Positive signs for Team Canada men’s team pursuit squad despite Milton crash
Young squad looking towards continued improvement heading fr 2018 worlds and Commonwealth Games
The Canadian squad of Michael Foley, Jay Lamoureux, Derek Gee, and Adam Jamieson had a medal sealed after setting a Canadian record earlier in the day but the gold medal was on the line when they lined up against New Zealand in the evening on Sunday.
With things looking strong in the final 1,000 m of the final, they hit a major snag when Michael Foley hit the deck. The crash happened so quick and the three remaining riders were able to still ride composed to the line finishing just under one second behind the Kiwis.
Despite the disappointment, the team can take a lot away from their performance in Milton.
“The Canadian record was pretty exciting and I think we would have broken it again there in the final. Definitely a lot of disappointment I think it could also be really positive,” Jamieson said. “I mean, it’s hard to feel right now but we were on pace to break 4:58 and that’s huge. It’s looking so great for our build up to the Olympics.”
Jamieson is the most experienced member of the team now in his fourth World Cup season. In the corner where the crash took place, he was on the inside line and was destabilized slowing up and overlapping wheels with Foley.
“I was coming around the corner, Derek was in front of me getting ready to exchange and I dipped down a little too far. I pedaled over one of the foam pads at the bottom of the track that you have to stay above and it jogged my back wheel up the track a little bit.” Jamieson said describing the crash.
“I turned down and hit a bunch of the foam pads and my elbow popped off one of the bars. I decelerated a little bit and Foley ran into the back of me.”
The team recovered from the crash to still finish in a respectable time. “Somehow we managed to get it back together and come out with a 3:59. The energy here is absolutely electric, and it fuels the riders in a way we don’t see overseas,” said Lamoureux. “As we were riding around the track we could feel a wave of sound; it was absolutely spectacular.”
Jamieson struck a similar note focusing on the positive. “Leaving this anything but positive would be a mistake. We’ve got depth now and all these really, really strong riders and I’m excited for the future of this team,” Jamieson said.
The team now looks towards the world championships and Commonwealth Games. “I feel the results here will help re-energize our program as we set our sights on the world championships in Apeldoorn, at the end of February,” said Jacques Landry, chief technical officer for Cycling Canada.
