Symmetrics Cycling Withdraws All Riders from Pan Am Championships



Fausto Coppied

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Aug 17, 2006
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How much worse can it get? Look and see......

Below you will find a press release from May 4, 2007 from Canada's best and only true professional cycling team. Instead of working with these people the Canadian Cycling Association is snubbing them and worse.

Again I'm sure most of you, especially those of you in the national media (I mean you, Randy, Jim, Wayne, Pat and the rest of you) will sit on you ass and do and say nothing.

That's really too bad.

This is important stuff if you are in sports or sport media. If you don't care maybe you should go write for the lifestyle sections of your newspapers.

Next year is an Olympic year and in cycling Canada will be truly phucked. Everybody will sit around scratching their head and wondering why when week after week, month after month,m year after year, I have been pointing failure after failure out to all of you. Nothing has improved. In fact, thigns have gotten consistently worse, much worse.

You don't want to listen to me, that's fine. Contact Kevin Cunningham who owns the Symmetrics Team and get it from him. He is one of the few guys in Canada approaching the sport professionally. And he is getting zero help.Contact his riders.


Rusty Chain Projects Inc.
1050 West Pender Street, Suite 2200
Vancouver, B.C.
CANADA V6E 3S7
Tel: (604) 891-5565
Fax: (604) 681-8514
Email: [email protected]






The Symmetrics Pro Cycling team is officially withdrawing all riders from the Canadian national team heading to Venezuela for the Pan Am Road Championships.





Background

Over the last 6 months Symmetrics Pro Cycling has been in contact with the Canadian Cycling Association (CCA) numerous times to inform them that our team would not schedule a race program that would conflict with this event. As an all-Canadian team that is focused on advancing Canada's UCI ranking, we felt an obligation to make our roster available for election.

In return, we expected the selection would be transparent, fair, and based on performance and merit. In our opinion, this would allow Canada to send the strongest team with the best chance of success. We also informed the CCA that if necessary, we would assist in the cost of sending our athletes as the CCA indicated it could not afford to send a full 10 man squad to this critical event. We planned our spring race schedule to ensure our athletes would be in peek form and had enough UCI racing to demonstrate their worthiness for selection.

Over the last 2 weeks, various riders announced they were selected to the Canadian National team, despite the fact that to our knowledge, the team had yet to be chosen. On Monday, April 30, we were advised by the CCA of the selection. Unfortunately, it now appears the selection process was neither transparent nor fair and we are therefore unwilling to participate.


By withdrawing our squad, Svein Tuft, one of the best riders in North America, a rider who has just won the 14-day Vuelta a Cuba, the Redlands Prologue, and more recently, the US Open Cycling Championships, will regrettably not be able to assist Canada in its quest for medals at the Pan Am Games. It also means that riders who have equally impressive results these past few weeks---Andrew Randell, Eric Wohlberg, Christian Meier, Cam Evans, and Andrew Pinfold - will not be attending.

Symmetrics has earned 85% of Canada's 2007 UCI points and over the last 2.5 years we have contributed over 700 points to Canada's standing. We are dedicated supporter of cycling in Canada and we are advocating for a fair and transparent selection process.

The decision to withdraw was extremely difficult for our organization as Canada will lose an excellent opportunity to acquire even more UCI points. However, we feel it is important to make this statement before more critical events like the 2007 World


Championships and the 2008 Olympics are upon us. If our nation is able to maintain a top two ranking in the UCI Americas Tour Canada will receive an unprecedented six spots at the 2007 Road worlds which is the stepping stone to the 2008 Olympics.

Canada must send its very best riders to all international events and therefore, it is critical that the Canadian Cycling Association creates a more transparent and fair selection process for all future events.

Kevin Cunningham
Symmetrics Cycling





Go to this link for full story: http://www.roadie.ca/viewtopic.php?t=680
 
Why isn't the CCA using the Hamilton Legacy Fund to send the riders to the Pan Am championships?


Isn't it for travel?

Who decided it was only for little kids?

Just another stupid legacy of Bill Kinash.
 
Fausto Coppied said:
. Contact Kevin Cunningham who owns the Symmetrics Team and get it from him. He is one of the few guys in Canada approaching the sport professionally. And he is getting zero help.
Maybe this is the future? Go private. I noticed National Parks in the US go this route with increasing cut-backs from their government . Seems to be working. Kevin is successful. You had a good stab at it. Maybe just cut Associations out of the loop. Food for thought.
 
Good idea but very difficult since the UCI recognizes the CCA.


This particular version of the CCA should be done away with ASAP.

If someone with enough mney wanted to they could put forwar an excellent argument that this CCA has ruined the sport, it unrepresentative of riders and organizers and is jeopardizing the future of the sport. If a new association went to the UCI with more money it might be able to strip this CCA of its sanctions.
 
Poor Canada!!!!!

"In our opinion, this would allow Canada to send the strongest team with the best chance of success. We also informed the CCA that if necessary, we would assist in the cost of sending our athletes as the CCA indicated it could not afford to send a full 10 man squad to this critical event." Kevin Cunningham, owner Symmetrics Professional Cycling Team.

What a disgrace.

The Canadian Cycling Association has less money than many third-world countries to send its riders to necessary championships.

Thank former CCA President and current Board Member-at- large, Bill Kinash and his hiring policy of getting people who know nothing about the sport of cycling and in some cases sports in general: Steve Lacelle (resigned), Kim Sebrango (resigned or fired) and Lorraine Lafrenière, currently the CCA Director General overseeing this ongoing disaster.

Canada, one of the richest countries in the world cannot afford to send it riders to its own UCI Pro Tour Championships.

What an embarrassment.

Yet Canada's cycling "news" media stay silent as does the mainstream sports media .
 
I like the misinformation the Canadian Cycling Association is offering. It mentions "the full team" in this press release but it should say "our full team" because they could send more riders if they had the funds and if they had cooperated with the Symmetrics Team which they didn't do and do not have.

Take notice of the "Self-funded development athlete"!!!! Want to bet they will charge her for her jersey????

That means the CCA is too cheap or too broke to pay her way. At the very least let's hope they use some of the $600,000 they have squirrelled away precisely for this type of trip to reimburse that rider.

Finally look at the provinces supplying the riders, only Quebec and Britisih Columbia, with four from Alberta mainly becuase of the track there. Not a single rider from Canada's richest province. Not a rider from the East Coast which is supposed to be doing so well with its training centre. BC probably has more riders because selections were held there and other riders could not aford to get there.

What a pathetic mess.

The sport in the country is doomed unless major changes are made.

cca_ph_news.jpg


05.14.07 – CCA announces full Pan American Road and Track Championship selections

May 14, 2007 – The Canadian Cycling Association is happy to announce the full team for the Pan American road and track Championships, to be held in Valencia, Venezuela, from May 21 to 27, 2007.

After several athletes met the time standards at the CCA trials in Burnaby, BC, on May 9-11, Canada will be sending a larger than expected track delegation to the championships.

Track competition runs from May 21 to 24, and road competition runs May 25-27.

The following athletes will represent Canada in Venezuela:

Track men:

  • Zach Bell (Vancouver BC) : Points Race
  • Martin Gilbert (Montreal QC) : Madison
  • Ryan McKenzie (Calgary AB) : Madison
  • Cam MacKinnon (Calgary AB): Team Sprint, Keirin, Sprint, Kilo
  • Lawrence Leroux (Oka QC): Team Sprint
  • Yannick Morin (Otterburn Park QC): Team Sprint
Track women:

  • Gina Grain (Vancouver BC): Points Race
  • Monique Sullivan (Calgary AB): Sprint
Note: Sullivan has been selected as a self-funded development athlete

Road men

  • Zach Bell (Vancouver BC) : Time Trial
  • Charles Dionne (Ste-Foy QC) : Road Race
  • Martin Gilbert (Montreal QC) : Road Race
  • Ryan McKenzie (Calgary AB) : Road Race
  • Keven Lacombe (U23 – Amos QC) : Road Race, Time Trial
  • David Veilleux (U23 – Quebec QC) : Road Race, Time Trial
Road women:

  • Gina Grain (Vancouver BC): Road Race
Staff:

  • Kris Westwood (manager)
  • Richard Wooles (coach – track)
  • Vincent Jourdain (coach – road)
  • Sophie St-Jacques (soigneur)
  • Chad Grochowina (mechanic)