More sad news

Fausto Coppied

Read between the lines below, this is not good news, despite what the CCA wants us to think.

Only four men's teams have requested UCI Continental status, sure it's up from last year but look at the teams. Three of them are from Quebec and one for British Columbia. Nothing from Toronto? Not one team from Ontario??? Or Alberta???? Or Manitoba? Or the Maritimes from where we keep hearing they are running such a great training centre?

That road racing is more popular goes without saying. Most people still won't understand that.

Two of these teams are very small.

Only one women's team? Women used to be Canada's strong suit, now we have one team?

As for the races, there is not a UCI race in Canada west of Montreal!!!!! Without women's races there would only be two UCI road events.

I believe the CCA is wrong in saying this represents more UCI races than ever before. There were more UCI events in the 1980s and early 1990s, though the sanctions would have been different since caterorgies and levels have been changed.


Things are very bad. They are not improving, this is but shuffling chairs on the deck of the Titanic.

And after much more than a year what has Kim Sebrango, the CCA marketing Director, brought to the table??? Nothing new of note. Not even enough to cover half her annual salary. She signed pre-exisiting sponsors into more bad deals. There is no national series sponsor. The national championships are still a joke. There is no overall prize money for a national ranking.

It is disgusting. The CCA is an embarassment to the sport and the country. It should be ashamed. Heads should roll.



10.31.06 - 2007 UCI Canadian road cycling teams

October 31/06 (Ottawa, ON) - The Canadian Cycling Association (CCA) is pleased to announce that five road cycling teams have sent a letter of intent to register with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2007. This is more than double the number of teams as last year, showing that road cycling’s popularity is growing in Canada.

The growth in participation at the 2006 Tim Hortons Road National Championships was also an indication of road cycling’s growing popularity. At close to 700, the number of competitors in Québec City and Lévis was a new record.

The fact that Canada will host two new UCI events in 2007 (Tour of Prince Edward Island and Tour Montreal-Boston) certainly helped the teams in their decision to step up to the next level. Canada now has six UCI road events on the calendar (two for men and four for women), more than ever before.

UCI continental road team

Four men’s teams have requested continental status for 2007: Symmetrics, Calyon-Litespeed, Volkswagen-Trek and Vallée de l’aluminium.

Symmetrics, British Columbia
Kevin Cunningham’s team will start its third campaign on the America Tour. The team finished 6th in the 2006 team rankings with 199.62 points. Symmetrics will still be led by Svein Tuft, who is the defending time trial national champion. New faces such as Zach Bell have joined the team for 2007. Symmetrics will still be one of the strongest teams in the Americas.

Calyon-Litespeed, Québec
The team managed by Bernard Vives will start its second America Tour campaign. Building on its 2006 experience, the team of young riders is expecting to develop into a solid contender in the Americas. Minor changes from the 2006 roster are expected.

Volkswagen-Trek, Québec
After many years at the provincial and national level, the team managed by Josée Robitaille is reaching another milestone by seeking a continental license. The team is well renowned for developing young talent and will try and pursue that goal on the America Tour for 2007.

Vallée de l'Aluminium, Québec
Vallée de l’aluminium will be a brand new team in 2007. Québec’s popular aluminum producer Alcan is the major backer of this new team, which was put together by the well-known race promoter and cyclist Roger Filion from the Saguenay region. The team will focus on development for their first year on the circuit.

UCI women road team

One team has requested a UCI women team license for the 2007 season; expresscopy.com - Biovail

expresscopy.com - Biovail, Ontario
Scott Gerrie's team will be built around a strong contingent of Canadian women with a calendar of event focusing on the World Cup. The team was seen on many roads of North America in the past years and they now want to conquer Europe.

All these teams have until December 15th to finalize their roster with the Canadian Cycling Association. For more information about these teams, please contact Rémi Bérubé at competition@canadian-cycling.com

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