November 30, 2017 (Milton ON) – Canada is poised to host a World Cup track event for just the second time nearly 20 years after the last World Cup was held in Victoria, B.C. in 1998. The three-day event, Round 3 of the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup, will kick off with Points racing and Team Pursuit qualifications on Dec. 1 and build to a Madison-filled crescendo on Sunday afternoon.
Canadian Hopes
Canada is fielding a strong, large and experienced women’s Team Pursuit squad that is focused on winning the event. Olympians Kirsti Lay and Allison Beveridge will be joined by veterans Stephanie Roorda and Annie Foreman-Mackey along with up-and-comers Kinley Gibson and Ariane Bonhomme. Given the pedigree of these women and the absence of squads from perennial rivals Australia, Great Britain and America this is Canada’s race to lose.
Jasmine Duehring will contest the women’s Points race, an event that she has medalled in at the Track World Championships multiple time. Duehring will partner with Steph Roorda in the Madison on the final day. Beveridge will look to find the form that won her World Cup Omnium gold in 2015.
Canada will field an all-new line up of women’s sprinters in Teagan Cochrane (BC) and Amelia Walsh (ON) while Olympian Hugo Barrette will be Canada’s sole male in the sprint tournament.
Canada’s endurance men made huge strides last year culminating in a UCI Track World Cup victory – a feat they will look to repeat on home soil. Former Pan-Am Omnium champion, Aiden Caves, will compete in the Omnium and be joined in the team pursuit by Derek Gee, Michael Foley, Adam Jamieson, Jay Lamoureux and Bayley Simpson. Foley is an exciting story as Milton is his home town and he’ll be racing at his first senior competition having just left the junior ranks.
Milton Welcomes the World
Some of the best riders in the world, including multiple world champions, will be looking to take home this weekend’s World Cup spoils themselves which may put a damper on Canada’s hopes of being hometown heroes.
While Great Britain did not bring a women’s Team Pursuit squad they did bring Omnium track worlds champion, Katie Archibald, who will also contest the Madison with the diminutive Ellie Dickenson, who is herself the current European Madison champ.
Also on board is the Queen of women’s sprinting Kristina Vogel (Germany) who will be looking to sweep the Sprint, Team Sprint and Keirin events. On the men’s side, there are strong large teams from Great Britain, Germany and France meaning contenders across the board so the men’s Sprint tournament is shaping up to be particularly exciting.
The French men are led by four-time world champion, Morgan Kneisky, who will compete in the Omnium, Points and Madison events and 6-time world champion and double world record holder, Francois Pervis.
For American racing fans, the United States is fielding an interesting line-up as they appear to be chasing success in the Team Pursuit for the first time since the late nineties. Road sprinter and Tour of Utah stage winner, Eric Young, will contest the Team Pursuit and the Points race, the latter being an event he won at the recent Pan American Championships in Trinidad. Also present is criterium racing super-star, Daniel Holloway, who has returned to his track roots this year and will contest both the Madison and the Team Pursuit.
Historical Context
Twenty years ago Victoria, B.C. was a late notice replacement after Annapolis, Maryland cancelled as the host city. Despite the lack of advance notice Canada still had some remarkable success with Tanya Dubnicoff (who will be in the stands this weekend) taking a bronze in the Match Sprint and Brain Walton winning the Points race from a gutsy two-man breakaway. The signs are good that Canada should be able to match or exceed those results this time around!
UCI TISSOT Track World Cup Milton Tickets here.
UCI TISSOT Track World Cup Milton Schedule of Events here.
