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NYHAUG THIRD IN BMX WORLD CUP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 4

ZOLDER, May 15, 2017 – One week after the opening rounds of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Papendal, Netherlands, Team Canada took part in Rounds 3 and 4 in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.  Tory Nyhaug of Coquitlam, BC, was again Canada’s top performer, finishing fifth in Elite Men in both events.

The BMX World Cups have introduced a new format for 2017, with two events held on consecutive days in one location.  Nyhaug, the 2015 Pan Am Games Champion who finished fifth at the Rio Olympics, made the Final in both races, finishing fifth each time.  Nyhaug is the only rider to make the Final for Elite Men in all four World Cups this season, and sits third overall in the standings.  Both Alex Tougas of Pitt Meadows, BC, and James Palmer of North Vancouver, BC, made the one-sixteenth round in Round 3, with Palmer making the quarter-finals on Sunday in Round 4.  Palmer is 31st in the overall standings after four rounds.

“It was an exhausting weekend, but I’m happy that I made the Main and the top-5 both days,” said Nyhaug.  “This sets me up well in the standings for the World Cup Finals in Argentina.”

In the Elite Women’s competition, Drew Mechielsen of Langley, BC, made the quarter-finals in Round 3 and the semi-finals in Round 4.  Mechielsen has moved up to 19th overall in the standings after four rounds.

“I wasn’t getting the best starts,” explained Mechielsen, “but I’m really happy with my riding and my jumping, and I was really battling so that I could make the semi-final.”

Adam Muys, Project Manager and BMX NextGen Coach – West, summarized the two weekends of competition, saying, “I’m really happy with how the project went.  We got some good results and, moving forward with the program, what we have worked on over the winter seems to be coming together.”

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CANADA TAKES MEDAL COUNT TO TEN AT PARA ROAD WORLD CUP

MANIAGO, May 15, 2017 – After winning seven medals on Friday, the opening day of competition at the first round of the Para-cycling Road World Cup in Maniago, Italy, Canadian riders added three more medals to their tally over the weekend in the road race events.

Paralympic gold medalist Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, won the Men’s C2 road race in a field sprint, to add to the silver he won in the time trial.  World champion Shelley Gautier of Toronto was also victorious, in the Women’s T1 road race.

“It was a great race, it feels good to win,” admitted Chernove.  “I’ve never had a World Cup leader’s jersey before and it felt good to put it on.  I have to admit that racing at high speed through cobbles is a new experience for me and I had a couple of touchy moments, but it was a great race.”

The final Canadian medal went to Women’s Tandem team of Robbi Weldon (Ottawa, ON) and her pilot Audrey Lemieux (Montreal, QC), who took bronze in their road race, adding to the silver medal they won in the time trial on Friday.

“The road race was pretty crazy because it was raining and there were some cobble sections,” said Lemieux.  “So it was pretty slippery.  With our two Canadian teams we tried so hard, but unfortunately the Irish and Greek teams got away at the front, so we were fighting for bronze.  Today it was teamwork with both Canadian teams and our coach.  It was an amazing day.”

In other Canadian results, fourth places went to Nicole Clermont (St Denis de Brompton, QC) in Women’s C5 and the Women’s Tandem team of Shawna Ryan (Saskatoon, SK) and her pilot Joanie Caron (Rimouski, QC).  Charles Moreau (Victoriaville, QC) finished eighth in Men’s H3.  The men’s tandem team of Daniel Chalifour (Mont-Laurier, QC) and pilot Jean-Michel Lachance (Quebec, QC), and Marie-Claude Molnar of St-Hubert, QC, in the Women’s C4 did not finish their respective races.

“I’m very pleased with the weekend overall,” said Sebastien Travers, national Para-cycling head coach.  “In the road races we have identified a lot of things to work on for the next World Cups and the world championships.  I am very satisfied with everyone’s performances and the spirit of the team.”

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CANADA OPENS PARA-CYCLING WORLD CUP WITH 7 MEDALS

MANIAGO, May 13, 2017 – Team Canada had an exceptional start to the first Para-cycling Road World Cup with 7 medals on Friday, the first day of competition in Maniago, Italy, during the individual time trial competitions.  Canadian athletes won one gold, three silver and three bronze medals.

“It was a good day,” agreed Sebastien Travers, national Para-cycling head coach.  “Coming here, the goal was to evaluate where we stand against the international field, since this is the first year of the [Olympic] quad.  So we came with our athletes not 100% ready, but it paid off with some good results.”

Michael Sametz of Calgary, AB, won the only Canadian gold medal of the day in the Men’s C5 category, beating Sergey Ustinov of Russia by over one minute.

“It was a good ride and a personal best for me,” said Sametz.  “I hit all the metrics I wanted to hit, so it was pretty awesome.”

Silver medals were won by Marie-Claude Molnar of St-Hubert, QC, in the Women’s C4 category, Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, in Men’s C2, and by the Women’s Tandem team of Robbi Weldon (Ottawa, ON) and her pilot Audrey Lemieux (Montreal, QC).

“The time trial was a long one and a hard course,” commented Weldon.  “We had a fantastic race with great prep leading into it at a training camp in California.  It’s a great start to the season.”

“It was a good ride for the most part,” said Chernove.  “What I was trying to execute happened, although I did drop my chain with about 200 metres to go and that cost me a bit of time.  I think I was in first when the chain came off and I had to push the bike, but that’s bike racing.  I felt really good on the bike and it’s nice to be on the podium.”

Bronze medals were won by Nicole Clermont (St Denis de Brompton, QC) in Women’s C5, Charles Moreau (Victoriaville, BC) in Men’s H3 and the Women’s Tandem team of Shawna Ryan (Saskatoon, SK) and her pilot Joanie Caron (Rimouski, QC).

“I’m really happy with the result,” said Moreau.  “It’s difficult to have specific expectations at the beginning of the year, not knowing where the other riders are in their preparation.  But I was quite close to first and second, by only a few seconds, so I’m really quite happy.”

In other competition, reigning Women’s T1 world champion Shelley Gautier of Toronto, ON, finished second in her category, but a silver medal was not awarded since there were only two athletes.  The Men’s Tandem team of Daniel Chalifour (Mont-Laurier, QC) and pilot Jean-Michel Lachance (Quebec, QC) finished eighth and Alex Hyndman (Morpeth, ON) was 15th in Men’s H3 after a crash.

Racing continues over the weekend with the road race events.

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CYCLING CANADA TO HOST UCI TRACK WORLD CUP IN MILTON

MILTON, May 11, 2017 – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the International Cycling Union (UCI) to host a leg of the TISSOT UCI Track World Cup in each of the next three years. Beginning in 2017-18 and extending through the 2018-19 and 2019-20 track cycling seasons, the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario, will play host to over 300 of the top cyclists in the world. The TISSOT UCI World Cup is the highest international level of track cycling competition and is a critical component of the qualification process for the Olympic Games and for the UCI World Championships.

The first event in the three year commitment is scheduled for December 1-3, 2017. The event will feature 5 sessions of racing over three days (1 on Friday and 2 sessions per day on the weekend). Also planned as part of the World Cup festivities will be an innovative corporate relay fundraising challenge which will give corporate and club teams the chance to test themselves on the velodrome track alongside some of Canada’s top cycling celebrities. The event will raise funds for Cycling Canada’s National Team program.

“Milton is thrilled to host the TISSOT UCI Track World Cup in partnership with Cycling Canada,” said Milton Mayor Gord Krantz. The Mattamy National Cycling Centre is home to Canadian cycling and is a hub for high-performance sport in our community.”

“Cycling Canada is excited to work with the Town of Milton to host the TISSOT UCI Track World Cup over the next three years. This event is one of only six in the world every year and for the UCI to trust both Cycling Canada and Milton shows great vision on their part and demonstrates their understanding of the quality of both of our entities,” commented Pierre Lafontaine, CEO of Cycling Canada.

The Mattamy National Cycling Centre, built to host the track events at the 2015 Pan Am Games, is a Category 1 homologated velodrome, and one of only two velodromes in North America that meets the requirements to host World Cup-level competitions.

John Tolkamp, Cycling Canada’s President, stated, “The Milton World Cup will be Canada’s first UCI Track World Cup since 1989. More than just a high performance event, the World Cup is an incredible show for spectators and a unique opportunity to engage the community with the hosting of a world class event. We are excited for our National Team athletes who will have the opportunity to perform at home in this state-of-the-art facility.”

Event details and ticket information will be announced later this year. For more information about Cycling Canada events, visit cyclingcanada.ca.

WHAT:            TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup
WHERE:         Mattamy National Cycling Centre Velodrome
Milton, ON
WHEN:            2017/18 Season – December 1st to 3rd
2018/19 Season – Dates TBC
2019/20 Season – Dates TBC

MORE INFO:
cyclingcanada.ca
http://www.uci.ch/track/

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NYHAUG TAKES SILVER MEDAL AT BMX WORLD CUP #2

PAPENDAL, May 9, 2017 – Canadian BMX riders had a strong start to the 2017 season with a silver medal for Tory Nyhaug of Coquitlam, BC, in the opening rounds of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup on Sunday, in Papendal, Netherlands.

The Canadian National BMX program has been through some significant changes over the past 3 months. With a new focus, the program is taking a calculated approach to athlete development and High Performance results.

“We have done some significant work post Rio in analyzing our current international performers and also looking to the future with our newly developed NextGen program,” said Adam Muys, BMX NextGen Coach – West.  “Although we have some 2020 standouts including Tory Nyhaug, James Palmer, Daina Tuchscherer and Drew Mechielson, we also have some of the top U23 and Juniors on the planet. The next 4-6 years are very exciting for the program as we are very fortunate to have 2 world class tracks to train on (Abbotsford, BC and Toronto, ON); this is a huge game changer for us.”

Brendan Arnold, the newly hired BMX NextGen Coach, added “Success takes time, it takes a team of quality people to help athletes attain performance at the world-class level. I believe we have started a process of creating future pathway performance through our National Performance program and the newly created NextGen development program. Of course World Cups, World Championships and Olympics are the key targets, but we as coaches need to help our athletes learn to win at earlier stages of their development so that they can acquire the skills to compete at the international level.”

The BMX World Cups have introduced a new format, with two events held on consecutive days in one location.  Nyhaug, the 2015 Pan Am Games Champion who finished fifth at the Rio Olympics, made the Final in both races, finishing sixth on Saturday and then second on Sunday, behind world champion Joris Daudet of France. James Palmer of North Vancouver, BC, made the quarter-finals on both days, finishing 26th on Saturday and 30th on Sunday.

“It was an exhausting weekend,” said Nyhaug.  “I kept things simple and I didn’t just get on the podium, but was able to battle at the front, and that’s what I’m most proud of.”

In the women’s competition, Drew Mechielsen of Langley, BC, came back from 41st on Saturday to finishing 14th on Sunday, making her first semi-final at the World Cup level.

“It was a slow process and took me a while to get into gear,” admitted Mechielsen, “but I was able to pull it together and make the semi-finals, which I’m really happy about.”

The BMX athletes are now headed to Zolder, in Belgium, where they will race in World Cups 3 and 4 over the weekend.

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CYCLING CANADA RENEWS COMMITMENT TO ROAD CYCLING, HIRES KEVIN FIELD

OTTAWA, May 4th, 2017 – The post-Olympic year is a time for Cycling Canada to take stock and look at opportunities to improve performance and raise the profile of cycling in Canada outside of targeted Olympic disciplines.

Road cycling represents one such opportunity. It is an important and accessible entry point for the general public to participate in cycling and professional road cycling has the largest international fan base and the highest media profile of all cycling sports. Having Canadians in the highest echelons of road cycling as well as a robust development pipeline is of great importance for Cycling Canada. That said, generating funding for road programs via Cycling Canada’s public funding partners continues to be a challenge.

Recognizing the importance of Road to its broader strategic imperatives, Cycling Canada is addressing the challenge by hiring Kevin Field in the newly created role of Strategic Road Consultant. Over the last decade Kevin has led numerous road trade teams and has been influential in mentoring many of Canada’s top road athletes.

In his recent capacity as Cycling Canada’s Road Manager Kevin helped foster alignment between Canadian athletes, their professional teams and Cycling Canada’s road and track programs. In the past two years Canada has seen significant progress in this area, sending its largest ever teams to the UCI Road World Championships in 2015 in Richmond as well as in Doha in 2016. Improving Canada’s World Championships quotas has led to consistent improvement in results, most recently with Ryan Roth posting a 15th place finish at the 2016 event in Qatar, Canada’s best finish in the elite men’s road race in 13 years.

Over the past decade Kevin has also helped to bring forward significant funding to support road programs in Canada. Kevin’s experience will be an asset to the organization as it continues to establish new and stronger commercial opportunities and partnerships. Working alongside CEO Pierre Lafontaine and Marketing Director Matthew Jeffries, Kevin will help to architect and implement Cycling Canada’s business engagement platforms. Outside of cycling, Kevin has founded 4 companies, most recently co-founding the sports nutrition company The Feed in 2013.

“Few people in Canada have Kevin’s grasp for all aspects of road cycling, particularly from the sport technical, business and political dimensions,” said Cycling Canada CEO Pierre Lafontaine. “Kevin stands out as one of these rare assets in our system. He has been instrumental in assisting many of our top riders earn berths on the World Tour circuit and he is held in high regard amongst our top athletes, as well as by Canadian business leaders who have invested in the sport over the past 20 years.”

“I’m excited about this expanded role with Cycling Canada,” said Field. “I think there is a huge opportunity to bring more business value to the organization and better support to our road athletes. Canada’s approach to road is ripe for innovation and this year we’ll do two things. First, continue to build on the success we’ve established in the past two years at the World Championships. Second, look at tearing our approach to the sport back down to the studs, how we work with our community, athletes and private teams. We’ll have a new approach to road from 2018 onward and this year will be about laying the foundation for that. ”

Kevin will be based out of Cycling Canada’s head office in Ottawa, ON. He can be reached at kevin.field@cyclingcanada.ca.

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CANADA SENDS FIVE RIDERS TO OPENING ROUNDS OF BMX WORLD CUP

OTTAWA, May 3, 2017 – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the team of five athletes that will represent Canada at the opening rounds of the 2017 BMX World Cup.  World Cups 1 and 2 will take place in Papendal [Netherlands] on May 6-7 and World Cups 3 and 4 are in Zolder [Belgium] on May 13-14.

The team will be led by 2015 Pan Am Games champion and 2016 Olympian Tory Nyhaug of Coquitlam, BC.  He will be joined in the Elite men’s field by Gaby Malenfant of Drummondville, QC, James Palmer (North Vancouver, BC) and first year Elite Alex Tougas (Pitt Meadows, BC).  In the women’s competition, Canada will be represented by second year Elite rider Drew Mechielsen of Langley, BC.

“This project will kick off the new quad with our first two weekends of World Cup events,” explained Adam Muys, National BMX NextGen Coach.  “New for 2017, the World Cup format has changed to a single qualifying race, followed by a Repechage and then single elimination Eighths, Quarters, Semi-finals and Final.  Then each event will have a second day of racing with the same format.  Two World Cups in one weekend.”

Muys added:  “We have put in many hours of training over the winter and look forward to see how our athletes have grown.  We expect Tory Nyhaug to lead the charge, but don’t be surprised to see James Palmer, Alex Tougas, Gaby Malenfant and Drew Mechielsen to make some waves.”

Athletes
Drew Mechielsen – Langley, BC [Elite Women]
Gaby Malenfant – Drummondville, QC [Elite Men]
Tory Nyhaug – Coquitlam, BC [Elite Men]
James Palmer – North Vancouver, BC [Elite Men]
Alex Tougas – Pitt Meadows, BC [Elite Men]

Coach – Adam Muys
Chiropractor – Jenn Turner

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PODIUMS FOR CANADA AT LOURDES DH WORLD CUP

OTTAWA, May 1, 2017 – Canada had strong results at the opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup on Sunday, in Lourdes, France.  World champion Finnley Iles (Specialized Gravity) won the Junior men’s race, Mark Wallace (Canyon Factory) was second in Elite men, and Canadian champion Miranda Miller (Specialized Gravity) was sixth in Elite women.

Iles, who is the 2016 World Cup overall champion and the defending champion at Lourdes, won by over three and a half seconds to take the lead in the Junior men’s World Cup competition.

In the Elite women’s category, world champion and 2016 overall World Cup champion Rachel Atherton of Great Britain took a convincing win.  Atherton now has an incredible 14 straight World Cup victories, plus two world titles, since 2015.  Miller finished 10.764 seconds behind Atherton, but less than 2.2 seconds off the podium.

Miller, who is racing for her first pro team, commented: “My race run was a big improvement from qualifying and definitely a step in the right direction. I made a couple mistakes that I definitely regret, but even so I’m really happy with how the weekend went with the new team and crew.  [I’m] fired up for the next rounds!”

The Elite men race saw a storm blow in at the top of the course for the final ten riders – the top qualifiers – bringing blinding fog, heavy winds and rain, and making the course slippery and treacherous.  French rider Alexandre Fayolle, the 28th rider to start was in the Hot Seat at that point, followed by Mark Wallace and Marcel Gutierrez of Colombia.  None of the top contenders could beat the conditions, with most finishing in the 60s and 70s, leaving Fayolle to claim the title followed by Wallace and Gutierrez.

Wallace recognized that conditions were a factor in his best-ever World Cup result, “Even though it was my best finish and first podium it doesn’t feel like I completely earned it due to the weather. It’s unfortunate that something uncontrollable like the weather has such a big effect on results, but I guess that’s just part of competing in an outdoor sport, especially one in the mountains. That being said, I felt like I rode better today than I have in a while and was happy with my run so it was a good weekend!”

Wallace’s second at Lourdes is the same result his team mate, the late Steve Smith, achieved at this race last year.

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CYCLING CANADA STATEMENT

Ottawa, April 29, 2017 – Cycling Canada is aware of an article published in the media today regarding an adverse analytical finding for cyclist David Drouin. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is the lead agency dealing with this case, and has been in regular communication with Cycling Canada. The details of this case remain confidential until the CCES makes a final determination and makes it public. In the meantime, Cycling Canada will not be making any further comment.

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JENNINGS TO LEAVE CYCLING CANADA FOR AUSTRALIA

OTTAWA, April 19, 2017 – After nearly two years of working with Cycling Canada’s future Women’s Track Endurance medal prospects, Cameron Jennings heads back home to Australia.

As of May 1st, Jennings will trade his red and white colors for the green and gold of Cycling Australia, where he will fill the position of Cycling Australia’s Para-Cycling Assistant Coach.

“I am obviously excited about this new and challenging opportunity with Cycling Australia, the move back home, and being closer to our family and support network.  However it is a move that comes with sadness as I leave behind a great organization, fantastic colleagues, and a group of athletes that I care deeply for.  During my 5 years here in Canada, I hope that I had a positive impact on the athletes that I worked with.  I am wishing the girls in the program, and all the other athletes that I worked with, success in the future and I hope that the WTE NextGen program continues to grow and find its feet within the Cycling Canada landscape”, stated Jennings.

During his tenure as Women’s Track Endurance NextGen Coach, Jennings was entrusted to build the foundation of Cycling Canada’s Women’s Track Endurance program and ensure a steady flow of athletes coming up the ranks, from club and provincial programs.

“We want to thank Cam for the couple of years he’s had with us and the contributions he’s made to Cycling Canada’s high performance programs”, commented Jacques Landry, Cycling Canada’s Chief Technical Officer and Head Coach. “The comfort I have in seeing Cam leave to go back home is that I know he will be able to continue to grow as a coach, in an environment that is perhaps better suited for him and his growing family. I wish him great success, but not too much either”, joked Landry.

Cycling Canada will be looking in the next few weeks to fill the position made vacant by Jennings’ departure.

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