Canadian cycling is gearing up for a world championship this year and an Olympics next year, but winning a Canadian domestic title - and the burgeoning bragging rights that come with it - is a badge worth having, says rider Andrew Randall.
"I'd say pride is a big part of it, wearing the jersey overseas in Europe. It would be the highlight of a career for people," the South African-born, Toronto resident said on the eve of the 2011 Immunity-FX Canadian Road Championships.
The Road Championships (also sponsored by Canaccord Wealth Management), open Thursday with elite men's and women's time trials at Rattlesnake Point west of Toronto. In the time trial, men need to make the steep climb up the hills 14 times for a total of 43 km; women eight times for 21.67 km. (Juniors, Masters and Para-cyclists have championships in Halton and Toronto from June 30-July 3).
Included in the who's-who list of 228 cyclists registered for the various Canadian road events are time-trial defending champions Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., and Julie Beveridge of Calgary; world champion omnium-rider Tara Whitten of Edmonton; Pan American champion (road race and time trial) Clara Hughes of Glen Sutton, Que.; defending road race champions Will Routley of Whistler, B.C. and Joelle Numainville of Montreal; and riders with international credentials Dominique Rollin, of Boucherville, Que., Christian Meier of Sussex, N.B., and David Veilleux of Cap Rouge, Que.
Winning a national road crown "is one of the criteria for Olympic selection, so that's important. But wearing the jersey is the big thing. You get to wear that Maple Leaf every day for a year," said Randall, a 12-year pro now with Steve Bauer's SpiderTech team.
In a sport fighting for image rehab, Canadian cyclists are reputed for coming from a clean system. They're getting acknowledged for their skills and catching on with more international trade teams. SpiderTech (sponsored by a 10-member corporate consortium called C10) is a bid to create a team with Canadian roots and Canadian talent that has a goal of entering the Tour de France one day.
"[The]Canadian championship is extremely important, especially to our team," said Ryan Anderson of Edmonton, another SpiderTech cyclist who has ridden on three Canadian teams at world championships.
"We're the only professional continental team in Canada and we want the leader within our team when we go back to Europe. It's crucial for us to come out on top. We're coming in with the biggest team and the strongest team, so the Canadian road race is really important for us," said Anderson, who has twice been the national under-23 road racing champion.
"We're fortunate in Canada to have a lot of good teams and riders," said Matthew Knight, road coordinator for the Canadian Cycling Association. A continuum of competitions takes riders from grassroots provincial programs and championships on the CCA's national calendar to international "UCI-level races, such as we have in Gatineau (a UCI women's time trial and road race), and world tour events (in Quebec City and Montreal) coming in September."
Knight called the road course - a nearby rectangular route which will challenge the women for 103 km Friday evening and the men 180 km late Saturday afternoon - relatively short at 12.8 km, but marked by a very steep climb and a high-speed straight descent.
"The climbers will get to the front on the climb and it will be seen how well they can manage staying away through the flatter section of the course. The climbers will be in front but it's a long race and there are big teams," he said.
Randall, who won a provincial title there in 2007 said it was not a technical course, "but the climb is hard enough that you can make a big difference there and drop people... especially later in the race."
The championships are being organized by the Midweek Cycling Club in Burlington, Ont.
CANADIAN ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS June 23 - 9:00 a.m. - Time trials (elite men, women) [Course: Belfountain/Region of Peel] June 24 - 6:00 p.m. - Road race (elite women) [Milton/Burlington] June 25 - 4:00 p.m. - Road race (elite men) [Milton/Burlington] June 26 - 11:00 a.m. - Criterium (elite men, women) [Georgetown/Halton Hills] June 30 - 9:00 a.m. - Time trials (Juniors, Masters, Para-cycling) [Belfountain/Region of Peel] July 1 - 8:30 a.m. - Criterium (Junior, Masters) [Toronto] July 2 - 9:30 a.m. - Road race (Para-cycling) [Caledon/Region of Peel] July 3 - 9:30 a.m. - Road race (Junior, Masters) [Burlington/Hamilton]/p>