May 24, 2013 (Ottawa, ON) – For athletes who aspire to compete at the top level of their sport, every dollar counts. The members of the Ottawa-Gatineau cycling community recognize this, and that’s why the National Capital Region bursary has been raising funds to help up-and-coming cyclists for the last 14 years. The Fund has awarded more than $33K to Ottawa-area cyclists in 14 years.
The bursary provides funding to young cyclists who display both outstanding athletic ability and the desire to achieve greater goals. Since its conception in 2000 the bursary has granted more than $33,000 to 36 athletes.
Continued success of the bursary is only possible due the strong affiliation and partnership with our contributors, including The Cyclery Tour de France Pool, the Ride with Rendall Gatineau Challenge, the Ontario Cycling Association, Bike Race Ottawa, the Ottawa Bicycle Club, and more than 50 smaller groups and participants of the Seenite Sports weekly criterium series who contribute anything from $10 to more than $100 each year.
Seenite Sports is proud to announce the 2013 bursary recipients:
- Ariane Bonhomme (18 years old, Gatineau) – $1500
- Evan McNeely (21, Ottawa) – $1500
- Conor O’Brien (20, Ottawa) – $1000
Additional information about the recipients is available below.
The Bursary committee would like to thank all the sponsors for their generous contributions that give these athletes the financial means to compete in events beyond the local area and, more importantly, the knowledge that they have the backing of their local cycling community.
For more information on the bursary visit the Seenite Sports web site at seenite.org/bursary.htm
The Bursary committee is composed of Ross Knight, Doug Corner and Kris Westwood.
For media inquiries, please contact Kris Westwood at 613-286-8450 or kriswestwood@gmail.com.
In just her first year as a junior, 18-year-old Arianne soloed to victory at the 2012 Canadian Road Championships in Lac-Mégantic, Que. She went on to represent Canada in both the time trial and road race at the junior world championships and medalled in the individual pursuit at the junior Pan-American championships. Ariane’s goals in 2013 are to repeat her national road title, add an individual pursuit title on the track and improve on her world championship performances.
Evan has already racked up an impressive list of results in his short cycling career. The three-time Canadian U23 cyclocross champion finished fourth at the 2012 Pan American mountain bike championships and has been a consistently high finisher on the mountain bike world cup circuit. For 2013 Evan is hoping to improve on his performances as he builds towards his ultimate goal of making the team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Twenty-year-old Conor has shown he can compete with the best cyclists in the Ottawa region, finishing on the podium at the Preston Street Criterium and the Ottawa Bicycle Club Grand Prix in 2012. At the national level, he finished fifth in the U23 category at the Canadian cyclocross championships and earned the right to represent Canada at the world championships in Louisville, Kentucky, in February. For 2013, Conor aspires to represent Ontario at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que.