Canadian National Team Member
10 time National Champion and
Multiple World Cup Winner
2003 Race Reports
Canadian Track Championships - Bromont, PQ Tim Hortons National Track Championships - Bromont, Quebec1st Points Race
1st Scratch Race
2nd Individual Pursuit
2nd 500m Time Trial
3rd KeirinRacing for Rocky Mountain/PowerBar, I just returned home from the Tim Hortons National Track Championships winning five medals, including two gold in which I regained my National Championship titles (making it ten now) in the Points Race and Scratch race.
It was an aggressive four days of racing with lots of action in the mass start events. My first victory came in the Scratch Race which ended in a bunch sprint after many attacks and mini breaks throughout the race. Taking second place was Laura Yoisten from Alberta, with third going to Erin Carter of Manitoba.
My second Nationals victory came in the Points Race after a hard fought battle between myself and my closest rival, fellow National Team member Erin Carter. Erin attacked on lap one of the 60 lap event. I was able to bridge up to her after 2 sprints, and then the two of us proceeded to lap the field earning a valuable 20 points each over the rest of the riders. I was able to score ahead of her in all of the remaining sprints to take the gold medal with 41 points, 6 points ahead of Erin. Laura Yoisten of Alberta was 3rd with 16 points.
After a disappointing Worlds and World Cup season wrought with crashes, this was a nice way to end the season.
I will now take a couple weeks off before beginning my preparation for the Olympic qualifying races to commence in January.
Thanks very much to everyone who has helped me throughout the season: Rocky Mountain Bicycles, PowerBar, Tim Hortons, Shimano, Easton Sports, TUFO North America, Rudy Project, Adidas, Basic Sports Nutrition, AVIS Rent A Car, Louis Garneau, Race Face Headsets, GiroPoste.
Mandy on her way to Silver in the Pursuit
Track World Cup#3 - Cape Town, South AfricaMandy Poitras will return home on April 15 from the third round of the Unione Cycliste Internationale ( UCI is world governing body of cycling ) Track World Cup held in Cape Town, South Africa April 11-13 with satisfying results. Racing for the Tim Hortons Canadian Team in the 20 km points race on Friday evening Poitras placed 9th after a third in her qualifying heat that morning, while on Sunday she was 7th in the 10 km scratch final after a 6th in her morning heat.
These results, while below Poitras' normal World Cup standards, were satisfactory to her as she has had limited track time and a great deal of travel in the past month. Poitras was invited to the World Cup on three weeks prior to the event while she was still doing base training for a month in France. She then returned to Canada for 2 weeks and did a few days preparation on the track after recovering from jet lag.
" I seemed to be very sluggish in the first few races this weekend with a lack of speed in my legs but as the weekend wore on I could feel some jump coming back and the scratch race final was my best race. I am happy with my 7th place as I know now that with some specific training and rest when I get back home I can be really back to top form for the next World Cup" Poitras said by phone from Cape Town.
Poitras next World Cup is in Sydney, Australia from May 16-18 and she hope to get some rest before making another long trip so early in the season. "This year will see me log many hours on planes and in airports which I am not too fond of at this point. I am trying not to think about this next trip yet and just want to be at home in my own bed. I miss the small things like my Tim Hortons sandwiches and muffins" said Poitras
Track World Cup#4, Points Race - Sydney, AustraliaMandy Poitras, riding for the Tim Hortons Canadian National Team place 10th in the 20 km Points Race on the opening night of the final round of the Unione Cyclist Internationale Track Cycling World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
By placing 10th Poitras has secured her spot at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany July 28-Aug 3. This was Poitras' second top ten in two outings this season in the Points Race. Poitras placed 9th in the same event in Cape Town, South Africa last month.
Poitras commented by phone that she did not have the legs to get the result she really wanted and feels she is capable of, but this year's travel schedule has not been kind to North American riders with events in Russia, South Africa, Australia, and Mexico. The evenings Points Race was won by Vera Carrera of Italy. Poitras and a German rider made a last ditch effort to catch the lead group with 10 laps left and fell just short with Poitras taking second in the final sprint which gave her enough points for 10th.
Next on the event schedule is the 10 km Scratch Race on Sunday night and Poitras is hoping that her legs will have recovered from flying as it will be her 7th day in Sydney.
Track World Cup#4, Scratch Race - Sydney, AustraliaIt was a disappointing end to the final event at the May 16-18 UCI Track Cycling World Cup held in Sydney, Australia for Tim Hortons National Team rider Mandy Poitras. Poitras had easily qualified in 4th spot in a Sunday morning 5 km Scratch Race heat and was feeling more on top of her game. By the afternoon she was ready to go for the 10 km Scratch Race final and was feeling the best she had on this trip where she had been struggling with jet lag. In the end Poitras left a fair amount of her flesh on the Dunc Gray Velodrome surface along with pieces of her carbon front wheel and Easton carbon handlebars.
The race played out very well for Poitras as it was coming down to a group sprint which highly favours her. However, with two laps to go a Russian rider moved closer to a Korean rider who due to her inexperience veered up the track suddenly taking both Poitras and the Russian down as well as a Ukrainian rider at well over 50 kph.
Poitras was up immediately with more anger and disappointment that physical harm. " I had poor legs for most of this trip and finally felt some form coming on. The finish looked to be setting up very nicely for me and I was very confident of doing well in the final sprint. To have the race end this way is frustrating and to add insult to injury, my $1000 front wheel is toast and my lucky PowerBar undershirt is shredded" said Poitras upon arriving back in Canada. "The only saving grace is that there was no damage to my custom Rocky Mountain track bike" added Poitras.
Despite the lack of result in Sydney, Poitras has still qualified for the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany July 30 to August 3 based on her previous World Cup performances in both the Points Race and Scratch Race.
Track World Championships, Points Race - Stuttgart, GermanyRiding for the Tim Hortons National Track Cycling team, Mandy Poitras had a disappointing start to the 2003 World Track Cycling Championships yesterday in Stuttgart, Germany. Poitras was off to a great start in the 24 km Points Race riding comfortably in the front group and scoring second place points in the second sprint. Then as the third of ten sprints approached a Dutch rider crashed immediately in front of her and Poitras had nowhere to go but over the handlebars.
Mandy was up immediately, with a few scrapes and bruises, and received her free 4 laps to get back into the action. As she was thrown in the fourth sprint was being contested making the pace very high. Poitras held on for the remainder of the race but did not feel the same again and finished up in the main group in 12th position.
While this is not the start she wanted Mandy will now focus on the 10 km Scratch race to be held this Saturday. Thanks to all for your continued support.
American Velodrome Challenge - Victoria, BCI just returned home from Victoria, BC, where I competed in the American Velodrome Challenge. Riding for Rocky Mountain/PowerBar, I won the overall title in both the sprint and endurance omniums, winning 6 of the 8 events that I competed in over the three days.
A few of the mass start endurance events proved quite challenging, as there were a group of 4 US riders from Portland who were determined to work me over. I was successful in all but 1 of these attempts. After my final race, the 10km Scratch Race, I barely had enough time to change my gear before participating in the 30km men's Points Race. They were kind enough to wait on the rail while I caught my breath and made the necessary gear changes. The race was fast paced right from the gun with constant attacks from all of the top contenders. With the pack chasing steadily at over 50km/hr, I was able to sit in, take my pulls, and stay in contact for the sprints. With the 3 days of racing taking its toll on my legs and only a few minutes recovery from my previous race, my legs were eventually unable to match the fast pace and I finally pulled out after 20km.
Overall, it was a great weekend of racing, and fantastic preparation for Track Worlds July 30 - August 3, where I will be representing the Tim Hortons Canadian National Team in both the Points Race and Scratch Race.
Full Results from the American Velodrome Challenge July 11-13 in Victoria, BC:
1st Individual Pursuit
1st Points Race
1st Elimination
1st Keirin
1st 200m Time Trial
1st Sprints
2nd 500m Time Trial
3rd Scratch RaceOther results from June/July:
9th BC Cup Road Race - Abbottsford, BC
15th BC Provincial Road Race Championships - Mission, BCIn addition to racing, I was invited to be a guest speaker at Jules Quesnel Elementary School in Vancouver as part of their Bike Week Celebration. It was a fun afternoon speaking to over 150 Kindergarten to Grade 5 students who were very excited at the end of the presentation to have the opportunity to sit on my track bike.
Next up is the Tour de Delta this weekend, followed by the mid-week Gastown Criterium before I leave for Worlds on July 26th.
Thanks again to all my current sponsors for your support: Rocky Mountain Bicycles, PowerBar, Tim Hortons, Shimano, Easton Sports, TUFO North America, Rudy Project, Adidas, Basic Sports Nutrition, AVIS Rent A Car, Louis Garneau, Race Face Headsets, GiroPoste.
Race the Ridge Time Trial - Maple Ridge, BCRacing for Rocky Mountain/PowerBar, I took home my second victory of the 2003 season at the Race The Ridge Time Trial in Maple Ridge this Easter Sunday. After returning home from South Africa only 4 days prior, my legs were still in a different time zone but I was able to push enough to top the podium at this 30km Time Trial event.
My next race will be the Walla Walla Stage Race this weekend in Washington, followed by the Burnaby Velodrome Race Event the weekend of May 2-4. I will then compete in the Nooksack Road Race prior to departing for Australia for the final Track World Cup of the 2003 season where I will represent the Tim Hortons Canadian National Team. This will be the final qualifier for the World Championships to be held in late July/early August. Currently the venue for Worlds is Shenzhen, China, though changes are being discussed due to the current health risks associated with travelling to China at the moment.
Thank you once again to everyone who continues to support my dreams: Rocky Mountain Bicycles, Shimano, PowerBar, TUFO North America, Tim Hortons, Louis Garneau, Easton Sports, Basic Sports Nutrition, RaceFace Headsets, Adidas, AVIS Rent a Car, Rudy Project Eyewear
Tour de Delta - Delta, BCRacing for Rocky Mountain/PowerBar, I had the all too rare opportunity this past weekend to compete locally in a major international event - The Tour de Delta, which was the opening event of the BC Superweek. Competing against some top North American pro teams and a strong contingent of local riders, I placed 3rd in the Delta Criterium.
You can check out some of the photos from the criterium (courtesy of Greg Descantes) on the Canadian Cyclist website at: http://www.canadiancyclist.com/races03/delta/crit/women/Frameset.htm I am in Rocky Mountain clothing (white, black and red) with a white Louis Garneau helmet. The podium shot is #20018 which is the very last photo, and there are some other great action shots. In addition to the podium shot, I am in photos #154,194, 224, 229, 251, and 254 (battling with Rona's Andrea Hannos for the prime).
Racing commenced with a 700m two-up hill climb on Friday night. I was feeling a little apprehensive about this one since the only hills my legs have seen since March are the banking on the velodrome. However, my little "sprinter legs" came through better than expected with an 18th place finish. I even crossed the line wishing I could do it again as I thought I could have posted a much better time!!
Saturday night was the race I had been waiting for - the 40 lap (36km) criterium. With 3 of North America's top women's teams represented in the pack, I knew it would be a tough battle for the local riders, like myself, who did not have any teammates in the field. I knew that Saturn's Ina Teutenberg (also a German National Team rider) would be the one to watch and that she would attack early. True to form, Ina attacked on the 3rd lap taking with her Israeli National Team member, Leah Goldstein, and Snow Valley's Liz Begosh. I saw the move go, and knew it was the one I had to be in, but I was completely surrounded by other riders at the time and couldn't jump with them. With 2 of the 3 major teams up the road, any efforts to close the gap and bring these riders back was quickly shut down by their teammates still in the pack. Unfortunately, as the final laps drew near, we knew the race was now for 3rd (the Snow Valley rider was dropped from the lead group about half way through the race). I tested my sprint by winning a prime with 2 laps to go, and felt confident that I could take the group sprint. I went early out of the final corner and held off the charging pack to take 3rd place in this fast-paced, aggressive criterium.
Sunday was an 88km road race (11 laps of an 8km fairly flat circuit with one small climb). With a break forming early, once again any attempts to close the gap was shut down by the teams represented in the break. As I was using this race as preparation for the upcoming World Championships, I was determined to work hard and try and help out some of the local riders who were looking to get some points towards the BC Cup standings. In the end, I rolled across the line just behind the main pack, satisfied with my efforts for the day and feeling very good about my preparation and fitness heading into Worlds.
Next up is the Tour de Gastown Criterium in downtown Vancouver on Wednesday, July 23. The women race at 6:30pm followed by the men at 7:30pm. This promises to be an exciting night of racing, as in addition to the teams from the Tour de Delta, the women's field will be strengthened by the addition of riders like Alyson Sydor (3 time World Mountain Bike Champion).
Unfortunately I will not be able to compete in the final BC Superweek event - The Tour de White Rock - as I leave for Stuttgart, Germany where I will be representing the Tim Hortons Canadian National Team at the World Championships July 30 - August 3. I'll keep you posted with all results.
