February 4, 2007 (Vancouver, B.C.) — Many of the 27 participants in yesterday’s symposium on issues affecting women’s cycling in B.C. agreed the meeting was positive and successful, including Cycling BC’s new Provincial Team Coach, Richard Wooles.

“Absolutely, I think it was a success,” he said of the discussion. “Last time I held a meeting, only a handful of people showed up.” He added that the positive response from the participants was a step in the right direction, in terms of improving competitive cycling for women in the province.

The group of participants, which included coaches and athletes from road and mountain biking disciplines, addressed issues such as the need for increased female participation at the grassroots level, making women’s races showcase events, the gaps in support for developing female athletes as well as those caught between provincial and international levels, the need for transparency in the system, and the need for more funding and projects.

The discussion focused on women in cycling, but many of the points were applicable to cycling in general in B.C., such as Wooles’s emphasis on the need for developing more coaches to support the province’s athletes and the necessity of getting more funding and sponsorship.

The first step towards making things better, said Wooles, is to “pool our resources.” B.C. doesn’t have a lot in terms of monetary resources, he said, but “I consider every person in this room a resource.”

Wooles, who has worked extensively with Great Britain’s National Cycling Team and with the UCI, underlined that he is always open to suggestions and his job is to support the province’s competitive cyclists and coaches. “I’m here because I want to be proud of the athletes — proud of B.C. athletes,” he said.