Canada’s team at UCI para-cycling road world championships in Switzerland “small but powerful”

With a strong season behind them, the roster of Canada’s team starting this weekend at the UCI para-cycling road world championships in Nottwil, Switzerland has been announced. And considering the success of that team and the who’s-who it represents, it’s a small team, but it’s powerful.

Along with contending for medal standing, participating cyclists will be competing for UCI paralympic qualification points at the global level, making this most important, critical race of the season. Beginning competition today, July 28, and ending August 2, Canada’s representation in Switzerland is ten strong, with some heavyweight names leading the pack in various divisions.

Shelley Gautier, in particular, starts at the world championships with an especially strong season in her dust.

At the UCI para-cycling world cup in Yverdon-les-bains, Switzerland, Gautier had two consecutive first and second place finishes, with her gold medal win in the world cup’s road race. With that win, putting her across the finish line 2:41 ahead of Russia’s Yulia Subagatova, Gautier cemented her white-jersey standing as world cup leader in the women’s T1 class — putting her on strong footing going into this weekend’s road world championships.

Gautier added to a commanding overall performance from Team Canada at that event, with Canadian cyclists taking six medals from the world cup. With that success behind them, all eyes will be on the ten riders rolling out in Nottwil — especially those of other teams.

Riding with Gautier are Team Canada’s other cyclists, including:

Mark Ledo (H4)
Charles Moreau (H3)
Nicole Clermont (C5)
Marie-Claude Molnar (C4)
Jaye Milley (C1)
Michael Sametz (C3)
Daniel Chalifour & Alex Cloutier (MB)
Alex Carrier & Aroussen LaFlamme (MB)
Robbi Weldon
Audrey Lemieux (WB)

After the world championships, Canada’s riders head straight to Toronto, where the 2015 Parapan Am Games are being hosted from Aug. 7 to 15.