May 18/10 11:49 am - Pan American Track Championships: CCA's Post Race Recap

Posted by Editoress on 05/18/10
 

Canada's top Track Cycling Sprinter looks to have made a full recovery after a dramatic crash in 2007 to become the Pan American Sprint Champion. Travis Smith of Calgary, Alberta won gold at the Pan American Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico by setting the fastest time in qualifying and winning against every opponent he faced in the sprint tournament.

At the 2007 World Championships, Smith was involved in a spectacular crash in the Keirin event that resulted in a broken pelvis and a year off to recover. Making a come back isn't new for the sprinter, he left the sport at the age of 19 to pursue a career as a paramedic, but felt that he could do more on the track, and in 2002, after 3 years off, he started training again. “The rest did me pretty well, I came back stronger and faster and more motivated.”

Smith has a renewed excitement for the sport this year as he is feeling stronger, riding with no pain and feels the support of the Canadian Cycling Association (CCA). “The difference I've seen this year (after being on the National Team for the past 4 years), is the focus of the program, and I feel like the goal is for everyone to improve and succeed and there is now backing for that.” The CCA has undergone a complete transformation over the past 2 years to bring in people that can best support and build the cycling programs. “There is a common goal with the CCA to help the athletes succeed.”

The CCA Chief Technical Officer Jacques Landry is pleased with the success the new organizational structure is bringing in for all the cycling sports including Para-cycling and Track Cycling World Championship Medals. The success of the track team at this years Pan American Championships, where athletes set 6 personal bests, 1 Canadian Record, and brought home 1 Gold and 2 Silver Medals, also shows continued improvements. “We have excellent coaches in place who are developing strong programs for all 5 cycling sports, and they have the support staff in place so they can implement their plans and best guide and monitor their athletes. Our focus is to win medals at the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics in London and Travis' win shows that the work that is being done behind the scenes is working.”
 

Recap of Canadian results at the 2010 Pan American Track Championships:

Men's Sprint: Travis Smith 1st
Men's Kierin: Joseph Veloce 8th
Men's Team Sprint: Travis Smith, Joseph Veloce and Stephane Cossette 4th in 45.403
Men's Kilo: Travis Smith 2nd (1:01.429 new Canadian Record), Stephane Cossette 6th (1:02.671 Personal Best)
Men's Points Race: Jean-Michel Lachance 12th
Men's Scratch Race: Remi Pelletier-Roy 15th, Mark MacDonald 20th
Men's Team Pursuit: Remi Pelletier-Roy, Mark MacDonald, Daniele Defranceschi, Jean-Michel Lachance 5th (4 :17.794 Canadian Record)
Men's Individual Pursuit: Jean-Michel Lachance 7h
Omnium: Remi Pelletier-Roy 5th, Steph Roorda 6th
Women's Sprint: Monique Sullivan 4h
Women's Kierin: Monique Sullivan 5th
Women's 500: Monique Sullivan 2nd (34.76 Personal Best)
Women's Scratch Race: Stephanie Roorda 9h and Laura Brown 10h
Women's Points Race: Laura Brown 5th
Women's Team Pursuit: Monique Sullivan, Laura Brown, Stephanie Roorda 4th (3:29.232)

Courtesy CCA