March 21/16 18:27 pm - Global Relay Bridge-the-Gap Announces 2016 Athletes

Posted by Editoress on 03/21/16
 

The Global Relay Bridge-the-Gap Fund (BTG) will play an instrumental role in developing and supporting Canada's next generation of cycling professionals in 2016 by expanding the program's roster to 24 athletes who will receive increased access to the coaching, resources and equipment they need to reach their full potential.

In all, 10 new promising riders, are joining the Global Relay Bridge-the-Gap program for 2016. They include:

Jordan Cheyne, 24, (Kelowna, BC), Jelly Belly Pro Cycling
Alec Cowan, 19, (Calgary, AB), Canada NextGen
Elliot Doyle, 22, (Alma, QC), Silber Pro Cycling
Gillian Ellsay, 18, (Courtenay, BC), Trek-Red Truck/ Canada NextGen
Derek Gee, 18, (Osgoode, ON), Team Giant Langley / SmartSavvy
Emeliah Harvie, 19, (Banff, AB), The Cyclery-Opus
Emile Jean, 22, (Trois-Rivieres), Silber Pro Cycling
Katherine Maine, 20, (Ottawa, ON), Rally Pro Cycling
Nicolas Masbourain, 22, (Montreal, QC), Silber Pro Cycling
Cath Ouellette, 19, (Montreal, QC), Rally Pro Cycling

"We're pleased to welcome our new riders from across Canada to the Bridge-the-Gap Program," said Global Relay CEO Warren Roy. "It's been a thrill to help so many up-and-coming Canadian cyclists work towards their dreams and achieve their goals of riding professionally because, as a company and as one of the biggest supporters of competitive cycling in Canada, we're committed to helping people reach their potential. We wish all our riders the best of luck in 2016."

Under the leadership of program director Andrew Pinfold, Bridge-the-Gap graduated eight riders from its elite program to contracts with professional teams for 2016, including:

Jack Burke (Squamish, BC) - H&R Block Pro Cycling
Mateo Dal-Cin (Ottawa, BC) - Silber Pro Cycling
Adam de Vos (Victoria, BC) - Rally Pro Cycling
Katherine Maine (Ottawa, Ontario) - Rally Pro Cycling
Cath Ouellette (Saint-Lambert, QC) - Rally Pro Cycling
Ben Perry (St. Chatharines, ON) - Silber Pro Cycling
Gabrielle Pilote Fortin (Saint-Lambert, QC) - Bigla Cycling
Sara Poidevin (Canmore, AB) - Rally Pro Cycling

Bridge the Gap riders also showcased the strength of the BTG program with numerous strong results in 2015, including:

• Adam de Vos finished 9th place in Worlds U23 road race
• Joelle Neumainville became the Canadian National Road Race Champion and finished 11th at the World Road Championships
• Annie Ewart won a stage at the Tour of the Gila
• BTG Alumnus Leah Kirchmann won two stages at the Tour of California and secured a contract with Liv-Plantur for 2016. (Her 2016 campaign already includes a fourth at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, a second at Omloop van het Hageland and a victory at Drentse Acht van Westerveld.)
• Ben Perry won a stage at the Tour de Beauce, U23 National Road Champion and was the Mountains Winner at the Tour of Alberta.

"The support I've received from BTG over the past years has been a key resource to me while making the steps towards a pro career," said Adam de Vos. "Receiving mentorship from board members has been invaluable for everything from race insight to personal connections. Financially, the fund has allowed me to attend multiple national team projects, most recently the Pan Am Championships and World Championships in 2015 as well as the Montreal and Quebec World Tour races. Without these opportunities, my success at the Worlds would not have been possible. I'm grateful and excited to have been one of the original supported athletes and to now be transitioning into a new graduate role as part of the Bridge the Gap fund."

2016 Global Relay Bridge-the-Gap Riders

Link to Photo Gallery of riders

Lex Albrecht (Montreal, QC) BePink Pro Cycling
Alizee Brien (Val-David, QC) Team TIBCO-SVB
Jack Burke (Toronto, ON) H&R BLOCK Pro Cycling
Alex Cataford (Kanata, ON) Silber Pro Cycling
Jordan Cheyne (Kelowna, BC) Jelly Belly Pro Cycling
Alec Cowan (Calgary, AB) Canada NextGen
Adam de Vos (Victoria, BC) H&R BLOCK Pro Cycling
Elliot Doyle (Alma, QC) Silber Pro Cycling
Gillian Ellsay (Courtenay, BC) Trek-Red Truck/ Canada NextGen
Nigel Ellsay (Courtenay, BC) Silber Pro Cycling
Annie Foreman-Mackey (Kingston, ON)  The Cyclery-Opus
Derek Gee (Osgoode, ON) Team Giant Langley/SmartSavvy
Kinley Gibson (Edmonton, AB)  Trek-Red Truck/ Canada NextGen
Emeliah Harvie (Banff, AB) The Cyclery-Opus
Alison Jackson (Vermilion, AB) TWENTY16 Pro Cycling
Emile Jean (Trois-Rivières, QC) Silber Pro Cycling
Katherine Maine (Ottawa, ON)  Rally Pro Cycling
Nicolas Masbourain (Montreal, QC) Silber Pro Cycling
Cath Ouellette (Saint-Lambert, QC)  Rally Pro Cycling
Gabrielle Pilote Fortin (Neuville, QC) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team
Sara Poidevin (Canmore, AB) Rally Pro Cycling
Travis Samuel (Oshawa, ON) H&R Block Pro Cycling
Anika Todd (Victoria, BC) Independent
Ed Walsh (Halifax, NS) Canada NextGen

Alison Jackson

Katherine Maine

Emeliah Harvie

Alex Cataford

Nigel Ellsay

Derek Gee

Kinley Gibson

Catherine Ouellette

About Bridge the Gap
The Bridge-the-Gap fund was a created by Vancouver tech leader Global Relay in November 2012 with the support of current Canadian cycling professionals Svein Tuft (Orica GreenEDGE), Will Routley (Rally Pro Cycling), Ryan Anderson (Direct Energie), and former pros Erinne Willock and Andrew Pinfold, who serve as the BTG's board. The program addresses the gap in the development of up and coming Canadian cyclists (19 to 25), by providing access to the coaching, resources and equipment they need to reach their full potential. In addition, the Board's members play a key role in networking with US managers and coaches to secure spots on professional teams.