Karol-Ann Canuel targets Chrono Gatineau with long season still ahead

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Karol-Ann Canuel will be racing for the Canadian national team at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau on June 2 and wearing the colours of her Boels-Domans team in the Chrono Gatineau the next day. Canuel is back in Canada after months training and racing out of her home in Spain. With the women’s WorldTour making stops in California and Philadelphia it’s given her the chance to be home with friends and family in Gatineau.

Canuel is a member of Boels-Dolmans, the Dutch powerhouse team has 17 wins in 2016 with three of its riders having led the women’s WorldTour overall standings. American Megan Guarnier won the Tour of California and currently holds the lead. World Champion Lizzie Armitstead and Chantal Blaak were the two other leaders of the classification after sharing the wins in the first five WorldTour races of the season. “When you are winning the mood is always good,” said Canuel who is in her first year with the team. “It has been a super good transition, it feels like I have been racing here for years. They were very welcoming.”

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Following another team win in California, Canuel is back home in Gatineau were the Amos, Quebec native now resides. The Canadian national team competing at the GP Gatineau is deep and will be in contention for the win at the end of the 114-km GP Gatineau. Canuel, who is Canadian national time trial champion, will also be targeting the 19.3-km time trial which features a longer and harder course for 2016. The course suits her and with the almost two-kilometer climb the locals call “Pinks” it will be important to gauge the effort out on the course.

“I am focusing more on the time trial, it’s great to race here in Gatineau. I will try to be at my best, we are really lucky to have this race in Canada,” said Canuel who was second in the Chrono Gatineau in 2015. “I’ve only done one time trial in Holland this year and I was sick that day.”

After a classics campaign, Canuel is feeling that her form is coming around in time for her season targets. “The shape is there and I am feeling good. This year is a long season so I am not panicking.”

One of those late season targets will be the Olympic time trial that takes place on August 10 and the 29.8-km course is extremely challenging according to Canuel who has had the chance to scout it out twice already.”The Rio time trial is the hardest thing I have ever seen, nothing can compare to it,” said Canuel. “The first part is rolling with steep short climbs. Then there is another steep climb that is longer that really hurts. The course is flat for a bit before it goes up a 2-km climb, then it’s more rolling.”

Canuel is building form as the season progresses. “At the [Euskal Emakumeen XXIX] Bira I was feeling really good that week. One of the stages I was solo for 40-km, I got caught with 3-km to go which was a little disappointing.” Another major target for Canuel will be the team time trial at the world championships in Doha which take place in October. Already having two gold medals in the event she will be looking a add another with Boels-Domans.

For the GP Gatineau, she says she goes in which tempered expectations, “I try not to put too much pressure on myself.”