Dylan Bibic and Carson Mattern come home
The two world champs received a hero's welcome at the track nats
Photo by:
Matt Hansen
Canadian cyclists from across the country competed at the u-17, junior and para Canadian track championships on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, ON. Among many standout performances, junior world champion Dylan Bibic from Mississauga, ON, swept all ten junior endurance and sprint events and broke the junior Canadian record in the individual pursuit with a time of 3:12.341, only three seconds off the current world record. Bibic broke the record that had been set hours earlier by the other junior world champion from Canada, Carson Mattern.
“I came into these national championships in bad form with mediocre times, but when competition hit, I was able to perform better than I did last year and it just makes me feel so good,” said Bibic. “Now, looking at what I just did, I think I’m more fit than I was at the junior track worlds.”
Competition returns to Milton
The last time Bibic rode the Nationals was two years ago, where he impressed at only 15 years old. Back then, he won the u-17 2 km time trial, the men’s pursuit, keirin, scratch race, points race, elimination race, sprint and team pursuit with Team Ontario. Bibic also won silver in the team sprint and silver in 500 m time trial. In the junior men’s madison, he won bronze with James Hedgcock. In 2019, After setting a Canadian record in the 200 m qualifier, Bibic held all u-17 Canadian men’s records with the exception of the 500 m. Bibic began riding with his father on the road, but once he started riding the track at Milton, he was hooked.
The same goes for Carson Mattern. “I had ridden track at the Forest City Velodrome,” he explains. “For me, track cycling was a natural evolution. When the UCI World Cup came to Milton, I was super inspired.”
Both Bibic and Mattern were happy to be home racing in Milton after a very successful junior track worlds, where they both snagged rainbow jerseys.
“It’s interesting, it was serene at the worlds, doing what you needed to do because I didn’t know anyone,” Mattern says. “But it’s great to be back here, so cool to see everyone in the heart of Canadian cycling.
Canadian records
Mattern broke the Canadian junior pursuit record in the morning session when he beat Bibic in the qualifiers. He held a very low position and he credits Scott Kelly and the lockdown for the adjustments. “That’s the result of two years of lockdown. I had time to mess around with my position, film it and so on.”
Bibic heads into u-23 next year after an incredible year as a last-year junior. .It was his most successful year yet, having won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Junior Track World Championships in Cairo, Egypt earlier this summer.
Mattern still has a year left as a junior, so he’ll be able to show off his rainbow jersey for another season.
