January 01, 2014 (Toronto, ON) – The final ballots are in and we’re pleased to announce the winners of Pedal Magazine’s 2013 Cycling Awards that recognize all categories including juniors, seniors, U23 and paracyclists from all disciplines encompassing road, MTB, DH, cyclocross, track and BMX.

The big winner this year was BC’s Svein Tuft, former silver TT Worlds medalist and winner with his Orica-GreenEdge Team of the TTT at the 2013 Tour de France where Tuft debuted. The veteran rider won three award categories, including the Best Overall Cyclist (Male or Female) award, along with the Best Overall Senior/U23 Female Cyclist (Male or Female), and Best Road Senior/U23 Cyclist (Male or Female). Svein is the man.

We caught up with Tuft on his return from and XC skiing trip to Norway: “It’s a great honour to be considered for these awards. I appreciate the fact that people respect the value of a team win as the Tour de France TTT.  That was for sure a highlight of my cycling career and I feel very fortunate to have the support of my fellow Canadians. Thanks very much.”

The Women’s Team Pursuit squad consisting of Gillian Carleton, Laura Brown, Jasmin Glaesser, Stephanie Roorda and Allison Beveridge took home two awards for the Best Overall Senior/U23 Female Cyclist and the Best Track Senior Cyclist (Male or Female). The team’s recent silver at the track World Cup in Manchester, UK, is a sign of things to come.

“That’s great news! thank you,” commented Carleton on behalf of the team when she heard the news. “It’s been an amazing year for our pursuit team, and we’ve been putting in a lot of hard work to make sure our success continues. Hopefully 2014 will see even more world-class performances!”

Another big winner was Geoff Kabush, a longstanding statesman of cycling for Canada, who also won two awards – Best CX Senior/U23 Cyclist (Male or Female) and Best MTB XC Senior/U23 Cyclist (Male or Female).

We also caught up with Kabush who defended his Elite Men’s CX title this year, “Thanks to everyone who voted and Happy New Year. I have a lot of great memories from the 2013 season and I can’t wait for the year ahead to start. I had a ton of fun riding and racing my bikes in 2013 and really looking forward to more good times ahead.”

Junior men’s and women’s award winners, Peter Disera and Kinley Gibson, had stellar years as well. Disera capped off a great season with a silver medal at the MTB Worlds while Gibson also added a silver medal in the Scratch race at the Junior Track Worlds to her fabulous season.

“Happy New Year to you as well, and thank you for the news about the award! I want to give a big thank you to everyone who voted for me and showed me support this year. I’d also like to congratulate the rest of the Junior girls – they’re awesome people and strong riders, and I look forward to racing with them in 2014,” emailed Gibson.

Disera was equally impressed…”Wow! This past year has been a busy and exciting one. The training and the competition got continually more exciting as the season went on. To top off the season with this award is an honour. The hard work and sacrifice that went into this season – not just from me but from my family, coach and other supporters – was astounding and it is wonderful to receive this award. Thank you Pedal Mag.”

The Best Canadian Cycling Moment/Performance in 2013 was a close battle between Tuft’s debut effort with his Orica-GreenEdge Team at the 2013 Tour de France where they captured the TTT Stage victory and Steve Smith’s incredible run to capture the overall UCI DH World Cup title – we call it a tie. Honourable mention goes to David Veilleux’s win at the Critérium du Dauphiné to capture the yellow jersey and Curtis Dearden’s fabulous Elite Men’s TT victory at the Canadian nationals.

Congratulations to all winners and readers that voted – this year was by far the best voting turnout ever and it’s great to see all of Canada’s top riders recognized for their fabulous efforts both at home and abroad.

We also had an overwhelmingly large response to our “fun” categories naming the country’s best shops, cafes, events, and places to ride and will have the results shortly.

Pedal Magazine’s 2013 Cycling Award WINNERS
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Best Overall Cyclist (Male or Female)
Svein Tuft

Best Overall Senior/U23 Male Cyclist
Svein Tuft

Best Overall Senior/U23 Female Cyclist
Women’s Team Pursuit – Gillian Carleton, Laura Brown, Jasmin Glaesser, Stephanie Roorda and Allison Beveridge

Best Overall Junior Male Cyclist
Peter Disera

Best Overall Junior Female Cyclist
Kinley Gibson

Best Road Senior/U23 Cyclist (Male or Female)
Svein Tuft

Best Track Senior Cyclist (Male or Female)
Women’s Team Pursuit – Gillian Carleton, Laura Brown, Jasmin Glaesser, Stephanie Roorda and Allison Beveridge

Best MTB XC Senior/U23 Cyclist (Male or Female)
Geoff Kabush

Best MTB DH Senior Cyclist (Male or Female)
Steve Smith

Best CX Senior/U23 Cyclist (Male or Female)
Geoff Kabush

Best BMX Cyclist (Male or Female)
Tory Nyhaug

Best Paracycling Cyclist (Male or Female)
Marie-Claude Molnar

2012 Best Canadian Cycling Moment/Performance
Svein Tuft’s TTT Stage victory with his Orica-GreenEdge Team at the 2013 Tour de France
Steve Smith’s win of the overall UCI DH World Cup title
Honourable mention: David Veilleux’s win at the Criterium Dauphine to capture the yellow jersey and Curtis Dearden’s Elite Men’s TT victory at the Canadian nationals.