April 2/22 17:10 pm - Quebec Holds Training Camp in Milton for Nationals Prep

Posted by Editoress on 04/2/22
 

Last week, less than two weeks away from the Canadian U17/Junior Track Championships, the Quebec team held a training camp at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, in Milton, Ontario. For the majority of the 11 athletes selected for this Team Quebec project, it was their first experience at a Team Quebec track camp. Supervised by coach Pascal Choquette, the athletes spared no effort in their preparation for the Nationals.

"We saw constant progress throughout the week. The young people worked hard to tame the track and gain as much experience as possible. Their level of confidence and ability to increase during this camp following the various exercises proposed in anticipation of the Canadian Championships which are coming up quickly," explained the coach of the Quebec team in track cycling, Pascal Choquette.

Of the eleven up-and-coming track racers invited to Milton from March 18th to 25th, only track riders Maxim Lapointe and Éloïse Camiré lined up with the Quebec delegation at the most recent U17/Junior Canadian Championships, which were held from November 12th to 14th, 2021. Maxim Lapointe notably performed well by winning silver in the Elimination race as well as the bronze medal in the Team Sprint in the U17 category. Eva Gabelier, Jade Parent-Lafrenière and Léa Gauthier have also been selected for this Quebec team project, all of whom should participate in the Nationals on April 6th.

On the men's side, Félix Hamel, Julien Boulé, Justin Roy, Sasha Renaud-Tremblay and Jonathan Hinse have all excelled in road cycling during the last two seasons of the FQSC. Their performances earned them a ticket to this camp for the Quebec team in track cycling. Thanks to a brilliant performance at the Ontario Track Championships at the beginning of March, Filipe Duarte also obtained an invitation.

However, even if they excel on the road, the challenge is very different on the track, according to Choquette. "In past years, we have found that this pre-competition preparation has a huge impact on our performance at Nationals. Even if they have good physiological abilities, they need to familiarize themselves with the specific techniques of track events and this cohort has not had much opportunity to do so due to the pandemic and the absence of a velodrome in Quebec."

Olympian Karol-Ann Canuel, who retired from professional cycling last Fall, took part in the camp as a guest coach with Pascal Choquette and Éric Van Den Eynde. She shared her experience with the participants. Ambassador of the 100% female cycling program, Karol-Ann Canuel wants to be a role model for young women who aspire to climb into the highest spheres of cycling sports.

The athletes were able to train on the track for nearly twenty hours during their stay in Milton. They will be able to take advantage of a ten-day leave before returning with the objective of winning as many Canadian titles as possible.

Members of the Track Camp:

Julien Boulé
Éloïse Camiré
Filipe Duarte
Eva Gabelier
Léa Gauthier
Félix Hamel
Jonathan Hinse
Maxim Lapointe
Jade Parent-Lafrenière
Sasha Renaud-Tremblay
Justin Roy