October 18, 2006 (Ottawa, ON) - National coach Eric Van Den Eynde has accepted a position with the Québec cycling federation, the Fédération Québécoise des Sports Cyclistes (FQSC), meaning he will no longer be a full-time national coach with the Canadian Cycling Association (CCA), effective at the end of the month.

From November 1st, Mr. Van Den Eynde will take up his new post as FQSC Road and Track Head Coach, back where he started his coaching career, from 1984 to 1996, before joining the CCA.

Mr. Van Den Eynde has been involved with the CCA for the past twenty years and a full-time national coach for the last ten. More recently, he was given full responsibility for the national track team program.

"It was a tough decision and the most difficult thing for me will be not to being able to coach Canadian athletes from outside of Québec, but it was the right decision to take according to my deepest convictions", explained Van Den Eynde.

"Eric's decision is a disappointment because he won't be directly involved in continuing the tremendous progress the national track team has made in the last two years," said CCA High Performance Director Kris Westwood. "That said, I believe Eric will in the long term have an even greater influence on our international success in his new role with Québec, because he will be focusing on developing young riders, an area where strong leadership is crucial. I am also happy that Eric has said he is still keen to be involved with the national programs on specific future projects."

The CCA would like to pay tribute to Eric Van Den Eynde's exceptional involvement and contribution to developing elite Canadian athletes over the past twenty years.

M. Van Den Eynde will be available for phone interviews Wednesday October 18th (before 2 p.m.).

For further information or interview request, please contact:

Florence Bourg
Communications Manager - Directrice des communications
Canadian Cycling Association - Association cycliste canadienne
2197 Riverside Drive, suite/bureau 203
Ottawa, ON, K1H 7X3
Tel: +1-418-824-9207
Cell: +1-418-558-4559
florence.bourg@canadian-cycling.com