November 16, 2014 (Toronto, ON) – The 15th annual OCA Celebration gala was held on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Cardinal Golf Club in King City as close to 200 people gathered to share a glass and celebrate the annual awards that were presented honouring many of the province’s talented riders.

With the Milton Velodrome opening soon guests were brought up to date on the fabulous facility and encouraged to buy a permanent seat or plank to help with the remaining $900,000 in funding still needed.

Once again Brendan Arnold, OCA HP Head Coach, entertained the packed banquet hall as MC for the evening, with anecdotes and special presentations following another impressive year of cycling in the province. Guests and delegates enjoyed a delicious sit-down dinner and then proud parents and fans applauded the award winners.

One of the many highlights of the evening was a standing ovation for Tom Ruppel, who received the President’s Award for his outstanding contributions to Ontario’s mountain bike scene. Once he was hooked in the mid 80s, he introduced his sons Adam and Sean to the sport. When their racing careers ended Chico Racing was born and they helped develop the Ontario MTB scene into a nationally acclaimed provincial series.

A Special Recognition Award was presented to Ian Currie, Steve Grundy, Scott Matthews and Lucas Taylor who also received a standing ovation. The foursome helped save a rider’s life at the Forest City Velodrome after he collapsed following a drill, as they resuscitated him using CPR until emergency personnel arrived.

The evening also featured a silent auction as well to raise money for the association which will be relocating to the Milton Velodrome once the facility is completed – awards list below and more photos to follow.

2014 Awards

Road Organizer of the Year
– Bruce Bird

Road Contributor of the Year
– Dylan Lanspeary

Road Male Athlete of the Year
– Ryan Roth

Road Female Athlete of the Year
– Shelly Gauthier

Track Athlete of the Year
– Ed Veal

BMX Athlete of the Year
– Josh Samells

MTB Organizer of the Year
– Pulse Racing

MTB Contributor of the Year
– Andy Jenner

MTB-XC Male Athlete of the Year
– Derek Zandstra

MTB-XC Female Athlete of the Year
– Emily Batty

Cyclo-cross Athlete of Year
– Ruby West

DH Athlete of the Year
– Kyle Sangers

CX Athlete of the Year
– Ruby West

President’s Award
– Tom Ruppel

Special Recognition
– Ian Currie, Steve Grundy, Scott Matthews, Lucas Tailor