The maple-leaf menace: A look at Canada’s infiltration of U.S. pro cycling

Has Canada infiltrated U.S. pro cycling? Canadian riders are mostly indistinguishable from their U.S.-born teammates. Except for the pronunciation of some words, and the occasional use of “eh,” often there isn’t much to tip off those American riders that Canadians are in their midst. And really, our U.S. cousins have nothing to worry about. Feb. 16 marked 200 years since the Treaty of Ghent was ratified by the U.S. Senate, ending the War of 1812. That’s 200 years of peace. We are their largest trading partner and we share an 8,891-km border that is undefended. But make no mistake, when it comes to professional road cycling in the U.S., Canadians are there, at all levels. They ride, direct and manage. Yes, they’ve infiltrated, eh.

This look at Canucks south of the border starts with Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies, a continental team with Canadians on its men’s and women’s teams as well as throughout its management. The team’s performance director Jonas Carney has long relied on a “Canadian pipeline” for stocking the team.

Next is Team Smartstop, which used its Canadian connections to transform from a criterium-focused outfit to a squad that can garner invites to the continent’s largest stage races.

Then, there is a roundup of other Canadian road cyclists riding on U.S.teams.

Finally, there are continental outfits in the Great White North from Garneau-Quebecor to the ambitious Silber Pro and H&R Block Professional Cycling.