Canadian Cycling Team Named for 2022 Commonwealth Games

18 athletes chosen to represent Canada 

OTTAWA - (2022 - 06 - 28) - Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) and Cycling Canada today announced the 18 athletes who will represent Team Canada in both road and track cycling at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, including five past Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallists. Athletes to compete in Birmingham, England, from July 28 to August 8, 2022, were selected based on past performances, including the Olympic Games, the first two rounds of the UCI Track Nations Cup and results at international road events.

“Our team showcases both the progress our athletes have made on the world stage and the passing of the torch to a new generation of Canadian cyclists,” said Cycling Canada’s High Performance Director Kris Westwood. “Four years ago, at the Gold Coast Games, Lauriane Genest was a surprise newcomer who finished fourth in the sprint tournament; Kelsey Mitchell wasn’t even part of our team. Now they are both Olympic medalists and riders to watch. At the same time, we have a wave of young athletes stepping up in track endurance and road and it’s going to be exciting to see how they do.”

The 2022 Commonwealth Games will present some challenges for the cycling team based on the large footprint, but Team Canada is confident in the calibre of this team to deliver when it counts.

“With the track cycling events in London and the road events in Birmingham, our cycling team is presented with some logistical challenges,” says Scott Stevenson, Executive Director, Team Canada 2022. “With the benefit of some late quota additions from Birmingham 2022, we will be strongly represented on both the track and in the Birmingham road events. We anticipate numerous medals from this group.”

Cycling competitions will kick off on the track, where a total of 15 gold medals will be up for grabs. Canada’s highly competitive sprint team will be fighting for a spot on the podium, with Olympic Sprint Champion Kelsey Mitchell leading the charge alongside Olympic Keirin bronze medalist, Lauriane Genest and World Cup medalist Sarah Orban. The men’s team will be comprised of Tokyo Olympian Nick Wammes, as well as Ryan Dodyk and Tyler Rorke, with all three competing at their first Commonwealth Games.

On the endurance side, both the women’s and men’s squads will be tackling the Individual Pursuit, Scratch Race, Points Race and Team Pursuit. The team will be led by Olympians and 2018 Commonwealth Games medalists Michael Foley, Derek Gee and Ariane Bonhomme, who will be joined by 2019 Pan American Games medalist Maggie Coles-Lyster, 2022 U23 Time Trial National Champion Ngaire Barraclough, Devaney Collier, Mathias Guillemette and Riley Pickrell.

The road competitions will follow immediately after, where Olympians Alison Jackson and Leah Kirchmann will be strong contenders in both the Time Trial and Road Race. They will be working alongside U23 and Elite Road Champions Simone Boilard and Maggie Coles-Lyster, as well as dual athletes Ariane Bonhomme and Ngaire Barraclough in the 112-kilometer race. The men’s team will boast Canadian Road Champion Pier-André Côté, Giro d’Italia Giovani medalist Riley Pickrell, Canadian Time Trial Champion Derek Gee, Michael Foley and Mathias Guillemette.

“I am very excited about my nomination to Team Canada for the Commonwealth Games. It is always an honour to wear the maple leaf on my jersey!” said Kirchmann. “The technical and rolling Time Trial suits my strengths as a rider, so I hope to target a top result in the event. I think we also have a strong team with a lot of cards to play in the Road Race, so I will be looking to help Canada target a medal performance in the event.”

The track competitions will take place at the Lee Valley Velo Park, from July 29 to August 1 with eight events including Team Sprint, Sprint, Keirin, Time Trial, Individual Pursuit, Points Race, Scratch Race and the Team Pursuit (women only).

The road competitions will take place in Wolverhampton and Warwick, on August 4^th and August 7^th with the Road Race and Individual Time Trial.

Birmingham 2022 will feature 19 sports and eight para-sports as part of its program with up to 4,500 athletes taking part. The Commonwealth Games are the only multi-sport event that feature equal standing for sport and para-sport events, and these 2022 Games will showcase the largest para-sport program ever. In addition, for the first time in its history, the Games will feature more medal events for women (135) than men (133). 
 
The road and track cycling team which will represent Canada at the Birmingham 2022 includes: 

Coaches: 

ABOUT TEAM CANADA 2022 

The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be host to 72 participating nations and territories taking part in the Games. The Commonwealth Games are a valuable opportunity as a steppingstone and development opportunity for Canadian athletes, coaches, and managers working towards Olympic and Paralympic success. Canada’s performance projection in 2022 is a top 3 ranking, in total medals, amongst all nations and territories competing. Commonwealth athletes won 80%+ of Canada's medals at the 2020 Olympic Games 

Team Canada’s dedicated mission team will provide an optimal environment by celebrating equality, diversity, and non-discrimination. This is in support of our goals needed to enable a best ever performance by Canadian athletes at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. 

ABOUT CYCLING CANADA

 Cycling Canada is one of the oldest national sport organizations in Canada and has one simple purpose: to inspire Canadians to cycle. Cycling Canada administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country, hosts national and international events and manages the National Team in all levels of international competition.

ABOUT COMMONWEALTH SPORT CANADA 

Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) is the franchise holder for the Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth sport movement in Canada. CSC is an active, contributing member of the Canadian sport community and supports Canada’s athletes to achieve excellence at Olympic, Paralympic Games, and world championships. The mission of CSC is to enrich the lives of youth across the Commonwealth and host the Commonwealth Games. CSC is responsible for all aspects of Canada’s participation in the XXII Commonwealth Games and will be sending a team of almost 400 of Canada’s best athletes and coaches to compete for Canada. The upcoming Games will occur in Birmingham, England from July 28 through to August 8, 2022. For additional information go to: www.commonwealthsport.ca. 

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For more information, please contact: 

Karine Bédard
Marketing & Communications Manager
Email: karine.bedard@cyclingcanada.ca
438-884-8771

Jackie Skender
Media Attaché, Cycling -Team Canada 2022
Email: jskender@volleyball.ca
613-794-7676

Patrick Kenny 
Communications Team Leader – Team Canada 2022
Email: patrick@commonwealthsport.ca
613-724-7160