Canada has quietly stepped up to challenge the traditional Olympic cycling powerhouse nations like Great Britain, the Netherlands and Italy, qualifying the maximum number of athletes in track cycling and a rider in cycling discipline except BMX freestyle for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Dan Proulx, Canada's head cycling coach, shared insights into this milestone and the preparations leading up to it in an exclusive interview with Cyclingnews.
Canada is one of only a handful of nations that have qualified riders for every discipline. Only Great Britain has been able to enter the maximum number of athletes in track, MTB and road. Getting Canada to the same stage as a powerhouse Olympic performer like GB is a result of hard work by the riders, eight coaches and supporting staff, and financial support from Sport Canada.
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"This support has made a significant difference over the years, ensuring we have world-class programming, coaches, and staff," Proulx said. "It's raised the bar for everyone and helped us compete at the highest levels.
"The one thing that is really unique about Canada is that we don't have the numbers that some other countries do in our development pipeline. Cycling is not the culture in Canada, hockey is in the culture, for sure. So often, we are selecting riders from a very small talent pool. So it's really important that we make sure that they can stay in the sport for a while, and that we're maximising the talent that we do have. It's a compact group, so we have to have good relationships with everybody."
"We're very excited about it," Proulx said of maxing out the track cycling team. "To my knowledge, this is the first time Canada has ever done that. We hoped to qualify the maximum number of spots, but it was never a guarantee until the very last event. Before Milton [the last Nations Cup], we were optimistic and hopeful but never took it for granted."
The track cycling team, announced this week, includes defending sprint champion Kelsey Mitchell and keirin bronze medalist Lauriane Genest, who will be joined by Sarah Orban for the team sprint. Erin Attwell, Ariane Bonhomme, Maggie Coles-Lyster and Sarah Van Dam will compete in the endurance events.
But the biggest surprises came from the men's sprint programme, who narrowly made the cut for the Olympics thanks to their final ride in Milton.
"That one was a nail-biter," Proulx recalled. "The really cool thing is that those guys were under pressure and set a personal best. We were relatively confident about the team pursuit since we needed to be in the top 10, but all it would have taken was a touch of wheels, and that would have been it."
James Hedgcock, Tyler Rorke and Nick Wammes will compete in the sprint events in Paris. The team pursuit squad also made the cut, with Dylan Bibic, Michael Foley, Carson Mattern and Mathias Guillemette being named to the team.
The qualification process was complicated by the shortened Olympic cycle after the Tokyo Olympics were postponed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While it left little time for development and experimentation, Canada pulled off great performances to qualify a large team, but that was not the main goal.
"The three-year quadrennial meant we didn't get that year post-Olympics to do a lot of development work. We were right back into qualifying," Proulx explained. "The coaches, staff, and athletes focused on the process and how they performed in each event. Our goal is to perform our best at the Games, rather than just qualifying for every event."
Looking ahead to Paris, Proulx emphasized the importance of preparation and mental toughness. "Like everyone, we would love to see medals, but we honestly cannot control that. We are practising performance under pressure and fatigue conditions to ensure the riders are capable of delivering their best at the Games. The Olympics are a pressure cooker where athletes often underperform, so our focus is on controlling the controllables and creating an environment conducive to the riders doing well."
A crucial aspect of Canada's success has been the exceptional coaching staff, including Catherine Pendrell, a bronze medalist at the Rio Olympics, who now coaches the mountain bike team. "I think that's a fascinating story," Proulx remarked. "She's been a mountain bike coach for the last two years, doing a fantastic job with our 2028-focused athletes. We will have mountain bikers at the Games, but with our mountain bike group, this is more of a rebuild and experience Games. Catherine shares her wisdom from a nearly 20-year international career with coaches from various disciplines."
Siblings Gunnar and Isabella Holmgren will represent Canada in the mountain bike cross-country races. Isabella is the reigning junior world champion while Gunnar won the men's MTB race at the Pan American Games last year.
On the road side, Michael Woods and Derek Gee will fly the maple leaf flag on a Classics-style road course in Paris, while Olivia Baril and Alison Jackson will represent Canada in the women's road events.
Mollie Simpson rounds out the team in women's BMX Racing.
"We have some medal potential in a number of different disciplines," Proulx said. "The exciting part about the road course is how challenging it is. Our coaches, like Nigel Ellsay, have done recon on it, and we have a strong group to choose riders from. We have our work cut out for us identifying who will be best on the day."
Canada's preparations extend beyond physical training. Collaborations with equipment partners such as Argon 18 and Louis Garneau have provided the team with cutting-edge equipment and clothing. However, Proulx stressed that mastering the basics is crucial. "The tactical side, especially in track cycling, is super important. We study our competition and ensure our athletes can compete in unexpected ways. Technical aspects like perfecting starts and optimizing exchanges are also vital. Every training session includes video analysis, power analysis, and aero testing."
Mental preparation also plays a significant role in Canada's strategy. "We've invested in the mental performance game, creating a performance environment that is light, bright, and clear," Proulx noted. "Our mental performance coach, Sharlen Hoar, works with the athletes and coaches to create environments that bring out the best in people. There's a great vibe on the team right now, which has come from investment and continuous work."
Team Canada for the Paris Olympics cycling events
- Molly Simpson (BMX Racing, Women)
- Isabella Holmgren (MTB, Women)
- Gunnar Holmgren (MTB, Men)
- Olivia Baril (Road, Women)
- Alison Jackson (Road, Women)
- Derek Gee (Road, Men)
- Michael Woods (Road, Men)
- Erin Attwell (Track Endurance, Women)
- Ariane Bonhomme (Track Endurance, Women)
- Maggie Coles-Lyster (Track Endurance, Women)
- Sarah Van Dam (Track Endurance, Women)
- Dylan Bibic (Track Endurance, Men)
- Michael Foley (Track Endurance, Men)
- Mathias Guillemette (Track Endurance, Men)
- Carson Mattern (Track Endurance, Men)
- Lauriane Genest (Track Sprint, Women)
- Kelsey Mitchell (Track Sprint, Women)
- Sarah Orban (Track Sprint, Women)
- James Hedgcock (Track Sprint, Men)
- Tyler Rorke (Track Sprint, Men)
- Nick Wammes (Track Sprint, Men)
