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Double GOLD for Canada @ 2015 Pan Am Games Track Day 1 – Report, Results, Photos

by pedalmag.com
Sullivan and OBrien celebrate Women's Team Sprint gold  ©  Ivan Rupes
July 16, 2015 (Milton, ON) – Following the break Session 2 began with the Men’s Team Sprint finals. In the battle for the bronze Brazil finished their day off  besting Colombia by about 3/10s of a second. In the gold medal match it was Canada vs Venezuela. The pressure was really on the home team even though they had qualified first as Canada has never beaten Venezuela in the men’s team sprint before.

Canadian Men's Team Pursuit  ©  Ivan Rupes

Right off the gun it looked like the Canucks were in trouble as Evan Carey’s rear wheel lifted of the ground and he spun this bike off course. The gun sounded quickly again and the two teams rolled back to the line for a restart once Carey’s bike was thoroughly checked by the team mechanic.

Evan Carey  ©  Peter Kraiker

The second time worked like a charm for Team Canada as Carey’s start went smooth as Joe Veloce picked up the momentum, and Hugo Barrette brought them home almost a full second ahead of the Venezuelans.

Joe Veloce celebrates with his family  ©  Peter Kraiker
The crowd roared as he crossed the line for Canada’s first gold on the track at the Games. It was also the men’s second Games record as they beat their time from the morning session by 1/1000th of a second.

Barrette and Mom  ©  Peter Kraiker
While talking with Barrette after the race about how the crowd effected his performance, he had this to say, “I had goose bumps on the last lap when I heard the crowd. It was the best performance of my life.”

Canadian Men's Team Pursuit celebrate gold  ©  Ivan Rupes

In the women’s Team Pursuit 1st Round, both favourites Canada and the US easily caught their competition by the midway point to advance to the finals. Pedal asked Team Pursuit member Alison Beveridge what she thought the winning time would be in Thurday’s final and she laughed saying, “It’s going to be fast”.

Canadian Women's Team Pursuit  ©  Peter Kraiker

Beveridge has huge respect for Sara Hammer and the other US riders and knows that Team Canada will have to be at their best in the final if they want to bring home the gold agains the Americans.

Monique Sullivan  ©  Ivan Rupes
In the Women’s Team Sprint it was Colombia beating out Mexico for the bronze as Canada’s Monique Sullivan and Kate O’Brien were up next against the Cubans for the gold.

Sullivan and O'Brien celebrate  ©  Ivan Rupes
O’Brien had an excellent start powering out of the gate while Sullivan seemed to struggle at the beginning but turned on the jets as the duo matched their male counterparts to deliver Canada’s second gold for a Team Sprint sweep.

Canadian Pan Am hug  ©  Ivan Rupes
Obrien and Sullivan with Helmet for Heroes  ©  Peter Kraiker
This was a special day for Sullivan as many of her family members including her grandmother and parent were there to cheer her on.

Sullivan waves to her family in the stands  ©  Peter Kraiker
Sullivan's Grandmother with Mom and Dad  ©  Peter Kraiker

The final race of the evening was the men’s Omnium Elimination and Canada’s Remi Pelletier-Roy went to the front as the pace was quick from the start. Shortly after the first rider was eliminated there was a loud bang in the finishing straight as Brazil’s Gideoni Rodrigues Monterio crashed hard but was up right away.

Elimination action  ©  Ivan Rupes

The race was neutralized until his bike was checked over and he was back in the race. Not long after the restart, Pelletier-Roy found himself at the back of the pack and out of the race as Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria Rendon, the reigning world Omnium champ, took the win followed by Monterio, who had gone down after the start.

Pelletier Roy as the Elimination gets going again following the crash  ©  Peter Kraiker

It seemed that the early crash might have neutralized Pelletier-Roy race strategy of riding at the front but as he put it, “I just didn’t have the legs. I can usually hold the front for 10-15 laps but after two I was hurting.” The Canuck now sits in 5th place overall in the Omnium standings with three events to come.

Pelletier-Roy at the back in the Elimination race - not his day  ©  Peter Kraiker

On Day 2 the action starts at 11am on Friday. On tap is the men’s Omnium with medals to be awarded, the men’s Sprint qualifications and the opening match Sprint rounds, the women’s Team Pursuit finals and women’s Keirin (qualifying and finals) – results below

Results

Session 1 results here.

Men’s Team Sprint Final

1. Canada 44.241
Hugo Barrette
Evan Carey
Joseph Veloce

2. Venezuela 45.087
Hersony Canelon Vera
Cesar Marcano Sanchez
Angel Pulgar Araujo

3. Brazil 44.769
Flavio Vagner Cipriano
Frietas K. Fonseca Da Silva
Hugo Vasconcellos Osteti

4. Colombia 45.054
Anderson Parra Cortez
Fabian H. Puerta Zapata
Santiago Ramirez Morales

Women’s Team Pursuit 1st Round

1. United States Q
Jennifer Valente
Sarah Hammer
Kelly Catlin
Lauren Tamayo

2. Canada Q
Allison Beveridge
Laura Brown
Jasmin Glaesser
Kirsti Lay

3. Mexico 04:36.2
Sofia Arreola
Ingrid Drexel
Mayra Rocha
Lizbeth Salazar

4. Colombia 04:38.3
Maria Luisa Calle Williams
Yeny L. Colmenares Colmenares
Jannie Milena Salcedo Zambrano
Camila Andrea Valbuena Roa

5. Cuba 04:40.4
Yoanka Gonzalez
Yumari Gonzalez
Arlenis Sierra
Yeima Torres

6. Venezuela 04:42.7
Jennifer Cesar Salazar
Zuralmy Rivas Molina
Leidimar Suarez Medina
Gleydimar Tapia Romero

7. Chile 04:42.8
Denisse Ahumada
Daniela Guajardo
Valentina Monsalve
Flor Palma

8. Guatemala 05:04.6
Emelyn Galicia Ramirez
Cynthia Lee Lopez
Jasmin Soto Lopez
Joanne Rodriguez Hacohen

Women’s Team Sprint Final

1. Canada 33.959
Kate O’Brien
Monique Sullivan

2. Cuba 34.813
Lisandra Guerra
Marlies Mejias

3. Colombia 34.663
Diana Maria Garcia Orrego
Juliana Gaviria Rendon

4. Mexico 35.254
Frany Fong
Luz Gaxiola

Men’s Omnium Elimination

1. Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Colombia)
2. Gideoni Rodrigues Monteiro (Brazil)
3. Ignacio Prado (Mexico)
4. Enrique Diaz Cedeno (Venezuela)
5. Varun Maharajh (Trinidad and Tobago)
6. Jose Ragonessi Guzman (Ecuador)
7. Cristopher Mansilla (Chile)
8. Mauro Richeze (Argentina)
9. Remi Pelletier-Roy (Canada)
10. Eduardo Colon Ortiz (Puerto Rico)
11. Alfredo Ajpacaja Tax (Guatemala)

Men’s Omnium Standings after 3 events

1. Gideoni Rodrigues Monteiro (Brazil) 114 pts
2. Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Colombia) 104
3. Jose Ragonessi Guzman (Ecuador) 100
4. Ignacio Prado (Mexico) 100
5. Remi Pelletier-Roy (Canada) 98
6. Enrique Diaz Cedeno (Venezuela) 94
7. Mauro Richeze (Argentina) 94
8. Varun Maharajh (Trinidad & Tobago) 82
9. Cristopher Mansilla (Chile) 78
10. Alfredo Ajpacaja Tax (Guatemala) 2
11. Eduardo Colon Ortiz (Puerto Rico) 2





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