Canada targets women’s road, men’s sprint at Pan Ams
The Canadian team is targeting the women's road and the men's track sprint events at the Pan American championships next week.
The Canadian team is targeting the women’s road events and the men’s track sprint events at the 2011 Pan American championships in Medellin, Colombia, next week.
The Canadian Cycling Association is sending six riders for the track events from May 1 to 5 — all of them sprinters. Monique Sullivan of Calgary, who will compete in the keirin and sprint, is the only woman. The other five are entered in the men’s sprint, keirin, team sprint and kilometre events.
That means there will be no track endurance riders, likely reflecting the fact that Canada’s World Cup results has virtually guaranteed qualification for the 2012 London Olympics in the men’s and women’s omnium and the women’s team pursuit. But for sprinters like Calgary’s Travis Smith — ranked 16th in the world when only the top eight are guaranteed an Olympic spot — the Pan Am championships represent the best chance to gain points towards qualification before the next World Cup season in the fall.
The eight-rider road selection includes six women and just two men.
The women’s team is led by Canadian champion Joelle Numainville of Montreal, while former Olympic medallist Clara Hughes of Glen Sutton, Que., will spearhead the time trial team. Given the small number of UCI women’s events in North America, the Pan Am road championships are an important points-gathering opportunity for Olympic qualification. In addition, the winner is automatically guaranteed an Olympic spot.
On the men’s side, Canada is treating the Pan Ams as a development opportunity with just two riders — Rob Britton of Victoria and Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpetue, Que. — doing both the road race and the time trial. Canada’s UCI ranking at the moment does not guarantee Olympic qualification, but the CCA will be relying on Canadian riders on professional teams to gather points as the season continues.
Canadian team:
ROAD CYCLING
- NUMAINVILLE, Joëlle (Montréal, QC) Road Race
- HUGHES, Clara (Glen Sutton, QC) Road Race, Time Trial
- RAMSDEN, Denise (Yellowknife, NT) Road Race, Time Trial
- LOGAN-SPRENGER, Heather (Madoc, ON) Road Race
- CANUEL, Karol-Ann (Amos, QC) Road Race
- KIRCHMANN, Leah (Winnipeg, MB) Road Race
- BRITTON, Rob (Victoria, BC) Road Race, Time Trial
- HOULE, Hugo (Sainte-Perpétue, QC) Road Race, Time Trial
TRACK CYCLING
- SULLIVAN, Monique (Calgary, AB) – Sprint – Keirin
- SMITH, Travis (Calgary, AB) – Keirin, Sprint, Team Sprint
- VELOCE, Joseph (Fonthill, ON) – Sprint, Team Sprint
- COSSETTE, Stephane (Bromont, QC) – Kilo, Team Sprint
- MULDER, Scott (Vancouver, BC) – Keirin, Sprint, Team Sprint
- BARETTE, Hugo (Cap-Aux-Meules, QC) – Kilo, Team Sprint
SCHEDULE
- May 1: 500m TT (W); Team Pursuit (M); Points race (W), Scratch race (M); Team Sprints (M)
- May 2: Individual Pursuit (M/W); Team Sprints (W)
- May 3: Sprint (M); Omnium I, II, III (M); Points race (M); Team Pursuit (W).
- May 4: Keirin (M); Omnium IV, V, VI (M); Omnium I, II, III (W); Sprint (W); Scratch race (W);
- May 5: Keirin (W); Omnium IV, V, VI (W); Madison (M); 1000m TT (M)
- May 6: Road Time Trial race [34km (M) – 17km (W)]
- May 8: Road Mass Start race [170km (M) – 98km (W)]
