Know the Canadians competing at the 2017 UCI track cycling World Cup in Milton

Over the weekend, a full roster of Canadians will compete at the Mattamy National Cycling Center in the inaugural UCI track cycling World Cup Milton. Top athletes from around the world will contest the sprint and endurance events on the boards of the facility opened ahead of the Pan Am Games in 2015. While some of the world’s best have come to compete in Milton, the eyes of friends, family and the crowd will be on the 16 Canadians who are lining up. They are sure to hear the loudest cheers as they take to the boards on home soil.

Here’s a little bit about each of the 16 Canadians competing over the weekend and what they had to say ahead of the racing in Milton:

Women’s endurance

Allison Beveridge – Calgary, Alta. [Team Pursuit, Omnium]

The 2017 Canadian national road race champion is also an Olympic medalist in the women’s team pursuit from the Rio Olympics.

“The change in the omnium format makes it’s a lot more tactical.”

Ariane Bonhomme – Gatineau, Que. [Team Pursuit]

Multiple time under-23 Canadian road champion has been making strides on the track. She was part of the gold medal winning team at the 2016 Pan American Track Championships and the silver medal squad at the 2017 UCI World Cup Pruszków.

Jasmin Duehring – Vancouver [Points Race, Madison]

Part of the Rio and London Olympic bronze medal winning women’s team pursuit squad, Duerhring has a considerable amount of international experience under he belt.

Annie Foreman-Mackey – Kingston, Ont. [Team Pursuit]

The 2016 Canadian road race champion earned bronze in the individual pursuit at the 2016 track world championships and was a member of the team that won silver in Pruszków.

Kinley Gibson – Edmonton [Team Pursuit]

An accomplished junior track racer, Gibson has been progressing and taking a more prominent role on the team at international competitions. Like Bonhomme she raced for gold at the Pan Am track championships and was on the silver winning team from the first round of the World Cup in Poland.

“I’m really excited. it’ll be fun racing in front of friends and family. People who usually don’t get to see us race on the track will be here.”

Kirsti Lay – Calgary [Team Pursuit]

In 2017, Lay’s focus turned to the road after success on the track in Rio. A two-time world champion team pursuit medalist, Lay is back on the boards for the World Cup in Milton.

“I said someone it feels like everyone is coming to our house and we have to clean. It’s really cool because it’s so familiar to us.”

Steph Roorda – Vancouver [Team Pursuit, Madison]
Roorda has three world cup medals to her name dating back to 2014. Her most recent medal was in the scratch race in 2016.

Men’s endurance

Aidan Caves – Vancouver [Omnium]

The eldest member of Canada’s young endurance squad at only 22-years-old, Caves palmares includes four Pan Am track cycling championships medals from 2015 and 2016. He was part of the team that won gold at the World Cup in Apeldoorn in 2016.

Michael Foley – Milton, Ont. [Team Pursuit]

An earlier member of the High Performance Youth Program before the Mattamy National Cycling Centre when it opened in 2015, Foley is a native of the host city and the youngester is sure to be looking to make an impression.

Derek Gee – Ottawa [Team Pursuit]

Two gold medals at the Pan Am track championships in 2016 showed Gee has potential to be a key member of the men’s team pursuit squad for 2020.

Adam Jamieson – Barrie, Ont.  [Team Pursuit]

Another member of the Alpeldoorn gold medal winning team, Jamieson raced on the road in Europe for An Post-Chain Reaction in 2017.

Jay Lamoureux – Victoria [Team Pursuit]

A World Cup gold medal earned in Alperdoorn and another of the young men who make up a promising team pursuit squad developing into an Olympic hopefuls for Tokyo.

Bayley Simpson – Lindsay, Ont.  [Team Pursuit]

Only 19-years-old but developing into a rider that looks to be part of the squad working towards earning a spot in Tokyo for 2020. Successes in Apeldoorn was the first major step and Milton will be a good indicator where the team is heading into 2018.

Sprint team

Hugo Barrette – Iles de la Madeleine, Que. [Sprint, Keirin]

A devastating injury in 2015 ahead of the World Cup in Cali, Barrette returned to competition just 81 days later in time to win a round of the World Cup and qualify for the Rio Olympics in the Keirin.

“I never thought it would happen that we have a World Cup in Canada. We are going to show the world what we got. We have really good vibes right now in Canada.”

Tegan Cochrane – Kelowna, B.C. [Team Sprint]

A promising hockey career came to an end because of two torn ACL injuries. She makes her World Cup debut in Milton alongside Amelia Walsh in the team sprint.

Amelia Walsh – Ayr, Ont. [Team Sprint, Sprint, Keirin]

Formerly a BMX specialist, Walsh won two Canadian titles in the discipline before coming over to the board where her explosive power could be used.