November 14, 2007 (Cali, Colombia) – Jean Quevillon of Ste-Adèle, Que., earned his second medal on Tuesday at the paracycling Pan American Open championships finishing third in the 1,000-metre race for riders with cerebral palsy while Éric Bourgault of Orford, Que., was also third in the LC2 disability class.

Both Canadian riders established personal best times. “˜’Those are phenomenal results,’’ said national team coach Eric Van Den Eynde. “˜’In one year both riders have considerably improved their times. They worked hard this year, made big improvements and are now near the top.’’

Quevillon clocked one minute and 20 seconds improving his personal best set at the world championships this past summer by 1.5 seconds. “˜’I’m very surprised, this is not my best event,’’ said Quevillon.

Bourgault is also surprised to set personal bests this late in the season. “˜’I never expected to reach such high standards this season,’’ he said. “˜’The outdoor track here is very fast.’’

In the LC1 disability class, Mark Breton also clocked a personal best 1:17 in the 1,000 for eighth place. “˜’I was a bit discouraged at the start because all the best riders in my category are competing here,’’ he said. “˜’Then I realized that my success story this year is posting these best times despite missing all of last season due to injury.’’

Van Den Eynde says the riders are clocking personal best because they are motivated. “˜’You have to keep motivated and set goals,’’ he said. “˜’We kept working hard after the world championships. In addition we arrived in Colombia a week before the competition which allowed the athletes to train at the velodrome.’’

Geneviève Ouellet and her pilot Mathilde Hupin continued to improve in their competitive debut finishing eighth in the women’s individual pursuit. “˜’It’s going really well,’’ said Hupin. “˜’The competition is tough and we had never raced together before competing here.’’ The Canadians clocked the 4,000 metre race in 4:03 and are only three seconds off the Canadian record.

“˜’It’s a surprise showing, but soon they’ll clock below four minutes,’’ said Van Den Eynde.

Second gold medal for Cloutier and Chalifour

Alexandre Cloutier of Quebec City and Daniel Chalifour of Mont-Laurier, Que., earned their second gold medal on Monday at the Pan American Open paracycling championships with a victory in the 1,000-metre tandem race.

The pair clocked one minute and 05.432 seconds. Éric Bourgault of Orford, Que., added a silver in the individual pursuit race for the LC2 disability category clocking a personal best 5:05.165.

Canadian national team coach Éric Van Den Eynde was satisfied with Chalifour and Cloutier’s performance. “˜’We can really see their potential,’’ he said. “˜’They were slowed by mechanical problems at the world championships and now they’re getting the results they expected. This shows they are on the right track. But still it’s obvious they need to modernize their equipment and they need a velodrome at which they can train year-round. With adequate equipment they could gain hundredths of seconds which can make a big difference.’’

On Sunday, Cloutier and Chalifour took gold in the 4,000 individual pursuit bettering the Canadian record by nine seconds.

“˜’As for Éric in the pursuit, he wants to win but lacks experience. He made some mistakes that can be corrected in time. But without doubt he has really improved. The proof is the personal best time.’’

In the individual pursuit for the LC1, Mark Breton of Charlesbourg, Que., finished eighth in 5:11.665. “˜’He did better than I expected,’’ said Van Den Eynde. “˜’Mark was injured all of last season and has recently returned to training. The eighth place is very encouraging and he was only two seconds off his personal best (5:09).’’

Breton was pleased to hear the coach’s comments and is anxious to regain his previous form. “˜’I’m a little disappointed because I know I can be better,’’ Breton said. “˜’But like Eric said it’s a big job to come back after a year off, so it’s encouraging to see such a rapid progression.’’

On Wednesday, Quebec’s Daniel Chalifour and Alexandre Cloutier chase a third gold medal in the sprint event. Breton, Bourgault and Quevillon are slated to race in the team sprint event.

Competition continues until Sunday.