Cycling Canada releases lineup for track cycling world championships

On Thursday Cycling Canada announced a 13-rider squad for the upcoming UCI track cycling world championships in Pruszków, Poland, February 27 to March 3. Team Canada will contest ten events in Poland.

Kris Westwood, Cycling Canada’s High Performance Director, says, “The 2019 Track Worlds in Pruszkow will give us our first real idea of where we stand internationally as we ramp up for Tokyo 2020. This will be the first time since the Rio Olympics that each nation comes to the line with part or all of their A squad at the same event. Given our performances at our targeted World Cups, we’re confident we’ll be in the mix.”

Both men’s and women’s team pursuit squads are off to the Worlds. Each took two medals in this year’s World Cup, with the women’s side placing fifth place overall. Aiden Caves, Michael Foley, Derek Gee, Adam Jamieson and Jay Lamoureux will ride the boards for the men and Allison Beveridge, Ariane Bonhomme, Annie Foreman-Mackey, Kinley Gibson and Georgia Simmerling make up the women’s team.

The two best 2018-2019 World Cup overall performances were Beveridge’s second place in the omnium to the Netherlands’ Kirstin Wild, and Hugo Barrette’s silver in the keirin. Both riders will be looking for medals in Poland in those disciplines. Like Barrette, Joel Archabault will race both the keirin and the individual sprint.

Besides World Cup medals in the two team pursuits, the women’s omnium and the men’s keirin, Canadian duo Beveridge and Stephanie Roorda earned a madison bronze in the Milton round. In Poland, Beveridge will be paired with Gibson for the hand-slinging.

Lauriane Genest will be Canada’s sole entrant in women’s sprint events, taking on the individual sprint and keirin.

Derek Gee was the only Canadian to race in the first World Cup of the season in France. He was eighth in the omnium there and will face the four-event again contest in Poland.

Last year in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, Jasmin Duehring earned Team Canada’s only medal, a bronze in the points race. The Netherlands team ruled at home, with 12 medals to second place Germany’s six.

Team Canada for Pruszków, Poland world championships

Women’s Endurance
Allison Beveridge – Calgary, AB [Team Pursuit, Omnium, Madison]

Ariane Bonhomme – Gatineau, QC [Team Pursuit]

Annie Foreman-Mackey – Kingston, ON [Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit]

Kinley Gibson – Edmonton, AB [Team Pursuit, Madison]

Georgia Simmerling – Vancouver, BC [Team Pursuit]

Women’s Sprint
Lauriane Genest – Levis, QC [Sprint, Keirin]

Men’s Endurance
Aidan Caves – Vancouver, BC [Team Pursuit]

Michael Foley – Milton, ON [Team Pursuit]

Derek Gee – Ottawa, ON [Team Pursuit, Omnium]

Adam Jamieson – Barrie, ON [Team Pursuit]

Jay Lamoureux – Victoria, BC [Team Pursuit]

Men’s Sprint
Joel Archambault – Ste-Christine, QC [Sprint, Keirin]

Hugo Barrette – Iles-de-la-Madeleine, QC [Sprint, Keirin]