15 of Canada’s top riders heading to the 2016 UCI track cycling world championships in London

When the 2016 UCI track cycling world championships get off to a searing, board-rattling start in London, England, fifteen of Canada’s top riders will be bearing their country’s standards, Cycling Canada has announced. Nine women and six men will compete at the Lee Valley Velodrome, vying for critical qualifying points at the Rio Olympic Games this summer.

The London track championships, happening between March 2 and 6, represent the final such opportunity to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics. And with those 15 riders at the start line, Canada is ready.

With seven medals under the Canadian squad’s helmets, as well as a World Cup title win in women’s team pursuit, Canada is coming off a particularly impressive season, putting the team in a strong position to contend in London. Track disciplines that have seen Canadian athletes perform at an especially elite level have been not just the women’s team pursuit, but the women’s omnium, women’s points race ,women’s team sprint, women’s keirin and men’s keirin. Looking ahead to Rio 2016, officials with the Canadian squad see London as a staging ground for what’s to come.

“As the Olympic Games are quickly approaching,” said Jacques Landry, Cycling Canada’s high performance director, “the track world championships in London become a critical step in testing all of our systems. In essence, these track worlds, that will be held 160 days prior to the Olympic track events in Rio, are our ultimate dress rehearsal.”

In terms of focusing those efforts, the greatest concentration has been in bolstering the ranks of the women’s endurance team, with seven riders slated to compete in the team pursuit, omnium, points race, scratch race and individual pursuit events. “Initially the team was to be six of the seven [on the short list],” Landry explained, “however, over the course of the last training phase, our riders and staff all fell prey to different degrees of the flu.” Instead of picking six riders, he said, considering the difficulty in doing so while athletes are on the mend, it was decided to send all seven to London. Once there, the final determination of who will be competing in which event will be decided.

“It is hoped that once on the boards at the Lee Valley Velodrome,” Landry said, “more evidence will become available to determine the best possible starters.”

The competing ranks of the men’s endurance team will be similarly decided on site. The women’s sprint team, however, will consist of two of Canada’s most powerful track riders, Monique Sullivan and Kate O’Brien. Both athletes will compete in the team sprint, sprint and keirin, while Hugo Barrette—as Canada’s sole male sprinter—will compete in the keirin and the sprint on the men’s side.

“I am looking forward to seeing our top track riders going up against the world’s best in London,” Landry added, looking ahead to when rubber meets the boards in March. “I am confident in our riders’ capacity to take on the world and reach new heights next month, as these athletes have been working hard for this, and have the full support and leadership from our international level coaches and dedicated and professional staff.”

WOMEN’S ENDURANCE (TEAM PURSUIT, OMNIUM, POINTS RACE, SCRATCH RACE AND INDIVIDUAL PURSUIT)
Allison Beveridge (Calgary, AB)
Laura Brown (Calgary, AB)
Annie Foreman-Mackey (Kingston, ON)
Jasmin Glaesser (Coquitlam, BC)
Kirsti Lay (Montreal, QC)
Steph Roorda (Vancouver, BC)
Georgia Simmerling (Vancouver, BC)

WOMEN’S SPRINT (TEAM SPRINT, SPRINT AND KEIRIN)
Kate O’Brien (Calgary, AB)
Monique Sullivan (Calgary, AB)

MEN’S ENDURANCE (TEAM PURSUIT, INDIVIDUAL PURSUIT)
Aidan Caves (Vancouver, BC)
Adam Jamieson (Barrie, ON)
Sean Mackinnon (Hamilton, ON)
Rémi Pelletier-Roy (Longueuil, QC)
Ed Veal (Queensville, ON)

MEN’S SPRINT (SPRINT, KEIRIN)
Hugo Barrette (Îles de la Madeleine, QC)