Tag Archive for: Pacific Cycling Centre

PCC Athletes at BC Road Provincials

 

Iain Hay on the podium (right). PCC photo

Two PCC coached athletes raced in the BC Provincial Road Race Championships in Abbotsford last weekend: Iain Hay (Masters C Category) and Johnno Forsyth (U19 Junior Category).

It was a great day for racing, with excellent roads and a quiet area. However, it was windy, and the wind direction changed after nearly every corner, which really tested the riders’ experience. The Masters C race was fast, and this group caught and passed the U19 men’s 20 plus ride peloton, despite the U19 race had a six-minutes head start!

There was a crash on the final lap, approximately 300 metres before the finish line, in the junior women’s category. Officials had to neutralize several categories, including Masters C and U19 men, to allow riders to pass the crash site, as there were several bikes in the middle of the road. Immediately after this, the race resumed with a final sprint to the finish. Iain finished 3rd and Johnno in mid pack.

“The 87 km road race was a flat course but strong winds made for a challenging race,” said Iain. “Thirty plus riders lined up for the start and the attacks started on the first lap. Many breakaway attempts during the race but the only break to stick was the one made going into last lap. I was able to make the break and sprint for third place. My main racing objective for this year is the National Championships in Calgary.”

UVic Cycling Hosts VCL Race

On May 24th, the UVic Cycling Team proudly hosted their first-ever Vancouver Cycling League (VCL) race at Cherry Point. The event was organized and led by club member Alex Hann, whose dedication and logistical expertise ensured the day ran smoothly from start to finish.

Alex was supported by co-presidents Ethan Swain, Cait Dawson, and Abigail Drews, along with the broader UVic Cycling community, who turned out in force to volunteer, marshal, and cheer on competitors. The team’s enthusiasm and spirit made the event a memorable one for all involved.

A special thank you goes to Houshang from Pacific Cycling Centre, the club’s head coach, whose guidance and preparation in the lead-up to race day gave riders the confidence and fitness to compete at their best.

In what was her very first road race, Pippa Kolking delivered an outstanding performance, finishing 2nd in her category. Her result is a testament to the quality of coaching she has received from Houshang and to her own commitment and hard work. The whole club congratulates Pippa on this brilliant debut.

Submitted by Abigail Drews

Successful Cherry Point Race Recon

UVic Cycling team at start line (Photo: PCC)

Over the long weekend, a mighty group of UVic cyclists braved the thunderstorm warnings and headed over to Cherry Point to do some race recon, led by Houshang Amiri. On May 24th, UVic Cycling will be hosting their first VCL race around the blistering 9.1 km loop.

Key in race prep, Houshang helped the team find their way from the Mill Bay Ferry to the start line, over rolling hills, and to plan their race day for next weekend.

Craig Miller, Cait Dawson, and Graham Fletcher in line for the Brentwood Bay ferry. (Photo: Pippa Kolking)

Upon arrival to the course, Houshang wisely went through the course map section by section. Houshang pointed out key segments where the team could build gaps and where to save energy.

After doing a couple of laps to acquaint ourselves with the course, the team did a one lap time trial, opening the legs and seeing how the course felt at speed. Spoiler alert: this is a sweet course! Lots of terrain for everyone: super fun corners and some killer climbs too! Watch out!

Cait Dawson enjoying the sunshine (Photo: Pippa Kolking)

After finishing the tempo lap, Houshang and the team discussed some final race plans and prep and fueled up with Gruppo nutrition for the ride home, warding off the rain. Cait Dawson noted “Houshang was super helpful as always and gave the team some great tips to race confidently on Sunday! We always appreciate his support!”.

Cait Dawson and Craig Miller on route to the Cherry Point race course (Photo: Pippa Kolking)

Here are Craig Millers takes: “It is a fast and fun course with some tricky hills but scouting out the corners and strategic points of the racecourse was valuable. I really appreciate Houshang for taking the time to help us prepare both physically and tactically for the race ahead”. If you would like to check out the race course from Craig’s perspective, see this video

(Submitted by Pippa Kolking)

Cycling BC offers FREE Mental Performance Education Series

Cycling BC is offering a FREE Mental Performance Education Series lead by Cait Leavitt.  There will be a total of five sessions for athletes – from May to November – and one session for coaches (date TBC), with each session lasting 45 minutes. Cait is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Certified Mental Performance Consultant who presented at the Canada Summer Games.

The first session will be on Monday May 25th at 6pm, with subsequent dates posted on the Cycling BC projects page.

To register for Monday’s free session – register here.

Tour de Bloom, May14-19

PCC Athlete Tristan Drews on the podium at the 2024 Tour de Bloom. Photo by L. Drews

Good luck to all PCC athletes and Victoria cyclists taking part in the Tour de Bloom in Wenatchee, Washington. The event starts today – May 14 – and continues through to May 19. The six-day event includes:

  • Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort mass start Hill Climb

  • Still Properties Waterville Road Race

  • Rookard Pools Twilight Downtown Crit

  • Arlberg Sports Plain Road Race

  • Builder’s First Source Time Trial

  • Ed Farrar Road Race, presented by Biosports Physical Therapy

For more information go to: Tour de Bloom

Royal Bay Crit Registration Open

2025 Royal Bay Crit. Photo credit: About The Ride Cycling

The Royal Bay Crit will be held on Sunday, May 10. The Criterium, hosted by About the Ride Cycling Club, is in its third year and held in Royal Bay in Colwood, BC. The ocean-side crit course will feature the regular A, B, and C categories and, new this year, a women’s race. There will be a large purse for the event with over $2,500 in cash and prizes. Pre-registration is required.

For more information and to register go to:

About The Ride

PCC Athletes Kick Off the Season at Spring Opener

PCC athlete Johnno Forsyth, 2nd on the podium. PCC photo.

The first race of the Spring Opener – Thunderbird – took place on Sunday, March 1 in Langley, B.C. With a record turnout, under sunny skies several PCC coached athletes took part proudly representing their club and team.

As an early season event, this race provided an excellent opportunity for riders to begin sharpening their racing mindset and rebuilding race routines after the winter period.

“Early season races like this play an important role in athlete development,” said PCC head coach Houshang Amiri. “They help athletes gradually return to intense competition while allowing coaches to assess fitness, skills, and tactical execution ahead of the busy spring and summer racing calendar. These early events set the foundation for confident, well-prepared performances as the season progresses.”

Organized by Local Ride, the spring series continues with the Thornhill Circuit Race on March 7 and Wix Brown on March 8.

PCC Accepting Applications for new Cycling Season

PCC athletes competing at the Windsor Park Criterium. Photo credit: Alex Skvortsov

Pacific Cycling Centre (PCC) is excited to announce that new applications are now being accepted for online and Victoria-based athletes of all levels. Athletes including U18, U19, U23, Elite, and Master athletes in all respective age categories are invited to join the Pacific Cycling Centre coaching program and support system.

PCC coaching programs are open to athletes who are committed to hard work and willing to develop their potential to progress to the next level through PCC’s training system.

“Our goal at PCC is to create a stress-free and balanced environment where athletes can enjoy their training while learning all the necessary skills both on and off the bike,” said PCC Head Coach Houshang Amiri. “Fitness improvements won’t come overnight. Our programs challenge athletes in measurable ways, creating opportunities for them to learn and progress toward their personal goals in both individual and group settings. This creates an exciting opportunity for the next generation of cycling champions.”

The athlete training and coaching program packages are based on the Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) model stages, set via testing and evaluation ahead of the start of the training program.

PCC programs are available for athletes in disciplines including road, track (track sprint & track endurance), mountain bike (XCO), cyclocross and mountain bike Enduro. Athletes in the program will have access to high-quality professional coaching and training in a peer group setting, training camps, regular physiological testing, and mentorship opportunities with Olympians and professional cyclists, depending on the chosen coaching package.

Limited Time Offers from February to September for applications:

1 – One free maximal aerobic power and lactate profiling test with signing up for a full-year program (Value: $260.00)

2 – Your test results may earn you a PCC scholarship by achieving PCC talent standards of up to 30% off your program cost on a full-year agreement.

Interested athletes can send a race CV and cover letter to info@pacificcyclingcentre.ca.

Or Apply online

Houshang Amiri leads skills session with UVic Cycling

PCC head coach Houshang Amiri led an advanced skills coaching session last month with the UVic Cycling Club. The focus was on improving climbing technique, from seated and standing efforts to smooth descents and overall form refinement. These skills will help the athletes become stronger, more confident, and race ready.

Feedback from the clinic was positive. Craig Miller had some key takeaways from the session which he will incorporate into future training plans. “The cadence drills we did during the clinic taught us how a higher cadence will help reduce muscle fatigue, and is more efficient on longer climbs whereas a lower cadence will increase the load on our legs, but can be quicker over shorter climbs. Playing with this cadence allowed me to not only recognize but feel for myself, that different climbs, and even different parts of the same climb, require different cadences to achieve a balance between outright power and efficiency.”

“The second takeaway was how upper body positioning affects the pedal stroke. A drill we did that highlighted this was climbing the hill entirely out of the saddle. This way of climbing allows for a more complete pedal stroke, but is difficult to maintain over the duration of a climb with much more fatigue placed onto both the lower and upper body. By using the drills that Houshang taught us, I hope to focus on learning and becoming more efficient, and faster climber throughout the coming winter to prepare myself to race in the spring.”

Pippa Kolking also benefitted from the session: “Love that Houshang gave us an easily repeatable, understandable and challenging workout plan we could use again.”

Next session is a classroom presentation to be held on November 8 at 5pm at UVic room MCK155.

More info 

PCC presenting Endurance Training session at UVic

Photo: UVic Cycling

Houshang Amiri, head coach of Pacific Cycling Centre (PCC), will be presenting a training information session as part of PCC’s collaboration with the UVic Cycling Club. The session is scheduled for Saturday, November 8th from 5 to 7 pm, to be held at the University of Victoria, McKinnon building, room MCK155 The topic of the presentation is “Principles of Endurance Training and Aerobic Fitness.”

“The training session will be of interest to all involved in endurance-based sports, not just cycling,” says Amiri.

More information and to reserve a spot go to UVic Cycling Facebook or Instagram

 

Pacific Cycling Centre

Pacific Cycling Centre (PCC) provides coaching and training services for Elite, Masters, and Junior athletes in road, mountain bike, track, and cyclo-cross.

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100, 4636 Elk Lane Drive
Victoria, BC V8Z 5M1

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