07.22.10 - Canadian Cycling Association Announces Team for Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

(Ottawa, ON – July 22, 2010) The Canadian Cycling Association (CCA) and Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) today announced the cyclists and coaches named to the Canadian Team headed for the XIXth Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India this October.

The list of accomplished athletes includes 2010 Tour de France competitor Michael Barry (Toronto, ON), who placed ninth in the Road race at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Barry also represented Canada at the 2003 UCI Road World championships, 2000 Pan-American Games and 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Veteran team member Svein Tuft (Langley, BC), 2008 Pan-American Champion and silver medalist in the individual time trial at the 2008 UCI Road World Championships in Varese, Italy, recently claimed his sixth consecutive Canadian title in the time trial race at the 2010 Road Canadian Cycling Championships.

Zach Bell (Watson Lake, YK), who represented Canada on the track at the 2008 Olympic Games, won the men's Road race for the third time at the Tour de Delta earlier this year. Multiple Canadian Champion and medalist Travis Smith (Calgary, AB) recently won the sprint event at the 2010 Pan American Championships and won silver and bronze medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

For the women, World and Canadian Champion Tara Whitten (Edmonton, AB) won the women's Points race at the 2010 UCI Track World Championships on March 28th in Copenhagen, Denmark. Monique Sullivan (Calgary, AB) won the sprint event at the 2009 Track Canadian Championships in Burnaby, BC. Joëlle Numainville (Montreal, QC) won the women's Road race at the 2010 Road Canadian Cycling Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, in the final peloton sprint.

“The Canadian cycling team for Delhi intends to contend for medals,” says Team Canada Chef de Mission, Martha Deacon. “With one gold, one silver and three bronze medals won in Melbourne in 2006, the cyclists will be highly competitive in Delhi and we are proud to support the already accomplished team members as the cycling team looks to surpass previous goals.”

“With a team comprised of Olympians, a Tour de France rider, World Cup and World Championships medalists and Canadian champions, the hopes for the Canadian cycling team at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi are high,” says Jacques Landry, Chief Technical Officer of the Canadian Cycling Association. “The once-in-a-lifetime experience will have a lasting impression on our riders, especially as we set our sights on the Olympic Games in London in 2012.”

The CCA selected the track riders from a pre-qualified pool of athletes and through a selection camp in Los Angeles earlier in July. Athletes who had won a medal at a UCI World Cup event during the 2009/10 season or 2010 UCI Track World Championships pre-qualified to the Commonwealth selection pool. At the selection camp, athletes who met the criteria competed for the fastest times and were considered. Final selection was rendered by the National Team Head Coach and members of the Track Selection Advisory Group.

The selection of the Road team was prioritized based on the highest finish at the 2009 UCI Road World Championships, the 2010 Road Canadian Cycling Championships, gold medalist at the 2010 Pan American Road and Time Trial Championships, highest number of UCI points in road (women), and the best U23 finisher in the road race event at the 2010 Road Canadian Cycling Championships.

CANADIAN CYCLING TEAM AT THE 2010 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Supporting the 2010 Commonwealth Games cycling team will be coaches Richard Wooles (North Vancouver, BC), and Luc Arsenault (Dieppe, NB), along with mechanic Chad Grochowina (Hamilton, ON).

Delhi 2010 will feature 14 Track events, (eight for men and six for women) and two Road events (Road Race and Individual Time Trial events) for men and women. The track events will be held at the I.G. Sports Complex October 5 - 8. For the Road events, the Mass Start event will take place at Vijay Chowk on October 10 and the Time Trial event at Noida Express Highway on October 13.

Interviews with individual athletes and coaches leading up to the Commonwealth Games can be arranged by contacting Guy Napert-Frenette of the Canadian Cycling Association at (403) 614-4275 or cycling@performancepr.ca. Interviews during the games can be arranged via the Team Canada Media Attaché on-site at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

The Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games will be the world’s largest multi-sport competition this year, drawing more than 4,000 athletes from 71 nations and territories. For more information on Team Canada, visit www.commonwealthgames.ca.

-- Canadian Cycling Association --

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