News – Page 31 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

LEAH KIRCHMANN TRIUMPH IN ROAD RACE AT CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Kirchmann of Optum-Kelly Benefits wins second race at Global Relay Canadian Road Championships

(Lac Mégantic, QC – June 27, 2014) Canada’s top cyclists converged on the roads of Lac Mégantic on Friday night to crown a new champion at the 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships.

Without its reigning champion, the peloton of 57 women started the 119 km road race in downtown Lac Mégantic, then rode to the Mont Morne circuit. The group rode five laps of the loop prior to its return to Lac Mégantic.

Earlier in the race, two cyclists broke away together until the first climb of the Mont Morne, a two-kilometer wall with a maximum slope of 11%. Early in the first ascent, the two-girl breakaway was quickly reduced to a single woman, Megan Rathwell, who stayed alone at the front until the fourth lap of the circuit. Rathwell, after a tremendous solo effort, was brought back at the 72nd kilometer.

Leaving the circuit, and with 20 kilometers to go in the tough race, only about 20 cyclists were left in the at the front of the race. Then, several unsuccessful attacks were repeated mainly by Team Optum-Kelly Benefits and Team TIBCO-To-The-Top. The group remained together until 500m to go.

The sprint was launched about fifty meters before the finish line, and it’s Leah Kirchmann of Team Optum-Kelly Benefit that was the first to cross the finish line with two seconds ahead of teammate Denise Ramsden, the 2012 Canadian Champion. Leah Guloien of Trek Red Truck team crossed the line in third place.

The road race title is Kirchmann’s second win of the week, and third consecutive title with the criterium title in 2013. “I couldn’t have asked for a better Nationals so far. I’ve surprised myself every day. Obviously, I’m going for a third win on Sunday.

« We were comfortable with the race coming to a bunch sprint. My team has a lot of faith in my sprinting abilities. We did expect a finish with a smaller group, given the difficulty of the climb.I think winning helps taking away some of the fatigue that I felt today, laughed Kirchmann. The team, myself included, did a lot of work today, so I was feeling it on the run in.”

In U23 category, it is Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin of Team Quebec who was the first to complete the course, in fifth place of the elite race. Jasmin Glaesser of Tibco-To-The-Top finished second of the U23 standings, followed in third by Kinley Gibson of Trek Red Truck Racing.

The women will take part in the criterium on Sunday to close 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships.

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at @CyclingCanada and Facebook at @CyclingCanada.

PODIUMS – ROAD RACE – GLOBAL RELAY CANADIAN ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS

WOMEN – ELITE

1. KIRCHMANN, Leah (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit) 3:47:13

2. RAMSDEN, Denise (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit) +0:02

3. GULOIEN, Leah (Trek Red Truck Racing) +0:04

FULL RESULTS

WOMEN – STANDINGS U23

1. PILOTE-FORTIN, Gabrielle (Equipe du Québec) 3:47:17

2. GLAESSER, Jasmin (TIBCO/To the Top) ST

3. GIBSON, Kinley (Trek Red Truck Racing) ST

FULL RESULTS

ABOUT GLOBAL RELAY

Global Relay is the world leader in cloud-based messaging, archiving and search technology for the financial sector. Global Relay is headquartered in Gastown, with offices in New York, Chicago, London and Singapore. In 2012, Global Relay invested $1 million to bring back and operate the Gastown Grand Prix, Canada’s most prestigious criterium which attracts some of North America’s top cyclists and crowds of 30,000 to the streets of historic Gastown in Vancouver each July, as part of BC Superweek.

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NEW ENERGY AND RESURGENCE FOR CANADIAN PARA-CYCLING

Years of development and recruitment is now bearing its fruits

(Lac Mégantic, QC – June 27, 2014) Para-cycling in Canada is benefiting from a new energy as witnessed this week at the 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships in Lac Mégnatic, QC.

The para-cycling resurgence comes after years of recruitment, development and international success to find new talent across the country, thanks to the involvement of the provincial associations.

Alberta, among many other provinces, stepped up and brought a large group of riders to the 2014 edition of the Canadian Championships. Quebec, Ontario, New-Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and BC were also represented in these Championships.

The Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes was the pioneer in para-cycling development, and Équipe du Québec continues to be strong contenders in most of the categories, thanks to the early passion and vision of Louis Barbeau, who occupied the role of President of the para-cycling commission at the Union cycliste internationale during the last four years.

Thanks to this growth in the development of para-cycling, new athletes have created a feeling and atmosphere of high performance, pushing the current elite riders to a new level. Notably, in the men’s C category, Michael Sametz of Calgary, AB took these Championships by storm, winning both titles in his first appearance in a Canadian Road Championships. In both races Sametz beat Jaye Milley, a World Championships and World Cup medallist.

This week, we saw the return of the prolific tandem formed of Robbi Weldon and Lyne Bessette taking both the time trial and the road race titles after being separated for almost two years. Sametz won both of his races, while Ashley Wilson raced in his second Canadian Championships, stepping on the podium in both races. Mathieu Daigle, in his first Canadian Road Championships with pilot Pierre-Olivier Boily, won the men’s tandem road race, thanks to an early solo breakaway.

Next step for the Canadian Para-Cycling road program will be the World Cup races in Segovia, Spain, and then the 2014 UCI Road World Championships in South Carolina.

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at @CyclingCanada and Facebook at @CyclingCanada.

PODIUMS – ROAD RACES – GLOBAL RELAY CANADIAN ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS

PARA-CYCLING – MEN B

1. C. DAIGLE, Matthieu / BOILY, Pierre-Olivier (MB) Equipe du Québec 2:17:24

2. CARRIER, Alexandre / LAFLAMME, Aroussen (MB) Equipe du Québec +1:27

3. CHALIFOUR, Daniel / CLOUTIER, Alexandre (MB) Equipe du Québec +1:27

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING – WOMEN B

1. WELDON, Robbie / BESSETTE, Lyne (WB) 2:14:42

2. RYAN, Shawna / LEMIEUX, Audrey WB +4:42

3. BOISVERT, Mélissa / GAGNON, Evelyne WB +9:02

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING – T

1. CROTEAU, Marie-Eve (WT2) Equipe du Québec 1:05:56

2. WILSON, Ashley (MT2) Team Alberta +13:49

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING MEN H3-4

1. LEDO, Mark (MH4) RealDeal/Gears 1:22:40

2. BEGGS, Mark (MH3) Equipe du Québec +3:25

3. MOREAU, Charles (MH3) Equipe du Québec +4:20

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING WOMEN H1-4; MEN H1-2

1. LABBE, Robert (MH2) Equipe du Québec 1:23:40

2. ADAM, Myriam (WH3) Equipe du Québec +2:21

3. DOUVILLE, Kara (WH4) Synergy Racing +4:46

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING WOMEN C1-5; MEN C1-3

1. SAMETZ, Michael (MC3) Team Alberta 1:45:51

2. WILSON, Ross (MC1) Team Alberta +0:30

3. MILLEY, Jaye (MC1) Team Alberta +1:02

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING MEN C4-5

1. AVSAR, Atilla (MC5) Independent 2:29:09

FULL RESULTS

 

ABOUT GLOBAL RELAY

Global Relay is the world leader in cloud-based messaging, archiving and search technology for the financial sector. Global Relay is headquartered in Gastown, with offices in New York, Chicago, London and Singapore. In 2012, Global Relay invested $1 million to bring back and operate the Gastown Grand Prix, Canada’s most prestigious criterium which attracts some of North America’s top cyclists and crowds of 30,000 to the streets of historic Gastown in Vancouver each July, as part of BC Superweek.

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SVEIN TUFT, CANADA’S TIME TRIAL KING, STRIKES AGAIN; LEAH KIRCHMANN TAKES WOMEN HONOURS

Lots of action with men, women and para-cycling time trials at Global Relay Canadian Championships

(Lac Mégantic, QC – June 26, 2014) The 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships began today with the individual trials for the elite, u23 and para-cycling categories, for both men and women. Svein Tuft and Leah Kirchmann were the fastest of their group, winning the Canadian titles and the highly sought after Red and White jerseys in the elite races.

The events took place on a difficult course starting in Val Racine, QC. The elite men travelled 40.4km on a challenging course featuring rolling hills while the women raced 28.8km.

Svein Tuft of Langley, BC (Orica-GreenEDGE) raced to the first place with a time of 53:25, winning his career ninth Time Trial title. Tuft won all but one Canadian Championships Time Trial race in which he entered. Jocelyn Lovell holds the record with the most time trial titles, with ten wins in the event at Canadian Championships to his credit, from 1969 to 1980.

Although Tuft was an overwhelming favorite to win the race, Tuft was humbled in victory.

“It’s never in the bag. You never what you’re going to get on the day. I came here really motivated. Coming out of the Giro, I had a good little rest, and worked hard coming back. I am extremely happy to come out here strong,” said Tuft after the race. “With the nature of a course like this, being difficult, people can go out fast the first twenty minutes. With the wind and the hills, you can have a good first half, but it’s all done in the finale. For me, I was just conservative and stayed on top of it.”

Added Tuft: “It’s a special thing. To race in Europe with your National colours… it’s always been special. I see this race as being a really important thing. It’s a National title afterall, and just like any other race, it’s hard to any race in the world at the moment, no matter where you are.”

In second place came Hugo Houle of Ste-Perpétue, QC (AG2R La Mondiale) with a 2-minute time deficit of Tuft, while Ryan Roth of Cambridge, ON (Silber Pro Cycling) took the third place.

In the women’s category, Leah Kirchmann (Winnipeg, MB) of Optum-Kelly Benefits won the race with a time of 43:30. Jasmin Glaesser of Coquitlam, BC (TIBCO-To-The-Top) came in second place less than three seconds slower than Kirchmann and took first place of the U23 standings while Anika Todd of Victoria, BC (TIBCO-To-The-Top) finished in third place.

“It’s feels incredible. I am excited about winning [the jersey]. Time Trial has been a huge focus for me this year. I spent a lot of time on my bike, and I tried to do as much time trial as possible. I am very happy to see it’s paying off,” said Kirchmann, proudly wearing the Maple Leaf jersey after the race. “I previewed the course a few days ago. It’s quite a difficult course with the climbing right off the start. Since its 30km/h, I knew that pacing would be a big factor in this race. It turns out I paced it well in the climbs, and was able to recover in the descents.

TOP PARACYCLISTS RACE EARN RED AND WHITE JERSEYS

In the para-cycling time trial race, the tandem of Robbi Weldon of Thunder Bay, ON and Lyne Bessette of Knowlton, QC was reunited for these Championships. The women, who won the gold medal in the road race at the Paralympic Games in 2012 and multiple World Championships titles prior to 2012. The Weldon/Bessette tandem rode to the first place of the women tandem category.

In the men’s tandem category, Daniel Chalifour and his teammate Alexandre Cloutier were the fastest of the group, winning the title.

In the T category, Marie-Ève Croteau of Québec, QC is pursuing her great comeback from an injury, winning the race and reaching 110% of the Canadian para-cycling standard. Croteau has excelled on the World Cup circuit this year, and is looking strong and confident on her bike. Shelley Gautier, the current World Champion in the T1 class, finished second with 93% of the standards.

In hand-cycling, Mark Ledo of Maple, ON won the H3-4 race, while Robert Labbé of Québec, QC finished first of the H1-2 race.

In his very first Canadian Road Championships, Michael Sametz reached 94.01 per cent of the Canadian team standards, taking the top spot of the tightly disputed C class.

The 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships continue tomorrow with the road races for all para-cycling classes in the morning, starting at 9am in Val Racine, The women’s road race will start at 4pm from downtown Lac Mégantic at the Centre Sportif Mégantic.

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at @CyclingCanada and Facebook at @CyclingCanada.

PODIUMS – TIME TRIALS – GLOBAL RELAY CANADIAN ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS

ELITE MEN [40.4 km]

1. TUFT, Svein (Orica-GreenEDGE) 53:25.79

2. HOULE, Hugo (AG2R La Mondiale) +2:03.25

3. ROTH, Ryan Team (Silber Pro Cycling) +2:20.94

FULL RESULTS

 

ELITE WOMEN [28.8 km]

1. KIRCHMANN, Leah (Optum p/b Kelly Benefits) 43:28.39

2. GLAESSER, Jasmin (TIBCO/To-the-Top) +2.56

3. TODD, Anika (TIBCO/To-the-Top) +1:00.77

FULL RESULTS

 

U23 MEN [40.4 km]

1. DAHL, Kristofer (Team SmartStop) 58:44.56

2. ELLSAY, Nigel (Cycling BC) +0:19.09

3. DISERA, Peter (Jet Fuel Coffee/Norc0) +1:01.05

FULL RESULTS

 

TOP U23 WOMEN [28.8 km]

1. GLAESSER, Jasmin (TIBCO/To the Top) 43:30.95

2. BRIEN, Alizée (TIBCO/To the Top) +1:17.42

3. PILOTE-FORTIN, Gabrielle (Équipe du Québec) +2:29.61

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING – MEN B [28.8 km]

1. CHALIFOUR, Daniel (Équipe du Québec) 40:08.67

2. CARRIER, Alexandre (Équipe du Québec) +2:58.36

3 C. DAIGLE, Matthieu (Equipe du Québec) +3:03.90

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING – WOMEN B [28.8 km]

1. WELDON, Robbie (Thunder Bay Cycling) 47:58.32

2. RYAN, Shawna (Team Saskatchewan) +0.34

3. BOISVERT, Mélissa (Indépendant) +5:03.39

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING – T [11.2 km]

1. CROTEAU, Marie-Ève (WT2) Équipe du Québec 23:23.87 (110.53%)

2. GAUTIER, Shelley (WT) Indépendant 30:45.52 (93.79%)

3. WILSON, Ashley (MT2) Team Alberta 25:47.15 (79.70%)

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING MEN H3-4 [14.8 km]

1. LEDO, Mark (MH4) RealDeal/Gears 24:58.12 (95.07%)

2. MOREAU, Charles (MH3) Équipe du Québec 26:55.74 (87.46%)

3. BEGGS, Mark (MH3) Équipe du Québec 27:10.68 (86.66%)

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING WOMEN H1-4; MEN H1-2 [14.8 km]

1. LABBE, Robert (MH2) Équipe du Québec 37:13.20 (80.61%)

2. ADAM, Myriam (WH3) Équipe du Québec 44:14.15 (69.02%)

3. KINNIE, Matthew (MH2) Velo NB/Atlantic Cycling Centre 44:29.97 (67.44%)

FULL RESULTS

 

PARA-CYCLING WOMEN C1-5; MEN C1-3 [14.8 km]

1. SAMETZ, Michael (MC3) Team Alberta 22:12.09 (94.01%)

2. WILSON, Ross (MC1) Team Alberta 24:35.44 (92.73%)

3. MOLNAR, Marie Claude (WC4) Équipe du Québec 25:41.74 (90.67%)

FULL RESULTS

 

ABOUT GLOBAL RELAY

Global Relay is the world leader in cloud-based messaging, archiving and search technology for the financial sector. Global Relay is headquartered in Gastown, with offices in New York, Chicago, London and Singapore. In 2012, Global Relay invested $1 million to bring back and operate the Gastown Grand Prix, Canada’s most prestigious criterium which attracts some of North America’s top cyclists and crowds of 30,000 to the streets of historic Gastown in Vancouver each July, as part of BC Superweek.

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ZACH BELL TO DEFEND CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLE IN LAC MÉGANTIC

Bell returns to competition after healing broken collarbone and birth of daughter

(Lac Mégantic, QC – June 25, 2014) The 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships road races are expected to be spectacular this year, with the top Canadian cyclists coming together to race for the coveted red and white jersey.

Zach Bell (North Vancouver, BC) of Team Smartstop, the reigning Canadian Champion in the men’s elite category, will be racing to defend his 2013 title. Bell will be making his return to competition after breaking a collarbone at the Tour of the Gila earlier this spring. In addition, Bell’s wife, Rebecca, last week just gave birth to a baby girl.

Bell will count on two teammates from Team Smartstop. Rob Britton (Victoria, BC), who is coming off a strong second place result in the general classification at the difficult Tour de Beauce, and Kris Dahl (Calgary, AB) will both be working to position Bell for the win.

But the title won’t be easy to defend, with many other top Canadian riders also expected to be present on the start line. The strong group includes UCI WorldTour riders Svein Tuft (Langley, BC), the 2011 Canadian Road Champion, and Christian Meier (Sussex, NB) of Orica-GreenEDGE, Hugo Houle (Ste-Perpétue, QC) of AG2R La Mondiale, sprinter Guillaume Boivin (Longueuil, QC) of Cannondale Pro Cycling, and Antoine Duchesne (Québec, QC), the back-to-back U23 Canadian Champion, with Team EuropCar.

There are many teams coming with a large delegation of riders, including the UCI continental teams in Garneau-Québécor and Silber Pro Cycling.

Garneau-Quebecor will have among its group Pierrick Naud, the defending Canadian Criterium Champion, Benjamin Chaddock (Whistler, BC), the 2012 Canadian Criterium Champion, and team captain and versatile cyclist Rémi-Pelletier Roy (Québec, QC).

Silber Pro Cycling recently signed 2012 Canadian Champion Ryan Roth (Cambridge, ON) and Matteo Dal-Cin (Ottawa, ON). The team of 11 riders will be racing hard to capture the red and white jersey.

Will Routley (Whistler, BC), the 2010 Canadian Champion, and Ryan Anderson (Edmonton, AB) of Team Optum-Kelly Benefit are also enjoying a successful season, with Routley taking a stage win and the KOM jersey at the Tour of California. Both riders will certainly work together with the hopes of capturing the title.

Michael Woods (Ottawa, ON) of 5-Hr Energy p/b Kenda has recently showed at the Tour de Beauce that he is in top climbing form, taking the second place of the epic Mont Mégantic stage, which used sections of the Canadian Championships course, including two ascensions of the Mont Morne. Woods will have his new teammate Bruno Langlois (Québec, QC) along with him, and the two could create some interesting dynamic in the peloton.

Other teams will be lined up at the start line, including Team NCCH-DEC Express, Team H&R Block, Team Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes, Ride with Rendall, Team VeloSelect, Norco-Premier Tech, Team Transport Lacombe-Devinci, Accent Inns-Russ Hay’s p/b Scotiabank, Jet Fuel Coffee-Norco Bicycles and La Vie Sportive-Apogée-Opus.

The men’s road race will take place on Saturday, June 28.

SVEIN TUFT EYEING TO REGAIN TIME TRIAL TITLE

In the time trial, expect a tight race between Svein Tuft, eight-time Canadian Time Trial Champion (2004-06; 08-12), Christian Meier, Zach Bell, Hugo Houle and Rémi Pelletier-Roy, Ryan Roth and Matteo Dal-Cin. These riders excel in the time trial and should be solid contenders for the title. Tuft was not present in 2013.

Time trialist Curtis Dearden (Vicotria, BC) of Accent Inns-Russ Hay’s-Scotiabank is the defending Canadian Champion in the time trial race after surprising everyone last year by winning the title. Dearden will be back in Lac Mégantic to defend his title.

You can also follow Cycling Canada on Facebook @CyclingCanada and on the main twitter account @CyclingCanada. The official twitter hashtag for the event is #GRCanRoadChamps.

The 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships are taking place June 26 through July 5, in Lac Mégantic, QC and Beauceville, QC. Athletes from all over Canada will race for the coveted title of Canadian Champion in the road race, time trial and criterium races, earning the right to wear the Red and White jersey for the next year.

ABOUT GLOBAL RELAY

Global Relay is the world leader in cloud-based messaging, archiving and search technology for the financial sector. Global Relay is headquartered in Gastown, with offices in New York, Chicago, London and Singapore. In 2012, Global Relay invested $1 million to bring back and operate the Gastown Grand Prix, Canada’s most prestigious criterium which attracts some of North America’s top cyclists and crowds of 30,000 to the streets of historic Gastown in Vancouver each July, as part of BC Superweek.

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WOMEN’S RACES TO TAKE PLACE WITHOUT ITS DEFENDING CHAMPION

A new Canadian Champion will be crowned as Numainville not racing to defend her titles

(Lac Mégantic, QC – June 25, 2014) The 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships road races will feature the best Canadian women on two wheels, and a large group of professional and amateur cyclists will take to the streets of Lac Mégantic to showcase the strength and power of women cycling in this country.

Joëlle Numainville (Montreal, QC) of Optum-Kelly Benefits displayed an exceptional showcase of talent last year, winning last year both the Canadian Championships in the time trial and the road races. However, Numainville will not be racing this year, opening the door to this powerful group of women to crown a new Champion.

Denise Ramsden (Vancouver, BC) of Optum-Kelly Benefit will be looking to repeat her win from 2012 on the same circuit after taking off with Clara Hughes on a two-woman breakaway that lasted to the finish line. Ramsden will have two teammates around her in Leah Kirchmann (Chelsea, QC), the defending Canadian Criterium Champion, and Annie Ewart (Victoria, BC).

Olympic medallists from track cycling Jasmin Glaesser (Coquitlam, BC) of Team TIBCO-To-The-Top and Gillian Carleton (Victoria, BC) of Team Vanderkitten will be looking to make some gains this week. Glaesser was fourth in the women’s road race in 2012 on a similar course, while Carleton is having a stellar season with her new team. The two women continue their track preparations with the women’s team pursuit, a team that will attempt to defend its Pan-American Games record in Toronto 2015 and improve on its bronze medal from the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Lex Albrecht (Montreal, QC) of Team Twenty16 Pro Cycling will be racing for her team, and is a serious contender to grab the Canadian Champion jersey.

There will be a few teams with larger representation, such as SAS-Mazda-MACOGEP-Specialized, Team Red Truck Racing, Stevens-The Cyclery and Team NCCH-DEC Express.

The women’s road race will take place on Friday, June 27.

TIME TRIAL RACE ALSO EXPECTED TO BE A DIFFICULT BATTLE

To kick start the 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships on Thursday in the time trial race, expect Anika Todd (Victoria, BC) of TIBCO-To-The-Top, Jasmin Glaesser, Denise Ramsden and Annie Ewart and Leah Kirchmann to rise and contend for the top honours. These strong women are proven time-trialists and raced well in the event in 2013.

Also to watch will be Canada Games Champion in the women’s time trial Annie Forman-Mackay (Kingston, ON) of Team Stevens-The Cyclery, Alizée Brien (St-Jérome, QC) of Team TIBCO-To-The-Top, and the 2013 junior time trial Canadian Champion Kinley Gibson (Edmonton, AB) of Team Trek Red Truck.

You can also follow Cycling Canada on Facebook @CyclingCanada and on the main twitter account @CyclingCanada. The official twitter hashtag for the event is #GRCanRoadChamps.

The 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships are taking place June 26 through July 5, in Lac Mégantic, QC and Beauceville, QC. Athletes from all over Canada will race for the coveted title of Canadian Champion in the road race, time trial and criterium races, earning the right to wear the Red and White jersey for the next year.

More information at www.championnatscanadiensroute.com

ABOUT GLOBAL RELAY

Global Relay is the world leader in cloud-based messaging, archiving and search technology for the financial sector. Global Relay is headquartered in Gastown, with offices in New York, Chicago, London and Singapore. In 2012, Global Relay invested $1 million to bring back and operate the Gastown Grand Prix, Canada’s most prestigious criterium which attracts some of North America’s top cyclists and crowds of 30,000 to the streets of historic Gastown in Vancouver each July, as part of BC Superweek.

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FOLLOW THE 2014 GLOBAL RELAY CANADIAN ROAD CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Race information to be broadcast Live via Twitter

(Lac Mégantic, QC – June 24, 2014) The 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships begin this Thursday in Lac Megantic, QC with time trials for the Elite and Para-cycling. The para-cycling and women’s road races are scheduled for Friday, and the men’s will take place on Saturday. The event will close with the Criterium and the Canadian Sprint Challenge, on Sunday.

Racing will continue on July 3rd in Beauceville, QC for the Junior and Master categories.

All races can be followed on Cycling Canada’s Twitter account: http://twitter.com/cyclingcanada.

The official Hashtag for the event is #GRCanRoadChamps.

Visit www.championnatscanadiensroute.com for course information and technical guides.

The 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships are taking place June 26 through July 5, in Lac Mégantic, QC and Beauceville, QC. Athletes from all over Canada will race for the coveted title of Canadian Champion in the road race, time trial and criterium races, earning the right to wear the coveted Red and White jersey for the next year.

ABOUT GLOBAL RELAY

Global Relay is the world leader in cloud-based messaging, archiving and search technology for the financial sector. Global Relay is headquartered in Gastown, with offices in New York, Chicago, London and Singapore. In 2012, Global Relay invested $1 million to bring back and operate the Gastown Grand Prix, Canada’s most prestigious criterium which attracts some of North America’s top cyclists and crowds of 30,000 to the streets of historic Gastown in Vancouver each July, as part of BC Superweek.

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CYCLING CANADA AND GLOBAL RELAY JOIN FORCES TO GROW CYCLING IN CANADA

 

Global Relay becomes sponsor of National Teams and Canadian Road Championships

(Ottawa, ON – June 23, 2014) Global Relay and Cycling Canada have joined forces to grow cycling in Canada, and help the country become one of the world’s top cycling nations by 2020.

The multi-year partnership between Cycling Canada and Global Relay will cover two specific areas: sponsorship of the Canadian National Teams and the Canadian Road Cycling Championships. The annual road championships will now be called the Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships.

In addition to its new partnership with Cycling Canada, Global Relay is also the Title Sponsor and Operator behind the resurgent Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix and the Global Relay Bridge the Gap Fund.  This fund provides training support to upcoming athletes, including fifteen athletes last year and has assisted five in joining professional cycling teams for this season.

“Business and cycling both share key qualities in achieving success on all fronts. We find lots of attributes in common, such as hard work, continuous training, technical skills and tenacity,” said Warren Roy, CEO and Founder of Global Relay. “Whether you’re in sport or business, getting to the point where you can compete globally is a huge undertaking. We feel that the Bridge the Gap program is a stepping stone for youth cycling, all the way to the Olympic podium. The Gastown Grand Prix also serves as an extension of that principle.”

Global Relay has a multi-national staff of about 325 currently, with 97% of its revenues coming from outside Canada representing a truly global service provider.

“Partnering with Cycling Canada is a great opportunity for us to be part of something national. Hopefully, we both can help each other compete better globally. Team effort is as important in winning a cycling race as it is in business success,” concluded Roy.

Cycling Canada’s President John Tolkamp is thrilled about the new relationship. “In 2012 we established a vision to become a leading cycling nation by 2020. This new partnership with Global Relay, a leader in the global business sector, is a critical step in attaining the ambitious objectives we set ourselves.”

Added Tolkamp: “This relationship with a corporate group that truly believes in the values and benefits of sport, through their commitment to cycling, will bring valuable support and financial resources to Canada’s National Cycling Team for the next four years.  As we prepare to host the Americas in Toronto in 2015 with the Pan-Am & Parapan Am Games and then take on the world in Rio at the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, having Global Relay as part of our team is a significant boost.”

ABOUT GLOBAL RELAY

Global Relay is the world leader in cloud-based messaging, archiving and search technology for the financial sector. Global Relay is headquartered in Gastown, with offices in New York, Chicago, London and Singapore. In 2012, Global Relay invested $1 million to bring back and operate the Gastown Grand Prix, Canada’s most prestigious criterium which attracts some of North America’s top cyclists and crowds of 30,000 to the streets of historic Gastown in Vancouver each July, as part of BC Superweek.

 

Global Logo

 

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at @CyclingCanada and on Facebook at @CyclingCanada.

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CANADA TO FIELD NATIONAL TEAMS FOR GRANDS PRIX CYCLISTES DE QUÉBEC ET MONTRÉAL

Team Canada looking to gain valuable international experience

(Montréal, QC – June 19, 2014) Cycling Canada is pleased to have received an invitation from race organizer Serge Arseneault to race at the Grands Prix cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, a set of UCI WorldTour races, and will be looking to field a powerful team for the event.

The Grands Prix cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal are the only UCI WorldTour races in the Americas, On an annual basis, these events attract the best professional cyclists in the world.

For the event, Cycling Canada will select riders to fill the eight-man roster on the merit of performances throughout the season.

“The presence of these two World Tour events that take place annually in our back yard gives us an opportunity to race against the best in the world on our streets, with fans routing for the maple leaf, which gives our cyclists a great psychological boost. Through these races our Canadian athletes get a taste of the highest level of competition and therefore gives us a chance to assess their gaps against the best in the world,” said Jacques Landry, High Performance Director and Head Coach at Cycling Canada.

The Quebec race is slated for Friday, September 12, while the Montreal race will be held September 14.

In addition to racing the UCI WorldTour races, Team Canada is also expected to field one rider, along with five other Canadian cyclists, to the Challenge Sprint Pro on September 11 in Québec city.

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at @CyclingCanada and on Facebook at @CyclingCanada.

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Canadian National Team invited to Tour of Alberta

Cannondale Pro Cycling, Team Giant-Shimano and Orica-GreenEDGE lead final roster of Tour of Alberta Teams

Italy’s Cannondale Pro Cycling, the team of Peter Sagan, Australia’s top team Orica-GreenEDGE and The Netherland’s Team Giant-Shimano highlight a list of 13 additional teams announced for the Tour of Alberta presented by ATB Financial, September 2-7.

The teams join previously-announced Garmin-Sharp of the United States and Belkin-Pro Cycling. All are World Tour teams who will also compete in the Tour de France. Ten additional teams were also announced, including Pro Continental teams UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling of the United States as well as a composite professional Canadian National Team.

“Like last year, we have put together a great world-class field which includes several top-ranked World Tour teams, along with the top professional teams on the North American continent,” said Tour of Alberta Executive Director Duane Vienneau. “We’re extremely pleased to have the Cannondale and Garmin-Sharp teams back, noting Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Rohan Dennis (Garmin-Sharp) were two of the big heroes from last year’s race. To have Orica-GreenEDGE and Giant-Shimano, which have some of the world’s best sprint corps, which will really spice up what is expected to be a fast race.” 

The remaining teams include: Garneau-Quebécor (CAN); Silber Pro Cycling (CAN); Team Jelly Belly presented by MAXXIS (USA); Optum presented by Kelly Benefits Strategies (USA); Hincapie Sportswear Development Team (USA); Team SmartStop (USA); 5-Hour Energy presented by KENDA (USA) and the Bissell Development Team (USA), which is managed by Axel Merckx, who is a Canadian resident.

“I look forward to bringing the national team to Alberta again for 2014,” said Gord Fraser, the Canadian National Team Director.  “Last year’s inaugural edition was a tremendous success not only for the development of my Canadian riders, but also showcasing professional cycling to media and business leaders in western Canada and across the globe.  Last year my rider Antoine Duchesne had a fantastic race that helped him secure a place on a world tour team and I’m hoping someone from this year’s team has a similar opportunity.” Each team will have eight athletes. Preliminary rosters for the race will be announced in late August.

Last year, the event drew 120 cyclists, including athletes from 25 countries, plus Tour de France and Olympic heroes and current world and national champions. The world’s No. 2-ranked rider at the time, Sagan won three of the event’s six stages and the Subway® Sprint Points Jersey. Dennis won the overall race and this year placed second overall at the Amgen Tour of California, one of the top races outside Europe.   

2014 STAGES

  • September 2 / Tuesday / Prologue / Calgary, time trial
  • September 3 / Wednesday / Stage 1 / Lethbridge, circuit race
  • September 4 / Thursday / Stage 2 / Innisfail to Red Deer, road race
  • September 5 / Friday / Stage 3 / Wetaskiwin to Edmonton, road race
  • September 6 / Saturday / Stage 4 / Edmonton to Strathcona County, road race
  • September 7 / Sunday / Stage 5 / Edmonton, circuit race  

 

ROSTER OF TEAMS

Pro Tour Teams

  • Cannondale Pro Cycling (ITA)
  • Orica-GreenEDGE (AUS)
  • Team Giant-Shimano (NED)
  • Garmin-Sharp (USA)
  • Belkin-Pro Cycling (NED)

Pro Continental

  • UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling (USA)

Continental

  • Garneau-Quebécor (CAN)
  • Silber Pro Cycling (CAN)
  • Team Jelly Belly presented by MAXXIS (USA)
  • Optum presented by Kelly Benefits Strategies (USA)
  • Hincapie Sportswear Development Team (USA)
  • Team SmartStop (USA)
  • 5-Hour Energy presented KENDA (USA)
  • Bissell Development Team (USA)

Composite

  • Canadian National Team (CAN)
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TOM SKUJINS DOMINATED THE 2014 TOUR DE BEAUCE

Texte de Réal Labbé

SAINT-GEORGES, QC – Latvian cyclist Tom Skujins, of Hincapie Sportswear Development Cycling Team, is the new champion of the Tour de Beauce. He who celebrated his 23rd birthday with a victory in the last stage, which already held the yellow jersey prior to the stage, has achieved what many riders in the Tour’s history could not do before.

From the memory of those who have been following the Tour for a long time, he may be the only holder of the yellow jersey entering the last stage to win the ultimate stage, and the second U23 rider to claim the yellow jersey after Nathan Brown last year. In addition, he claimed the red jersey for the best young rider, and the white jersey for winning the points classification. On top of all these winnings, he finished second in the King of the Mountain standings.

His combined time of 16h19m09s allowed him to overtake Rob Britton (Smartstop) by 1m49s and Serghei Ţvetcov (Jelly Belly) in 2m09s. The Latvian cyclist was simply euphoric after crossing the finish line. He proved here that he had the potential to be part of a World Tour team. After winning the stage of Mont-Mégantic, he repeated Sunday with a victory in Saint-Georges. A fantastic way to highlight his 23rd birthday.

His team was also very proud of this victory. “The guys have sacrificed for me at this stage and one of them even left a part of his skin on the asphalt when he had been dropped. It really is a beautiful day, the most beautiful of my life, the other being that of my birth.”

Part of the breakaway that took off in the 73rd kilometer, Skujins kept pace until the end to cross the finish line first. “This is the way to race, and I’m the philosophy of Team Hincapie that wants to fight until the end. This is the most difficult stage after the Mont Mégantic and there was pressure to keep the yellow jersey. I had to keep the strength in my legs to make it to the line.”

Rob Britton made a race of Sunday, he who was fourth overall before the stage of St. George. His second place at the stage allowed him to take the second of the general classification.

Julien Gagné (Norco) proved to be the best Quebecers this last stage with his 29th place. This is a very good result for a mountain bike racer who turned to road cycling only a year ago. “I’m glad it’s over, it’s a very difficult race and I’m happy just to have finished it. Road races are longer than mountain bike. And had to adapt to the peloton. I’m happy with my performance and I hope that was able to sell myself a little bit with this race. Currently I’m in love with the road bike.”

This Tour de Beauce will not prevent him to participate next week at the Quebec Provincial Mountain Bike Championships, and in two weeks at the Canadian Road Championships in Lac Mégantic.

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