September 7, 2006 (Dieppe, NB) – Today’s first day of the Tim Hortons Track National Championships took place under ideal weather conditions in sunny Dieppe, NB, which hosted Canada’s Road Nationals in 2001 and the Cyclocross Nationals in 2004. Riders particularly enjoyed the totally revamped Velodrome Caisse Populaire Dieppe. A total of 65 top Canadian elite men and women track cyclists are attending (50 men and 16 women), with competitions running through until Sunday, Sept. 10.

Here are the 2006 Track National Champions that were crowned today, and some of the winners’ quotes:

Time Trial

Women – 500m
1. Auna Brit Ericksen (AB)
2. Laura Brown (AB)
3. Karine Côté (QC)

Men – 1000m
1. Matt Barlee (BC
2. Felix Haspel (AB)
3. Yannick Morin (QC)

“This is what I have been training for all year,” said 2006 Kilo National Champion Matt Barlee from Victoria, B.C. “I was disappointed because I didn’t get a good start”¦ we don’t have a gate to practice the kilo in Victoria which doesn’t help. But I was happy that my acceleration and my speed endurance overcame the technical difficulty I had at the gate. I hope it will help my standings and I’ll be involved with more projects with the National Team.”

Men’s Team Pursuit – 4 km

1. Symmetrics – Svein Tuft (BC), Zach Bell (YK), Cameron Evans (BC), Christian Meier (NB)
2. Qu̩bec РMartin Gilbert, Jean-Michel Lachance, Keven Lacombe, Charly Vives (all QC)
3. Alberta – Michael McCorkell (AB), Ryan McKenzie (AB), Jamie Sparling (AB), Matt Barlee (BC)

Symmetrics’ winner team member Svein Tuft (Langley, BC): “It was really a fun race for us as we usually race on the road. We gain a lot in strength and speed at such track events. Our effort has been huge for the distance (4 km) and we feel more efficient and stronger. Personally it’s my third event on the track, and I find it a pretty cool facility. The wooden track is actually very fast.”

Women’s Scratch Race

1. Gina Grain (BC)
2. Sarah Kirby (BC)
3. Laura Yoisten (AB)

“I was happy to see how active the girls were! People were really watching each other and it’s good to see such a sense of strategy at a National event,” said B.C. rider Gina Grain from Victoria, who is currently ranked # 1 for 2006 in the Scratch race. “I was impressed by some riders who kept trying great things. I particularly praise the efforts of Canadian women to work hard and try – that’s how you can achieve great results,” she added.

Men’s Team Sprint

1. The Track Team – Cameron McKinnon (AB), Yannick Morin (QC), Travis Smith (AB)
2. Team Sprint BC – Matt Barlee, Keith Bruneau, Matthew Chater
3. Qu̩bec Team РSimon Pelletier-Marceau, Martin LaForest, Eric Beausejour, Lawrence Leroux

Full official results, schedule updates and start lists visit here.

Photos are available here.

Tomorrow, Friday, September 8, the Qualifications will take place in the morning beginning at 9:30 am – the finals in the individual pursuit & points race start at 2:38 pm