January 13/12 13:13 pm - Canadian Team Sprint Squad Struggles at World Cup

Posted by Editoress on 01/13/12
 

The Canadian Track Cycling Team kicked off the third of four UCI World Cup Classic race of the season, in Beijing, China, on Friday, and it was a tough day for Canada on the 2008 Olympic velodrome.

The Men’s Team Sprint squad, comprised of Travis Smith of Calgary, Joseph Veloce of Fonthill, Ontario, and Stéphane Cossette of Chicoutimi, Québec, placed ninth, with a time of 45.297 seconds. The team is still trying to qualify for the Olympic Games but, as head coach Richard Wooles explains, the task becomes more difficult with few events left prior to the end of the qualifying window.

“The Men’s Team Sprint did what they could, but we are losing ground on other teams for the Olympic qualification with only 10 teams making the cut. It is very difficult to bridge the gap, so close to the Olympic Games. There are lots of things to work on going forward, and it's great to have lots of development riders here in China.”

In the men’s Omnium, Jean-Michel Lachance of Québec City kicked off the first event with a 17th place result in the flying lap. He then went on to place 16th in the Points race, and finished his first of two days of competition with 18th place of the Elimination race despite falling victim to a crash, in which he suffered minor cuts. Half way to the completion of the Omnium, Lachance sits in 18th position.

In the Men’s Scratch race, youngster Alex Cataford of Ottawa, racing his first World Cup race of the season, fell just short of qualifying for the final race, finishing in 11th position of the second qualifying heat.

Courtesy CCA

DAY 1 RESULTS