The Canada Summer Games is a quadrennial event that brings together over 3000 of the nation’s top young athletes to compete in 21 different sports. All 13 provinces and territories participate
in what is the largest regular multi-sport event in Canada. The 2009 Games are hosted by the province of Prince Edward Island August 15-29.
Cycling competitions run the first week of Games:
Monday - Mountain Bike Cross-Country
Tuesday - Individual Time Trial
Wednesday - Rest Day
Thursday - Road Race
Friday - Criterium
The Team
Racing as Team New Brunswick in this highly competitive event are 10 athletes (5 women, 5 men) aged 17-21. Some have many years of cycling experience behind them, and others discovered cycling relatively recently after having achieved success in other sports such as speed skating, gymnastics, running, triathlon, hockey, and so on. They worked hard and represented NB, themselves, and everyone who supported them exceptionally well:
Julia Cormier
Natalie Cormier
Jessica Dahn
Emily Nickerson
Elizabeth Russell
Jean-Richard Cormier
Denis Hebert
Patrick Mulherin
Justin Theriault
Stuart Wight
The team is led by coaches Jane and Brian McKeown, manager Christine Martin, and mechanic Jeff Currie, who have worked tirelessly to encourage, support, strategize, direct, feed, plan, provide logistical and mechanical assistance, and so much more so the athletes have what they need for great results and experiences.
Julia Cormier
Natalie Cormier
Jessica Dahn
Emily Nickerson
Elizabeth Russell
Jean-Richard Cormier
Denis Hebert
Patrick Mulherin
Justin Theriault
Stuart Wight
The team is led by coaches Jane and Brian McKeown, manager Christine Martin, and mechanic Jeff Currie, who have worked tirelessly to encourage, support, strategize, direct, feed, plan, provide logistical and mechanical assistance, and so much more so the athletes have what they need for great results and experiences.
Mountain Bike Cross-Country
Mountain bike racing requires a combination of physical fitness, balance, and sport-specific bike handling skill. Team NB put in a strong performance on the hilly, technically demanding course at Brookvale Park. It featured plenty of rocky, rooty singletrack climbing and descending, a rock garden, and a few grassy doubletrack sections to facilitate riders passing. Top results were Jessica Dahn in 14th and Jean-Richard Cormier in 10th.
Justin Theriault makes this rooty descent look easy.
Pat Mulherin on the lip of a steep descent.
Jean-Richard Cormier runs his bike through a rock garden. Sometimes it's faster and less risky to run a section rather than ride it.
Denis Hebert hot on the tail of an Ontario rider.
Natalie Cormier negotiates a rooty section.
Jessica Dahn flies on a technical descent.
Team New Brunswick Results:
14 Jessica Dahn
26 Natalie Cormier
10 Jean-Richard Cormier
19 Justin Theriault
32 Denis Hebert
36 Patrick Mulherin
Full results: men's and women's
Justin Theriault makes this rooty descent look easy.
Pat Mulherin on the lip of a steep descent.
Jean-Richard Cormier runs his bike through a rock garden. Sometimes it's faster and less risky to run a section rather than ride it.
Denis Hebert hot on the tail of an Ontario rider.Natalie Cormier negotiates a rooty section.
Jessica Dahn flies on a technical descent.
Team New Brunswick Results:
14 Jessica Dahn
26 Natalie Cormier
10 Jean-Richard Cormier
19 Justin Theriault
32 Denis Hebert
36 Patrick Mulherin
Full results: men's and women's
Individual Time Trial
In this "race against the clock," cyclists are not permitted to draft (i.e. ride in the slipstream of other riders to reduce effort) and victory goes to the cyclist who can cover the course fastest. Successful time trialing depends on the ability to put in a sustained hard effort, as well as on aerodynamic body position and equipment (such as aerobars, which allow cyclists to ride with their forearms close together rather than far apart as in the traditional road position; and aerodynamic bicycle frames, wheels, and spokes. Stuart Wight posted NB's top result of the day with a blazing fast ride that earned him 7th place, only 3 seconds short of a bronze medal.
Emily Nickerson demonstrates to race Commissaire Andre Ouellette that her bike setup meets competition rules.
Jean-Richard Cormier leaves the start ramp.
Pat Mulherin knows how to suffer.
Stuart Wight on his way to 7th.
Team New Brunswick Results:
7 Stuart Wight
20 Justin Theriault
42 Patrick Mulherin
45 Jean-Richard Cormier
60 Denis Hebert
27 Natalie Cormier
28 Elizabeth Russell
30 Emily Nickerson
32 Jessica Dahn
40 Julia Cormier
Full results: men's and women's
Emily Nickerson demonstrates to race Commissaire Andre Ouellette that her bike setup meets competition rules.
Jean-Richard Cormier leaves the start ramp.
Pat Mulherin knows how to suffer.
Stuart Wight on his way to 7th.
Team New Brunswick Results:
7 Stuart Wight
20 Justin Theriault
42 Patrick Mulherin
45 Jean-Richard Cormier
60 Denis Hebert
27 Natalie Cormier
28 Elizabeth Russell
30 Emily Nickerson
32 Jessica Dahn
40 Julia Cormier
Full results: men's and women's
Road Race
The road course was a 10 km loop beginning on the waterfront and running back through downtown Summerside. The women did 8 laps, and the men 12. The route is basically flat and some sections can be quite windy. On a hilly course, stronger climbers need only push the pace to eliminate most of the starters from contention; but on this sort of course, drafting allows weaker riders to keep pace with stronger ones, forcing racers to employ strategy and team tactics in order to triumph.
In the men's road race, the peloton had hardly left the start line when Justin Theriault broke away with a small group. The peloton chased and reabsorbed them after a few laps. A few short minutes later, another break formed and Theriault jumped into that one too. The group consisted of him, NB's Jean-Richard Cormier, as well as 2 Nova Scotians, an Islander, and an Ontario rider. The crowd went wild as Maritime riders led the race at home. Now, a peloton can normally bring back a breakaway group if it wants to, just by virtue of having more riders to share the work at the front to break the wind. But sometimes the composition of a break will be such that few teams are motivated to chase it, and teams in the peloton will look to one another to do the work to bring it back and the pursuit will not run smoothly, and miscalculations happen. So sometimes a breakaway lasts to the finish. Even when it does not, the teams of the breakaway riders will be tucked into the peloton out of the wind while others chase, so their legs will be fresh to counterattack or contest a sprint finish should the break be caught. The Maritime break turned out to be the "break of the day." The group rode off the front for more than 100 km while the ecstatic crowd cheered them on. They had nearly 4 minutes advantage on the peloton at one point, and were reinvigorated late in the race when the winner of the ITT bridged up. But Quebec was not represented in the break and chased hard, and after more than 100 km, the peloton caught our heroes with only 8 km to go. It was a brilliant effort and a great day of racing.
While some of the New Brunswick men have raced on teams and abroad, the women's team is less experienced. For most, Games was a first taste of racing at this level. The women suffered a bit of bad luck in the road race, losing contact with the peloton after an early crash. That's racing sometimes, and ignoring their road rash, they gamely got back on their bikes, regrouped, and worked together to finish the race. What they may lack in experience, they more than make up for in tenacity.
Justin Theriault leads the breakaway.
Team Quebec leads the peloton in the chase.
NB, NS, and PEI team cars follow the breakaway to provide technical support and nutrition if needed.
Team NB manager Chris Martin offers Jean-Richard and Justin a bottle as breakaway moves through the feed zone.
The women prepare to start.
Emily Nickerson works hard to chase back onto the pack after crashing.
Liz Russell holds onto her cables for an aero position.
Team New Brunswick Results:
23 Stuart Wight
24 Jean-Richard Cormier
36 Justin Theriault
38 Patrick Mulherin
54 Denis Hebert
32 Jessica Dahn
37 Elizabeth Russell
38 Emily Nickerson
39 Julia Cormier
Full results: men's and women's
In the men's road race, the peloton had hardly left the start line when Justin Theriault broke away with a small group. The peloton chased and reabsorbed them after a few laps. A few short minutes later, another break formed and Theriault jumped into that one too. The group consisted of him, NB's Jean-Richard Cormier, as well as 2 Nova Scotians, an Islander, and an Ontario rider. The crowd went wild as Maritime riders led the race at home. Now, a peloton can normally bring back a breakaway group if it wants to, just by virtue of having more riders to share the work at the front to break the wind. But sometimes the composition of a break will be such that few teams are motivated to chase it, and teams in the peloton will look to one another to do the work to bring it back and the pursuit will not run smoothly, and miscalculations happen. So sometimes a breakaway lasts to the finish. Even when it does not, the teams of the breakaway riders will be tucked into the peloton out of the wind while others chase, so their legs will be fresh to counterattack or contest a sprint finish should the break be caught. The Maritime break turned out to be the "break of the day." The group rode off the front for more than 100 km while the ecstatic crowd cheered them on. They had nearly 4 minutes advantage on the peloton at one point, and were reinvigorated late in the race when the winner of the ITT bridged up. But Quebec was not represented in the break and chased hard, and after more than 100 km, the peloton caught our heroes with only 8 km to go. It was a brilliant effort and a great day of racing.
While some of the New Brunswick men have raced on teams and abroad, the women's team is less experienced. For most, Games was a first taste of racing at this level. The women suffered a bit of bad luck in the road race, losing contact with the peloton after an early crash. That's racing sometimes, and ignoring their road rash, they gamely got back on their bikes, regrouped, and worked together to finish the race. What they may lack in experience, they more than make up for in tenacity.
Justin Theriault leads the breakaway.
Team Quebec leads the peloton in the chase.
NB, NS, and PEI team cars follow the breakaway to provide technical support and nutrition if needed.
Team NB manager Chris Martin offers Jean-Richard and Justin a bottle as breakaway moves through the feed zone.
The women prepare to start.
Emily Nickerson works hard to chase back onto the pack after crashing.
Liz Russell holds onto her cables for an aero position.
Team New Brunswick Results:
23 Stuart Wight
24 Jean-Richard Cormier
36 Justin Theriault
38 Patrick Mulherin
54 Denis Hebert
32 Jessica Dahn
37 Elizabeth Russell
38 Emily Nickerson
39 Julia Cormier
Full results: men's and women's
Criterium
A criterium is a road race run on a very short circuit - usually around 1 km. Excellent bike handling skills are key to success, as riders who can corner quickly conserve momentum and cover the course much more efficiently than others, who must burn energy sprinting to catch them hundreds of times in an hour. This particular crit was a points race, so riders' final placing would depend not on the order in which they crossed the finish line on the final lap but on points accumulated during the race. Every 5 km, points were available for the first 4 riders to cross the start/finish line, with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th riders earning 5, 3, 2, and 1 points respectively, and double points at the halfway point and on the finish. The men's race was 50 laps and the women's 40.
The women's race ran first, and we were all very proud of the NB girls who were not the least bit put off racing by their crash the previous day. Again they rode well, worked hard, and learned a lot. Natalie Cormier, who had crashed so hard in the road race that she cracked her helmet in 3 places and had to withdraw, posted the women's top crit result, finishing the final sprint with the pack for a solid 19th.
The men's race started fast. Apparently having thoroughly enjoyed his success in the previous day's breakaway, Jean-Richard Cormier attacked almost immediately and got a gap on the peloton. He was reeled in, and as the pace eased up after the first sprint, Stuart Wight attacked. Soon enough, Stu was joined by a group of riders that included representatives from every province but Manitoba and PEI. This break looked promising! They worked well together and built their lead up to almost a minute. But as the race went on, members of the breakaway group began to play "cat and mouse," looking to shirk their share of the work to drive the break and questioning whether its success was truly in their teams' interest. Once cooperation deteriorated, the peloton closed in fast and caught the break with 8 km to go. The race came down to a bunch sprint, but since the break had lasted nearly its entire duration, its members had earned enough points to take the top 10 places overall. Stuart had picked up enough points in 2 intermediate sprints to earn him 9th for a great result and a strong race!
Stuart Wight Corners in the breakaway.
The pack chases.
Coach Brian McKeown and mechanic Jeff Currie are in the pit to offer the team emergency mechanical assistance.
Natalie Cormier rides in the pack as it strings out on a fast section.
Jessica Dahn pedals around a corner.
Julia Cormier takes a pull in a group working to regain contact with the peloton after an attack splintered it.
Team New Brunswick Results:
9 Stuart Wight
15 Jean-Richard Cormier
21 Denis Hebert
35 Justin Theriault
19 Natalie Cormier
29 Emily Nickerson
32 Jessica Dahn
40 Julia Cormier
Full results: men's and women's
The women's race ran first, and we were all very proud of the NB girls who were not the least bit put off racing by their crash the previous day. Again they rode well, worked hard, and learned a lot. Natalie Cormier, who had crashed so hard in the road race that she cracked her helmet in 3 places and had to withdraw, posted the women's top crit result, finishing the final sprint with the pack for a solid 19th.
The men's race started fast. Apparently having thoroughly enjoyed his success in the previous day's breakaway, Jean-Richard Cormier attacked almost immediately and got a gap on the peloton. He was reeled in, and as the pace eased up after the first sprint, Stuart Wight attacked. Soon enough, Stu was joined by a group of riders that included representatives from every province but Manitoba and PEI. This break looked promising! They worked well together and built their lead up to almost a minute. But as the race went on, members of the breakaway group began to play "cat and mouse," looking to shirk their share of the work to drive the break and questioning whether its success was truly in their teams' interest. Once cooperation deteriorated, the peloton closed in fast and caught the break with 8 km to go. The race came down to a bunch sprint, but since the break had lasted nearly its entire duration, its members had earned enough points to take the top 10 places overall. Stuart had picked up enough points in 2 intermediate sprints to earn him 9th for a great result and a strong race!
Stuart Wight Corners in the breakaway.
The pack chases.
Coach Brian McKeown and mechanic Jeff Currie are in the pit to offer the team emergency mechanical assistance.
Natalie Cormier rides in the pack as it strings out on a fast section.
Jessica Dahn pedals around a corner.
Julia Cormier takes a pull in a group working to regain contact with the peloton after an attack splintered it.
Team New Brunswick Results:
9 Stuart Wight
15 Jean-Richard Cormier
21 Denis Hebert
35 Justin Theriault
19 Natalie Cormier
29 Emily Nickerson
32 Jessica Dahn
40 Julia Cormier
Full results: men's and women's
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