Bell, Veilleux named to KBS roster for French race

A pair of Canadians will be racing in France next month as the Kelly Benefit Strategies Pro Cycling team ramps up its preparation for the Tour of California. The KBS team, which will also race this weekend at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, is splitting its squad in late April with half the team racing the Tro Bro Leon and Le Tour de Bretagne Cycliste in France and others racing the Tour of Korea.

David Veilleux, a 22-year-old Quebec City native, will join fellow Canadian Zach Bell on the KBS squad for the two French races. Veilleux, 27, is the four-time Canadian under-23 time trial champion while Zach Bell, from Watson Lake, Yukon, is currently in Denmark racing for Team Canada at the World Track Cycling Championships, which start Wednesday.

“We will not go to France simply to participate. We are bringing a very strong team and we hope to get results. Our team has worked very hard to get where we are, and receiving invitations from these great European and Asian events validates what we are doing,” said Jonas Carney, performance director for KBS Pro Cycling. “These races will be excellent preparation for the Amgen Tour of California and the Philadelphia International Championship.”