November 14, 2013 (Hamilton, ON) — National Cycling Centre Hamilton (NCCH) is delighted to announce that Quebec rider Audrey Labrie, and USA rider Erin Donohue have signed to race with NCCH in 2014. Both riders represented their respective countries at the 2012 Junior World Road Championships.
NCCH Manager/Head Coach Rick Lee said ‘Both Audrey and Erin bring a great deal of International racing to our Centre, and above all they have the right attitude!
Erin is a gutsy rider, she proved that in winning the UCI GP Rimouski in 2012, and Audrey has an explosive sprint. You throw in Jess Allen (Aus 2011 Junior IRTT World Champion), Maddison Vit (AUS 2011 Junior World representative), and our own Saskia Kowalchuk (2012 National Junior IRTT Champion) & Madeleine McConnell (3rd UCI GP Rimouski 2012), and you have a very strong team.
Having the International riders racing and training with our youngsters at the NCCH creates a very positive environment, our youngsters will have role models and mentors to help lift them to new levels of belief and performance.”
Saskia Kowalchuk said “The Team will have 5 riders who have represented their Countries at the World Championships in the past 2 years, we have top class time trial riders, a top sprinter, and riders that are strong in the hills. We will be a very young team, yet I know that we will be very competitive, and I cannot wait to reunite/meet with all the girls in Spring 2014.”
Audrey Labrie
– 6 times QC provincial champ.
– 7 times Junior Track National Champ.
– 2012 Junior Crit National Champ.
– 3rd at 2012 Junior Road Nationals
– 4 time medalist at junior track Pan Am’s (2010-2012)
– Silver medalist at 2012 Junior Road Pan Am’s
– 2 top 10 at 2011 Junior Track Worlds
– 3 top 10 at 2012 Junior Track Worlds
– 43rd at 2012 Junior Road Worlds
– 2 stage wins and green jersey at 2012 Tour de la Relève
– bronze medalist at 2013 Track Nationals
– 6th in the Omnium at 2013 Track Nationals
Erin Donohue recent results
– 1st UCI GP Rimouski 2012
– Represented USA Junior World Championships 2012
– 3rd USA Cyclocross Championships
– 5th USA National IRTT Championships 2012
– 5th USA U23 National Cyclocross Championships
National Cycling Centre Hamilton (NCCH) is a not-for-profit corporation created as legacy organization following the very successful 2003 UCI World Road Cycling Championships in Hamilton Ontario. It operates out of the Morgan Firestone Arena on Jerseyville Road West in Ancaster.
The Centre is one of five nationally recognized cycling centers in Canada and is responsible for identifying, recruiting, testing, coaching and training high performance and development athletes in the Province of Ontario. The Centre is formally partnered with the Canadian Cycling Association, the Ontario Cycling Association, the City of Hamilton and McMaster University. Since its creation in 2005, the Centre has assisted over 30 athletes win medals at National Championships and/or become members of the Canadian National Cycling Team.
We welcome your involvement with the Centre as an athlete, coach, parent, volunteer, or supporter. Please contact us should you wish to find out more about our programs or services.
November 14th, 2013 at 9:39 pm
I hope the center can create champions not just attract established ones. Hmn. Can the center name one they created from scratch?
November 15th, 2013 at 9:49 pm
Ben I would like to point out that the NCCH has developed many riders from their schools program whereby they go into elementary and high schools with computrainers and have the kids race 1km while the most promising join the team. This program has promoted cycling to over 25.000 children over the past 3 years, I wonder if you can name any other organisation in North America that does that?
Through this method the NCCH has developed 9 riders who have won National titles,been named to national teams or represented Canada at international competitions. Their names are Saskia Kowalchuk, Simon Fothergill, Madeleine McConnell, Miles Eastwood, Jesse Schultz, Jordann Jones, Hillary Lowry, Ruby West, and Naomi Desousa. Apart from these riders, the NCCH also gives kids of all abilities the opportunity to take part in this great sport.
Additionally the Centre has worked with Benjamin Perry since 2010 who is a former national champion, 3 time representative of Canada at Junior world championships and rode for the Lotto Belisiol U23 development team in Belgium this year. In addition to Ben Perry, the NCCH has also given great development opportunities to Will Elliott, Jack Burke, Adam Jamieson, and others.
Outside this, the centre does not seek out or “buy” athletes, it only lends help to those who need/want it in interest of bettering the sport of cycling in Canada.
As a rider that has been developed by the NCCH, I would like to offer you the opportunity to visit ‘our’ Centre when you are next down this way, then with due respect you may see what we really do, and make informed comments.
November 17th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
Hi Ben,
My name is Ruby West, I have been riding with team CHCH for 2 years and I was recruited through the school selection program. I had no prior experience with cycling when I started training at NCCH. I am now a 3 time National Medalist for track and a National champion, 5 time provincial track medalist and hold 2 provincial track records. I am also the provincial cyclocross champion, and will be going to Cyclocross Nationals in 2 weeks time. I came 8th in GC at le tour de la revele international de Rimouski, and won the teams time trial there too. I just wanted to show that the NCCH has helped many athletes like me get to the level we are at now, so they are not just “attracting established ones”.
November 17th, 2013 at 2:13 pm
Hi, my name is Hillary Lowry, I’m 15 years old and I have been on Team CHCH of National Cycling Centre Hamilton since 2010. I was recruited through the schools program in September of that year and that was my first experience with cycling competitively. Since then I have won a Provincial Road title, a Provincial TimeTrial title, the National Teams Pursuit on the track (which my team holds the National record for), I am a 3 time Track Provincial medalist, a Youth Series Champion, and I was 3rd in the U19 women O-Cup series as a first year U17. I also had the fastest bike time in the Ancaster High Triathlon this year and won the teams time trial at the Tour de la Relève Internationale de Rimouski which is one of the largest Cadet and Junior women’s tour in North America. I am one of the many National and Provincial champions that will come through the Centre’s Tri-Cycle schools program. We are looking forward to have Erin and Audrey join our team to improve and help our younger and older riders so that they can accomplish the same goals my 2 teammates (Ruby West and Naomi DeSousa) and I had going into road and track provincials as well as track nationals. Thank you.