the Netherlands won the world title in a solo breakaway.

The 155.6 kilometre race began in Kufstein with an 80 kilometre run into the final 24 kilometre circuit in Innsbruck, which the women rode three times. At the 60 kilometre mark, the riders faced the first significant climb of the day, the Gnadenwald, however, a crash on the early portion of the climb took down Poidevin, along with time trial world champion Annemiek van Vleuten of the Netherlands. Poidevin made it back to the bunch, joining Alison Jackson, Kirchmann and Canuel.

Anna van der Breggen attacked on the second lap and powered away to win her first world title ahead of Australia’s Amanda Spratt. Behind, Canuel powered a chase with Tatiana Guderzo (Italy), who broke clear to win the bronze medal, while Canuel sprinted for fourth with Emilia Fahlin (Sweden) and Malgorzata Jasinska (Poland), finishing sixth.

“It was a long race and hard,” said Canuel, who was eighth earlier in the week in the time trial and won silver in the Team Time Trial. “I had trouble following attacks, but I could hold my pace. In the last climb I was able to get away with two other girls, and it worked for me to get my best [Worlds road race] result.”

“This was my first Elite Worlds road race,” said Poidevin. “I got unlucky with the crash, but I was with two really strong Dutch riders, so I knew their team would keep the pace slow in the pack and I was able to chase back conservatively, and try not to burn too many matches getting back to the group. There were a lot of attacks on the climb and it was super fast on the descent, so I just tried to position myself well, with lots of help from my team mates. I’m just happy to come away with a good result.”

Zach Bell, manager for the women’s race, said “We started today with a lot of good options for different parts of the course. After some hiccups with a crash early on, the team did great damage control. Sara [Poidevin] did well to climb with front group, and Karol-Ann and Leah did great work on the circuit to take advantage of tactical moves. The whole team rode at a world class level, and Karol-Ann finished it off with a great aggressive move. Anna [van der Breggen] was just so strong today, and a big congrats to her. Overall, I think this is a big step for Canada, and a clear demonstration that our women are at a world class level on the most challenging courses.”

September 29, 2018/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Ottawa, Ontario (September 27, 2018) – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the election of new members to its Board of Directors following the organization’s Annual General Meeting held on Tuesday, September 25^th.

Elections were held for four Board positions. Greg Cote (Canmore, AB), Paul DeVries (Oakville, ON) and Scott Kelly (Dundas, ON) were elected as Directors-at-Large, each for two year terms. Long-time Board member Bill Kinash (Regina, SK) was re-elected as a Director-at-Large for a one year term. Stepping down from the Board this year are Deb Intas (Vancouver, BC), Dennis Kim (Vancouver, BC) as well as Hannah Parrish (Toronto, ON). Returning members of the Board not up for election this year are Robin Porter (Toronto, ON), Pierre Laflamme (Quebec City, QC), athlete representative Geoff Kabush (Squamish, BC) and President John Tolkamp (Vancouver, BC).

Paul DeVries and Greg Cote each bring a wealth of business and governance experience to the Board. DeVries is the former President & CEO of Planet Energy Corp, a retail energy services company that was well-known in cycling circles as a major sponsor of the SpiderTech pro cycling team. More recently DeVries has been a key leader within the management and fundraising group that developed and now oversees programs at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, ON.

Greg Cote is a former Senior Vice President with both Ernst & Young LLP and ACE Aviation Holdings and has held Board positions with Nortel Networks, Performance Sports Group (Bauer Hockey) as well as Cross Country Ski Canada. Based in Canmore, AB, Cote is an avid bike racer and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Rundle Mountain Cycling Club.

Scott Kelly brings a high level sport-specific expertise with more than 10 years of experience in competitive cycling at the international level. An owner of Dundas Speed Shop in Dundas, ON, Kelly has worked as a mechanic and team/program manager at the World Cup and World Championship level since 2008 and has held High Performance and Event Committee positions with Ontario Cycling.

Bill Kinash is a long-serving member of Cycling Canada’s Board of Directors and also served as the organization’s President from 2003 to 2005. Kinash brings a tremendous depth of expertise with over 25 years of experience in Canadian cycling as well as 18+ years as a senior director with SaskPower in Regina.

“First of all, on behalf of the Board, I want to pass on my sincere thanks to Deb Intas, Dennis Kim and Hannah Parrish, who are stepping down from the Board,” said John Tolkamp, President of Cycling Canada. “These individuals have been valuable contributors over the past years toward moving the whole organization forward. I, along with the entire Board, welcome Greg, Paul and Scott to the organization. It is a healthy sign to see so many new and qualified individuals put their names forward and for the membership to give them a mandate. We welcome the new expertise and skills that these Directors bring to the table, and we are pleased to welcome back Bill Kinash whose depth of experience will continue to be invaluable in guiding the organization.”

September 27, 2018/by Communications

BOILARD WINS BRONZE MEDAL IN JUNIOR WOMEN’S ROAD RACE AT WORLDS

Innsbruck, Austria (September 27, 2018) – Simone Boilard of Quebec City won Canada’s first medal of the 2018 Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, on Thursday in the Junior women’s road race, finishing third in a four rider sprint for the title. It is Canada’s first medal in the Junior women’s category since Clare Hall-Patch of Victoria also won bronze in 2000 – the year Boilard was born.

The 71.7 kilometre race featured two long climbs that split the field. Both times, Boilard, the Canadian time trial champion, was among the leaders. While much of the field regrouped after the first climb, the second one saw multiple attacks that whittled the lead group down to three – Boilard, Laura Stigger (Austria) and Barbara Malcotti (Italy). Boilard was dropped by the other two a couple of times on the long descent, but always fought back to the leaders. Coming into the final two kilometres, Marie Le Net (France) bridged across, making four for the final sprint. Stigger, who recently won the mountain bike world title, attacked with 100 metres to go, holding off Le Net at the line, with Boilard coming in at the same time for third.

“I was happy with my ride in the time trial [where she finished fifth], but I knew I could do better,” said Boilard, “so I really wanted this medal today. Stigger’s attack was really decisive, and I saw the Italian following her, and I thought, ‘this is it, I have to push’. I had to push really hard to catch them because it was a big gap to close. So it was three of us and then the French girl came back, and I thought ‘I want a medal so I have to do something’. I was cramping, but I gave everything I had to win this medal.

In other Canadian results, Magdeleine Vallieres Mill was 38th, despite riding with a broken thumb from a crash in the time trial, Kaitlyn Rauwerda was 48th and Elizabeth was 73^rd.

September 27, 2018/by Communications

CANADIAN WOMEN FINISH TOP-10 IN ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TIME TRIAL

Innsbruck, Austria (September 25, 2018) – Canadian women finished fourth and eighth in the Elite women’s time trial on Tuesday at the Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. Leah Kirchmann of Winnipeg was just 1.62 seconds off the podium in fourth place, while Karol-Ann Canuel of Gatineau, Quebec, was eighth. Dutch riders swept the top three spots, led by Annemiek van Vleuten, the defending champion.

Kirchmann finished the 27.7 kilometre race with a time of 35 minutes and 52.17 seconds, one minute and 26.81 seconds behind van Vleuten. Canuel finished two minutes and 15.86 seconds behind van Vleuten.

“I think it was the best time trial of my life,” said Kirchmann, “so I’m super happy with that. It’s always hard to come fourth and be so close to a podium position. At the same time, it’s motivating; I showed today that I have the ability to be there and be competitive, so I’ll use that when I’m targeting future time trials. This result opens up options for me, and looking forward to the Games in 2020, they are definitely a goal, so maybe my focus will turn a little more to the time trial.”

“I’m so happy,” said Canuel, “I knew coming into this race that I could be top-10, so I’m really pleased with the result. This course was definitely a challenge for me, because technically I still have some improvement to do, plus I only saw the course yesterday so I only had a short time to prepare. The focus in the past few weeks has been on the TTT [Team Time Trial, where Canuel’s team Boels-Dolmans was second]. I think under the circumstances, this was the best I could do today.”

In the Junior men’s time trial, Canada’s Connor Martin of Kelowna, BC, was 25th, finishing three minutes and 35.94 seconds behind winner Remco Evenpoel of Belgium. Canadian champion Ben Katerberg of Courtenay, BC, did not finish after crashing.

September 25, 2018/by Communications

ELITE/MASTERS CANADIAN TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS RETURN TO MILTON ON THURSDAY

Milton, ON (September 25, 2018) – The 2018-2019 track season begins this weekend with the Canadian Track Championships for Elite and Masters athletes to be held at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario. The Championships are the most important event on the domestic track calendar, with national titles and maple jerseys awarded in eight events for women and men in the Elite category, and across multiple age categories for Masters women and men.

“We are thrilled to begin our Domestic Track Season with the 2018 edition of the Elite/Masters Canadian Championships,” said Mathieu Boucher, Head of Development and Operations at Cycling Canada. “With Canada’s top track athletes finalizing their preparation for the World Cup season, we’re expecting some fast times and close battles as they compete for the maple leaf jersey!”

Competition begins on Thursday, September 27th, with the Time Trial, Team Pursuit and Team Sprint events. On Friday, the Omnium and Sprint titles will be awarded, and the Championships will conclude on Saturday with the Individual Pursuit, Keirin and Madison events.

A total of 154 athletes are registered for the Championships, including multiple Olympic and world championship competitors. Olympic bronze medalist Allison Beveridge of Calgary, Alberta, Pan American champion Hugo Barrette of Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, and Commonwealth Games team members Lauriane Genest [Levis, Quebec] and Amelia Walsh [Ayr, Ontario] are just a few of the international caliber riders who will be racing in Milton.

Click here for more information about the Championships: https://bit.ly/2My1JxS

September 25, 2018/by Communications

BOILARD FIFTH IN JUNIOR WOMEN’S ITT AT ROAD WORLDS

Innsbruck, Austria (September 24, 2018) – Canada had a strong start to the Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, on Monday, with Canadian national Junior women’s ITT champion Simone Boilard of Quebec City finishing fifth, 6.17 seconds out of the bronze medal. Canada’s other entrant in the race, Magdeleine Vallieres Mill of Sherbrooke, Quebec, did not fare as well, crashing early in the race, but finishing despite what turned out to be a broken thumb.

“Coming to Worlds I didn’t know what to expect,” said Boilard. “I didn’t have a chance to compare myself to the other girls, so I really focused on being my best. Today I was feeling super good. I think I did too many technical mistakes and started way too slow, but I was able to finish really, really strong. I’m happy with fifth place, but I’m sure I can do even better.”

“There was a big tailwind today, and it was going stronger and stronger at the end of the course. I had to keep a very high cadence and it was hard to spin my legs that fast! I’m really confident now going into the road race, because I already know where I could have taken the seven seconds [to bronze] – I’m a little disappointed about those seven seconds – but I’m confident I can be a good contender for the next race.”

September 24, 2018/by Communications