Canada’s Olympic cycling team announced

On Wednesday, Cycling Canada announced the 19 athletes that would make up Canada’s cycling team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The squad covers the disciplines of road, track, cross country and BMX.

Women’s Mountain Bike

For the past two major Games, it’s been Catharine Pendrel and Emily Batty. Then, Batty and Pendrel. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, it was Pendrel for gold; Batty, silver. At home, for the 2015 Pan Am Games, the positions were switched. The pair were also there in London 2012. They both want to do better this time around. Pendrel finished ninth in London. Batty, who crashed in training before the Olympic cross country race that year, rode to 24th place, with a broken collarbone. “I am really excited to represent Canada for a third time at the Olympic Games,” said Pendrel. “I am always proud to wear the maple leaf and will do my best to put it on the podium where it belongs. We have an incredibly strong and cohesive team headed to Rio. I know we will all give our best and make Canada proud!”

Women’s Track

Canada’s team pursuit squad has been on the world championship podium for the past five years. They won the World Cup overall in 2013. They took gold in the 2015 Pan Am Games. And, of course, Tara Whitten, Gillian Carleton and Jasmin Glaesser (Vancouver) won bronze in London 2012. A lot has changed in past four years. In 2012, the women’s team pursuit event was 3,000 m for a squad of three. Since then, it’s changed to 4,000 m. A constant throughout those changes has been Jasmin Glaesser. She’s back representing Canada in 2016, as well as 2012 alternate Laura Brown (Vancouver). “We have proven ourselves to be contenders for the top step of the podium at every competition we have attended since London 2012 and I fully expect us to be ready to challenge for the gold in Rio,” said Glaesser. “Although most will only see the four riders on the start line, this team and our ultimate performance will be a testament to the relentless dedication on the part of our staff and partners that have worked tirelessly to provide us with all the tools and resources necessary to pursue our goals. I couldn’t be more proud to work with such a phenomenal team on and off the bike and it’s because of you that we will be able to take to the boards in Rio confident, knowing that our best is yet to come.” Allison Beveridge (Calgary), Kirsti Lay (Montreal) and Georgia Simmerling (West Vancouver), an Olympic skier who rode in her first track World Cup this past January, will round out the endurance squad.

For the sprint events, the duo of Monique Sullivan and Kate O’Brien (both of Calgary) will wear the maple leaf.

Women’s Road

The surprise member of the Canadian Olympic team is Tara Whitten (Calgary). She’s definitely a strong rider—recently she took the national time-trial title. She also has Olympic experience, having been part of the bronze-winning team pursuit squad at London 2012. Still, she been relatively low-key on the cycling scene for the past few years. Karol-Ann Canuel (Amos, Que.) is a strong climber and time triallist and is a natural choice for the Canadian Olympic team. She won the national time trial championships in 2015. Canuel rides for Boels-Domans and was key player in her teammate Megan Guarnier’s wins at the Tour of California and the Philadelphia Cycling Classic. Cycling Canada hasn’t said explicitly which of the two rider will compete in the time trial in Rio. Rounding out the squad is Leah Kirchmann (Winnipeg), a perennial top-10 finisher in Women’s WorldTour races. The Liv-Plantur rider won Drentse Acht van Westerveld this past spring.

Men’s Mountain Bike

Raphaël Gagné (Quebec City) had a breakout year in 2015, which included gold at the Pan Am Games. He won the Canadian elite cross country championships. He also won USA Cycling’s US Cup overall in 2015. His inclusion on the Olympic squad doesn’t come as a surprise. He’ll be joined on the XC course by fellow Quebecker Léandre Bouchard (Alma, Que.).

Men’s Track

Hugo Barrette had a bad crash this past October while training on the track for the Cali, Colombia World Cup. He went over the rail at 75 km/h. He had cuts, scrapes and two broken vertebrae. Two weeks later, he was back on his bike. In January, at the Hong Kong World Cup, he won silver in the keirin. Now, the rider from the Magdalen Islands is off to Rio to follow the derny. Barrette has the ability to accelerate when the speed is already high. When the moto pulls off, riders have 625 m to go to the line. It’s a really long sprint, one that Barrette is good at.

Men’s Road

In his youth, Michael Woods dreamed of going to the Olympics. At the time, however, it was for running. But foot injuries kept him from pursuing middle-distance events. Still, he has an engine, which he has harnessed to the bike. Now, he’s Olympics bound. The climber from Ottawa is well suited for the 256-km Olympics road race, with hilly circuits. Fellow WorldTour rider, Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue, Que., will join Woods on the road. Also, Houle, who’s been working on his time trial, will race again the clock for Canada. “I am very excited to participate in the biggest cycling event in the world,” said Houle. “It is an honour for me to wear the Canadian colours for both the road race and the time trial. I accomplished my first goal of the 2016 season: to qualify for the Olympics. Now, the attention turns towards the final preparations to arrive in Rio at my peak.” Hugo Houle, 2015 Pan American Games Time Trial Champion, Road Cycling In 2015, he took gold in the TT at the Pan Am Games. Houle housemate in Saint-Restitut, France, Direct Energie’s Antoine Duchesne (Saguenay, Que.) rounds out the men’s road squad. The self-professed non-climber won the polka dot jersey at this year’s Paris-Nice. He’ll also get some more climbing in this July as he’s the only Canadian slated to ride the Tour de France.

Men’s BMX

Before the London Olympics, Tory Nyhaug  had an operation to remove his spleen. Less than a year before the 2015 Pan Am Games, where he won gold, he had to have screws put in his injured foot. Whatever condition the Coquitlam, B.C. native is in August, he’ll face fast track. “The track is very, very fast. It drops a lot of elevation from the start to the second turn and it probably has the highest speeds out of any track we race,” said Nyhaug to Canadian Cycling Magazine in March. “Big, wide-open and flat turns will have a lot of moves from riders during racing I’m sure. I really like that track, one of the most fun tracks I’ve ever been on.”