October 19, 2013 – Pedal has following a number of Canadian pro riders through these turbulent times and have some good news about Guillaume Boivin (Cannondale) who has renewed with Italian-based Cannondale for a second season. It appears that Dominique Rollin (FdJ) may be looking for a new team or heading back to school in 2014, while things remain unclear for Karol-Ann Canuel (Vienne Futuroscope) as new report suggests women riders in France are finding it tough to find teams.

“No matter what is the situation is, I think it is always hard to stay at the top level of our sport. This year has been even hard for every rider on the market as there is about 4-5 teams who won’t be coming back next year and many teams dropping down to 25-26 riders. Almost every rider seeking a new contract for 2014 has to be ok with making a little less money and that is only IF the rider can find a job.”

“That being said if feel really privilege to have a job in one of the best team in the World for 2014,” Boivin told Pedal. “I feel right at home with Cannondale. I feel I have integrated into the group really well and feel I have the trust of our leaders when I’m asked to do some work for the team. It’s also great to be able to ride for a sponsor owned by a Montreal-based company, Dorel.”

“The Tour of California was definitely a turning point in my season. There I was called to act as a last lead out man for Sagan. I feel like I did a good job there and earned some trust from the team management and riders. After that I was called to take part in greater races such as the Vuelta.”

“I’m already really excited about 2014. Making the spring classics team will definitely be one of my early season goals. It won’t be an easy task to achieve as we have a strong team around Peter [Sagan] for those races, but I think it is doable.”

“That being my first objective of the season, I will have a much heavier winter in terms of training to be ready for those races. Hopefully, the weather will be nice in Montreal and I won’t have to go down south to train.”

Rollin, meanwhile, will apparently be let go by the French-based Française des Jeux (FdJ) team and is considering a return to school in 2014 according to the French Cyclisme Actuel news blog. The team is likely to make a final decision on this next week. Rollin, who turns 31 this month, has been riding with FdJ since 2011, finished 75th at this year’s Giro and 153rd at the 2012 Vuelta. In 2008, he won stage 4 of the Tour of California as well as wining the Rochester Omnium & and stage 1 of the Tour of Southland. We have yet to reach Rollin for his comments.

We are also trying to get some clarification about Karol-Ann Canuel who apparently opted to leave French-based Futurescope and is looking for a better offer. A recent article in the French publication, France3, painted a bleak picture for the future of professional riders in France. That article describes Canuel as “having shone in international competitions this year,” but who nonetheless is obligated to go shopping for teams elsewhere. Canuel, who finished 30th at the 2012 Worlds, has so far been unreachable for comment.

Article about Rollin (in French) here.
Article mentioning Canuel (in French) here.