December 18, 2005 – No one was more surprised at the Canadian Cycling Association’s 2005 AGM elections in Whitehorse, Yukon in late November than Bill Kinash himself. With three years of leading Canada’s cycling governing body under his belt, the ex-CCA president was ready to move from the stage of re-organization and dealing with the issues he inherited and those that arose, to taking cycling in Canada to the next stage.

Then, seemingly without notice, Pierre Blanchard, a well-known cycling official, physician and the president of the FQSC, Quebec’s cycling federation, decided to run for office. He unseeded the somewhat unprepared Kinash.

“I was looking forward to finally enjoying (the presidency) a bit because there was so much heavy slogging in the first few years. The three years just flew by, but we put together an excellent team very carefully. We had better plans than ever going forward,” he said.

Losing the election was a tough pill to swallow but Kinash takes pride in the legacy he left at the CCA. Under his watch the association underwent a major internal restructuring, hosted the 2003 Road World Championships in Hamilton, saw Olympic gold on the track and Olympic silver in mountain biking, and had to endure several high-profile suspensions.

Reached at his office in Saskatchewan, Kinash told Pedal Magazine that hosting the Road Worlds in 2003 was something he would never forget – for more reasons than one. “For me, I was very proud to be able to welcome the UCI delegation,” he said. That pride would turn to dismay, however, when Canadian star Genevieve Jeanson was found to have a higher than allowed haematrocrit level. “That caught me by surprise. It was a black day. The thing that got overlooked was Michael Barry’s 7th place in the men’s elite event. That was the thrill of the weekend,” said Kinash.

More recently was Chris Sheppard’s positive drug test. “It’s very disappointing. We try to do everything we can to keep our sport clean and fair. It gets tarnished each time one of these situations happens. But no country is immune,” he said.

However, for all the negative press the sport has received regarding doping, Lori-Ann Muenzer’s gold on the Athens Olympic velodrome in August 2004 brought cycling into the mainstream in Canada once again.

“It’s huge for a smaller sport like cycling. The Olympics only happen once every four years so the pride was immense,” said Kinash, who was criticized for not calling Muenzer in Athens after her win. Kinash said tried to call repeatedly with no luck after the final race and regretted not reaching her that day. “The Olympics and other major events such as the world championships are the big races that the media focus on. Our athletes were amazing,” he added.

Kinash hopes his legacy will be the wide-spread changes that he helped bring in to stabilize and revitalize the CCA. “When I was elected three years ago people were demoralized and quitting. There was animosity. Changing the roles of the staff and who does the decision-making is what I would like to be remembered by,” he said.

He feels the state of competitive cycling in this country is much better off than it was three years ago. “With the results from our athletes and our re-energized organization, I think we’re in really good shape. The athletes are the bread and butter of the sport,” he said.

As for a comeback three years down the line, it’s not out of the question. “I think I can still contribute a lot. I would only run if there are supportive people. Who knows what will happen in three or six years? The conditions would have to be right,” he said.