News – Page 83 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES MEN’S TRACK ENDURANCE ATHLETES FOR 2018

Milton, ON, December 6, 2017 – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the team of athletes who have been selected to the Olympic Performance Pool and NextGen Men’s Track Endurance (MTE) programs for 2018.

Athletes within the program will benefit from a Daily Training Environment, including personalized and periodized coaching and integrated support services, with a focus on performances on the international competition schedule. The Program is designed to offer athletes an optimized preparation with the goal of increasing opportunities for selection onto national program projects and international performances within the national program.

The NextGen MTE program has just finished its third year, and is now an established system to feed athletes to the Olympic Performance Pool. In 2018, for the first time, the Men’s Track Endurance has evolved enough to see a distinction between NextGen and OPP riders. However, the two groups will be working together with the same vision; a world class team pursuit program.

Five riders will make up the 2018 Olympic Performance Pool – Aidan Caves of Vancouver, BC; Derek Gee of Osgood, ON; Adam Jamieson of Barrie, ON; Jay Lamoureux of Victoria, BC; and Bayley Simpson of Lindsay, ON. Caves, Gee and Simpson will be racing under the colours of Cycling Canada’s Trade Team level Team RaceClean for the next season, while Jamieson and Lamoureux will race for respective squads.

Unfortunately, the program will say good bye to Willem Boersma, who has joined his family’s agricultural business, as well as to Will Elliott and Edward Walsh, who will graduate to the Continental Team level on the Europe Tour circuit. “We wish them all the best,” said Luc Arseneau, NextGen MTE Coach at Cycling Canada. “These guys enabled us to develop this program to where it is today.”

The NextGen program will be bolstered by the arrival of six riders from the Junior ranks, for a total of nine athletes, all of whom will be racing under the colours of Team RaceClean for the next season.

“I feel very motivated about the progression of the program,” said Arseneau. “The development of the top guys, along with the transfer of no less than six Junior riders – four of whom were part of the Canadian team at the Junior track world championships – shows the commitment to the goal of becoming a world class program.”

The 2018 NextGen squad consists of:

Adam Attwell – Victoria, BC
Evan Burtnik – Edmonton, AB
Gabriel Drapeau-Zgoralski – Verdun, QC
Chris Ernst – Kitchener, ON
Michael Foley – Milton, ON
Tristan Guillemette – Trois-Rivières, QC
Thierry Kirouac-Marcassa – Boucherville, QC
Lucas Taylor – London, ON
John Willcox – North Vancouver, BC

The OPP part of the MTE program will be busy in 2018, with the main goals being Track World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and the start of the Olympic qualification process. The NextGen squad will have two road racing blocks in Europe in the Spring and Summer, enabling them to develop their capabilities for future track projects such as T-Town (USA), Fiorenzuola (Italy) and Copa Cuba.

December 6, 2017/by Communications

CANADA FINISHES MILTON WORLD CUP WITH FOURTH MEDAL

Milton, December 4, 2017 – Team Canada capped off a successful weekend of racing at their home Track World Cup on Sunday in Milton, Ontario, with a fourth medal performance. The men’s Team Pursuit squad fought back from a crash to capture the silver medal.

Round 3 of the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup was the first ever World Cup at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, and the first in Canada since 1998. Canada went into the final day of competition with three medals already – a gold and two silvers.

The Team Pursuit squad of Michael Foley, Derek Gee, Adam Jamieson and Jay Lamoureux set a new Canadian record of 3:58.359 earlier in the day to qualify for the gold medal race, and were leading New Zealand by a second going into the final 1000 metres, when the second and third riders touched wheels, with Foley going down. The remaining three riders were able to regroup and finish with a remarkably strong time of 3:59.982; less than a second behind New Zealand.

“We had an unfortunate mishap,” said Lamoureux. “Our second rider [Jamieson] clipped a bumper and it shot his wheel up track, and then the third rider [Foley] clipped his wheel, and took a spill. Somehow we managed to get it back together and come out with a 3:59. The energy here is absolutely electric, and it fuels the riders in a way we don’t see overseas. As we were riding around the track we could feel a wave of sound; it was absolutely spectacular.”

Hugo Barrette came close to adding a fifth medal for Canada in the men’s sprint, losing the bronze medal final to Great Britain’s Jack Carlin. The women’s Madison team of Steph Roorda and Jasmin Duehring also finished just off the podium in fourth.

In other competitions, Amelia Walsh, racing in her first Keirin at the World Cup level finished tenth overall, as did Aidan Caves in the four event men’s Omnium.

“Looking back at this past weekend, it was great that we were able to put on a great show for our home crowd!” said Jacques Landry, Chief Technical Officer for Cycling Canada. “Even though our performance peaks are planned for the World Championships in a couple of months, we managed to get some great podium performances; in part due to the support of the cheering fans. Of special mention, is the silver medal winning performance of our men’s team pursuit squad, and the debut in the lineup of young local Milton talent Michael Foley, who despite a crash in the final for gold, certainly lifted the team by his presence in the squad. I feel the results here will help re-energize our program as we set our sights on the world championships in Apeldoorn [Netherlands], at the end of February.”

December 4, 2017/by Communications

CANADA WINS GOLD & SILVER ON DAY 2 AT MILTON WORLD CUP

Milton, December 3, 2017 – Team Canada took their second and third medals of the Milton Track World Cup on Saturday, delighting the home crowd. The women’s Team Pursuit squad won the gold medal, while Allison Beveridge took silver in the women’s Omnium.

Canada came into the Team Pursuit competition as the favourite, and did not disappoint, facing New Zealand in the gold medal final. The Canadian team of Ariane Bonhomme, Kinley Gibson, Annie Foreman-Mackey and Beveridge chased down the New Zealand squad, catching them in the final kilometre of the race, automatically ending the competition. France took the bronze medal.

Less than 30 minutes after anchoring the Team Pursuit squad to gold, Beveridge returned to the track for the fourth and final event in the four-race Omnium. Going into the final Points Race, Beveridge was sitting in second behind Japan’s Yumi Kajihara, and four points ahead of Great Britain’s Eleanor Dickinson. Kajihara proved to be untouchable, winning her fourth straight race to lock up the gold medal with 154 points, however, Beveridge and Dickinson battled all race for silver, with Beveridge holding on to win the silver medal by a slim two points.

“I knew coming into today that I might have to race both the Team Pursuit and the Omnium” said Beveridge, “but I didn’t realize quite how close together they were in the schedule. It was a busy day, but a good day overall. My legs were pretty tired going into the final race; I wanted to give it a go against the Japanese girl, but I realized that I had to defend second. My legs were definitely hurting at the end of that one. I’m a bit disappointed that I couldn’t do double gold, because standing on top of the podium and singing your own anthem at home is pretty special, so the Team Pursuit gold is definitely a highlight.”

In other competitions, Hugo Barrette made it to the final of the men’s Keirin, finishing sixth overall, while Amelia Walsh qualified 14th in the women’s Sprint, but was knocked out after the first round.

December 3, 2017/by Communications

DUEHRING WINS SILVER ON OPENING DAY OF MILTON WORLD CUP

Milton, December 1, 2017 – Team Canada had a strong start to the third round of the Tissot UCI Track World Cup on Friday, in Milton, Ontario, with Jasmin Duehring winning a silver medal in the women’s Points Race. The third round of the 2017-2018 series is the only North American stop, and is the first Track World Cup to take place in Canada since 1998.

Duehring, who has taken some time off from racing this year while completing her degree in mathematics, scored points in five out of eight intermediate sprints, plus was one of four riders to take a lap on the field. The two-time Olympic bronze medalist finished with 38 points, nine behind winner Katie Archibald of Great Britain.

“It’s the first ever World Cup for me in Canada, and it’s amazing to start things off with a medal,” said Duehring. “It’s amazing to see all the other countries here, and I feel so much pride in welcoming them to our facility, and racing in front of a home crowd. I had to adjust my tactics on the fly; I’ve been taking a break from racing and training while finishing my degree, so I had a few less cards to play out there. I think I raced strategically pretty well but, unfortunately, wasn’t able to really give Katie a run for the gold medal.”

In other competitions, the Canadian women’s and men’s Team Pursuit squads also rode well, with the women qualifying first and the men qualifying second. Both will move on to the next round, where they will attempt to qualify for the medal finals.

“The ride was quite positive,” said Craig Griffin, Women’s Endurance Coach. “It was a good effort and was the time we were hoping for [4:22.310]. We can always improve on a few things technically, but the girls delivered really well, and are a couple of seconds quicker than we rode in Poland [Round 1] with the same lineup a month ago. It’s nice to race in front of the home crowd, and I’m sure that motivated the girls. I’m sure we’ll just get faster.”

The Canadian women’s Team Sprint squad of Amelia Walsh and Tegan Cochrane did not fare as well, finishing 12th in qualifying and not advancing to the next round.

December 2, 2017/by Communications

16 ATHLETES SELECTED FOR THE MILTON WORLD CUP

Milton, November 27, 2017 – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the team that will represent Canada on December 1-3, at Round 3 of the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup, to take place at the Mattamy Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario. This will be the first Track World Cup to take place in Canada since Victoria in 1998, and Cycling Canada is fielding a team of 16 athletes, including multiple Olympians.

“Canada is fielding a very competitive team at our home World Cup, with a mix of youth and experience,” said Kris Westwood, High Performance Director for Cycling Canada. “Out of the 16 athletes we have entered, three have won Olympic medals and 14 have been on the podium at Worlds, World Cups or Pan American championships. This is an exciting time for Canadian track cycling, as we build towards the Tokyo Olympics and see the next generation start to hit their stride as well.”

Canada’s small sprint squad of three riders is headed by Rio Olympian Hugo Barrette, who will compete in the Men’s Sprint and Keirin events. On the women’s side, Amelia Walsh will compete in all three sprint events – Sprint, Keirin and Team Sprint; she will be joined by newcomer Tegan Cochrane for the latter competition.

“Milton will be my first World Cup racing all the Sprint events and I couldn’t be more excited for it to be on home soil,” said Walsh. “It is still quite early on in my track cycling career and have lots to learn, but I hope to represent Canada to the best of my ability next weekend, battling it out with the best in the World.”

Canada’s Olympic-medal winning women’s endurance squad will focus on their specialty – the Team Pursuit, where the team has won bronze medals in the past two Olympics. The squad will be anchored by Olympian Allison Beveridge, who will also race the Omnium. Jasmin Duehring, who won a silver medal in the Points Race at the last world championships, will compete in that event at Milton, as well as the Madison with teammate Steph Roorda.

“This is an exciting time for our program,” said Craig Griffin, Women’s Track Endurance Coach. “We are fortunate enough to have seven athletes getting ready for the world championships and Commonwealth Games, so in the process we have seven athletes who can ride the four events at the World Cup here in Milton. We will have six athletes ready to ride in the Team Pursuit, and hopefully have the opportunity to have them ride in the different rounds of the competition, in different combinations.”

“We will have Jasmin in the Points Race, and hopefully she can bring another good performance to the table. The Madison is going to be exciting; it is the first Madison we are going to ride on home soil, and we are looking at Jasmin and Steph for that event; it’s a new combination, but we are confident it will produce good results. Finally, we will have Allison ride the Omnium; she’s had a pretty good run in the Omnium over the past year, although it’s been a while since she has done one at the international level, so we are looking forward to seeing how she rides in that race.”

The men’s endurance squad will feature a mix of experienced and NextGen athletes, as they begin their efforts to qualify for the Team Pursuit standard at the 2020 Olympic Games. Five of the riders will focus on the Team Pursuit, led by veteran Adam Jamieson. Aidan Caves, the silver medalist at this year’s Pan Am Championships, will focus on that event.

Sprint
Tegan Cochrane – Kelowna, BC [Team Sprint]
Amelia Walsh – Ayr, ON [Team Sprint, Sprint, Keirin]
Hugo Barrette – Iles de la Madeleine, QC [Sprint, Keirin]

Endurance Women
Allison Beveridge – Calgary, AB [Team Pursuit, Omnium]
Ariane Bonhomme – Gatineau, QC [Team Pursuit]
Jasmin Duehring – Vancouver, BC [Points Race, Madison]
Annie Foreman-Mackey – Kingston, ON [Team Pursuit]
Kinley Gibson – Edmonton, AB [Team Pursuit]
Kirsti Lay – Calgary, AB [Team Pursuit]
Steph Roorda – Vancouver, BC [Team Pursuit, Madison]

Endurance Men
Aidan Caves – Vancouver, BC [Omnium]
Michael Foley – Milton, ON [Team Pursuit]
Derek Gee – Ottawa, ON [Team Pursuit]
Adam Jamieson – Barrie, ON [Team Pursuit]
Jay Lamoureux – Victoria, BC [Team Pursuit]
Bayley Simpson – Lindsay, ON [Team Pursuit]

November 27, 2017/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA SELECTS 2018 NEXTGEN WTE ATHLETES

Milton, November 23, 2017 – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the team of athletes who have been selected to the NextGen Women’s Track Endurance (WTE) program for 2018.

The WTE program graduated Ariane Bonhomme and Kinley Gibson to the Olympic pool, and has chosen four athletes to participate in this development program for 2018 – Erin Attwell of Victoria, BC; Devaney Collier of Edmonton, AB; Sara Giovannetti of Toronto, ON; and Laurie Jussaume of Contrecoeur, Quebec.

“I’m really excited to have such a strong group of Juniors graduating into the NextGen group this year,” said Jenny Trew, NextGen WTE Coach at Cycling Canada. “As Ariane and Kinley are paving the way through the pipeline with their silver medal performance at the first World Cup this year in Poland, it’s exciting to have the development pool growing. The women are all really motivated to prepare for the fifth World Cup in Minsk, Belarus in January.”

Athletes competing at the national Junior and Under-23 level, as well as athletes that are in specialized programs to facilitate transfers from different sports or disciplines called Fast Track programs, can graduate into the Development Performance Pool. Within the Development Performance Pool sit the NextGen programs. These are programs based in Enhanced Training Environments that offer optimal training for athletes within the Development Performance Pool. NextGen programs fall under National Team guidance and philosophy to optimize development of enrolled athletes and to facilitate a distinct pathway towards the Olympic Performance Pool.

The NextGen riders will begin their year by representing Canada at the final round of the UCI Track World Cup in Minsk, Belarus, in January. The team will then head south for a warm-weather road and track training camp to help them prepare for an integrated road program through the summer, including BC Superweek, the USA Crits Speedweek and North Star Grand Prix. All of this will lead into the Fall track program, which will include a number of UCI C1 and C2 European Track Races.

November 23, 2017/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA HIRES NEW HEAD MEN’S TRACK ENDURANCE COACH

Milton, November 21, 2017 – It is with great pleasure that Cycling Canada announces the anticipated appointment of Jono Hailstone to the position of Head Men’s Track Endurance Coach. Hailstone is expected to start work at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in early January.

Hailstone will work closely with Luc Arseneau, Men’s Track Endurance NextGen coach, and sports science and medicine support staff to optimize the performances of our men’s track endurance pool of riders in the hunt for a medal in the Men’s Team Pursuit event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The New Zealand native comes to Cycling Canada’s high performance track program after several years as a track endurance coach for Cycling New Zealand and para-cycling coach for the New Zealand Paralympic Committee. In addition to the experience acquired in working at the top level of coaching in New Zealand, Hailstone also has a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and the highest levels of coaching certification offered in the Oceania region.

“I’m really looking forward to coming on board with Cycling Canada. I’m excited at the opportunity to work with a group of talented young athletes, and help them develop on the road to Tokyo 2020,” said Hailstone. “Canada is a rapidly developing nation on the international track cycling scene, and I’m looking forward to contributing to that momentum going forward. I would like to thank Cycling New Zealand for their support, and for the opportunities they have provided me over the last 12 months, and wish them well in the future”.

“We are thrilled to have Jono on board to take the helm of our rapidly growing men’s track endurance program,” said Jacques Landry, Cycling Canada’s Chief Technical Officer – Head Coach. “Through our extensive debrief process we were able to identify gaps that our riders had in the team pursuit event; Jono has the skills to bridge those gaps. With the help of our talented support staff, I am confident he will continue to add to the already strong foundation that [previous men’s endurance coach] Ian Melvin had started building.”

Hailstone will be on site during the Milton Track World Cup (Dec. 1-3, 2017) to meet and observe the athletes during their respective competitions.

November 21, 2017/by Communications

TRACK WORLD CUP IN MILTON BOASTS WORLD-CLASS FIELD

Milton, November 20, 2017 – With two weeks to go, preliminary athlete registration for the inaugural edition of the Tissot UCI Track World Cup at the Mattamy Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario, point to one of the strongest international fields of the season for the third round of the 2017-18 World Cup.

More than 30 nations plus additional UCI teams have registered squads for the December 1-3 event, with approximately 225 riders listed. Canada is bringing its A team, including Rio Olympians Hugo Barrette, Allison Beveridge, Jasmin Duehring and Kirsti Lay.

Top international track nations, including Great Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands will also have top-ranked athletes on their squads. Of particular note is Germany’s Kristina Vogel, the reigning Olympic champion in the women’s sprint and world champion in the Keirin; Vogel is undefeated in World Cup competition this season for all sprint events – Team Sprint, Sprint and Keirin.

“It’s a real privilege for us to play host to our international competitors,” commented Kris Westwood, High Performance Director at Cycling Canada, “and we’re looking forward to seeing how our athletes stack up against the best in the world while enjoying home-field advantage – we definitely hope to make multiple trips to the podium. World Cups can be unpredictable because teams often use them to experiment with new tactics and unfamiliar combinations of riders, so you never know what to expect. One thing’s for sure: it’s going to be a great show and Canada will be in the thick of the action.”

There is still time to get tickets for all sessions, including the sought-after evening sessions when medals will be awarded. You can choose between single tickets for each session in either general or premium seats, an event pass for all sessions or a family pack (2 adults, 2 youth). For exclusive access, act quickly to obtain one of 50 VIP passes for evening sessions only – these will give access to the infield, premium seats, parking at the velodrome, plus food and beverages.

All prices and links can be found at https://www.twcmilton.com/tickets/.
For information on detailed event schedules, please visit https://www.twcmilton.com/event-info.

November 20, 2017/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA HIRES PARA-CYCLING DEVELOPMENT COACH – WEST

Ottawa, November 13, 2017 – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Phil [Philippe] Abbott to the position of NextGen Para-cycling coach-West.

Working under head Para-cycling coach, Sebastien Travers, and in tandem with NextGen Para-cycling coach-East, Guillaume Plourde, Phil will head the para-cycling development program based out of Calgary, Alberta. Abbott’s main responsibilities will be to identify and develop para-cycling talent throughout the western provinces, from Manitoba to British Columbia.

No stranger to coaching para-cyclists, as well as able cyclists, Phil comes to Cycling Canada from having worked at Alberta Bicycle Association as High Performance Director for the last five years, and having worked as the high performance cycling coach at the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary since 2009.

“The hiring of Phil Abbott will be a great addition to the para team. Being involved in the program with current world champion Mike Sametz, Phil will bring his experience and knowledge to the next generation of para-cyclists in Western Canada. Now that we have established two NextGen programs that will cover the whole country, we look forward to finding future paralympic medallists,” said Sebastien Travers, Head Para-cycling Coach at Cycling Canada.

The NextGen Coach – West position is made possible by partnerships between Cycling Canada and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, the Alberta Cycling Association, Own the Podium and the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary.

“We are fortunate that Phil has decided to grace our para program with his presence. He will undoubtedly greatly contribute to building a stronghold of para-cycling talent out West. Over the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of top internationally performing para-cyclists coming out of both Alberta and British Columbia. With that much talent cropping up out West, it only makes sense to have a program based out of Calgary that can better support our up-and-coming western talent pool,” said Jacques Landry, Chief Technical Officer – Head Coach at Cycling Canada.

While ensuring a smooth transition between his old job as provincial performance director and his new appointment, Phil officially starts in his new role on Nov. 13.

November 13, 2017/by Communications

CHIPMAN FINISHES 7TH AMONG JUNIORS AT URBAN WORLDS

Chengdu, China, November 10, 2017 – Canada’s Jaden Chipman of New Lowell, Ontario, finished seventh among Junior riders and 34th overall in qualifying at the inaugural edition of the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships on Friday in Chengdu, China.

Qualifying for this new event, which will have its introduction at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, consisted of two, one minute runs, with the scores for the runs averaged. Chipman received 59.20 points for his two runs, and special attention for his Quad Truck move, which involves combining a 360 degree spin of the bike while simultaneously spinning the handlebars four times, all during a jump. It is believed to be the first time anyone has landed this trick in international competition.

“I’m really happy about my two runs,” said Chipman. “I fell in my first run, but it was at the end, and I’m happy with the tricks I managed. I did a Quad Truck and I think overall I rode pretty well. I’m proud of my rides. I think it’s really cool to represent Canada here and ride in the first ever world championships.”

Chipman’s world championships ended after qualifying, since only the top-24 riders move on to the semi-final round on Saturday.

“This was my first incursion into the Freestyle world,” commented Jacques Landry, Chief Technical Officer and Head Coach at Cycling Canada. “I can see why the IOC brought this event into the Olympic program, as it has very good elements of skill and athletic prowess. There will, however, have to be some adjustments to adapt to Olympic standards. I just hope any adjustments do not take away from the existing culture that Freestyle enjoys.”

“From my limited knowledge of Freestyle, I thought Jaden did very well. He definitely has a lot of skills; I really thought he would make it to the Semi’s, but the judges did not see it the same way. Given he is of Junior age, he’s got a lot of room for improvement.”

November 10, 2017/by Communications