Five Tripleshot youth riders raced the Canadian Track Championships (U17/JR/Para) in Bromont, Quebec at the end of March. Here's their story.
Following countless trips to the mainland and lots of training and preparation with head coach Lister, come race weekend, the riders were ready to go! And when the action-packed three-day event had wrapped up, every one of them had set multiple personal records.
The racing was intense, with some challenging matchups and tight sprints. Through it all, our riders showed incredible determination and skill. And they supported one another throughout the weekend by cheering, and taking turns grocery shopping and cooking for the group of 17 BC athletes and coaches.
There were many exciting moments throughout the weekend. In the junior women's team pursuit (a four-person team event), Lindsey Cameron won first place, along with her teammate, Tripleshot youth alumna Kimberly Chen. In the junior women's team sprint, Tendo Mukahanana and Kimberly Chen won first place, destroying the previous Canadian record by almost two seconds! Additionally, Tendo won a national title in the individual sprint and earned a silver medal in the Keirin.
The U17 boys also had a very successful trip, with a fourth in the team sprint, featuring Tim Wang, Mateus Dodd, and Cohen Vigliotti (DEVO). Furthermore, Xavier Kelley showed some smart pack racing, and was the only Tripleshot boy to qualify for the points race final.
A highlight for many was the last race of the weekend, the Madisons. These riders had a 60-lap race with six mid-race sprints, and teammates exchanged places by “hand sling” every few laps (check out this maneuver in this video).
All the youth riders are very thankful to Lister, Tripleshot Cycling Club, and the youth team sponsors for making this trip possible. Each rider can attest that they loved the racing experience and cannot wait to race again at next year’s track nationals in Milton, Ontario!
The next focus for the youth team will be road and cross-country MTB races, with many riders competing in upcoming VCL road and Island Cup MTB events.
Many thanks to Tendo Mukahanana and Tim Wang for submitting this write-up.
