Canadian track cyclists go for gold at the 2015 UCI Track Pan-American Championships in Santiago

Topping their success at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto may be a tall order, but Canada’s squad of track cyclists, the national cycling body says, is ready to make a go of it at the 2015 UCI Track Pan-American Championships. With a roster of some of the nation’s best athletes ready to roll in Santiago, Chile next week, prospects are looking solid for the Canadian team.

Which is saying a lot, with a track record like 2015’s behind them.

Vital UCI Olympic qualifying points will be on the line from September 2 through the 6th, when the Canadian team, led by coach Erin Hartwell, hits the wood in Santiago. Canada’s track sprinters have their eyes on winning each of the week’s sprint events, an objective reflected by the top-tier riders on the start list. Hugo Barrette and Monique Sullivan, both triple-medalists, will be competing in all three sprint events. Filling out the team’s ranks will be individual sprint silver medalist Kate O’Brien, Olympian Joe Veloce, Mischa Partridge and Evan Carey.

Partridge, too, joins the team during a transition from BMX competition to track riding, and the last several months have seen him training under Hartwell, taking advantage of the UCI-rated track at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ont. This year’s competition in Santiago, Cycling Canada announced, will be the first international track cycling event for the BMXer.

Other categories amount to a similar who’s-who of Canada’s track cycling greats, with the women’s team pursuit squad — currently standing at third in World Rankings — helmed by Pan Am Games gold medalist Allison Beveridge and Kirsty Lay, while Annie Foreman-MacKay, Kinley Gibson, and World Champion Stephanie Roorda round out the start list. In men’s team pursuit, Canada is focused on besting its bronze-medal winning performance at the Pan Am Games. Captain Remi Pelletier-Roy leads a squad with Ed Veal, Aidan Caves, Sean MacKinnon and Evan Burtnik, with Pelletier-Roy also throwing his power into the men’s omnium. In that event, with a focus on earning a spot of contention in the coming World Cup season, he’ll be aiming to cement a place at the 2016 UCI World Championships.

Team Canada – 2015 UCI TRACK CYCLING PAN-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Hugo BARRETTE, 24, Cap-aux-Meules, QC [Men’s Team Sprint, Keirin, Sprint, Time Trial (Kilo)]
Joseph VELOCE, 26, Fonthill, ON [Men’s Team Sprint, Keirin, Sprint]
Evan CAREY, 21, Victoria, BC [Men’s Team Sprint, Sprint]
Mischa PARTRIDGE, 27, Coquitlam, BC [Men’s Team Sprint]
Monique SULLIVAN, 26, Calgary, AB [Women’s Team Sprint, Keirin, Sprint]
Kate O’BRIEN, 27, Calgary, AB [Women’s Team Sprint, Keirin, Sprint, Time Trial (500m)]

Evan BURTNIK, 18, Edmonton, AB [Men’s Team Pursuit, Scratch Race]
Ed VEAL, 38, Queensville, ON [Men’s Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit]
Aidan CAVES, 20, Vancouver, BC [Men’s Team Pursuit, Points Race]
Sean MACKINNON, 20, Hamilton, ON [Men’s Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit]
Remi PELLETIER-ROY, 25, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, QC [Men’s Team Pursuit, Omnium]

Allison BEVERIDGE, 22, Calgary, AB [Women’s Team Pursuit, Scratch Race, Omnium]
Stephanie ROORDA, 29, Vancouver, BC [Women’s Team Pursuit, Points Race]
Kirsti LAY, 27, Montreal, QC [Women’s Team Pursuit]
Annie FOREMAN-MACKEY, 24, Kingston, ON [Women’s Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit]
Kinley GIBSON, 20, Edmonton, AB [Women’s Team Pursuit]