December 3/14 0:14 am - Canada Sends Strong Team to London Track World Cup

Posted by Editor on 12/3/14
 

Canada has sent a team of 16 riders to contest both sprint and endurance events this weekend at the second round of the Track World Cup in London, UK

Jacques Landry, High Performance Director and Head Coach at Cycling Canada, is hoping to take advantage of the sea-level velodrome to evaluate the progress of Canada's track program, and see where the country's cyclists measure against the best in the world. "This World Cup in London will give us a good indication of how we are tracking against our competition. It is expected that many teams will be bringing their "A" squads to compete here and so this is the perfect test for us, and we are ready."
 
The Canadian team will be headlined by its flagship women's Team Pursuit squad. Canada's women are currently enjoying a streak of six consecutive podium performances in major international events and, in 2014, won the overall World Cup standings. The team will however face fierce opposition, especially against the very powerful British ladies, who are undefeated in international competition since winning Gold on home soil at the Olympic Games.
 
It will be decided on site as to which if five riders will be part of the line-up for the three rides in this World Cup event.  The team consists of Olympic bronze medallist Jasmin Glaesser, Stephanie Roorda, Allison Beveridge, Kirsti Lay, and Annie Foreman-Mackey.

"Our women's Team Pursuit squad will be looking to continue its Olympic qualification process, and will leave it all on the line as it hopes to stand on the podium once again. The World Cup in London will also be a great test for our recently formed men's Team Pursuit squad, who continues to show progression every time it competes," commented Craig Griffin, Track Endurance coach at Cycling Canada.

Rémi Pelletier-Roy, Ed Veal, Sean McKinnon, Eric Johnstone and Aidan Caves, a mix of youth and experience, will represent Canada as they ride to cumulate some important UCI points necessary for Olympic and World Championship qualifications. The final roster will be announced closer to race day.

Earlier in the year during the opening World Cup of the current campaign, the four-man squad established a new Canadian record.

Led by Track Sprint Coach Erin Hartwell, the sprinters will also be looking to post some performances on the track that, according to many, favors this type of rider. Hugo Barrette is continuing his efforts to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games, while 2012 Olympian Joseph Veloce, fresh off completing his degree in Mechanical Engineering, is making a comeback to the boards and will evaluate his form against the top sprinters in the world. Barrette will also suit up for the men's Keirin race.

The men's Team Sprint squad has yet to be finalized, with four sprinters vying for the three open spots. Barrette and Veloce are joined by Evan Carey and Joel Archambault, two young sprinters who have come up the ranks in the last few years, and will be racing for Canada at the event.

In the women's sprint events, former bobsledder Kate O'Brien is continuing her transition to cycling, teamed with up Olympian sprinter Monique Sullivan for the Team Sprint. The two women will be looking to qualify for the Team Sprint elimination rounds, improving from their first performance in Guadalajara. Sullivan, who finished sixth at the Olympics in the Keirin, will also take part in this event this weekend.

The team consists of the following riders:

Women's Team Pursuit

Jasmin Glaesser
Stephanie Roorda
Allison Beveridge
Kirsti Lay
Annie Foreman-Mackey

Men's Team Pursuit

Remi Pelletier-Roy
Aidan Caves
Eric Johnstone
Sean Mackinnon
Ed Veal

Men's Team Sprint

Hugo Barrette
Joseph Veloce
Evan Carey
Joel Archambault

Women's Team Sprint

Monique Sullivan
Kate O'Brien

Men's Sprint

Hugo Barrette
Joseph Veloce

Men's Keirin

Hugo Barrette

Women's Sprint and Keirin

Monique Sullivan

Women's Scratch Race (C1 event integrated into the World Cup programme for London)

Annie Foreman-Mackey