Monterrey, Mexioc, April 20, 2002 — Battling 38C heat, Canadian track cyclist Mandy Poitras pedalled to a sizzling second-place finish in the 10km Scratch race at the UCI 2002 World Cup circuit season opener on Saturday.Racing for the Tim Horton’s Canadian National Team, Poitras relied on a
strong finishing kick to capture the silver medal, the fourth World Cup
medal of her career. Erin Mirabella of the USA won the gold, and Mexico’s
Belem Guerrero claimed the bronze (complete results below).
“I’m very pleased with my result,” said Poitras. “It’s a great way to
start the season, and I hope I can build on my early momentum.”
The Scratch race, a new event on the World Cup circuit, is a 10 km dash.
Riders average 47 kph, with speeds approaching 60 kph at the sprint
finish.
On April 21, Poitras finished ninth in the 25 km Points race. Her
performance was hampered by a severe dehydration and internal bleeding.
She is expected to recover fully.
While generally pleased with her second-place finish, Poitras’ coach
Jeremy Storie said a lack of preparation time on the track affected her
ride.
“Mandy has only had two days of track training since last
September’s world championships,” he said, adding that her local velodrome,
which is located at the Harry Jerome Sports Centre in Burnaby, B.C., has
been closed since May 2001.
“If she’d had more track time, her results may have been even better,”
said Storie. The Burnaby velodrome has been at the centre of recent
controversy, and could be closed permanently in the near future, he said.
Poitras, 31, returns home on April 23. After a few days rest, she travels
to Georgia to meet her Atlanta Velo team for 10 days of road and track
racing.
A resident of Langley, B.C., Poitras is an eight-time national cycling
champion and silver medallist at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane,
Australia. She has previously ridden for Canada at the World Championships
(1999, 2001) and the 1999 Pan-Am Games.
The teacher at Surrey’s Len Shepherd Secondary School hopes to represent
Canada at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England.
For more information about Mandy Poitras, or to arrange an interview,
please contact Jeremy Storie at 604-888-5933 or bigring54@shaw.ca
For more information about the velodrome at the Harry Jerome Sports
Centre, please contact:
Ted Ritter
President
Burnaby Velodrome Club
604-732-7569
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RACE RESULTS
Women’s Scratch 10Km Final : Women Femmes :
1. 160 MIRABELLA Erin USA
2. 12 POITRAS Mandy CAN
3. 104 GUERRERO Belem MEX
4. 68 BECKER Charlotte GER
5. 93 TROLDI Giovanna ITA
6. 60 DAVIS Emma GBR
7. 147 SAMOKHVALOVA Svetlana RUS
8. 43 PASCUAL TORRECILLA Gema ESP
9. 15 CALLE Maria Luisa COL
10. 128 TYBURSKA Monika POL
11. 140 KARIMOVA Natalia RUS
12. 9 CARTER Erin CAN
13. 106 PALENCIA Patricia MEX
14. 88 SZABOLCSI Szilvia HUN
15. 126 VISSER Adrie NED
16. 44 RUANO SANCHÔN Teodora ESP
17. 51 MONCASSIN Cathy FRA
18. 124 VAN DER ZEE Anouska NED
19. 69 BECKER Christine GER
162 REED Jennie USA DNF
MANDY POITRAS FACT SHEET
Hometown: Langley, BC
Birthdate: August 4, 1971
Discipline: Track
Team: Rocky Mountain Bicycles
Occupation: High-school teacher
National Team member since 1999
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2001 National Individual Pursuit Champion
Selected to 1999 Winnipeg Pan American Games Team
Selected to 1999 World Championships Team
1st Points Race, 1999 UCI World Cup #2 – Dallas USA
6th Points Race, 1999 Pan American Games
7th Points Race, 1999 UCI World Cup #5 Cali COL
1996 National Points Race Champion
2001 RESULTS:
2001 National Individual Pursuit Champion
SILVER Scratch Race, Goodwill Games, Brisbane, AUS
3rd Points Race, National Track Championships, Edmonton, AB
8th Points Race, World Track Championships, Anvers, BEL
16th Individual Pursuit, World Track Championships, Anvers, BEL
4th Points Race, Goodwill Games, Brisbane, AUS
4th Points Race, UCI World Cup #1, Cali, COL
4th Individual Pursuit, UCI World Cup #4, Mexico City, MEX
5th Points Race, UCI World Cup #4, Mexico City, MEX
2000 RESULTS:
2000 National Points Race Champion
SILVER – National Pursuit Championship
BRONZE – Pan American Pursuit Championships
3rd – Points Race, World Cup #2 COL
4th – Pan Am Points Race Championships
7th – Points Race, World Cup #3 MEX
7th – Pursuit, World Cup #3 MEX
9th overall – Point Race World Cup standings
2nd 5km scratch race EDS cup Frisco TX
5th Pursuit EDS cup Frisco TX