November 29/11 16:29 pm - CCA Takes Top Team to Cali World Cup

Posted by Editoress on 11/29/11
 

The Canadian Track Cycling Team is finishing its final preparations for the upcoming 2012 UCI Track World Cup in Cali, Colombia, and will bring its big guns to the event.

The team has been training together in Los Angeles, California, to prepare for this very important Olympic season . Their preparations have focused not only on improving specifics such as strength, speed and endurance but also on working together as a cohesive unit, as the track cycling season enters the winter months.

Cali will feature the season debut of defending women's World Cup Ominum Champion and two-time Omnium World Champion Tara Whitten of Edmonton, as she builds towards the upcoming summer Olympic Games. The defending men's World Cup Omnium winner Zach Bell of North Vancouver is also opening up his track season after spending the summer racing on the road with Team Spidertech powered by C10.

Canada's recent Pan Am Games gold medal and record-breakiing performance in the women's Team Pursuit event shows the progress of that program.

The women's team pursuit squad will feature Pan Am Games gold medalists Laura Brown and Steph Roorda, both of Vancouver. The team, which is led by Coach Tanya Dubnicoff, will be completed with the addition of Tara Whitten, and has a strong chance of a podium performance in Cali.

Rising star Jasmin Glaesser of Coquitlam, BC, attending the second World Cup of her career, will compete in the Individual Pursuit and Scratch races.

The men's Team Sprint squad will look to the experience of Travis Smith of Calgary and Joseph Veloce of Fonthill, Ontario, plus newcomer Hugo Barrette of Cap-aux-Meules, Québec, as the team attempts to score valuable UCI points to qualify a Canadian spot for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Monique Sullivan of Calgary, will represent Canada in the women's Sprint and Keirin. She will be looking to build on her experience at the previous World Cup.

The track cycling World Cup in Cali starts Thursday, December 1st, and ends Saturday, December 3rd.

Women

Laura Brown (Vancouver, BC) - Women's Team Pursuit
Jasmin Glaesser (Coquitlam, BC) - Individual Pursuit, Scratch
Stephanie Roorda (Vancouver, BC) - Women's Team Pursuit
Monique Sullivan (Vancouver, BC) - Sprint, Keirin
Tara Whitten (Edmonton, AB) - Omnium, Women's Team Pursuit

Men

Zach Bell (North Vancouver, BC/Watson Lake, Yukon) - Omnium
Travis Smith (Calgary, AB) - Men's Team Sprint, Sprint, Keirin
Joseph Veloce (Fonthill, ON) - Men's Team Sprint
Hugo Barrette (Cap-Aux-Meules, QC) - Men's Team Sprint, Sprint