A Maple Ridge cyclist has been named to the Canadian team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Maggie Coles-Lyster, one of 10 on the women’s team, will be competing in several endurance events at the games, which are to be held in Birmingham, England, from July 28 to Aug. 8.
Coles-Lyster will racing in the Team Pursuit, Points Race, Scratch Race, and Individual Pursuit at the games. She will also be competing in the Road Race.
“Our team showcases both the progress our athletes have made on the world stage and the passing of the torch to a new generation of Canadian cyclists,” said Cycling Canada’s High Performance director Kris Westwood singling out a cyclist from Quebec and one from Alberta.
“Four years ago, at the Gold Coast Games, Lauriane Genest was a surprise newcomer who finished fourth in the sprint tournament; Kelsey Mitchell wasn’t even part of our team. Now they are both Olympic medalists and riders to watch. At the same time, we have a wave of young athletes stepping up in track endurance and road and it’s going to be exciting to see how they do.”
Cycling competitions will kick off on the track, where a total of 15 gold medals will be up for grabs. Canada’s highly competitive sprint team will be fighting for a spot on the podium, with Olympic Sprint Champion Kelsey Mitchell leading the charge alongside Olympic Keirin bronze medalist, Lauriane Genest and World Cup medalist Sarah Orban. The men’s team will be comprised of Tokyo Olympian Nick Wammes, as well as Ryan Dodyk and Tyler Rorke, with all three competing at their first Commonwealth Games.
On the endurance side, both the women’s and men’s squads will be tackling the Individual Pursuit, Scratch Race, Points Race and Team Pursuit. The team will be led by Olympians and 2018 Commonwealth Games medalists Michael Foley, Derek Gee and Ariane Bonhomme, who will be joined by 2019 Pan American Games medalist Maggie Coles-Lyster, 2022 U23 Time Trial National Champion Ngaire Barraclough, Devaney Collier, Mathias Guillemette and Riley Pickrell.
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Road competitions will follow immediately after, where Olympians Alison Jackson and Leah Kirchmann will be strong contenders in both the Time Trial and Road Race. They will be working alongside U23 and Elite Road Champions Simone Boilard and Maggie Coles-Lyster, as well as dual athletes Ariane Bonhomme and Ngaire Barraclough in the 112-kilometer race. The men’s team will boast Canadian Road Champion Pier-André Côté, Giro d’Italia Giovani medalist Riley Pickrell, Canadian Time Trial Champion Derek Gee, Michael Foley and Mathias Guillemette.
“With the track cycling events in London and the road events in Birmingham, our cycling team is presented with some logistical challenges,” says Scott Stevenson, executive director, Team Canada 2022.
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“With the benefit of some late quota additions from Birmingham 2022, we will be strongly represented on both the track and in the Birmingham road events. We anticipate numerous medals from this group,” he added.
The track competitions will take place at the Lee Valley Velo Park, from July 29 to August 1, and the road competitions will take place in Wolverhampton and Warwick, on Aug. 4 and Aug. 7.
Birmingham 2022 will feature 19 sports and eight para-sports as part of its program with up to 4,500 athletes taking part.
The Commonwealth Games are the only multi-sport event that feature equal standing for sport and para-sport events.
The 2022 Games will showcase the largest para-sport program – ever.
In addition, for the first time in its history, the Games will feature more medal events for women, with 135, than men, with 133.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be host to 72 participating nations and territories taking part in the Games.
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