Joëlle Numainville joins Belgian team Lotto Belisol

Joëlle Numainville, the 2013 Canadian time trial and road race champion, is joining Lotto Belisol. The announcement came Tuesday signalling that the Laval, Que. native is leaving the U.S.-based Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies team to focus on racing in Europe.

“This new avenue is the best that could be offered to me. I will have a very busy schedule, which is what I wanted. And the team has given me the chance to race again quickly, which will allow me to be in top form at the world championships this fall,” Numainville said in a statement. By quickly, Numainville is referring to the Trophée d’Or Féminin, in which she’ll compete from Aug. 23 to 27.

While Numainville had a notable 2013 season with her national championships double, she was plagued by severe headaches afterwards. In May 2013, she suffered a concussion, its effects growing worse throughout the season.

Lotto Belisol Ladies was founded in 2006, sharing the same sponsors as the men’s WorldTour team. Team member Jolien D’Hoore won the Flanders Diamond Tour in Nijlen, Belgium, on June 15. She also took two stages and finished second overall at the inaugural BeNe Ladies Tour, which ran on July 19 to 20. Emma Pooley was on the team until her retirement following the Commonwealth Games. Earlier this year, she won three stages at the Giro d’Italia Femminile and the mountains classification.

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Numainville was 12th in the road race. The 26-year-old hopes to compete in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.