December 16/98 7:51 am - Pan Ams, Coaching Courses, Industry News and More!

Posted by Editor on 12/16/98
 

Pan Am Selections

We still aren't sure exactly how many Canadian cyclists there will be at the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, but we do know that the mountain bike team will consist of one woman and two men. Selection will be based on UCI rankings, which means Alison Sydor for the women, and a fight between Chris Sheppard, Seamus McGrath, Roland Green and Andreas Hestler for the men's positions.


Two Canadians On Nutra Fig Team

The Nutra Fig Cycling Team has announced their 1999 roster, and it includes two Canadians in the lineup. Vancouver resident Luca Segato and Québec-based Dominique Perras will both be racing for Nutra Fig in the new year. The team will race primarily in the United States, so there go 2 more Canadians south...


1999 Cycling Coaching Courses at Hardwood

The following are the first confirmed cycling coaching courses in Ontario for 1999.

Level 2 Core Cycling course ˆ Wednesday Evenings (6:00 ˆ 9:30pm): Jan. 27, Feb. 3, Feb 10, Feb 17. Applies as theory component for all cycling disciplines. Must have Level 1 theory and technical to be eligible for the Level 2 course. Must register for Level 2 Core at least 10 days in advance.

Level 1 MTB Technical course ˆ April 24/25 (10:00 am ˆ 5:00 p.m.): Must have Level 1 Theory, or proof of Level 1 registration to be eligible for attendance.

Level 2 Core Cycling course ˆ Tuesday Evenings (6:00 ˆ 9:30pm): April 27, May 4, May 11, May18. Applies as theory component for all cycling disciplines. Must have Level 1 theory and technical to be eligible for the Level 2 course. Must register for Level 2 Core at least 10 days in advance.

Level 2 MTB Technical course ˆ June 19/20 (10:00 am ˆ 5:00 p.m.): Must have Level 1 Coaching and Level 2 Core to attend.

Important:

Space limited for each course, so register ASAP.
Registration Fees for each course are $100.00, includes manual.
All courses will take place at Hardwood Hills Cross Country Ski and Mountain Bike Center, just North of Barrie.
To register please contact the OCA, or Glenn Meeuwisse (705) 487-3775, hardwood@bconnex.net
For your local Theory Courses please contact the Sport Leadership Office (416) 426-7056.


Industry News

BKH Summit Distributors who introduced Nokian tires to the North American market from ground zero has learned through the media that Nokian Tyres of Finland is ending its relationship with BKH Summit.

Talk at Interbike in September was about Nokian going dealer direct. There was dissatisfaction with the work being accomplished by the existing distributor network that BKH Summit had set up in Canada and the U.S. Nokian Tyres felt distributors were cherry picking only popular models such as studded and downhill and ignoring the other tires.

Nokian Tyres is in the process of setting up an office and warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee.

Thus far, Nokian Tyres has not resigned any racers for 1999 in North America nor committed to any advertising. Last year Nokian sponsored Shaums March in the U.S. and Fred Poulin, the Canadian downhill champion.


Petersen Publishing has announced that it is being bought by Emap of Great Britain. Petersen is known in the cycling world for its ownership of Bicyclist (formerly Bicycle Guide), Mountain Biker and, recently, the purchase of Bike magazine. Bicyclist and Mountain Biker have both been canned by Petersen, who were putting all of their cycling eggs in the Bike basket. It will be interesting to see how Bike survives the shakeout with the new ownership.


Creatine Legal

Creatine, an amino acid protein that has been in the news lately, has been declared a food product by the IOC (International Olympic Committee), and will not be added to the banned drug list. It is currently being touted as a substitute for anabolic steriods.


Women's Racing on Television Next Year

The HP Laserjet Women's Challenge will be televised next season on NBC. The scheduled broadcast date is Sunday, July 11th at 2:00 pm EST, for one hour. Women's cycling has received this sort of primetime sports coverage before. Canadian Linda Jackson, last year's winner, told us recently at the CCSD Gala that "winning the HP is my primary focus next year". Let's hope she can do it again, and put a Canadian front and centre on the TV screen...


Cards

It is still not too late to get our Canadian Cyclist cards for Christmas (or any other time of year). Go Here for details.