May 30, 2013 (Ottawa, ON) – Some of Canada’s top road cyclists will race together on the national team at the upcoming Tour de Beauce, which runs from June 11-16.

Four of the seven riders to represent Canada at this prominent road cycling race hail from UCI WorldTour professional cycling teams: Hugo Houle (Ste-Perpétue, QC/AG2R La Mondiale), Dominique Rollin (Boucherville, QC/FDJ), Christian Meier (Sussex, NB/Orica-GreenEDGE) and Guillaume Boivin (Longueuil, QC/Cannondale Pro Cycling)

In addition to these WorldTour riders, Nic Hamilton (Victoria, BC/Jelly Belly Cycling), Rob Britton (Victoria, BC/Team Raleigh) and Marsh Cooper (Delta, BC/Optum-Kelly Benefit) will suit-up for Canada. All three are members of UCI Continental teams that are not participating in the Tour de Beauce.

“I’m excited to race at home in front of family and friends. Finishing second at 19 seconds last year [racing with Team SpiderTech], I am motivated to do better. I think I have what it takes to win the 2013 Tour de Beauce,” said Houle, a WorldTour rider racing with AG2R La Mondiale.

Dominique Rollin, who is arriving from Europe after racing the prestigious Giro d’Italia, comes back to a familiar environment. “It’s nice to return to a race in which I grew up and discovered the international field. This little homecoming the national team has given me will be a great pleasure and offers me a chance to express myself on roads I know well.”

Both Hamilton and Meier raced the 2012 edition of the Tour de Beauce sporting the Canadian uniform. Cooper and Houle also took part in the race last season, with their respective teams. Houle and Meier finished second and third respectively in the general classification, while Hamilton finished second in the King of the Mountain classification.

“The Canadian Team is racing the Tour de Beauce with the objectives to win stages and contend for the overall classification, to score big UCI America Tour points. We are bringing our A-list of riders with the intention to show how strong Canada has become, with four of our seven riders racing every week on some of the most prestigious races around the globe,” said Gord Fraser, the Men’s National Road Team Manager.

“We want to give our athletes much-needed race days while on hiatus with their respective trade teams. We also want to continue to build the momentum of cycling in Canada with elite men’s results as of late,” added Fraser.

The 2013 Tour de Beauce is a prominent road cycling stage race of disputed over 734 km in six days. Around 130 cyclists from 19 teams from across the globe are expected to compete at this year’s event.

Team Canada will be wearing the new national team uniform from Louis Garneau Sports throughout the six-day stage race.