October 1/19 15:37 pm - Track Nationals Take Place at Mattamy Velodrome

Posted by Editoress on 10/1/19
 

More than 140 athletes from across Canada took part in the 2019 Canadian Track Championships for Elite and Masters on September 26-28 at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario.

Men and women contested for national titles in both Elite and Masters categories in the sprint and endurance events, with a number of athletes winning several titles, including Masters A riders Fabien Lamaze and Candice Moote, who swept all the events they entered in. In the Elite category, five athletes won multiple titles over the weekend - Nick Wammes of Bothwell, ON, in the Sprint, Team Sprint and Keirin; Kelsey Mitchell from Sherwood Park, AB, in the Sprint, Team Sprint and Time Trial; Derek Gee of Ottawa, ON, in the Omnium, Madison and Individual Pursuit; Michael Foley of Milton, ON, in the Madison and Team Pursuit; and Steph Roorda of Vancouver, BC, in the Omnium and Madison.

Nick Wammes

Kelsey Mitchell

Derek Gee

Steph Roorda

Michael Foley

Development athlete Nick Wammes managed to secure his first Canadian champion title since moving up to Elite from Junior: "It's been quite the journey in the last eight months, with my first World Cup in New Zealand last year, and a long summer of racing at the Pan Am Games and Pan Am Championships. It's pretty crazy to think that last year I was barely getting on the podium, and this year I won three Elite titles. I'm so happy with my performances this weekend and it's a great way to start the season."

RBC Training Ground athlete Kelsey Mitchell, who recently set a world record at the Continental Championships, said, "Nationals is a very special event for me, especially since last year it was my first major competition. Coming in this year, I gained a lot of confidence from my other races and just went all out. It's exciting to get to race against your teammates that you see every single day because you know their strengths and weaknesses and it's just so different. I'm very excited for what's coming."

"It's so impressive to see the overall level of our athletes improve, especially the depth that we're seeing out of our younger athletes," said Kris Westwood, Head of Performance operations at Cycling Canada.  "We've never seen track cycling at this level in Canada before, and the momentum that has built up around the Mattamy National Cycling Centre is really starting to pay dividends. It's an exciting time for track cycling and I think it's only going to improve in the future."



Photos

Elite Track Nationals: Day 1 results

Elite Track Nationals: Day 2 results

lite Track Nationals: Day 3 results