December 03, 2014 (Ottawa, ON) – Starting on Friday, it is expected that the seats in the London velodrome be packed with track cycling fans to witness the best international competition since the Olympic Games. For the Canadian team, while performance is the priority over the three days of competition, it will also be an opportunity for some to relive the nostalgia of being back in this famous velodrome and for others to get a sense of what the feeling would have been two years ago as all continue to acquire the experiences needed to perform on the boards in Rio in less than two years.

Jacques Landry, High Performance Director and Head Coach at Cycling Canada, is hoping to take advantage of the sea-level velodrome to evaluate the progress of its track program, and see where Canada’s cyclists measure against the best in the world. “This World Cup in London will give us a good indication of how we are tracking against our competition. It is expected that many teams will be bringing their “A” squads to compete here and so this is the perfect test for us, and we are ready.”

The Canadian team will be headlined by its flagship women’s team pursuit squad. Canada’s women are currently enjoying a streak of six consecutive podium performances in major international events and, in 2014, won the overall World Cup standings. The team will however face fierce opposition, especially against the very powerful British ladies, who are undefeated in international competition since winning Gold on home soil at the Olympic Games.

It will be decided on site as whom of Olympic bronze medallist Jasmin Glaesser, Stephanie Roorda, Allison Beveridge, Kirsti Lay, and Annie Foreman-Mackey will be part of the line-up for the three rides in this World Cup event.

“Our women’s team pursuit squad will be looking to continue its Olympic qualification process, and will leave it all on the line as it hopes to stand on the podium once again. The World Cup in London will also be a great test for our recently formed men’s team pursuit squad who continues to show progression every time it competes,” commented Craig Griffin, Track Endurance coach at Cycling Canada.

Rémi Pelletier-Roy, Ed Veal, Sean McKinnon, Eric Johnstone and Aidan Caves, a mix of youth and experience, will represent Canada as they ride to cumulate some important UCI points necessary for Olympic and World Championship qualifications. The final roster will be announced closer to race day.

Earlier in the year during the opening World Cup of the current campaign, the four-man squad established a new Canadian record.

Led by Track Sprint Coach Erin Hartwell, the sprinters will also be looking to post some performances on the track that, according to many, favors this type of rider. Hugo Barrette is continuing his efforts to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games, while Olympian Joseph Veloce, fresh off completing his degree in Mechanical Engineering, is making a comeback to the boards and will evaluate his form against the top sprinters in the world. Barrette will also suit up for the men’s keirin race.

The men’s team sprint squad has yet to be finalized, with four sprinters vying for the three open spots. Along Barrette and Veloce, Evan Carey and Joel Archambault, two young sprinters who have come up the ranks in the last few years, will be racing for Canada at the event.

In the women’s sprint events, former bobsledder Kate O’Brien is continuing its transition to cycling, teamed with up Olympian sprinter Monique Sullivan. The two women will be looking to qualify for the team sprint elimination rounds, improving from their first performance in Guadalajara. Sullivan, who finished sixth at the Olympics in the keirin, will also take part in this event this weekend.

The event starts on Friday, and racing will continue until Sunday. Live Timing is offered through www.tissottiming.com.

CANADIAN TRACK CYCLING TEAM – LONDON 2014 UCI WORLD CUP
Women’s Team Pursuit
Jasmin Glaesser
Stephanie Roorda
Allison Beveridge
Kirsti Lay
Annie Foreman-Mackey

Men’s Team Pursuit
Remi Pelletier-Roy
Aidan Caves
Eric Johnstone
Sean Mackinnon
Ed Veal

Men’s Team Sprint
Hugo Barrette
Joseph Veloce
Evan Carey
Joel Archambault

Women’s Team Sprint
Monique Sullivan
Kate O’Brien

Men’s Sprint
Hugo Barrette
Joseph Veloce

Men’s Keirin
Hugo Barrette

Women’s Sprint and Keirin
Monique Sullivan

Women’s Scratch Race (C1 event integrated into the World Cup programme for London)
Annie Foreman-Mackey