Tara Whitten shifts focus

Track cycling Olympic medallist and double world champion Tara Whitten has her sights set firmly on the 2016 Olympic Games. But first, she has some unfinished business—both in academia and on the ski trails.

“I want to focus on my PhD for the next two years,” says the 32-year-old neuroscience doctoral student. “I’ll do some racing and training to stay involved, then in the two years up to the Olympics focus back on cycling.”

Whitten is also making a return this winter to cross-country skiing, a sport she excelled in before discovering cycling at the age of 25.

“I just needed a break after the Olympics,” says Whitten, who will be the honorary president of the Gatineau Loppet international cross-country ski race in February—an event she won in 2004.

“I kind of missed skiing when I was cycling for the past few years, so when [the organizers] called, I thought it would be kind of a cool thing to do,” she says.

Whitten will contest the 55-km classic event on Feb. 16 and the 10-km freestyle event on Feb. 17.

Whitten was one of Canada’s big medal hopes for the 2012 Games in London and didn’t disappoint, leading the team pursuit squad to bronze in a hard-fought final against Australia. She also came up just short of the podium in the omnium, finishing fourth. But the long road to the Olympics—which saw Whitten win omnium gold at the 2010 and 2011 world championships—took its toll. Her research will provide a welcome change of focus for the next two years.

Although Whitten has stepped away from the TIBCO professional team, she still plans on doing some racing in 2013, as long as they’re events she thinks she’ll enjoy and are easy to get to. Races might include the Canadian championships and possibly the Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau in May.

As for the 2016 Olympics in Rio di Janeiro, Whitten’s analytical mind is already hard at work.

“The things that are still intriguing me are the team pursuit, now that it’s four women, and the time trial,” she says.