Cycling Canada has selected a team of 13 riders to represent the country at the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin from February 26 to March 1, which will mark the end of the qualification period for the Tokyo Olympics.
The sprint squad will be led by continental Sprint champion and 200 m world record holder Kelsey Mitchell, who will be making her world championships debut after winning four world cups medals this season. She will be joined by continental Keirin champion Lauriane Genest, as well as RBC Training Ground athlete Sarah Orban.
Olympic bronze medalists Allison Beveridge, Georgia Simmerling and Jasmin Duehring will be leading the women’s track endurance team, with Annie Foreman-Mackey and Ariane Bonhomme rounding out the squad. On the men’s side, the young team of Derek Gee, Michael Foley, Adam Jamieson, former speed-skater Vincent De Haitre and Jay Lamoureux will be looking to earn a fifth men’s endurance spot for Tokyo.
“The world championships in Berlin mark the end of the Olympic qualification period and they’re also the last time we’re going to see all of our main Olympic rivals in action before the Tokyo Games,” said Kris Westwood, High Performance Director at Cycling Canada. “For us, it’s a chance to see where we stand on the world stage. Our endurance teams are just wrapping up a very successful preparation block in New Zealand, which bodes well for the worlds. I’m really looking forward to seeing how our sprint women do, particularly Kelsey Mitchell who will be racing her first-ever world championships. Remember, two years ago, she didn’t even own a bicycle!”
(TP – Team Pursuit, OM – Omnium, PTS – Points Race, IP – Individual Pursuit, TS – Team Sprint, SP – Sprint, KE – Keirin)
Women’s Sprint
Kelsey Mitchell – Sherwood Park, AB [TS, SP, KE]
Lauriane Genest – Lévis, QC [TS, SP, KE]
Sarah Orban – Calgary, AB [SP, 500m TT]
Women’s Endurance
Allison Beveridge – Calgary, AB [TP, OM]
Georgia Simmerling – Calgary, AB [TP, IP]
Annie Foreman-Mackey – Kingston, ON [TP, IP]
Jasmin Duehring – North Vancouver, BC [TP]
Ariane Bonhomme – Gatineau, QC [TP, IP]
Men’s Endurance
Derek Gee – Ottawa, ON [TP, OM]
Michael Foley – Milton, ON [TP, PTS]
Vincent De Haitre – Ottawa, ON [TP, Kilo TT]
Jay Lamoureux – Victoria, BC [TP]
Adam Jamieson – Barrie, ON [TP]