News – Page 69 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

CYCLING CANADA SENDS FIVE RIDERS TO FINAL BMX WORLD CUPS

Santiago del Estero, Argentina (September 20, 2018) – Cycling Canada has announced the team of athletes who will represent Canada in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, for the final two BMX World Cups of the 2018 season. Five riders will compete, with World Cup competitions taking place Saturday, September 29th and Sunday, September 30th.

“The Olympic qualifying period is officially on and we begin our quest with the World Cup finals in Santiago del Estero,” said Adam Muys, Head BMX Coach at Cycling Canada. “It has been a season of growth and our athletes have stepped up and will be ready to contend for some strong finishes at the finals. Our small group of five athletes all have the ability and speed and I’m really excited to see what they can do.”

The team includes Elite women Drew Mechielsen and Daina Tuchscherer, Elite men James Palmer and Alex Tougas, and Junior woman Avriana Hebert.

Avriana Hebert – Edmonton, AB
Drew Mechielsen – Langley, BC
James Palmer – North Vancouver, BC
Alex Tougas – Pitt Meadows, BC
Daina Tuchscherer – Chestermere, AB

September 20, 2018/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA STREAMLINES MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

Ottawa, ON (September 18, 2018) – Canada’s national cycling governing body has revamped its organizational structure to better service its athletes and members.

After a thorough review process Cycling Canada’s Board of Directors has approved a streamlining of the organization that will see the roles and responsibilities of the vacant CEO and CTO positions distributed among the existing senior management team, while bringing in a highly respected sport advisor to help set the stage for future success.

“The Board recognized that we have tremendous expertise and leadership capacity within our existing team,” said Cycling Canada President John Tolkamp. “We have great faith in this team to work together to deliver on our collective vision for the sport of cycling in Canada. As an organization we need to be more agile, transparent and responsive to the needs of our members and stakeholders. We believe flattening and re-organizing our leadership structure goes a long way toward achieving that.”

Marketing Director Matthew Jeffries, who was appointed Interim CEO after Pierre Lafontaine’s departure in May, will continue as Executive Director. Jeffries will work closely with the Board of Directors and the other senior executives in leading the organization while continuing to manage and oversee commercial affairs.

As Head of Development & Operations, Mathieu Boucher will remain responsible for events and domestic development programs while taking on additional leadership responsibilities alongside Jeffries related to business operations and stakeholder relations.

Brett Stewart will continue to manage the organization’s finances, human resources and day-to-day operations as Head of Finance and Administration.

After two years leading Cycling Canada’s road programs, Kevin Field moves into a new role as Head of Performance Strategy. Field will be responsible for overall strategic development for the organization, working closely with the management team to harmonize business and sport. Key areas of focus for Field will be sport-system architecture, performance pathways and alignment within Cycling Canada’s high performance programs.

Head of Performance Operations Kris Westwood will continue to manage the delivery of national team programs, including coaches, managers and other high performance staff.

The High Performance department will be strengthened by the addition of a High Performance Advisor in Peter Keen. Well-respected in the cycling world as both former elite performance director at British Cycling and former UK Sport performance director, Keen will provide support on a short-term contract basis, working as a consultant to help guide performance strategy and provide technical expertise. Keen will work closely with Kris Westwood and Kevin Field in conducting a high performance review that will help set Cycling Canada on the path for sustained success in the future.

September 18, 2018/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM

Ottawa, ON (September 12, 2018) – Cycling Canada has announced a squad of 23 riders who will represent Canada at the 2018 UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria from September 23 – 30. Women and men will compete in two events – road race and time trial – across five categories: Junior and Elite women, Junior, Under-23 and Elite men.

The Canadian team includes national champions from every category, and is led by Elite professional riders from the highest level of the sport, including national women’s time trial champion and defending team time trial champion Leah Kirchmann, and national men’s road champion Antoine Duchesne. Other names to watch for in the Elite women’s category are former world time trial champion Karol-Ann Canuel, Canadian criterium champion Sara Bergen and climbing specialist Sara Poidevin. On the men’s side, the Canadian squad includes professional WorldTour rider Michael Woods, who recently won a stage at the Vuelta a Espana, as well as Hugo Houle.

“At Road Worlds a lot of attention shifts to our elite categories,” said Kevin Field, Team Canada manager. “We enter both the men’s and women’s races with strong wildcard chances. Sara Poidevin has demonstrated she’s got the potential to be one of the best climbers in the world of women’s cycling – she’ll come in under-rated and I like that. Leah [Kirchmann] and Karol-Ann [Canuel] have consistently demonstrated top performances in the WWT [Women’s WorldTour] and Alison Jackson has had a breakthrough season. I’m really excited to see what our women can do. We have a strong, motivated and committed team that will once again be led by sport director Zach Bell.”

“On the men’s side, Mike Woods has proven the ability to be among the best in tough one-day races like Liege [Liege-Bastogne-Liege] and climbing stages in both the Giro and Vuelta. Mike will get strong support from his team mates; everyone is pretty excited about our chances and committed to riding as a galvanized team.”

The Under-23 men’s selection includes national road champion Ed Walsh, national time trial champion Adam Roberge, and national Criterium champion Nickolas Zukowsky. In the Junior ranks, Team Canada has national women’s time trial champion and criterium Simone Boilard and double national men’s champion (road race and time trial) Ben Katerberg.

“I can’t thank our road community enough for demonstrating the support and collaboration to bring us to this pinnacle event of the season. The focus this year shifted to working even more closely with some of our emerging road partners like NWSDA, B2Ten and the Hamilton Foundation and we couldn’t be happier.”

The world championships begin on Monday, September 24th with the Junior women’s and men’s time trials, and conclude on Sunday, September 30th, with the Elite men’s road race.

Team Canada [TT – Time Trial, RR – Road Race]

Elite Women
Sara Bergen – Coquitlam, BC [RR]
Karol-Ann Canuel – Gatineau, Quebec [TT, RR]
Alison Jackson – Vermilion, Alberta [RR]
Leah Kirchmann – Winnipeg, Manitoba [TT, RR]
Katherine Maine – Ottawa, Ontario [RR]
Sara Poidevin – Canmore, Alberta [RR]

Elite Men
Rob Britton – Regina, Saskatchewan [TT, RR]
Antoine Duchesne – Saguenay, Quebec [RR]
Hugo Houle – Sainte-Perpetue, Quebec [TT, RR]
Mike Woods – Gatineau, Quebec [RR]

Under-23 Men
Charles-Etienne Chretien – Amos, Quebec [RR]
Adam Roberge – Montreal, Quebec [TT, RR]
Ed Walsh – Halifax, Nova Scotia [RR]
Nickolas Zukowsky – Ste Agathe, Quebec [TT, RR]

Junior Women
Simone Boilard – Quebec City, Quebec [TT, RR]
Elizabeth Gin – Surrey, BC [RR]
Kaitlyn Rauwerda – Hamilton, Ontario [RR]
Magdeleine Vallieres-Mill – Sherbrooke, Quebec [TT, RR]

Junior Men
Ben Katerberg – Courtenay, BC [TT, RR]
Connor Martin – Kelowna, BC [TT, RR]
Carson Miles – Ottawa, Ontario [RR]
Robin Plamondon – Montreal, Quebec [RR]
Thomas Schellenberg – Chilliwack, BC [RR]

September 12, 2018/by Communications

CANADIANS ANIMATE GPCQM WORLDTOUR RACES

Montreal, Quebec (September 11, 2018) – Canadian riders were front and center for the Grands Prix Cyclistes Quebec et Montreal (GPCQM) races on September 7th (Quebec) and 9th (Montreal). The GPCQM races are the only Canadian events in the World Tour of road cycling, the highest level of international competition for professional men.

In Friday’s 201.6 kilometre (16 laps) through the streets of Old Quebec, five riders broke clear after two kilometres, including three Canadians. The break consisted of Guy Sagiv (Israel Cycling Academy), Bruno Langlois (Team Canada), Nicolas Dougall (Team Dimension Data), Alexander Cataford (Team Canada) and Robert Britton (Rally Cycling Team). The lead quickly grew to reach a maximum of 6:30 after three laps. Alex Cataford took advantage of the breakaway to collect the KOM points on Cote des Glacis for 13 laps. With two laps remaining, Langlois and Britton were still clear, and were only caught in the final 20 kilometres. Guillaume Boivin (Israel Cycling Academy) was the top Canadian finisher, in 21st place with the lead group.

“GPCQM was a success once again for the National Team,” said Team Canada captain Bruno Langlois. “Alex did a great job getting KOM points throughout the day, and we really put on a show for the spectators. It was one of the best days I’ve ever had on a bike and I want to thank all the people who came out to encourage us.”

On Sunday, the competition moved to Montreal for the 195 kilometre (16 lap) race on the classic Mont Royal circuit, where Canadians again animated the race. After one lap a five rider break formed, containing Canadians Hugo Houle (Astana Pro Team), Adam Roberge (Team Canada), Nigel Ellsay (Rally Cycling Team), and Charles-Etienne Chretien (Team Canada), as well as Briton Owain Doull (Team Sky). Their lead reached five minutes at the end of the fourth lap, with a maximum gap of 5:45. With three laps remaining the gap was still two minutes, and Houle, Roberge and Ellsay were still at the front, before they were finally caught in the final 30 kilometres. Guillaume Boivin was once again the top Canadian finisher, in 19th place with the same time as the race winner.

“I’m really happy with the race,” said Team Canada manager Kevin Field after the Montreal race. “We did what we had to do today. We expected the break to be between four and six riders, and we wanted to have one or two riders in the move. That happened with two of our Under-23 riders [Roberge and Chretien]. It’s fantastic for them to get that experience and exposure so close to the upcoming World Championships in Innsbruck [where both will ride the Road Race].”

“James [Piccoli] has been on an exciting progression path in domestic racing over the past two seasons. After winning the Tour de Beauce this year we were looking forward to seeing what he could do in Montreal. Unfortunately, he got tangled up in a crash on the final climb of Mont-Royal, preventing James from truly showing his stuff. Overall, I’m really happy, and the guys rode to the expectations I had.”

September 11, 2018/by Communications

2018 EVENT OF THE YEAR FAN VOTING NOW OPEN

Ottawa, ON (September 11, 2018) – After a very successful season of racing across the country, Cycling Canada invites all cycling fans to vote online over the next few weeks to determine the 2018 Cycling Canada Events of the Year. Fan vote will count for 50% of the overall consideration for Road, Track, Mountain Bike, BMX, Para-cycling and Cyclo-cross events of the year.

2018 Event of the Year winners will be determined by an equal proportion of public voting (this survey) and evaluation of the review of the following criteria by relevant staff & committees:

Communication with Stakeholders
Event Promotion
Event Presentation & Execution
Organizing & Planning

Cycling Canada would like to thank all the organizers & volunteers who have contributed to the success of these events throughout the season. Great Canadian events contribute to international success and to the growth of the sport in Canada.

The survey will be live until September 30^that 11:59PM EST. Category winners will be announced at the 2018 Annual Congress, to be hosted in Ottawa from October 12^th to 14^th. Click here to access the survey.

September 11, 2018/by Communications

JAMIESON WINS DH BRONZE MEDAL FOR CANADA AT WORLDS

Lenzerheide, Switzerland (September 10, 2018) – Canada won its second medal of the 2018 Mountain Bike World Championships on Sunday in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, when Elliot Jamieson took the bronze medal in the Junior men’s Downhill. In the Elite events, Finn Iles finished 14th, Mark Wallace 18th and Magnus Manson 19th for the men, while Miranda Miller was 18th in the women.

“I can’t really believe it,” admitted Jamieson. “This is my third Downhill race of the year, so I didn’t have any expectations; I just wanted to have fun and ride well. I was shaking when the top ten were dropping in and I was still on the Hot Seat. I’m so stoked, I can’t believe I am on the podium.”

Over 20,000 fans came out to watch Rachel Atherton of Great Britain win her fifth Elite title and Loic Bruni of France repeat as the Elite men’s champion, for his third title. Total attendance over the five days of the Championships reached 65,000 – a record for Mountain Bike.

Other Canadian results in the Elite men included Henry Fitzgerald in 45th, Forrest Riesco in 49th and Luke Stevens in 70th. In the Junior men’s category, other Canadian results were Lukas Cruz in 14th, Ben Wallace in 15th, Kendall McLean in 24th, Justin Clements in 27th, Ian Milley in 40th and Keegan Fry in 47th.

In the Junior categories, Valentia Holl of Austria completed a perfect season with her win in the women’s race, after winning every World Cup during the season. The men’s title went to Great Britain’s Kade Edwards.

September 10, 2018/by Communications

BATTY WINS BRONZE AT MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lenzerheide, Switzerland (September 9, 2018) – Canada’s Emily Batty won the bronze medal in the Elite women’s cross-country on Saturday at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. She was joined in the top ten by Haley Smith in sixth, with Catharine Pendrel finishing 14th after suffering a flat tire while in the top ten. In the Elite men’s competition, Leandre Bouchard was the top Canadian, in 26th place.

The women’s race began with an attack by 2016 world champion Annika Langvad of Denmark, who opened a gap on American Kate Courtney and Batty. However, Courtney dropped Batty on the fourth lap and caught Langvad, pulling away on the final lap to win by 47 seconds. Batty hung on for third behind a fast closing Jolanda Neff of Switzerland.

“I’m so proud,” said Batty. “When I was racing, I knew that there was no way I was going to walk away without a medal. I found my limit; I’ve never gone as hard as today. That was my goal: to turn myself inside out, and leave it all out there. We [Batty and Courtney] did get a good gap from behind early in the race, and I just tried to hold that. I feel like I’m just starting to grow into my potential.”

Smith moved up into 12th by the third lap and was tenth a lap later. By Lap 5 she was into sixth, and on the seventh and final lap moved past Maja Wloszczowska of Poland into fifth, before crashing and losing a spot.

“I don’t really know what to say,” admitted Smith. “This kind of thing doesn’t feel real until it happens. I’m just really excited and grateful for the whole journey this year, and I’m excited to keep working for more. I got a by few people on the first lap, and then I was just picking them off one at a time. I got up to fifth with a good gap, and then I tried to rail a section hard and clipped a stake, and crashed. It’s my own fault from a silly mistake, but I’m still happy with sixth.”

Catharine Pendrel, starting back on the fourth row, had a strong start and was in the top ten by the second lap. She was joined by Smith on Lap 4, who passed her, but Pendrel was still in good shape for a top ten until a lap and a half to go, when she suffered a flat tire. Pendrel is still coming back from a mid-season broken arm.

In other Canadian results, Sandra Walter finished 21st, after riding in the top-20 for most of the race, Cindy Montambault was 31st, Elyse Nieuwold was 38th, and Catherine Fleury was 42nd.

Dan Proulx, National Mountain Bike Coach, said, “I’m very pleased with the Team’s performances this week. Our goal is to create an environment where champions are inevitable and each year we’re moving closer to that. Without a doubt the ride of the week was Emily’s Bronze medal. Her ride capped an amazing season – her best so far. I know she’ll be hungrier than ever to win this one next year.”

“Haley Smith deserves a huge congrats on her sixth place ride. Two years ago, her best finish in Elite was 42nd. She’s come through the ranks quickly and consistently – starting 2018 with a Bronze at Commonwealth Games. Her work ethic and determination are incredible and I’m confident that this is just a stepping stone to future success.”

September 9, 2018/by Communications

SEAN FINCHAM FINISHES 14TH AT MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lenzerheide, Switzerland (September 8, 2018) – Sean Fincham of Squamish, BC, was Canada’s top rider on day 3 of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, currently taking place in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Fincham finished 14th in the Under-23 men’s competition. In the Under-23 women’s competition, Emily Unterberger of Revelstoke, BC, finished 20th and Laurie Arseneault of Terrebonne, Quebec, was 21st.

The women’s race was dominated by the Swiss, who finished 1-2. Unterberger moved up steadily through the race, from the mid-30s in the first lap, to the high 20s and then into 20th place with one lap to go. Arseneault, the Canadian national champion, had a stronger start, but faded slightly in the final laps. Other Canadian results include Mackenzie Myatt in 27th and Juliette Tetreault in 42nd.

The men’s race was won by last year’s silver medalist, Alan Hatherly of South Africa. Fincham, the Canadian men’s Under-23 champion, started on the fifth row, but had made his way to the mid-20s by the end of the first lap. His second lap was the fastest of the entire field, moving him into 16th, and a lap later he was up to 11th. However, the effort took a toll, and he faded slightly in the second half of the race.

Fincham, who was a member of the Team Relay squad that finished eight on Wednesday, said “It’s been a pretty awesome Worlds, I’m stoked. The start is always hectic, but I managed to sneak by a few people before the singletrack, and I hit there to move up. I was in there fighting for the top ten, but fell apart a little bit at the end. It’s been an eye-opening year … I know it’s possible now, and I’m looking forward to next year.”

September 8, 2018/by Communications

TOP-10 FOR CANADIAN JUNIORS AT MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLDS

Lenzerheide, Switzerland (September 7, 2018) – Canada had top-10 finishes in both the Junior women’s and men’s cross-country races on Thursday at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Marianne Theberge took eighth in the Junior women’s race, while Holden Jones was ninth in the men’s. Laura Stigger of Austria repeated as the women’s champion, while Alexandre Balmer brought Switzerland their second gold medal, after the Swiss won the Team Relay on Wednesday with Balmer on that team also.

Theberge moved up on the first lap into the top 12, and then slowly began to reel in other riders. Other Canadian results were Roxane Vermette in 22nd, Mireille Larose Gingras in 28th, and Eva Poidevin in 43rd.

“On the start climb I was in the 20s,” explained Theberge, who is at her first world championships, “and on the descent I was able to catch some girls, and after that it was just full gas all race. For a while I was up to seventh, but then I had problems on the roots, and she [Schneebeli of Switzerland] passed, and I didn’t have time to catch her before the finish. I didn’t know what to expect, so I’m really happy.”

The Junior men began in rain, making the track slick and treacherous, although it gradually dried out in the second half of the six lap race. Jones, who won the bronze medal last year, had a strong start, and was in the top five after the first lap. Mid-race he faded a bit, losing a few spots before the finish. Other Canadian results were Carter Woods in 12th, Charles Antoine St-Onge in 25th, Tyler Clark in 56th, and Colton Woods in 61st.

“I was watching the forecast all week and it showed that it was going to start raining just before our race,” said Jones. “So, I was messing around with tires, and I think I chose the right ones. I ride in the rain quite a bit in Squamish, so I’m pretty used to it. The start was pretty hard, going right uphill on a paved climb and I didn’t want to burn all my matches, so I held back a little bit. I moved up a few spots on the first couple of laps and then I faded a bit, but it was a pretty perfect race.”

September 7, 2018/by Communications

CANADA 8TH IN TEAM RELAY AT MTB WORLDS

Lenzerheide, Switzerland (September 6, 2018) –Team Canada finished eighth in the Team Relay on the opening day of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, with the favoured Swiss team taking the gold medal ahead of Germany and Denmark.

This is the second year since the Team Relay increased to five riders from four, with the addition of the Under-23 women’s category to the existing Elite women and men, Under-23 and Junior men. Each rider does a lap of the cross-country course, and countries can send the riders off in any order they wish, which can result in constant lead changes.

Team Canada started with under-23 national champion Sean Fincham, who was delayed slightly by a crash on the start loop. Fincham finished sixth and handed off to Junior national champion Carter Woods, who jumped Canada up to fourth. Under-23 women’s national champion Laurie Arseneault had to ride against a number of men and dropped to 11th, with Elite woman Haley Smith moving Canada up to tenth before handing off to Elite men’s national champion Peter Disera for the final lap. Disera was able to move Canada back up to eighth by the finish, 58 seconds out of the top-5.

“I was a lot happier this year being the anchor,” said Disera, “instead of riding first like last year. Honestly, I believe with the team we had, that we could have gone top-5, but everybody rode great. I’m guessing Carter’s lap time was close to mine, because he was flying [25 seconds slower]. I tried to do what I could at the end, but the gaps were just a little too big. I reeled in a few riders, and it was good prep for the cross-country on Saturday.”

September 6, 2018/by Communications