Cycling BC is proud to announce the recipient of the Trudy and Doug Peden Charitable Foundation Women in Sports Award (Spring 2026).
Cycling BC was delighted to announce earlier this year that the Trudy and Doug Peden Charitable Foundation has renewed its generous commitment to support women in cycling in 2026 by increasing its contribution, allowing Cycling BC to support multiple award recipients. This continued commitment to female student-athletes across BC reflects the foundation’s dedication to creating pathways for women to thrive in sport and in school.
For student-athletes competing at a high level in cycling while pursuing their post-secondary education, this award offers financial relief that allows them to keep pedalling forward.
Cycling BC congratulates Eleanor (Ellie) Mae Winchell on being selected for the Trudy and Doug Peden Women in Sports Award for the Spring 2026 intake.
Ellie had a remarkable season on the bike across multiple disciplines in 2025, earning several Top 10 finishes in National and International events, a silver medal at the BC Cyclocross Provincials, and claiming the Junior Women’s BC Provincial Championship title in the Road Race, Time Trial, and Criterium.
Ellie represented Team BC in both road and mountain bike disciplines at the 2025 Canada Summer Games, earning a bronze medal for BC in Cross-country Mountain Bike (Short-track) – a testament to her breadth of talent on the bike.
Off the bike, Ellie is committed to growing the sport and has spent the past year volunteering as a coach and ride leader for her high school’s mountain bike club, where she created a welcoming space for young female riders who might have felt intimidated riding in large groups.
“Riding with a big group of teenage boys can be overwhelming for a lot of girls,” said Ellie. “So I led and organized a group of girls and created a space for them where they could come out, explore new trails and learn new skills.”
Ellie has also served as a Ride Like a Girl ambassador for three years and in that time has organized and led pre-rides for fellow Ride Like a Girl athletes at local races and at the XCO National Championships held in Langford, BC, in 2025.
In the classroom, Ellie is studying Civil Engineering at the University of Victoria, doing her best to balance the demands of full-time school with an equally demanding training and competition schedule, all while working two part-time jobs.
“I am super grateful to be receiving the Trudy and Doug Peden Award this year,” continued Ellie. “The award will help me pursue my cycling and academic goals while continuing to give back to my community.”
Cycling BC extends its gratitude to the Trudy and Doug Peden Foundation for their continued partnership. Their generosity is directly enabling the next generation of BC’s female cyclists to chase their ambitions without having to choose between their sport and their education.
Congratulations, Ellie!
Applications Still Open – Fall 2026 Intake
Cycling BC invites aspiring female athletes who are currently pursuing their post-secondary education to apply for the 2026 awards ($3,000 per recipient).
HOW TO APPLY:
If you are a female athlete who would like to be considered for the award, we encourage you to complete the online application form by September 15, 2026, for the Fall intake. If you submitted an application for the Spring 2026 intake, it will be considered for the September intake as well.
About the donor(s):
Born in Victoria, Doug Peden was an all-around athlete and excelled in track, swimming, tennis, rugby, baseball, basketball and cycling. In cycling, Peden won the BC one mile championship in 1934. He reached international prominence as a racing partner to his older brother William ‘Torchy’ Peden, the world six-day-bike racing champion. From 1936-40, on the board tracks of Toronto, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, New York, and beyond, he and Torchy won 32 of 38 team races for a record unmatched in the sport. In 1939, he won the Canadian professional sprint championship.
Amongst many other notable achievements, Doug was part of the Canadian Olympic Basketball Team which won the silver medal at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. Doug was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1979 and is considered, with Lionel Conacher, to be one of the top two athletes of the half-century as named in 1950.
Doug passed away on April 11, 2005. His spouse Trudy believed that the purpose of the Foundation shall be to support female athletes in financial need desiring to advance their post-secondary education and athletic endeavours.