06.17.10 -Three Canadian Cyclists Hit The Podium On Opening Day Of Junior Pan-American Championships

Canadian medals in Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit and 25k Points Race

The Canadian delegation didn’t waste any time to showcase their talent on the cycling track at the 2010 Junior Pan-American Championships in Mexico City, placing three riders on the podium on the first day of competition.

Thanks to a team effort by the Canadians, Alex Cataford (Ottawa, ON) took home the silver medal in the 25km Points race, sprinting across the finish line with a total 38 points. In the Points race, there are sprints every 10 laps, where the first four riders to cross the finish line cumulate points. At the end of the 25km, the rider with the most points wins.

Mexico’s Cristian Alejandro Medina easily won the event, scoring 50 points.

The silver medal performance by Cataford is in large part due to the dragging efforts of his teammate Patrick McGinley (Oakville, ON), who carried him all the way to the final sprint.

In the 2km Individual Pursuit Allison Beveridge (Calgary, AB) defeated her Chilean opponent by setting a time of 2 minutes 28.6 seconds in the run off for the Bronze medal, to capture the bronze medal.

In the Team Sprint, the Canadians represented by Daniel McKenzie-Picot (London, ON), Scott Mulder (Vancouver, BC) and Kristofer Ovsenek (London, ON) qualified in fourth but redeemed themselves by winning the Bronze medal dual, defeating the older and more experienced Chilean team.

In the Women’s 500m Time Trial race Florence Laplante-Lamarche (Ottawa, ON) finished fifth with a time of 37.695 seconds, just ahead of her teammate Audrey Labrie (Prévost, QC) who came in sixth with a sprint of 37.945 seconds. Mexico’s Luz Daniela Gaxiola took home the gold by posting the fastest time of 36.024 seconds.

The Canadian team looks to grab more hardware as the international junior event continues today in Mexico City.

Results and race reports will be posted on the CCA website, Twitter (cantrackcycling) and Facebook (Canadian Track Cycling).

Allison Beveridge
Panoramic View of Velodrome