January 21, 2016 (Milton, ON) – Mattamy Homes, North America’s largest privately owned home builder, is now part of the growing Cycling Canada family. Through a one-year partnership announced today in Milton, Mattamy Homes will become a Tier 1 partner of Cycling Canada and will provide critical program funding for Canada’s National Track Cycling team over the next twelve months as they prepare for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The support provided by Mattamy will help to deliver key resources such as technical services, sport science, logistical support as well as year-round accommodation for Canadian team athletes near the velodrome in Milton.

Mattamy Homes and its founder and CEO Peter Gilgan both played vital roles in the development and construction of the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, which hosted the Toronto 2015 Pan-American Games this past July. The facility, Canada’s only UCI-approved 250m indoor velodrome, is now the home training base for Canada’s National Track Cycling program and has become an invaluable asset for Canada’s cyclists as they target the World Championship and Olympic podium.

 

Mr. Gilgan was present at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre to make the announcement on Thursday. “It takes passion and dedication to compete at the level that our national track cycling athletes do, and we’re very proud of all of them for their commitment,” said Mr. Gilgan. “To succeed it also takes financial support and access to world-class training and facilities. At Mattamy we’re very pleased to be able to help and to continue to be associated with cycling excellence as we support our national team on their road to Rio.”

“We are indebted to Mattamy Homes for their continued and enhanced support of the National Track program and the athletes who are delivering world class performances as a result of this optimal training environment,” said Greg Mathieu, Chief Executive Officer of Cycling Canada. “Peter Gilgan has provided the necessary support to ensure our Olympic-bound athletes can focus on their training and performances through the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”

Also on hand for the announcement was three-time Olympic medalist Curt Harnett, as well as six current members of the Canadian National Cycling Team. The athletes are presently in Milton making their final preparations for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships which will be held March 2-6 in London, England.

“The Mattamy National Cycling Centre has played an instrumental role in the growing success of our program over the past twelve months,” notes Hugo Barrette, a triple gold medalist at the recent PanAm Games and an Olympic hopeful on the verge of qualifying for Rio 2016. “This additional support from Mattamy will be vital in ensuring that we have everything we need to be at our very best in Rio in August.”

“With the velodrome now in place it is fantastic to see the private sector partners once again stepping up to ensure that the athletes have the programs and resources required to fully capitalize on the facility,” notes Harnett. “Mr. Gilgan was a clear leader in the development of the velodrome and we’re very grateful for Mattamy’s leadership and support here once again.”

The Canadian National Track Cycling Team recently returned from the third and final round of the 2015/2016 UCI World Cup season in Hong Kong. The final event of the Olympic Qualification period will be the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in London, England, March 2-6.