Canada is sending a strong women’s squad to the opening round of the 2017-18 Track World Cup in Pruszkow, Poland, as the national team begins its build-up to the Milton World Cup and the world championships.
Maggie Coles-Lyster of Maple Ridge, BC, will join Annie Foreman-Mackey (Kingston, ON), Ariane Bonhomme (Gatineau, QC), Kinley Gibson (Edmonton, AB) and Allison Beveridge (Calgary, AB) in Pruszkow, Poland, for Round 1 of the UCI Track World Cup, on Nov. 4-5. Beveridge and Foreman-Mackey are members of Canada’s elite women’s track endurance program, while Gibson and Bonhomme have moved up from the NextGen program. Coles-Lyster has just moved into the elite ranks after becoming the Junior Points Race world champion earlier this year.
Coles-Lyster will act as an alternate to the other four riders for the Team Pursuit, as well as competing in the Points Race. Beveridge will compete in the Scratch Race and the Madison with Gibson, while Foreman-Mackey will race in the Individual Pursuit.
“As we have one more season before the Olympic qualification period starts, we want to be able to fire on all cylinders come October 2018, so it is important to continue giving development opportunities this season to riders that we feel are up for it,” said Jacques Landry, Chief Technical Officer and Head Coach at Cycling Canada.
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 programs to promote and grow cycling across the country. Cycling Canada programs are made possible through the support of its valued corporate partners – Global Relay, Lexus Canada, Mattamy Homes, Louis Garneau and Bear Mountain Resort – along with the Government of Canada, Own The Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.