The Burnaby Velodrome is paying solid dividends for Canada’s up-and-coming young riders.
The evidence was clearly on display at the Cycling Canada national junior and under-17 track championships at the Barnet Highway velodrome last weekend.
“For B.C., it was a phenomenal weekend. … It shows the collective work being done in the province, … and the support behind it,” said national event organizer and Burnaby Velodrome program coordinator Kelyn Akuna. “They really are products of our track. This is where they train.”
Fifteen-year-old Maggie Coles-Lyster, the youngest rider in last year’s Giro di Burnaby, ran away with the under-17 women’s six-event omnium, beating Cycling B.C. runner-up Erin Attwell and Quebec’s Marie Alexandre Lemire handily.
“She basically cleaned house,” said Akuna of the up-and-coming Maple Ridge racer.
Coles-Lyster also earned the coveted red and white jersey awarded to the Canadian champions, winning national titles in the team pursuit and sprint, 500-metre time trial and match sprints. She placed runner-up in the individual pursuit.
Alexandre Lemire of Quebec stopped the complete sweep, winning the individual pursuit title over Coles-Lyster.
Cam Fitzmaurice, another local product with TaG Cycling of the North Shore, topped the u-17 men’s omnium, beating back a threat from Alberta’s Stefan Ritter and Thierry Kiriouac-Marcassa.
Fitzmaurice also placed second in the individual pursuit and teamed with John Wilcox and Fergus Horrobin of B.C. for a silver medal in the team sprint.
Wilcox beat Fitzmaurice in the individual pursuit, while placing runner-up in both the time trial and match sprints.
The national cycling centre in Hamilton took both team pursuit and sprint titles.
Ritter won two individual national titles, taking first place in the time trial and match sprints.
Provincial riders Trevor Stothard of Cycling B.C. and TaG’s Max Duso finished second and third, respectively, to overall winner Bayley Simpson of Team Ontario in the under-19 junior men’s omnium.
Duso helped the TaG Cycling team of Brendan Armstrong, Rowan Morris and Chris MacLeod to the team pursuit title.
A combined B.C. team of Stothard, Jackson Pickell, Alexander Amiri and Cordell Dickie finished second.
Pickell, Stothard and Amiri also took first place in the u-19 men’s team sprint. Rhys Verner, Luke Di Marzo and Felix Burke of B.C. placed third overall.
Evan Burtnik of Alberta won the individual pursuit and 1km time trial.
Guilllaume Roussel of Quebec won the match sprints and keirin.
Sarah Mason led an Eastern Canada sweep of the podium in the junior girls’ omnium. Gillian Ellsay of B.C. finished fourth overall.
Catherine Oullette of Quebec took top spot in the individual pursuit and 500m time trial. Kia van der Vliet of Cycling B.C. won the keirin event.
“For our young riders to be competitive with everyone else, it goes a very long way. It gives us a leg up. We’re definitely looking forward, and we’re quite excited about where we’re headed,” Akuna said.
The goal for track cycling in Canada is to be among the top nations in the world by 2020, added Akuna. The importance of track cycling development (at the velodrome) is absolutely critical, he said.
Cycling Canada’s director of performance development agreed.
“The future of Canadian track cycling is very bright. We observed some … strong performances … and passionate racing in Burnaby,” added Mathieu Boucher in a Cycling Canada press release. “We saw under-17 riders posting times rivalling with junior athletes, showcasing exceptional track cycling skills for their age. The weekend showed that Canada is heading in the right direction in the long-term development of track cyclists.”
