News – Page 99 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

CYCLING CANADA PARTNERS WITH THOUGHT TECHNOLOGY

OTTAWA, March 23, 2017 – Thought Technology has joined Cycling Canada’s family of performance partners with a commitment to provide biofeedback products and technologies to support Canada’s elite cyclists on the road to Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

The long-term partnership will provide state-of-the-art biofeedback and neurofeedback technologies as tools to help evaluate and enhance psychophysiological performances across Cycling Canada’s high performance programs. For over 40 years, Thought Technology has provided technology solutions for optimizing performance across the globe. The Montreal based company has worked with the likes of NASA, the US and international military and police forces, gold-medal winning Olympic athletes, and many of the top professional sports leagues all over the world.

“We are thrilled to welcome Cycling Canada into our peak performance family, and in being welcomed into theirs,” said Lucas Borgo, Sales & Marketing Account Executive. “We look forward to working with them to provide measurable mental performance metrics and mental skills to their competitive teams.”

“Partnering with Thought Technology will allow us to develop a whole new aspect of our mental training service, which is such an important part of helping our team to perform under pressure,” said Andrea Wooles, Sports Science and Medicine Manager for Cycling Canada. “The equipment, training, and expertise that Thought Technology is providing will allow our riders to train their minds using feedback, similar to how they use power meters to help them train their bodies.”

For more information on the various products and solutions offered by Thought Technology, visit http://thoughttechnology.com/.

March 23, 2017/by Communications

NATIONAL TITLES TO BE AWARDED AT U19/U17/PARA TRACK NATIONALS

MILTON, March 21, 2017 – In less than two weeks the most important event in the Junior/U17 and Para track season will take place – the 2017 Canadian Track Championships p/b Lexus. From March 31st to April 2nd, the top men and women in the Under-19 (Junior), Under-17 and Para-cyclist categories from across Canada will converge at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario. Admission is free to spectators for all days and all sessions.

National titles will be awarded in individual and mass start competitions for U19 and U17. For the Junior category, the Championships have an added significance as this will be a selection event for the world championships team. Events include Endurance (Individual Pursuit and Team Pursuit), Sprint (1000m / 500m Time Trial, Keirin, Team Sprint and Sprint) and Mass Start (Points Race, Elimination, Scratch). For the first time, the exciting two-rider Madison race will be added for Junior categories.

On the Para side, the national championship will feature both newcomers to the sport and medal-winning veterans, competing in numerous ability-based classes. Athletes will race for titles in the Individual Pursuit and 1000m / 500m Time Trials. Over the years, Canada has developed a Paralympic and world championship winning program.

“As we start off this new quadrennial leading into the Tokyo Games, the Track Championships are a great opportunity for up-and-coming cyclists and para-cyclists to be noticed by our national program coaches,” said Jacques Landry, Director of High Performance for Cycling Canada. “Coaches and high performance staff are eager to see what these Nationals will produce in the way of future international podium prospects. As participation numbers at Track Nationals continues to grow, so does the track culture in Canada. These are exciting times!”

The 2017 Canadian Track Championships p/b Lexus for Elite and Master categories will take place from September 27-30 at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre.

March 21, 2017/by Communications

CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES TRADE TEAMS FOR 2017

OTTAWA, March 8, 2017 – In its continuing effort to develop programs, policies and services to support Canadian teams, Cycling Canada is pleased to release the list of Cycling Canada Trade Teams as well as UCI Continental and Women’s Teams who have affiliated with our organization for the coming year. Cycling Canada’s success depends on partnership and teamwork and we thank all the affiliated Trade Teams for their support and contribution.

The seven teams who will be taking part in the Cycling Canada Trade Teams program are NCCH Elite p-b MGCC, Team RaceClean, Smart Savvy + Garneau U23 Cycling Team, Transports Lacombe-Devinci, The Cyclery -4iiii, Stingray-Trek par Ultime Vélo and Lowestrates Cycling Team. All will be focused on road with the exception of The Cyclery -4iiii who will include both road and track athletes.

Cycling Canada will also count four UCI Continental and Women’s Road Teams – H&R Block Pro Cycling, Garneau-Quebecor, Silber Pro Cycling and SAS-MACOGEP, the only Canadian UCI Women’s Team. Canada is expecting more good results this year, with Silber Pro Cycling finishing second in the UCI America Tour ranking in 2016.

In other disciplines, Canada will also be working with 4 Mountain Bike UCI Teams – Cannondale-3Rox Racing (XCO), Norco Factory Racing (DH), Norco Factory Team (XCO) and Pivot Cycles – OTE (DH).

Trade Teams affiliated with Cycling Canada will receive benefits from organizers on the Cycling Canada Calendar, including free expo space at Canadian Championship and Canada Cup events. Cycling Canada encourages Canadian Organizers to give priority invitations to Canadian UCI and Cycling Canada Trade Teams to events on the Cycling Canada International and National Calendar when available. The NSO will also promote its Trade Teams through public relations efforts, social media and the Cycling Canada website.

“It’s very exciting to see the list of affiliated Canadians teams for the 2017 season. It is a very encouraging sign of commitment to see these teams and their partners support Canadian athletes who aim to reach international podiums. Trade Teams have such an important role in our ability to support and develop Canadian athletes” said Mathieu Boucher, Director of Performance Development at Cycling Canada.

March 8, 2017/by Communications

CANADA COMPLETES PARA TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH SEVEN MEDALS

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2017 – Canada finished off the Para-cycling Track World Championships on Sunday in Los Angeles with two top-10 performances. In the combined category Men’s Scratch Race, C2 rider Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, finished fourth, while C1 rider Ross Wilson of Sherwood Park, Alberta was ninth.

Head coach Sebastien Travers explained, “The last day was a good one for us, with Ross and Tristen being very aggressive during the Scratch Race. Tristen was marked by his opponents, so Ross put in a tremendous effort to create an opening. Fourth and ninth overall is very satisfying.”

Canada finishes the Championships with a total of seven medals – four gold and three silver.

“This is by far our best track world championship,” said Travers, “and we couldn’t have achieved these results without the help of the personal coaches, our NextGen coach Guillaume Plourde, therapist Mindy Mar and coach/mechanic Alex Ongarro. We will build on these results for the coming season.”

March 6, 2017/by Communications

PENDREL & GAGNE WIN OPENING ROUND OF CANADA CUP

VICTORIA, BC, March 5, 2017 – The first leader’s jerseys of the 2017 Canada Cup mountain bike series were awarded on Saturday at Bear Mountain Resort, just outside Victoria, BC. The Canada Cup has been the career starting point for many of Canada’s top professional and Olympic riders.

Situated in the foothills of Mount Finlayson with breathtaking views of Victoria’s seaside harbour, Bear Mountain Resort is the national training centre for Canada’s mountain bike squad, and offers vistas of the Olympic Mountain Range, the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Four titles were awarded, in the Elite and Junior categories for men and women. Olympic bronze medalist Catharine Pendrel (Clif Bar) of Kamloops, BC, won the Elite women’s race, after leading from the first lap. Canadian national champion Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing) of Brooklin, Ontario, was second, with U.S. champion Erin Huck (Cannondale-3Rox) third.

“I felt really good out there,” said Pendrel. “You never know quite what to expect in the beginning of the season, but it felt like the whole package. I felt strong on the climbs and really smooth in the woods, so I’m happy with how things went. It was a little tricky on the first lap because I got boxed in and didn’t have a good position, but Emily and I were both in the same position; we both cleared it and were able to do our races after that. It’s always great to start the season off strong.”

In the Elite men’s race, it was Rio Olympian Raphael Gagne (Cannondale-3Rox) of Quebec City, Quebec, in the lead from start to finish, with a dominating performance. Evan Guthrie of Peachland, BC, held second place for most of the race before suffering a mechanical problem on the final lap. Geoff Kabush (Scott Sports-Maxxis) of Victoria, BC, moved into second for the finish, followed by Canadian national champion Derek Zandstra (Cannondale-3Rox) of Belleville, Ontario in third.

“It was a little surprising,” admitted Gagne. “Obviously, I felt really strong and good, but I didn’t know what to expect. With a new team it brings very good motivation to do well, and I’m happy I could get the win. I’ve been doing some fat bike races and they have been good preparation for this type of course. It was a fun course and I’m happy to be racing.”

In the Junior competitions, Gunnar Holmgren (Team Ontario) of Orillia, Ontario, was the men’s winner, while American champion Gwendalyn Gibson (US National Team) won the women’s race.

The Canada Cup series will continue with Round 2 at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, on May 21^st.

March 5, 2017/by Communications

MOLNAR WINS DOUBLE SILVER AT PARA TRACK WORLDS

LOS ANGELES, March 5, 2017 – Canada continues to add medals at the Para-cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles, with two more silver medals on Saturday, bringing the Team Canada total to seven. Marie-Claude Molnar of St-Hubert, Quebec, won both medals, bringing her tally to three silver medals in three events.

Molnar started her day off with the C4 3000 metre Individual Pursuit, qualifying for the gold medal final and setting a personal best in the first 1000 metres before being caught by multi-time world champion Shawn Morelli of the United States. Molnar also took second in the C4 Scratch Race.

“Day 3 was a long day for Marie-Claude,” said head coach Sebastien Travers. “She raced two pursuits and a scratch race, earning silver in both events. The qualifying was a first good test, as Marie rode better than expected and set a very good baseline for the coming season. In the final, she went for it and did a personal best on her opening Kilo. The work done by her personal coach Eric Van Den Eynde, as well as her Strength and Conditioning coach Corey Kennedy is noticeable and it shows in her time.”

March 5, 2017/by Communications

CANADA WINS THREE MEDALS ON SECOND DAY OF PARA TRACK WORLDS

LOS ANGELES, March 4, 2017 – Team Canada continues to excel at the Para-cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles, with three more medals on Friday, the second day of competition. Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, and Ross Wilson of Sherwood Park, Alberta each won their second world titles, while Marie-Claude Molnar of St-Hubert, Quebec, won silver. This gives Canada five medals – 4 gold and 1 silver – in two days of competition.

In the C1 Men’s 3000 metre Individual Pursuit, Wilson set a personal best in qualifying, and then caught his opponent in the gold medal final.

Head coach Sebastien Travers commented, “In the qualifying race Ross executed perfectly and surprised us with another personal best. In the finals, we opted for an aggressive pace, which paid off as Ross lapped his opponent, therefore securing the rainbow jersey.”

In the C2 Men’s 3000 metre Individual Pursuit, Chernove had a bit of a scare in the qualifying round after pulling his foot out of his pedal, but came back to make the Final, where he won with a time of three minutes and 47.424 seconds, nearly seven seconds faster than his opponent, Aaron Keith of the United States.

Travers explained, “For Tristen, his qualifier was a race against adversity; after unclipping at the start, Tristen kept going and was enroute for a Personal Best. Going against Mauricio Eckard of Spain, Tristen went for the pass, but the Spaniard sped up, forcing Tristen to stay high for four laps, therefore doing a longer distance. Tristen still managed to get the best time, which was the objective. He came back ready for the finals and executed well to secure the title.”

Molnar finished the day off with a silver medal in the C4 Women’s 500 metre Time Trial, finishing with a time of 42.606 seconds, just over one second behind Shawn Morelli of the United States.

“Marie-Claude’s 500m was very well executed,” said Travers, “with a personal best her opening lap. This is exciting for Marie-Claude, given the [short] amount of time she had to prepare for this event.”

“Overall, Another good day for the nation,” said Travers. Two golds and one silver is pretty awesome! We are looking forward to tomorrow’s events, where Marie-Claude will race the Pursuit and Scratch Race.”

March 4, 2017/by Communications

TWO WORLD TITLES FOR CANADA ON OPENING DAY OF PARA TRACK WORLDS

LOS ANGELES, March 3, 2017 – Canada had a very strong start to the Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles on Thursday, with Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, and Ross Wilson of Sherwood Park, Alberta, each winning world titles in their respective categories.

Chernove successfully defended his Men’s C2 1000 metre Time Trial with a time of one minute and 15.005 seconds, finishing over two and a half seconds ahead of second place Aizono Kentaro of Japan.

In the Men’s C1 1000 metre Time Trial, Wilson’s winning time of one minute and 18.925 seconds shaved half a second off his best time, and was over three seconds faster than silver medalist Darcy Thompson of Australia.

Head coach Sebastien Travers said, “It was a very good day for Canada with two world titles at the Kilo. Ross Wilson rode a PB [Personal Best] by 0.5 seconds and executed his ride perfectly. I have to mention that the work done with his personal coach Cameron Jennings, as well as his Strength and Conditioning coach Dean Sommerset, has paid off.”

“Tristen rode very well also to win his second title at the Kilo. Coming back from a viral infection, he really managed to pull it off, with the help of his personal coach Guillaume Plourde.”

“It is a good opening day and we look forward to tomorrow, where Ross and Tristen will race the Pursuit and Marie-Claude Molnar and newcomer Lachlan Hotchkins will each race the Time Trial.”

March 3, 2017/by Communications

CANADA CUP OPENS 27TH SEASON AT BEAR MOUNTAIN

VICTORIA, BC, February 28, 2017 – The 27th season of the Mountain Bike Canada Cup cross-country series opens on March 4th at Bear Mountain Resort, just outside of Victoria, BC. The Canada Cup has been the career starting point for many of Canada’s top professional and Olympic riders.

Situated in the foothills of Mount Finlayson with breathtaking views of Victoria’s seaside harbour, Bear Mountain Resort is the national training centre for Canada’s mountain bike squad, and offers vistas of the Olympic Mountain Range, the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

In addition to the UCI sanctioned competitions for Elite and Junior men and women, the Bear Mountain Canada Cup will offer racing for age categories from kids to Masters. The 5.97 kilometre circuit opens with a sustained climb on pavement and singletrack before a long rough and rooty descent.

As many as five Canadian Olympians will begin their season at Bear Mountain, including Rio bronze medalist Catharine Pendrel (Clif Bar), Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing), Raphael Gagne (Cannondale-3Rox), Leandre Bouchard (BH SR Suntour KMC) and Geoff Kabush (Scott Sports-Maxxis), as well as national Elite men’s champion Derek Zandstra (Cannondale-3Rox).

Mathieu Boucher, Director of Performance Development at Cycling Canada, says, “We are thrilled to open the Canada Cup series for the second year in a row at Bear Mountain Resort, the Training Center for our national Mountain Bike Program. Riders will be treated to an amazing and challenging course with all the hospitality that Bear Mountain Resort has to offer. The event will showcase Canada’s top riders as well top international pros who will begin their season with the opening round of the Canada Cup; it will be a week-end packed with action and fun for all the Mountain Bike Community!”

February 28, 2017/by Communications

WESTERN TRACK CHALLENGE BRINGS YOUNG ATHLETES TOGETHER AT BURNABY VELODROME

BURNABY, BC, February 27, 2017 – The 2017 Canadian track season opened with a pair of new events aimed at development riders – the Eastern and Western Challenge competitions. After the success of the Eastern Challenge at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario, it was the turn of the Western Challenge at the B.C. Lower Mainland Burnaby Velodrome in Burnaby, BC, on February 24-25. Cycling Canada worked in collaboration with Cycling BC and Kelyn Akuna for the Western Challenge.

Nearly 40 male and female athletes in the Under 15, Under 17 and Junior categories competed in events ranging from the Individual and Team Pursuit to the Team Sprint, Sprint and Keirin. Mass start competitions included the Scratch Race, Points Race and Elimination. Riders and teams came from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, plus the United States.

These events were created by Cycling Canada following the Track Competition review of the domestic competition system for track. Among the recommendations from the review were the creation of events aimed at development riders; to give them the opportunity to race an event with a caliber (and degree of organization) comparable to the Canadian Track Championships p/b Lexus. This will give riders the opportunity to measure their preparedness for the world championships selection that takes place at the Championships.

Racing in Burnaby was held for Under-15, Under-17, Junior, Elite and Masters athletes. Spectators were encouraged to attend on both evenings and, aside from the racing, highlights included: a beer garden, food truck, DJ, and vendor booths. The flavor was slightly more family oriented on the Saturday evening with a kiddie kilo and face painting for kids.

Race organizer Kelyn Akuna said, “Operating in our relatively isolated track communities, it’s easy to forget how critical it is to travel to larger events where exposure to new competition and new ideas can test our mettle. Watching the inaugural Western Challenge this last weekend, I’m reminded of this fact and encouraged by the exchange of camaraderie and competitiveness that I witnessed from riders across Western Canada and the Pacific North-West. While I’m certainly pleased about the weekend, I’m also excited at the potential of this event and look forward to seeing it mature over the years.”

Jessika Grand Bois, the Track Coordinator at Cycling Canada, stated: “We are grateful to be working with organizers such as Kelyn Akuna. He, with the support of Cycling BC and a great group of volunteers, has been dedicated to making this first edition of the Western Challenge a success and an event we can build upon in the future. After having seen the U17 and Junior riders in both the Eastern and Western Challenge now, we are definitely looking forward to the upcoming U17/Jr/Para Canadian championships.”

February 27, 2017/by Communications