News

Two Silver for Canada in Columbia

December 6, 2011

CALI, Colombia – (December 4, 2011) Canada’s track cycling team concluded the second of four events of the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Cali, Colombia, winning two silver medals in the Omnium. Defending World Cup Champions Zach Bell and Tara Whitten rode in fine form as they opened their World Cup season.

Bell from North Vancouver, BC, finished second of the Omnium events while posting three personal bests in the timed events. In the opening flying lap, he recorded the second fastest time with a personal best of 13.155 seconds. He finished the points race in tenth place with 20 points, despite a crash. In the elimination race, Bell placed seventh to sit in fourth on the overall standings midway through the competition.

On day two, Bell rolled up his sleeve and went to work. He posted the sixth fastest time and personal best of 4:27.686 in the individual pursuit. He then finished fifth in the scratch race, and ended the competition with a third place in the kilo, while posting a personal best of 1:03.805.

“Coming in to the race, I was apprehensive about my condition because it's been over seven months since my last competition on the track. I was pleasantly surprised to have achieved personal bests in all three timed events, considering that we have not focused a lot on the top-end training,” said Zach Bell. “Thanks again for all the support from everyone back home in Canada - from all the back-room staff/people to the great support team I have with me on the road.”

After two events, Bell sits in fifth place on the overall World Cup leader board.

In the men’s team sprint Travis Smith of Calgary, AB, Joseph Veloce of Fonthill, Ont. and Hugo Barrette of Cap-Aux-Meules, Qué., posted 44.867 seconds to establish a new Canadian record and take ninth place in the event.

In the men’s sprint event, Smith was the fastest Canadian with a 10.214 seconds and the eight fastest time, enough to qualify for the next round. Unfortunately, in the opening elimination race he lost his duel against Polish rider Damian Zielinski and finished the day in 13th place. Teammate Hugo Barrette raced the qualifying round, and placed 18th.

Smith also competed in the men’s kerin race placing second to Trinidad’s Njisane Phillip in his initial race which moved him to the repêchage round. In the repêchage, he also came in second, this time to French rider Francois Pervis to end his day of the kerin competition.

Women's Races

In the women’s Omnium, two-time defending World Champion and current World Cup Champion Tara Whitten of Edmonton, AB imitated her teammate and also took the silver medal and now sits fourth on the international UCI World Cup standings after her first competition of the season.

Whitten finished third in the flying lap (14.455 seconds) to start the competition, and went on to win the points race. She placed second in the elimination race to strengthen her place in the standings after the first day of competition.

Whitten opened up the second day on a high note, winning the individual pursuit posting a 3:30.222, but lost some ground in the overall ranking following a 14th place finish in the scratch race. With only the time trial left, Whitten clocked a 36.278 to secure the silver medal.

Racing in the women’s sprint event, Monique Sullivan of Calgary, AB, placed 10th of the qualifying rounds with a time of 11.312 seconds. She went on to win her first elimination race against Korean Hyejin Lee to move to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Kristina Voguel of Germany. In the final to determine 5th-8th place, Sullivan finished second and took the sixth position, collecting precious Olympic qualifying points.

Young rising star Jasmin Glaesser of Coquitlam, BC, placed 13th in the women’s individual pursuit, clocking a 3:44.044. Glaesser also rode in the women’s scratch race, placing a respectable 15th position.

The Canadian track cycling will now travel to Los Angeles, California, where they will continue their training for the upcoming two World Cup events and to pursue their preparations for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. The next UCI World Cup event will be held from January13-15, in Beijing, China.

John Vander Sluis Recognized as a Safe Routes to School Champion: John Vander Sluis of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington received national recognition from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) for his strategic thinking and efforts to advance Safe Routes to School policies and programming in South...
Superior Morgul Classic Partnership with Pro Challenge Will Foster Next Level of Pro Riders: The 2012 Superior Morgul Classic, the largest amateur race in Colorado, has teamed up with the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, one of the largest professional cycling races in the United States. The partnership, which features special Pro Challenge...
ONE, Alleycat Acres Hold Bike Ride to Raise Awareness of the Poverty-Fighting Power of Agriculture in Africa: Seattle, Wash. – ONE, an advocacy organization with more than 44,000 members in Washington dedicated to poverty-reduction in Africa, is joining with Alleycat Acres, an urban farming collective with three locations in Seattle, to plan the “Streets...
Bicycle Alliance of Washington to Host Open House Thursday, March 1: Join us in celebrating our new office location in Pioneer Square. It's a party! It's a celebration! It's First Thursday Art Walk - rolled into one! Our final First Thursday gathering of 2011 will be a party for Bicycle Alliance members to...