July 30, 2003 (Stuttgart, Germany) – The Canadian Track Team arrived safely in Stuttgart, Germany for the 2003 World Track Championships. Lori-Ann Muenzer was the last Canadian to arrive, coming late last night intentionally so as to limit her jet-lag. The racing kicks off today, July 30, with Mandy Poitras in the Points Race and Mark Ernsting in the Scratch Race. Both athletes are pumped and looking forward to the tough competition!

The Canadian team trained yesterday morning on the 285 meter wooden track along with the Dutch team, the Ukranian team and a few others. They all had good things to say about the track. 'The transitions through the corners are a little steep but all in all its a fast track!' said Ernsting. Poitras said the only thing she was a little worried about was the fact that the track wasn't assembled when she first got there on Monday. She was just about to get on her bike when she realized part of the track was missing. In Canada she had never seen a track like this….and was worried, maybe she had come to the 'Extreme' Track Worlds where jumping large gaps on the track was part of the program. She approached some officials who assured her they would have it back together in no-time. Sure enough within minutes the track was safe to ride. With a little sigh of relief, she was able to get in her training.

Stay tuned as the racing starts warming up on Wednesday, July 30 and continues until Sunday, August 3.