08.19.10 - Track Riders Back In La To Train For Olympics

Canadian Cyclists Pushing Each Other to Get Fitter, Faster, and Stronger

(Los Angeles, CA – August 19, 2010) The Canadian Track Cycling Team is beginning to focus on qualifying for the 2010 Olympics. The London Games are two years away and the Canadian athletes are back in their training base at the Home Depot Centre in Los Angeles where their goals are to get faster by training at the world class velodrome with strong training partners.

“It feels great to be back here and ride with the team pursuit women” beamed Laura Brown (Vancouver, BC). “We did several 6-lap team efforts, focusing on exchanges and technique as today was our first training session of the camp. Tomorrow will be much harder with standing starts at maximum effort. What a great way to kick-off the track season!”

Double World Champion Tara Whitten (Edmonton, Alberta) has noticed big improvements in her teammates from the same time last year and is looking forward to having a strong training group to push each other to go faster. “With plans for the whole team to be down here training together starting in September, it looks like we can make some great strides forward this year. Today we did standing team pursuit efforts, and I was excited to get a chance to do a few of my efforts with the boys. It was a real opportunity to push my limits by starting with people above my level. I really had to be perfect if I didn’t want to get dropped, which was a great challenge! I have also been implementing my new position that I worked on in the wind tunnel last month, and it feels great! It is really great to be back together as a team after a summer doing our own things, and when I look around at my teammates I see a lot of excitement and motivation – we are ready for the track season to start!”

Remi Pelletier-Roy (Longueuil, Quebec), who is new to the Canadian Cycling Association program this year, spent the month of July with other endurance men from across the country at a camp in Burnaby, BC. It was an intense and rewarding experience for the male riders to bond as a team and work hard towards qualifying the men’s team pursuit to compete in the World Cups this year. “It's was nice to be back together in L.A after the July camp in Burnaby. It seems like everything now is more routine. We rode nice and steady efforts, while focusing on technique.”

All of Canada’s top track riders will be in Bromont, Quebec next week for the 2010 Track National Championships.