December 21, 2006 РThe Quebec-based Cascades team is looking for junior women cyclists, team president, Suzie B̩langer told Pedal. The team has been around since 2004, participating in regional, provincial and national events. New for 2007 will be a junior team for aspiring cyclists.

“Cascades is a springboard for women who want to go higher,” declared team president, Suzie Belanger. Bélanger alluding to the all-women’s Expresscopy.com team as one team that Cascades riders could aspire to.

“We’re just semi-pro, so we obviously can’t pay any salaries, but we certainly can cover expenses,” continued Bélanger. The team’s mandate is to promote cycling among women at all levels and to render the sport more accessible to women.

Bélanger indicated her pleasure that senior cycling events are becoming more common for women. “We now have starting lineups of 40 to 50 women cyclists. Because we’re not just trying to keep up with the men (in mixed events), our cyclists can now live the experience, think about how to attack and start planning careers in this sport.”

Thanks to support from team sponsors, Bélanger assures prospective team members of adequate training and coaching and other advantages for joining Cascades. An announcement about the 2007 team roster is expected this coming February.

For more information, contact:

Suzie Bélanger/Présidente-Équipe Cascades at equipe_cascades@sympatico.ca