June 5/09 9:54 am - Atlantic Cycling Centre Prepared for Tour of PEI

Posted by Editor on 06/5/09
 

Once again, the National Cycling Centre - Atlantic Canada will be ready to face the best in the world during the 2009 edition of the Tour de PEI. Regarded as a development team, this squad has enjoyed its share of successes in the initial editions of the Tour.

In 2007, Moriah Jo MacGregor was the top North American finisher (6th on the general classification) and last summer, Jenny Trew wore the top Canadian jersey for a day.

This season, MacGregor, now training at the Atlantic Cycling Centre, will be back on the team. She will be joined by Cara Gillis of Fredericton and Zuzana Ecerova of Halifax. The Centre works in collaboration with the Canadian Cycling Association to provide opportunities to developing Canadian riders - proven track powerhouse Tara Whitten, Track Worlds medalist and national team member, will add speed to this year's squad. The team will be completed with two development riders, Lisa Perlmutter (who was recently selected to represent Canada at the track Pan-Americans Championships) and Leah Kirchmann (who represented Canada last summer at both mountain bike and road junior world championships).

Luc Arseneau will be the team director, and he will be supported by Nena Kennedy (soigneur) and Jeff Currie (mechanic) in his functions.

This year's Tour will be from June 7th to the 11th and will include five stages.

"Once again, I think a lot will be determined on the famous Confederation Bridge individual time trial," commented Arseneau "but stage 3 (from Kensington to North Rustico) was a big factor last year because of the wind. With the strong winds this region has had in the past few weeks, I think the riders will have to be paying attention at all time".

The event will conclude on Thursday evening, with a beautiful spectator friendly criterium around historical Charlottetown.

The National Cycling Centre would like to take this opportunity to thank its many sponsors and partners for making this project, and many others, happen for the cyclists of Atlantic Canada:

Partners

*   Canadian Sport Centre - Atlantic
*   City of Dieppe
*   Caisse populaire Dieppe Velodrome
*   Subway BMX track
*   Canadian Cycling Association
*   Atlantic provincial cycling organisations

Sponsors

*   Mike's Bike Shop
*   Giant
*   Shimano
*   Gu
*   Active Therapy Clinic
*   Croissant Soleil
*   Yakima