Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin lands last minute gig with WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling

Coming off a difficult season which was interrupted by injury, Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin has landed a ride with British UCI team WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling for 2018. The 24-year-old native of Quebec City spent two seasons racing for Cervélo-Bigla Pro Cycling in 2016 and 2017.

Pilote-Fortin was 2015 under-23 Canadian road champion and won the 2016 Grand Prix Oberbaselbiet in the colours of Cervélo-Bigla. Pilote-Fortin also supported world-class riders like Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Lotta Lepistö at major season targets. A year ago, Pilote-Fortin was seriously injured at the Classique Pajot Hills in France. She suffered fractures in her face and a serious concussion but was able to return to competition during the summer.

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“in dreams begin responsibilities” these are the words I live by, so much I’ve got them tattooed on my skin. Speaking of! I’m super happy to announce my 1000th change of plans for 2018? initially i had planned to step back a little bit and built up back confidence with racing in the US for the first few months of the season, but I couldn’t turn down this new opportunity that came up to race with the @wnt_rotor pro cycling team! I am very proud to be representing the team and to race with familiar and totally new faces! I am grateful for them to welcome me with wide open arms and also super blessed to have such an amazing village behind me believing and supporting me! it’s been a year today since my crash and it took a very long time to get back to my ideal level. big shoutout to @thek2, @paulo.saldanha and @powerwatts, @powerwattsquebec, @velo_classic, @suzannepilote, @rayfort14, @lisdana and everyone else that played a huge role in my road to recovery. Will be kicking off the season soon/ tomorrow at @dwarsdoorvlaanderenofficial got to enjoy some time off in the Alps a week ago (favourite place on earth) training and getting everything dialed for this year’s race season, the snow isn’t to different from my usual now is it? ?❄️ #turbolife, quote by Williams Yeats

A post shared by Gabrielle Pilote Fortin (@gabpilote) on Mar 27, 2018 at 3:28am PDT

“Initially I had planned to step back a little bit and built up back confidence with racing in the U.S. for the first few months of the season,” Pilote-Fortin wrote in an Instagram post announcing she’d be joining WTN-Rotor. “But I couldn’t turn down this new opportunity that came up to race with the WTN-Rotor pro cycling team!”

Pilote-Fortin raced her first event in the ranks of the team at Dwars Door Vlaanderen on Wednesday finishing the spring classic that was raced in cold and rainy conditions.