01.11.12 - EXPECTING OLYMPIAN ERINNE WILLOCK TO SIT OUT 2012 SEASON

Willock scheduled to give birth in Mid July, days before start of the 2012 Olympic Games

(Ottawa, ON – January 11, 2011) 2008 Olympian and 2012 Olympic hopeful cyclist Erinne Willock of Victoria, British Columbia announced on Wednesday she will put her Olympic dreams on hold as she and husband Tony Zarsadias are expecting the birth of their first child, only days before the start of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

“The last couple months have been quite a bit different than I had envisioned since the last Olympics. To say I’ve switched gears is a big understatement. I have very quickly gone from having complete focus for the 2012 Olympic year to now having a healthy and happy pregnancy being my new and exciting reality,” said Willock, who competed for Canada at the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing and at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Willock, an integral member of the Canadian Women’s Road Cycling Team, boasts an impressive cycling resume, which includes several victories on the professional racing circuit and many Top 10 at UCI World Cups throughout her career.

“I will definitely miss racing in 2012, as this is such an important year. Nevertheless, I’ll be cheering on my teammates from both Team TIBCO and the Canadian Cycling Team. You can be sure that I’ll be glued to my computer and TV checking the latest results, race reports and live coverage. There is so much depth in women’s cycling right now, especially Canadian Cycling, that it will be a great year to be a fan,” continued Willock.

Speaking to her teammates of the Canadian Cycling Team, Willock is confident that Canada will thrive at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, this summer and bring home some medals.

“To my teammates on the Canadian Cycling Team, I want to wish you all the best of luck! I am very excited to watch you all excel. For those who are vying for those precious spots on the Olympic Team for London, I hope you enjoy the experience, and more importantly have medals to bring home to show me!”

Denise Kelly, head coach of the Canadian Road Cycling Team, will miss Willock in the peloton this summer. “Erinne is an undoubtedly an outstanding cyclist – one of Canada’s finest. Her outgoing personality and aggressive racing style will definitely be missed this summer in the peloton across the world, and I join the staff at the Canadian Cycling Association to wish her a safe and healthy pregnancy. We are looking forward to enhancing our development programs with this new cyclist that will be born this summer.”

Linda Jackson, coach and directeur sportif at Team TIBCO, also shares her joy for Erinne’s future new addition to her life. “Everyone at Team TIBCO is incredibly happy for Erinne. We want to congratulate her and Tony as they embark on this wonderful new experience. Erinne is a tremendous person and I'm sure we'll miss her talent and leadership this year, but there are more important things in life than racing a bike. We wish Erinne and her baby all the health in the world.”

ERINNE WILLOCK’S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENT TO DATE

Member of the 2008 Canadian Olympic Cycling Team

Member of the 2006 and 2010 Canadian Commonwealth Games Cycling Team

Winner of the 2011 Women's Prestige Series

2011 Redlands Bicycle Classic - 2nd Overall GC

2011 Nature Valley Grand Prix - 2nd Overall GC

2011 Plouay World Cup - 5th

2011 Canadian Road Championships - 3rd

2009 UCI Road World Championships - 7th

2009 Plouay World Cup - 8th

2008 Tour of New Zealand - 3rd Overall

2008 Opende Suede Vargarda World Cup - 5th

3 x Top Ten - Montreal World Cup 2005, 2006 & 2008

2006 Joe Martin Stage Race - 1st Overall GC

2006 Pam American Time Trial Championships - 2nd

2005 San Dimas Stage Race - 1st Overall GC

2005 North American Best Young Rider