Congratulations to Remi-Pelletier-Roy, who won the bronze medal in the Scratch race at the Commonwealth Games.
Credit to Team H&R Block:
Team H&R Block newcomer Aidan Caves received exciting news last week when he was officially named as one of the sixteen cyclists to represent Canada at the upcoming XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. The Games, which take place July 23 to August 3, 2014 will be a chance for Caves to showcase his talents on the track where he will be racing in the endurance events. Caves will join fellow Canadians Zach Bell, Rémi Pelletier-Roy, Nic Hamilton and Ed Veal as part of the new men’s Team Pursuit team.
Aidan has spent most of the past year away from Team H&R Block as he has been training nearly exclusively with the Team Pursuit Team. All the hard work has paid off as Caves states, “It is a big step in my career and in my life. I set this goal a little under a year ago and it was a big one, but I stuck through the training and got amazing support from Team H&R block for allowing me to miss some of the big Races on our calendar so I could train and go to the camps and races needed for selection and training. It is an honour to represent my country at the Games and I am really motivated and excited to go to compete in Glasgow. “
Team H&R Block emphasizes development and this scenario is a perfect example of the team working together with the rider and Cycling Canada in order to support the development of young Canadian riders. Team Director Mark Ernsting states, “We are in full support of Aidan’s goals on the track and knew that this was an important year for him to focus his efforts on the track. On behalf of the team and Board of Directors, we congratulate Aidan on this big accomplishment.”
The track events take place July 24-27th at Emirates Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Small Canadian team to focus on Men’s Team Pursuit and Men Omnium
(Ottawa, ON – June 10, 2014) Cycling Canada is pleased to announce its selections for the 2014 UCI Track Junior World Championships, scheduled to take place in Seoul, South Korea, from August 8 to 12 2014.
The main objective of the Junior World Track Championships is to provide a developmental opportunity to a competitive group of identified Canadian track cyclists. The Canadian group has the potential to finish with a Top 8 performance in the Team Pursuit.
As a feeder into the Elite Track Program, these World Championships are a crucial step in an athletes’ developmental pathway. In 2014, the primary focus remains tightly aligned with those of the Elite Track Program, which in this case will be the Team Pursuit and Omnium: the two track endurance presented at the Olympic Games.
TEAM CANADA – 2014 UCI TRACK JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
JUNIOR MEN
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Ottawa – Cycling Canada and Commonwealth Games Canada today confirmed the 16 cyclists who will compete at the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 3, 2014.
Cycling Canada has selected a mix of established performers and young up-and-comers with the potential to win as many as 10 medals in track, mountain bike and road events.
These Games also mark the international debut of Canada’s new men’s team pursuit and team sprint programs, which are expected to vie for places in their medal finals and will form the foundation for future Olympic and world championship success. Read more
Ottawa, Ont., March 2nd, 2014 – The fifth and final day of the UCI Track World Championships in Cali, Colombia marked another exciting day for racing, but not a lucrative one for Canadian medals.
Laura Brown of Vancouver, B.C., wrapped up the final three events of the Women’s Omnium. She started the day strong with a fourth place finish in the Individual Pursuit, but lost her legs in the Scratch Race, where she placed 15th of 17 riders. Brown came back with a solid ninth place finish in the 500 m Time Trial, but it wasn’t enough to get her to the Podium. She finished eighth overall.
“I was pretty honoured to get selected to do the Omnium at The World Championships.” said Laura Brown, after her finish. “Craig and I took it one event at a time because it is a bit of a beast. I had some really good performances and some really bad performances, but that’s the Omnium. I learned a lot and had fun doing it and am pretty happy overall with my performance.”
Canada managed to secure two medals over the course of the five-day event: silver in Women’s Team Pursuit (Allison Beveridge, Laura Brown, Jasmin Glaesser and Steph Roorda), and bronze in the Women’s Points Race (Glaesser).
Germany leads the medal count with eight in total, four gold and four silver. France and Australia follow respectively. Canada ranks 11th.
(Ottawa, Ont., March 1, 2014) – Canadian track cyclist Jasmin Glaesser of Coquitlam BC won bronze in the Women’s Points Race at the 2014 UCI Track World Championships on Saturday in Cali, Colombia.
Glaesser jumped to the front of the peloton early, placing third in the first sprint. Although briefly dropping back to sixth after 30 laps, she pushed forward to win the fifth sprint, solidifying her third-place position, which she was able to maintain until the end.
This is Canada’s second medal of the Track World Championships after Women’s Team Pursuit secured silver on Thursday.
“It was a tough race. Getting the win would definitely have been better but I’m happy nonetheless” said Jasmin Glaesser after the race. “I was able to get some early points and then took a lap with a few others early on. Mid race was a bit tougher for me but I was able to get my legs back at the end to grab those few extra points to secure the bronze.”
Earlier on Saturday, Hugo Barrette, the only man representing Canada at the Championships, competed in the Men’s Sprint event, where he finished 29th.
Laura Brown finished ninth in the flying 250 m, the first of six events that comprise the Women’s Omnium. She was ninth again in the second event (the Points Race). In the third event, the Elimination race on Saturday evening, Brown finished sixth.
Brown will compete in tomorrow’s final three Omnium events.
(Ottawa, Ont., Feb. 27, 2014) – It was an exciting day for racing at the UCI Track World Championships in Cali, Colombia. Strong winds gusted heavily through the Velodrome in the afternoon, which caused unpredictable headwinds during many of the races. The wind died down in time for the evening races, as the temperature dropped to a manageable 20C.
Canadian women’s Team Pursuit, comprised of Laura Brown (Vancouver, BC), Allison Beveridge (Calgary, AB), Stephanie Roorda (Vancouver, BC) and Jasmin Glaesser (Coquitlam, BC) set the pace earlier in the day in the qualifying round with a time of 4:30.721, mere moments behind Great Britain who qualified with 4.28.597. Australia trailed just behind Canada with 4.31.504.
Also on the track this afternoon for the first round of the Men’s Keirin was Hugo Barrette, who finished with a strong 3rd place in the first round, but couldn’t keep his legs for the Repechage.
The evening races had the WTP squad back on the track to race Great Britain for gold. It was a close race with Canada taking the lead early in the race. At 2500m Canada dropped down to three riders, and Great Britain caught up to overtake the Canadians in the final few hundred meters, which sealed up the Gold Medal. Canadian Women’s Team Pursuit leaves with Silver. Australia, with bronze.
Craig Griffin, Cycling Canada’s Track Endurance Coach, summed up the race by saying, “The girls went out with the intent of winning it. They rode a hard race. They attacked the race head-on from the beginning and only lost the lead with a few laps to go. Their performance shows their determination and their commitment to the program. The program is getting stronger as the weeks go by and will only be getting stronger once we get the keys to our new home in Milton.”
Competition continues Saturday and Sunday for the Canadian Track Cycling Team.
Photo Credit: Canadian Cyclist
(Ottawa, ON – February 27th, 2014) As the 2014 UCI Track World Championships get started today in Cali, Colombia, the Canadian Track Cycling team eagerly awaits the opportunity to end their season on a high note.
Although Canada is not set to race until Thursday, there are reports from the first day of racing that the track is fast – with one track record already set in the first session of racing.
Thursday will boast a full day of racing for Canadians, with the World Cup champion Women’s Team Pursuit Team competing in the qualification round in the afternoon with the goal of reaching the medal finals in the evening.
Defending champions Great Britain, Australia and the USA are all expected to provide stiff competition.
“This season has been special in terms of coming together as a team, and success this year is a testament to that,” says Women’s Team Pursuit athlete Laura Brown. “Tomorrow is about doing what we do best. We are among the best in the world and if we stay focused something special will happen.”
Also on track Thursday afternoon in the Men’s Keirin is Hugo Barrette, who finished fourth at the final World Cup of the season. Barrette will be aiming move through to the final rounds in the evening.
“The team has had a great three-week preparation block in Los Angeles and Cali, and are cautiously optimistic that they will come home with a medal at these Worlds,” says Cycling Canada Track Endurance coach Craig Griffin. “The colour of the medal will depend on how well the plans are executed. Fifty per cent of our team have never competed at Worlds but all are motivated to leave everything on the boards. These are exciting times for Cycling Canada as there is way more to come.”
Full details and program can be found here.
Team Canada:
Women’s Endurance (Team Pursuit, Omnium, Points Race)
Men’s Sprint (Sprint, Keirin)
(Ottawa, ON – Feb 21, 2014) A mix of veterans and newcomers will race in the Canadian colours at the track cycling world championships in Cali, Colombia, from Feb. 26 to March 2.
Canada’s medal hopes will centre on the women’s team pursuit team, which won the overall World Cup this season with a gold and two silvers. Olympic bronze medallist Jasmin Glaesser will be joined by long-time teammates Laura Brown and Steph Roorda. With Gillian Carleton missing the worlds due to illness, Allison Beveridge and Kirsti Lay will round out the squad. The four-rider starting lineup will be decided after the team travels to Cali, as will the starter for the omnium and for the points race.
Hugo Barrette will be the sole Canadian entrant in the men’s sprint and keirin, coming off a strong performance in the final World Cup of the season. Missing the worlds will be Olympian Joseph Veloce who continues to improve after being seriously injured in a crash last summer. Veloce competed in the final World Cup of the season last month but he has opted to skip worlds in order to focus on the Commonwealth Games.
“As we continue building towards Rio, it’s encouraging to see that we continue creating depth in our programs and can field a competitive team, despite some of our top athletes not being present.” says Jacques Landry, High Performance Director at Cycling Canada. “With the Olympic qualification period afoot Canada’s track team is definitely in a good position to perform in Rio when we factor in our ever increasing talent pool, top level coach leadership and soon to be world class facility in Milton to train in.”
Team Canada:
Women’s Endurance (Team Pursuit, Omnium, Points Race)
Men’s Sprint (sprint, keirin)
Ottawa, Feb. 6, 2014 – Cycling Canada has unveiled the list of 129 athletes who have been nominated to the 2014 National Team List.
Athletes are nominated to the list based on Sport Canada carding status, 2013 results, selection to 2013 world championships and discretionary nominations by the National Coaches.
The list is divided into three tiers, which help determine priority access to National Team coaching, equipment, sport science services and funding.
National Team List status does not guarantee selection to National Team projects, which are open to all eligible Canadian athletes.
The published list shows nominations only. In order to confirm their National Team List status, athletes must share their yearly training plans with the National Coaches, complete the UCI True Champion or Cheat anti-doping education program and commit to Cycling Canada’s Code of Conduct. The same requirements will apply to any athlete selected to represent Canada.
