Dr. Vie’s Canadian gold medal women interview after their win 5 March 2012. “The 2012 Pan American Cycling Championships were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina. After about 30 hours of travel we arrived to the beautiful ocean front, European inspired city.
We were only able to train twice on the track before race day so we were quick to learn how to ride the track as a cohesive unit and get over the travel and jet-lag. It is autumn in Argentina right now and during training we were faced with up to 50km/h wind gusts and some rain. Usually, the elements would not be an issue in track cycling competitions, but the Mar del Plata’s velodrome is outdoor, concrete, 250m. Thankfully the three of us (Steph Roorda, Allison Beveridge, and myself) are experience track riders and grew up racing on outdoor concrete velodromes in Canada (namely the track in Calgary, Alberta). We knew how to ride a team pursuit in the wind and we knew that not only our fitness, but our technical abilities would set us apart even more from the other teams present. We were confident and excited going into the qualifier on March 5.
We qualified 2nd next to Venezuela and earned our ticket into the Gold medal final later that evening. Despite posting a slower qualifying time than the other team, our team was motivated to show that we can go faster and stepped up with a new race plan and crossed the line in first place. It was a great feeling knowing we executed our plan perfectly and will go home with a gold medal.
Laura Brown
Steph and I have been national team and road racing teammates for many years now and it was great to be able to ride with youngster Allison Beveridge and get her hooked on WTP! She is fresh out of the junior racing category and this was her first senior Pan American Championships. It was inspiring to ride with such emerging talent and be able to share as much experience with her as possible.
Steph Roorda
The 2012 Pan American Championships were the 2nd last event to gain Olympic qualification points and the final race before the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia in the beginning of April. Our WTP was sitting 7th ( the top-10 teams qualify for the Olympics) and it was critical to come to this race and do the best we can to further solidify our ranking. After winning the gold medal, picking up a couple hundred points, and taking home a Pan American champions jersey, we feel like the mission was accomplished. Now we will recover and begin our build for the final race of the track season before the 2012 Olympic Games, the World Championships.
Thank-you to everyone back home from their constant support and encouragement. We are thankful to have so many people behind us and cheering for us along the way. Thank you to Local Ride and Dr. Vie Superfoods+ for all you do!”
Laura Brown, Dr. Vie athlete
Way to go Laura.
Love always
Dr. Vie, Founder Dr. Vie, Inc.
http://www.DrVie.com