Mid Season Team Update
June 2012
It’s almost July and our team has been racing full on since we came back from South Carolina training camp in March; taking on classic races such as New York’s Tour of the Battenkill (100km of gravel, hills and covered bridges), and already two premier International Events- the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia and the GP Cycliste Gatineau- where we were rubbing shoulders with Canada’s sweetheart Olympian Clara Hughes, current World Champion Georgia Bronzini and Olympic Champion Nicole Cooke. As elite racers, we are fortunate to be invited to these professional calibre events; they are experiences of a lifetime to ride with this field with the high energy atmosphere, and every exposure brings our racing up to the next level.
After the race smiles (Shannon Topham)
We were especially proud of Ali Wilson, our gravel and distance queen, for becoming a “pro” and earning her first prize money in the Battenkill race, and of Michelle Gauthier’s fantastic performance at the front of the GP Cycliste Gatineau peloton to the very end.
Of the race in Philadelphia, our youngest rider Nina Nesdoly had this to say:
“This race was one of the most exciting things to date. It was unlike any other race I’ve done, running through the center of Philadelphia and cheered on by thousands of fans. It was my second International road race, against the best women in the world. The city, the riders, the crowds, the race- everything was amazing.”
Aside from these superb events, the team has had a steady season of racing throughout Ontario and Quebec- Veronik Bourgon and Heather Shearer, both leading the team with 4 podium finishes so far. Veronik has been earning the nickname “Turbo” for her time trialing prowess, and seems to get faster in every race; while Heather seems to go stronger and faster each day, possibly invoking a new resistance training fad that includes 1000s of miles on the commuter bike.
While we are still heartbreakingly short of our first win of the year, the team is learning and improving in every race. We know that our motivation, hard work in training, and team work will pay off soon. We’re also looking forward to some reinforcements, as two teammates Courtnay Romkey and I, have been sidelined for a few weeks each due to unrelated concussions!
In the meantime, our quest for the win continues thankfully with Infinit Nutrition to sustain and recover our bodies, Cyclepower Pro Bike Shop to maintain our awesome women’s specific Fuji bikes, RE:FORM Body Clinic keeping our bodies going, and the generous support of Clinique Podiatrique de l’Outaouais and Ed Brunet and Associates. We’d also like to thank the efforts of our Race Director Samantha Warskett , mechanics Marc Ouellette, Nathan Underwood, Charles Plamondon, and also logistics boss Cynthia Nelson for their time and support throughout the year.
For more photos, results, and race reports, and our upcoming schedule, please visit www.infinitcycling.com. Be sure to check out our photo gallery including some very artistic shots of the team from our team photographer and sponsor, Bill Juillette (Just B Photographic).
