Cyclists going to Western Canada Summer Games a new generation of riders to be reckoned with

A new generation of cycling talent is being noticed in western Canada, with fresh additions to Team BC for the Western Canada Summer Games, beginning August 7, having just been announced.

Along with four other men and five women, Kellen Viznaugh, from Revelstoke, B.C., is one of those additions — and he’s a name to watch in cycling.

As the Revelstoke Review reported, the young rider has been making a big name for himself at the local level, competing at junior-class events around his home province and Alberta. Holding a commanding place in western junior standings, his placement on the team, given his demonstrated talent, was seemingly to be expected.

But it also, he said, compensated for not having made the provincial team in May for last month’s national road cycling championships. The high profile opportunity to compete at the Western Canada Summer Games, he told the Revelstoke Review, will hopefully turn some heads at Cycling BC. “I haven’t been chosen for any provincial teams yet so it’s a good way to show Cycling BC that I can actually do something in the sport,” Viznaugh said.

The event, established in 1975, is a prime opportunity to do so. Intended for amateur athletes between the ages of 13 and 23 in a range of disciplines, the Western Canada Summer Games bring a broad, competitive field every four years, especially in cycling. British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are all represented, as well as Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Currently, Viznaugh’s home province, British Columbia, leads the event’s medal count with 197.

As a cyclist, Viznaugh is experienced in multiple disciplines — road, mountain bike and cyclocross — with one success after another in local road and mountain bike races making him the “rider to beat,” as the Review says. This summer, though, his concentration has been on the road — a focus strengthened by having worked with Keith Wilson, husband to Catharine Pendrel and one of B.C.’s top coaches.

The training he’s received from Wilson, he says, has made all the difference. “Last year I was hanging in there with the kids my age,” Viznaugh told the Review, “but now I’m excelling against them.” With a stage race in Calgary this weekend, Viznaugh is looking to shift his attention to cyclocross after the Games conclude. As ever, though, the big picture has been the pro scene — and the events of this summer for the young rider may eventually prove decisive in getting him there.

“I feels good,” Viznaugh said of his selection to Team BC. “It took a lot of hard work and dedication. Lots of riding.”

The Western Canada Summer Games start on August 7 and run until August 11 in Wood Buffalo, Alberta.