(Aylmer, QC – June 29, 2016) On Wednesday, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Cycling Canada named the 19 athletes nominated to represent Team Canada in all cycling disciplines at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games from August 5 to 21.
Among the elite group of cyclists nominated are Olympic medallists Tara Whitten and Jasmin Glaesser as well as returning London 2012 team members Catharine Pendrel, Emily Batty, Laura Brown, Tory Nyhaug and Monique Sullivan. The team also includes Georgia Simmerling, who competed in alpine skiing at Vancouver 2010 and ski cross at Sochi 2014. She looks to become the first Canadian athlete to compete in a different sport at each of three Olympic Games.
The team is coached by Craig Griffin (track – endurance), Erin Hartwell (track – sprint), Adam Muys (BMX), Denise Kelly (road – women), Pierre-Henri Sauze (BMX) and Dan Proulx (mountain bike), all of whom are overseen by High Performance Director and Head Coach, Jacques Landry and High Performance Manager, Kris Westwood.
The athletes earned their spots as part of a two-year qualification process during which their accumulated ranking points qualified Canada for the Games in each discipline. After an extensive review of international performances, physiological data analysis and other determining factors, the High Performance Committee selected the nominated athletes to compete at the Games.
All of the Canadian cyclists will participate in various pre-Games preparation camps and competitions. These include the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne (QC), a Track Olympic training camp in Milton (ON), a BMX Canada Cup race in Toronto (ON), and various races for the road cyclists.
The Rio 2016 cycling competitions will take place at various venues. Road cycling will be held on August 6 and 7 at Fort Copacabana and August 10 in Pontal. Track cycling events will be held at the Rio Olympic Velodrome, August 11-15. The BMX competition will take place at the Olympic BMX Centre, August 17-19, followed by the mountain bike races August 20-21 at the Mountain Bike Centre.
At Rio 2016, Canada expects to field a team of more than 315 athletes.
Cycling Canada is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. Founded in 1882, Cycling Canada aims to create and sustain an effective system that develops talented Canadian cyclists to achieve Olympic, Paralympic, and World Championship medal performances. With the vision of being a leading competitive cycling nation by 2020 celebrating enhanced international success, increased national participation and world class event hosting, Cycling Canada manages the High-Performance team, hosts national and international events and administers community programs to promote Cycling in Canada.
QUOTES
“I am very excited to participate in the biggest cycling event in the world. It is an honour for me to wear the Canadian colours for both the road race and the time trial. I accomplished my first goal of the 2016 season: to qualify for the Olympics. Now, the attention turns towards the final preparations to arrive in Rio at my peak.”
Hugo Houle, 2015 Pan American Games Time Trial Champion, Road Cycling
“I am really excited to represent Canada for a third time at the Olympic Games. I am always proud to wear the maple leaf and will do my best to put it on the podium where it belongs. We have an incredibly strong and cohesive team headed to Rio. I know we will all give our best and make Canada proud!”
Catharine Pendrel, Two-Time World Champion, Mountain Bike
“We have proven ourselves to be contenders for the top step of the podium at every competition we have attended since London 2012 and I fully expect us to be ready to challenge for the gold in Rio. Though most will only see the four riders on the start line, this team and our ultimate performance will be a testament to the relentless dedication on the part of our staff and partners that have worked tirelessly to provide us with all the tools and resources necessary to pursue our goals. I couldn’t be more proud to work with such a phenomenal team on and off the bike and it’s because of you that we will be able to take to the boards in Rio confident, knowing that our best is yet to come.”
Jasmin Glaesser, Olympic Bronze Medallist, Track Cycling
“Cycling is obviously a sport that is close to my heart. We are incredibly lucky to have medal potential across the board. This group has a wide range of experienced athletes – some that have stood on the podium at every level in international events. Congratulations to everyone involved that has made it possible for us to be here today. We are looking forward to cheering you on.”
Curt Harnett, Rio 2016 Team Canada Chef de Mission
“I’m very proud of what our athletes, coaches and staff have achieved in securing the highest number of Olympic quota spots for cycling in recent years. Thanks to our more centralized programs, where we’ve been able to optimize our daily training environments, I am confident that we have the systems and processes in place that will put our cyclists in the best possible position to generate top Olympic performances.”
Jacques Landry, High Performance Director and Head Coach
“Cycling Canada has done a phenomenal job of preparing our athletes to compete for Team Canada and to push for the podium in all four cycling disciplines in Rio. On behalf of the Government of Canada, congratulations to our cyclistsnamed today to represent our country and good luck this summer at the Olympic Games.”
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
The cycling team which will represent Canada at Rio 2016 includes:
ATHLETES
Hugo Barrette (Îles de la Madeleine, QC) Track Cycling
Emily Batty (Brooklin, ON) Mountain Bike
Allison Beveridge (Calgary, AB) Track Cycling
Léandre Bouchard (Alma, QC) Mountain Bike
Laura Brown (Vancouver, BC) Track Cycling
Karol-Ann Canuel (Gatineau, QC) Road Cycling
Antoine Duchesne (Chicoutimi, QC) Road Cycling
Raphaël Gagné (Québec City, QC) Mountain Bike
Jasmin Glaesser (Vancouver, BC) Track Cycling
Hugo Houle (Ste-Perpétue, QC) Road Cycling
Leah Kirchmann (Winnipeg, MB) Road Cycling
Kirsti Lay (Montreal, QC) Track Cycling
Tory Nyhaug (Coquitlam, BC) BMX
Kate O’Brien (Calgary, AB) Track Cycling
Catharine Pendrel (Kamloops, BC) Mountain Bike
Georgia Simmerling (West Vancouver, BC) Track Cycling
Monique Sullivan (Calgary, AB) Track Cycling
Tara Whitten (Calgary, AB) Road Cycling
Mike Woods (Ottawa, ON) Road Cycling
COACHES
Track, Endurance: Craig Griffin (Milton, ON)
Track, Sprint: Erin Hartwell (Hamilton, ON)
Road, Women:Denise Kelly (Smithers, BC)
Head Coach: Jacques Landry (Ottawa, ON)
BMX: Adam Muys (Maple Ridge, BC)
Mountain Bike:Dan Proulx (Victoria, BC)
BMX: Pierre-Henri Sauze (Cavaillon, France)
Team Leader: Kris Westwood (Ottawa, ON)
Prior to being named to the final Canadian Rio 2016 Team, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Federations.
