Canada’s Women Team Pursuit won bronze at 2012 Olympics and are looking to maintain their podium streak

(Ottawa, ON – December 3, 2014) Starting on Friday, it is expected that the seats in the London velodrome be packed with track cycling fans to witness the best international competition since the Olympic Games.

For the Canadian team, while performance is the priority over the three days of competition, it will also be an opportunity for some to relive the nostalgia of being back in this famous velodrome and for others to get a sense of what the feeling would have been two years ago as all continue to acquire the experiences needed to perform on the boards in Rio in less than two years.

Jacques Landry, High Performance Director and Head Coach at Cycling Canada, is hoping to take advantage of the sea-level velodrome to evaluate the progress of its track program, and see where Canada’s cyclists measure against the best in the world. “This World Cup in London will give us a good indication of how we are tracking against our competition. It is expected that many teams will be bringing their “A” squads to compete here and so this is the perfect test for us, and we are ready.”

The Canadian team will be headlined by its flagship women’s team pursuit squad. Canada’s women are currently enjoying a streak of six consecutive podium performances in major international events and, in 2014, won the overall World Cup standings. The team will however face fierce opposition, especially against the very powerful British ladies, who are undefeated in international competition since winning Gold on home soil at the Olympic Games.

It will be decided on site as whom of Olympic bronze medallist Jasmin Glaesser, Stephanie Roorda, Allison Beveridge, Kirsti Lay, and Annie Foreman-Mackey will be part of the line-up for the three rides in this World Cup event.

“Our women’s team pursuit squad will be looking to continue its Olympic qualification process, and will leave it all on the line as it hopes to stand on the podium once again. The World Cup in London will also be a great test for our recently formed men’s team pursuit squad who continues to show progression every time it competes,” commented Craig Griffin, Track Endurance coach at Cycling Canada.

Rémi Pelletier-Roy, Ed Veal, Sean McKinnon, Eric Johnstone and Aidan Caves, a mix of youth and experience, will represent Canada as they ride to cumulate some important UCI points necessary for Olympic and World Championship qualifications. The final roster will be announced closer to race day.

Earlier in the year during the opening World Cup of the current campaign, the four-man squad established a new Canadian record.

Led by Track Sprint Coach Erin Hartwell, the sprinters will also be looking to post some performances on the track that, according to many, favors this type of rider. Hugo Barrette is continuing his efforts to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games, while Olympian Joseph Veloce, fresh off completing his degree in Mechanical Engineering, is making a comeback to the boards and will evaluate his form against the top sprinters in the world. Barrette will also suit up for the men’s keirin race.

The men’s team sprint squad has yet to be finalized, with four sprinters vying for the three open spots. Along Barrette and Veloce, Evan Carey and Joel Archambault, two young sprinters who have come up the ranks in the last few years, will be racing for Canada at the event.

In the women’s sprint events, former bobsledder Kate O’Brien is continuing its transition to cycling, teamed with up Olympian sprinter Monique Sullivan. The two women will be looking to qualify for the team sprint elimination rounds, improving from their first performance in Guadalajara. Sullivan, who finished sixth at the Olympics in the keirin, will also take part in this event this weekend.

The event starts on Friday, and racing will continue until Sunday. Live Timing is offered through www.tissottiming.com.

CANADIAN TRACK CYCLING TEAM – LONDON 2014 UCI WORLD CUP

Women’s Team Pursuit

• Jasmin Glaesser
• Stephanie Roorda
• Allison Beveridge
• Kirsti Lay
• Annie Foreman-Mackey

Men’s Team Pursuit

• Remi Pelletier-Roy
• Aidan Caves
• Eric Johnstone
• Sean Mackinnon
• Ed Veal

Men’s Team Sprint

• Hugo Barrette
• Joseph Veloce
• Evan Carey
• Joel Archambault

Women’s Team Sprint

• Monique Sullivan
• Kate O’Brien

Men’s Sprint

• Hugo Barrette
• Joseph Veloce

Men’s Keirin

• Hugo Barrette

Women’s Sprint and Keirin

• Monique Sullivan

Women’s Scratch Race (C1 event integrated into the World Cup programme for London)

• Annie Foreman-Mackey

(Ottawa, ON – September 12, 2014) Due to the delay in the completion of the Milton velodrome, the 2014 Canadian Junior & U17 Track Championships will now take place from November 21 to 23 in Burnaby, BC. The event will be organized in collaboration with Cycling BC and the Burnaby Velodrome Club.

“Cycling Canada is really excited to collaborate with Cycling BC and the Burnaby Velodrome Club for the hosting of the 2014 Canadian Junior & U17 Championships in Western Canada. This partnership will allow us to reduce the impact of the postponement of the Canadian Track Championships in Milton,” said Mathieu Boucher, Performance Development Director at Cycling Canada.

We are still actively working with our partners to confirm the dates for the Canadian Elite & Master Track Championships which will be held in Milton, ON in early January.

Further information about the 2014 Canadian Junior & U17 Track Championships will be available shortly.

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

Continental championships kick off track cycling Olympic qualification period

(Ottawa, ON – August 20, 2014)  With Olympic qualification points on the line, Canada is sending its “A” team to the 2014 UCI Pan-American Track Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico, from Sept. 11 to 14.

Sixteen Canadians will be in Mexico, with the dual objectives of stepping on the podium and scoring as many UCI points as possible in the Olympic events – the team pursuit, team sprint, omnium, sprint and keirin.

Of note, Gillian Carleton of Victoria, BC will make her return to international track competitions after missing much of the last track season due to illness. Carleton will focus on the women’s omnium, while Laura Brown of Vancouver, BC, Allison Beveridge of Calgary, AB, Stephanie Roorda of Vancouver, BC, Jasmin Glaesser of Coquitlam, BC and Kirsti Lay of Calgary, AB will compete in the women’s team pursuit.

Also returning to international competition for the first time since 2012 is Monique Sullivan of Calgary, AB, who finished sixth in the women’s keirin at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Sullivan will compete in the team sprint alongside either Olympic bobsledder Kate O’Brien of Calgary, AB or track sprinter Sara Byers of St-Catharines, ON. Sullivan’s teammate will be selected after an assessment camp in Los Angeles on Sept. 2.

The men will be looking to build on their performances at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this summer, where Canada finished fourth in both the team pursuit and the team sprint.

Two riders will be missing from the men’s team pursuit squad: Zach Bell of North Vancouver, BC and Nic Hamilton of Victoria, BC have road commitments with their professional teams. Instead, Sean MacKinnon of Hamilton, ON will step up to join the squad, while Eric Johnstone of Calgary, AB will travel to Aguascalientes as an alternate.

Follow Cycling Canada via Twitter at www.twitter.com/cyclingcanada and Facebook at www.facebook.com/cyclingcanada.

TEAM CANADA – 2014 UCI PAN-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM

Endurance – Women

• Allison BEVERIDGE (Calgary, AB)
• Laura BROWN (Vancouver, BC)
• Gillian CARLETON (Victoria, BC)
• Jasmin GLAESSER (Coquitlam, BC)
• Kirsti LAY (Calgary, AB)
• Stephanie ROORDA (Vancouver, BC)

 Sprint – Women

• Kate O’BRIEN (Calgary, AB) or Sara BYERS (St. Catharines, ON)
• Monique SULLIVAN (Calgary, AB)

Endurance – Men

• Aidan CAVES (Vancouver, BC)
• Eric JOHNSTONE (Calgary, AB)
• Sean MACKINNON (Hamilton, ON)
• Rémi PELLETIER-Roy (Quebec, QC)
• Ed VEAL (Queensville, ON)

Sprint – Men

• Hugo BARRETTE (Cap-aux-Meules, QC)
• Vincent DE HAÎTRE (Cumberland, ON)
• Joseph VELOCE (Fonthill, ON)