December 2, 2004 – The CCA has announced its team for the upcoming Track World Cup. Olympic Champion, Lori-Ann Muenzer is set to begin her season at the second World Cup event of the year, December 10-12 in Los Angeles, USA. Muenzer will lead a nine-member team to the World Cup event, six men and three women.

Muenzer, from Edmonton, AB, won gold in the Sprint event at the Olympic Games in August and also set a new Canadian record in the 500m Time Trial en route to finishing 7th in that event in Athens. Muenzer was also the bronze medalist in the Sprint event at the World Championships in May.

Mandy Poitras and Gina Grain round out Canada’s women’s team headed to Los Angeles. Both women will compete in the Scratch Race and the Points Race. Poitras, from Langley, BC, won a bronze medal in the Scratch Race at the World Championships in May and was the sole Canadian to participate in the first World Cup last month in Moscow. She finished 6th in the Scratch Race and 8th in the Points Race. For the Victoria, BC native, Grain, this will be her first participation in an international track event for Canada.

On the men’s side, results from this past weekend’s Burnaby Velodrome Challenge event and track trials held on November 30th helped determine the six men selected for Los Angeles. Martin Gilbert, from Chateauguay, QC, was pre-selected for Los Angeles based on his 10th place result at the World Championships in May in the Scratch Race. He will compete in that event in Los Angeles, as well as the Points Race and in the Madison with new partner Zach Bell. Bell, from Whitehorse, the Yukon, will be attending his first World Cup event. The National Champion in Individual Pursuit will participate against the World’s best in this event as well in Los Angeles.

The Team Sprint team of Travis Smith, Cam Mackinnon and Yannick Morin shattered the track record in Burnaby last weekend and as such have earned their selection to the World Cup in two weeks time. Mackinnon, from Calgary, AB and Morin, from Montreal, QC, will participate in this event only.

Travis Smith, from Calgary, AB, was the fastest man in Burnaby on the weekend and continues a strong series of performances for him in the last few weeks. At the US World Cup selection trials in Los Angeles, Smith set the fastest time in the Kilo. Travis will compete in the Kilo in Los Angeles.

Matt Chater, from Vancouver, BC, will participate in his first World Cup. Chater, the National Champion in the Keirin will ride this event in Los Angeles and serve as an alternate to the Team Sprint team.