Canada’s newest world champions

SUBSCRIBE iTunes | Android | Stitcher | TuneIn | Spotify | RSS

At the beginning of September, the two young riders won rainbow jerseys at the junior track world championships in Cairo. Carson Mattern won gold in the scratch race and Dylan Bibic won the points race. They took home some other hardware, too. Mattern and Bibic got bronze in the madison and Bibic was in second place in the omnium. (Their accomplishments concluded a wildly successful week for Canada’s next generation that also saw Jackson Goldstone win the junior downhill world championships in Italy.)

If you’ve been keeping an eye on junior and under-17 racing, you’ll know that Bibic has an unofficial under-17 world record in the 2-km individual pursuit. At the 2019 Canadian track championships, he won seven gold, two silver and bronze. He set Canadian records in the 200 metre time trial and the team sprint, too. Mattern is also no stranger to the podium. He’s been racing steadily from an early age and is a diligent and dedicated athlete.

Bibic is 18 years old and from Mississauga, Ont., just west of Toronto. Mattern is 17, from Ancaster, Ont., close to Hamilton. They’ve both benefited from the legacies of major cycling events held in that province. Mattern has raced for NCCH, the National Cycling Centre Hamilton. That organization grew out of the world road cycling championships that were held in Hamilton in 2003. Both riders have honed their track riding skills on the velodrome in Milton, Ont., which was built for the 2015 Pan Am Games. Those events and their influence have had real positive effects on the cycling careers of these two riders.

Mattern and Bibic discuss the challenges and successes of racing in Cairo, and its overall importance. Remember, junior racing has been hit harder with cancellations than elite level racing throughout the pandemic. The two very ambitious and talented riders also speak about their future goals.