January 19, 2007 (Los Angeles, CA) – The third round of the Track World Cup kicks off today at the ATC Centre in LA with 12 Canadian athletes in attendance. Gina Grain, Travis Smith, Yannick Morin, Cam MacKinnon , Ryan McKenzie and Martin Gilbert will be competing in national team colours. For the first time Canadian’s will compete internationally for their trade teams, with both Symmetrics and Team R.A.C.E having a presence, in Zach Bell, Swein Tuft, Cam Evans, Marsh Cooper, Christian Meier and Julia Bradley.

Both Grain and Bell are looking to build upon their improving form. Bell in particular is hungry to improve on his breakthrough top-10 rides at the first two rounds, while Grain is working towards the from that saw her win a silver medal at last years Track World Championships.

For six of these athletes the event will be a baptism of fire, as it is their first World Cup. Swein Tuft has raced pursuit at Commonwealth Games, and Ryan McKenzie at the Pan-Am Championships, but this event should still be an eye opener for the bulk of the Canucks.

For the Symmetrics pursuit squad the event will be a good test to see if they are on track towards their goal of winning the Pan Am Championships in March and towards Olympic selection.

It is an eye opener that they are prepared for, as all of the endurance men, Gina Grain, and Cam MacKinnon, have just finished both the Burnaby 6 Day and a camp the following week, run by Cycling BC’s Richard Woole and the Burnaby Velodrome’s Jeremy Storie, that saw them make good use of Burnaby’s new motor pacing ability.

The Olympic Sprinters, Cam MacKinnon, Travis Smith and Yannick Morin, are under pressure. The program has been given an ultimatum; a top-8 finish or it is being cut. While this is unlikely to affect MacKinnon or Smith, both of whom ride individual events, for the next tier of Canadian sprinters, that third spot is their only way to a World Cup.

Stay tuned to pedalmag.com for reports, updates and photos.

LA Track World Cup 2007 – Event Schedule

Friday, January 19

AM
– Women’s Sprint
– Men’s keirin (Smith, MacKinnon)
– Mean Individual Pursuit Qualifying (Tuft)
– M Scratch Race Qualifier (Cooper, McKenzie)
– Women’s Points Race Qualifier (Grain)

PM
– Womens’ Sprint Finals
– Mens Kilometre
– Men’s Keirin Finals
– Womens Points Finals
– Men’s Individual Pursuit Final
– Men’s Scratch Race Final

Saturday , January 20

AM
– Men’s Sprint (Morrin, Smith, MacKinnon)
– Women’s Individual Pursuit (Bradley)
– Women’s 500m
– Men’s Team Pursuit Qualifying (Symetrics)
– Men’s Points Qualifier (Bell, Gilbert)

PM
– Men’s Sprint
– Women’s Team Sprint
– Men’s Team Pursuit
– Men’s Points
– Women’s Pursuit Finals

Sunday , January 21

AM
– Madison Qualifier (Gilbert/McKenzie, Evans/Meier)
– Women’s Scratch Qualifier (Bradley)

PM
– Women’s Keirin
– Men’s Team Sprint
– Men’s Madison
– Women’s Scratch