2024 – Nations Cup | Kelsey Mitchell in the semi-finals, Lauriane Genest has to pass the repechage

(Milton) Kelsey Mitchell qualified for the keirin semi-finals by winning her qualifying heat at the UCI Cycling Nations Cup in Milton, but Lauriane Genest must pass the repechage.

Mitchell brilliantly avoided that extra step Sunday at the Mattamy National Cycling Center. While she appeared to be stuck in fourth place in her qualifying run, the sprinter instead pushed to the outside to overtake the three cyclists in front of her and win the race by two bike lengths.

Genest, bronze medalist in this discipline at the Tokyo Olympics, started her attack a little too early, with just over two laps to go, and was beaten by the Dutchwoman a few meters from the finish line. Hetty van de Wouw, which increases her workload for the day.

The third Canadian in the race, Jackie Boyle, also has to pass the repechage. Boyle became stuck behind the peloton and fell after hooking the rear wheel of the cyclist in front of her as she tried to get to the outside of the track. After a long slide on the floor, she left the competition area under her own power. It was not yet known at the time of writing whether she would be able to take part in the next round.

Short day for sprinters

Three of the four Canadians participating in the individual sprint were quickly eliminated.

For Tyler Rorke, Ryan Dodyk and 17-year-old sprinter Cole Dempster, the day all ended in the first round of eliminations.

Only Nick Wammes made it to the round of 16, where he was eliminated by Sébastien Vigier. The Frenchman patiently let Wammes carry out the attack. Vigier eventually overtook him from the outside and won the race by one.

Wammes achieved his best result in the Keirin the day before when he finished fifth.

In the women's omnium, Maggie Coles-Lyster easily qualified for all four races of the evening, the scratch, the pace race, the elimination race and the points race. She was the only Canadian to take part in the competition.

Trois-Rivières natives Mathias Guillemette and Michael Foley will later team up in the American race, the final event of this third edition of the Milton Nations Cup, which ends in 2025 after three consecutive years.

The organizing committee is seeking to restart the competition for a new three-year cycle starting in 2026.