January 11/01 10:33 am - CC Awards, No Canadian 'Crossers, Langkawi Team, 2001 Teams

Posted by Editor on 01/11/01
 

Canadian Cyclist of the Year Awards

Well, the voting ended yesterday for the 2000 Canadian Cyclist of the Year awards. We will be announcing the winners for these awards, plus one new award, later this afternoon. Stay tuned.


No Canadians at 'Cross Worlds

It appears that there will be no Canadian representation at the cyclo-cross world championships (Tabor, Czech Republic - February 3-4). Since this is not an Olympic event there is no CCA / government funding and riders must pay their own way. Also, to be eligible riders must be on the national team (CCA requirement) and thus far the only rider who has expressed interest is Josh Hall - not on the national team because cyclo-cross doesn't count... At a time when 'cross participation is increasing dramatically this is a short sighted restriction. Let the CCA know by faxing 613-248-9311 or e-mail: general@canadian-cycling.com. (Note: if you expect them to take your request seriously, be polite!)


Tour de Langkawi, Malaysia
(courtesy CCA)

For the 6th consecutive year Canada will be entering a team in the Tour de Langkawi, one of the first international stage races of the new year. This year Langkawi will run from February 4th to 18th and cover 1839.5 kilometres in 12 stages. The Canadian National Cycling team is one of the 3 non-Asian national teams to be selected. This year Langkawi will be used as a development project for Canada.

The following athletes have been selected; Mark Walters of Blackstock, Ont., (4th participation and yellow jersey holder for 2 days in 2000), Andrew Randell of Toronto (3rd participation), Min Van Velsen of Vancouver, Jacob Erker of Calgary, Cory Lange of Victoria(Espoir), Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., Gregory Sieniewicz of Halifax (Espoir) - all first time participants.

The staff will be composed of Jacques Landry of Quebec City, National Development Team Coach; Craig DeVeer (soigneur) and Sebastien Lefebvre (mechanic).

As has been the case for the last two years, Canadian Cyclist will provide daily coverage of the Tour de Langkawi.


2001 Teams


Atlas Cold Storage / Ital Pasta
(courtesy Simon Small)

The title sponsors continuing to support the team after a great 2000 season. Secondary sponsor have not been finalized but things are shaping up for a great
year.

The Atlas Cold Storage / Ital Pasta team will have dual goals for the 2001 season. Firstly to exhibit a strong presence in Canadian races, depending many of the wins of the 2000 season, most importantly the Canadian National Criterium Championships. The secondary goal of the team will be to build on the successes in the U.S. at larger profile races. The roster is as follows:

Jeff Hansen
John Harris
Andrew Pinfold
Darien Rush
Pat Shea
Simon Small
Antoine Varghese


Gears Racing 2001
(courtesy Kevin Wallace)

Gears Bike Shop and title sponsor Bonham & Co. Inc. are proud to announce the Gears Racing team will be expanding for the upcoming season! Gears Racing athletes will be competing in mountain biking, road racing, triathlon, and adventure racing events across North America in 2001.

Mountain Biking:
The Gears Racing Mountain Bike pro team will be zeroing in on the Canada Cup circuit this year. Jeff Weber and Osmond Bakker are being joined by the likes of Julian Hine and Greg Reain. All four had their best seasons ever last year, with Julian scoring an amazing 30th place finish at the Mont Ste. Anne World Cup race. Jeff, Greg and Osmond finished the Ontario Cup series 1-2-3 in 2000, and are looking forward to scouting out races outside of Ontario this year. Junior phenom Ryan Savoy, 2000 Ontario Junior Expert Champion, and his brother Tyler, 2nd in Ontario in the 15 and under division, will be bringing in some young blood to the Gears team as well. The women will once again be led by Sue Trimble. Joining Ondrej Neumann and Michael Towers in the Pro Downhill ranks will be 2000 Ontario Series Champion Peter MacLean. Ron Vanderleeuw will once again tirelessly follow the crew across the country with the Gears Racing trailer - thanks Ron!

Gears Racing Pro Mountain Bike Team for 2001:
- Julian Hine (7th @ Nationals, 30th @ MSE World Cup)
- Jeff Weber (Ontario Provincial Series Champion)
- Greg Reain (2nd in Ontario Series)
- Osmond Bakker (3rd in Ontario Series)
- Ryan Savoy, Tyler Savoy, Kevin Haviland, Sue Trimble, Craig C. Hawkes, Dan Marshall
- Michael Dennis, Danelle Kabush, Kevin Wallace, Jeff MacInnis, Mark Bonham, Paul Skafel
- Downhill: Ondrej Neumann, Peter MacLean, Michael Towers, Michael Chavez, Ron Vanderleeuw

Adventure Racing:
Following the successful completion of the Eco-Challenge in Borneo last August, Kevin Wallace, Jeff MacInnis, Yvonne Camus and Scott Ford, as well as other Gears Racing teammates will be competing in adventure races throughout Ontario in 2001. Keep your eyes peeled for the Gears Racing trailer at selected events.

Triathlon:
Gears Racing is branching out from its mountain biking roots to sponsor several triathletes as well. The 2001 team will consist of Rich Pady, Gordon Henderson, Jackie Hatherly, Kyla Marsh and Chad Alderson. Kyla is a member of both the National Duathlon Elite Team and the National Age Group Triathlon Team. She will be competing internationally on the ITU circuit in 2001. Jackie recently completed the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii finishing 34th overall. Gord and Chad are members of the National Long Distance Triathlon Team. Gord also finished 62nd at Ironman Florida this year. Both Jackie and Gord are looking forward to Ironman Hawaii this year.

Road Racing:
In addition to the Gears mountain bike team Gears Racing has included plans to include a road team of six riders for the 2001 season. The team will be a mix of experience and youth racing as senior riders within Ontario. Team members are Michael Moore, Paul Rego, Chris Paton, Andrew Hickman, Stirling McArthur, and Paul Hornak. Michael Moore has over 20 years of racing experience and is a former national masters champion and current provincial time trial champion. Paul Rego is a former provincial espoir champion. Chris Paton is a provincial cyclo-cross medalist in 2000. Andrew Hickman and Stirling McArthur are new to SR I/II racing having moved up from III with strong results and impressive wins in 2000. Paul Hornak brings a wealth of experience from many years of elite racing.

Gears will continue its support of the Mississauga Bicycle Racing Club and is excited about the Juniors that will be racing with the club next year. The National Junior cyclo-cross champion, Ryan Roth will be joining Ryan deBoer Provincial O-Cup Champion as a cadet. This will be part of the junior development initiative that Gears Racing, Bonham & Co. Inc. and the Mississauga Bicycle Racing Club have begun for the 2001 season. The balance of the MBRC will continue its strong representation in most categories for 2001.

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NOTE: Upcoming Event:
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On February 17, 2001, Gears Racing will be hosting the Gears 24 Hour Spin event to raise money for breast cancer research and the Jerry Love Children's Foundation. Following the resounding success of last year's event, this year the event has been moved to the Hershey Centre in Mississauga with the goal of raising $1,000,000. Come on out to support a good cause, keep up your fitness and enjoy the live entertainment! To find out more about the event, please call the staff at Gears: (905) 271-2400.