March 20/07 (Ottawa, ON) – The Canadian Cycling Association (CCA) is organizing trials to determine the final composition of the Canadian team at the Pan American track championships in Valencia, Venezuela, May 20-25, 2007.

Trials: May 9-11, 2007, Burnaby BC
Final preparation: May 13-16, Victoria BC (weather permitting) or Burnaby BC

Automatic selection: Athletes who finish top 8 in an Olympic discipline at 2007 world championships will be fully funded to the Pan American championships and will not be required to participate in the trials.

Selection through trials:
Through international competition results, the CCA has identified athletes for the following events at Pan Am championships:

• Gina Grain (women’s points)
• Zach Bell (men’s points)
• Martin Gilbert / Ryan MacKenzie (men’s Madison)
• Travis Smith (men’s sprint, men’s Keirin)
• Cam MacKinnon (men’s sprint)
• Smith/MacKinnon (men’s team sprint, if there is a competitive third rider)
• Symmetrics (Tuft, Meier, Bell, Evans): men’s team pursuit*

In order to confirm their selection, these athletes must meet the time standards below at the trials in Burnaby (unless they have finished top-8 at worlds). Anyone who did not finish top-8 at worlds or meet the standards at the trials will not go to Pan Am championships.

The trials will also be used to identify potential new riders in the following events:

• Men’s team sprint (third rider)
• Women’s sprint
• Women’s pursuit

The trials can also be used to identify riders to replace those already identified above, if those athletes fail to meet the time standards at trials.

In all cases, athletes who are judged to be capable of qualifying Canada for the Olympics through the track World Cup season will be given priority, and will be fully funded to the championships.

Other athletes may be selected as a development opportunity based on future performance potential. In these cases, athletes may be asked to partially or fully fund their travel to the championships.

All athletes selected through trials must participate in the CCA-mandated preparation program in Victoria, BC.

Participation in non-Olympic track disciplines (kilo, 500m, scratch race) will only be offered to athletes already selected for an Olympic discipline, and will be at the discretion of the coach in charge of selection.

Olympic Track Events (maximum team size for Pan Am championships*):

• Women’s points race (2 athletes)
• Men’s sprint (2 athletes)
• Men’s keirin (1 athlete)
• Men’s points race (1 athlete)
• Men’s Madison (2 athletes)
• Women’s sprint (2 athletes)
• Women’s individual pursuit (2 athletes)
• Men’s team sprint (3 athletes)
• Men’s individual pursuit (2 athletes)
• Men’s team pursuit (4 athletes)

In order to be selected, athletes must have achieved at least one of the following performances:

• A full team sprint time trial will only be run if all three athletes meet the standing 250 or standing 500 m time standards

For more information, photo and interview request, please contact us at the email address and contact numbers below.

Florence Bourg
Communications Manager
Canadian Cycling Association
Tel: +1-418-824-9207 / Cell: +1-418-558-4559
florence.bourg@canadian-cycling.com
www.canadian-cycling.com