November 1/06 9:12 am - 2007 UCI Canadian Road Cycling Teams

Posted by Editor on 11/1/06
 

2007 UCI Canadian Road Cycling Teams
Courtesy CCA

The Canadian Cycling Association (CCA) is pleased to announce that five road cycling teams have sent a letter of intent to register with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2007. This is more than double the number of teams as last year, showing that road cycling's popularity is growing in Canada.

The growth in participation at the 2006 Tim Hortons Road National Championships was also an indication of road cycling's growing popularity. At close to 700, the number of competitors in Québec City and Lévis was a new record.

The fact that Canada will host two new UCI events in 2007 (Tour of Prince Edward Island and Tour Montreal-Boston) certainly helped the teams in their decision to step up to the next level. Canada now has six UCI road events on the calendar (two for men and four for women), more than ever before.

UCI continental road team

Four men's teams have requested continental status for 2007: Symmetrics, Calyon-Litespeed, Volkswagen-Trek and Vallée de l'aluminium.

Symmetrics, British Columbia
Kevin Cunningham's team will start its third campaign on the America Tour. The team finished 6th in the 2006 team rankings with 199.62 points. Symmetrics will still be led by Svein Tuft, who is the defending time trial national champion. New faces such as Zach Bell have joined the team for 2007. Symmetrics will still be one of the strongest teams in the Americas.

Calyon-Litespeed, Québec
The team managed by Bernard Vives will start its second America Tour campaign. Building on its 2006 experience, the team of young riders is expecting to develop into a solid contender in the Americas. Minor changes from the 2006 roster are expected.

Volkswagen-Trek, Québec
After many years at the provincial and national level, the team managed by Josée Robitaille is reaching another milestone by seeking a continental license. The team is well renowned for developing young talent and will try and pursue that goal on the America Tour for 2007.

Vallée de l'Aluminium, Québec
Vallée de l'aluminium will be a brand new team in 2007. Québec's popular aluminum producer Alcan is the major backer of this new team, which was put together by the well-known race promoter and cyclist Roger Filion from the Saguenay region. The team will focus on development for their first year on the circuit.

UCI women road team

One team has requested a UCI women team license for the 2007 season; expresscopy.com - Biovail

expresscopy.com - Biovail, Ontario
Scott Gerrie's team will be built around a strong contingent of Canadian women with a calendar of event focusing on the World Cup. The team was seen on many roads of North America in the past years and they now want to conquer Europe.