Ontario road, cyclocross champion Miriam Brouwer to join The Cyclery-Opus in 2016

Amazing time at #racetheplace this weekend. Thanks @RedBullCanada for a great event with equal prize money for women! pic.twitter.com/BuaarjRUE1

— Miriam Brouwer (@miriam_brouwer) October 5, 2015

For The Cyclery-Opus, one of the top Canadian women’s road teams, the leadup to the 2016 season has officially begun.

Last weekend, the team held its first training camp in the Ottawa and Gatineau, Qc. region, effectively kicking off the countdown. Given their location, the camp’s timing also gave riders and team officials an opportunity for to reflect on the season behind them, as well as to celebrate their successes at the National Capital Region Cycling Celebration dinner. At the event, Cyclery-Opus rider Katherine Maine was honoured as the Female Cyclist of the Year, while Cyclery owner Vince Caceres — the team’s primary sponsor — was named Builder of the year.

For a team whose season yielded wins at over 20 races, as well as representation at four different world championship events — two of which saw top-12 finishes from team members Maine and Tara Whitten — there’s a lot to celebrate, no doubt. Three medal wins at the Pan-American championships rounds out a stellar 2015 quite nicely, too.

Riding, of course, played a part at the weekend’s training camp, with a robust, looping trip through Gatineau Park being a highlight for the team’s cyclists. For the most part, though, the spirit of the team’s first training camp was reflection, having fun, and getting ready for the season to come, sometimes by taking part in individual assessments to determine where the focus of winter’s training should lie.

In the spirit of looking forward, it was also a great time to announce a new addition to the team.

Miriam Brouwer, 25, will be suiting up in the standards of The Cyclery-Opus in 2016. The Burlington, Ont.-based rider joins the team’s ranks after a stellar first season, whose most glowing highlights came in the form of wins at both the Ontario road and cyclocross championships. In early October, she also took a podium finish at Red Bull Race the Place at Toronto’s Ontario Place. Currently a student at the University of Toronto, where she’s pursuing a Masters degree in Speech and Language Pathology, the prospect of riding in the team’s colours next season is an exciting one.

“I can’t wait to race with The Cyclery-Opus in 2016!” she said. “I am really looking forward to working as part of this team, and developing as a cyclist through the experience.”