After the hugely successful Round #1, we are back in action this month once again.
Ottawa's Elmdale Tavern will host an evening of frenzied fun and community mayhem.

Can Trevor, Leah and Kris defend their titles? Will lessons learned in round #1 turn the tables? You won;t want to miss it.
Greg Reain will be spinning the tunes, and tickets will soon be scarce.

The field will be limited to 50 men and 16 women, with priority going to those who braved the unknown in round #1. Elect to try either the 500m sprint or the 1000m free style. ONLY 150 tickets are available so get one and reserve your spot.

Pre-registration is set up online at ONLINE REGISTRATION, thanks Joel, and check out the WHEELER site for details on tickets, t-shirts and

Tickets are $20 and proceeds will fund the project in helping to stir up action in the local cycling scene. You won;t want to miss it.

That was a night to remember. A freaking riot to say the least. Old school rollers brings the simple fun of bike racing to the people.

What an energy! Round #1 of this roller revival was a hit and round #2 is shaping up for February 16 at the same location. Stay tuned.

Results:
Women's 500m:

1. Leah Howe (West Quebec Wheelers)
2. Nadia Marshy (West Quebec Wheelers)
3. Heather Loeffelholz (West Quebec Wheelers)

1. Trevor Damon (EuroSports)
2. Brent Atkins (West Quebec Wheelers)
3. Sandy Fulton (the Cyclery)

1. Kris Westwood (the Cyclery) Top Speed 96.8kmph
2. Andrew Lees (Cyclelogik)
3. John Large (West Quebec Wheelers)

• Men's 500 Sprint
• Women's 500 Sprint
• Men's 1000 Free Ride

Even though this was the earliest ever Tour des Pont, we enjoyed beautiful fall weather. Cool, sunny morning warmed up to the perfect 16C by afternoon. Close to 70 riders were out for this annual WQW event.

The Carp Road's Cheshire Cat Pub provided the post ride meal on the patio. A few tired young guns meet up with a gang of well aged warriors who show their worth on the bike and back at the bar.

The tradition of the club run lives on.

Nadia lead the 120km home first.

Sandra was first rider to finish.

Steve road like a pro that day and fought his way back on the group. Hard to believe all the banana plantations we are racing past were wiped out by a hurricane barely a month after this video was taken. Damn commisaire behind me cramping my style of getting the boys back on a little bit easier. Fantastic race organization.

Stepping up and taking the challenge

We couldn't have had a better day for our Ottawa Montreal ride this past Saturday. Favourable winds, cool weather and great company. Unfortunately the date conflicted with some of our young riders summer plans but 6 of us had just an epic day. Our group had 3 young riders - Marc Antoine Labelle and Tauran Large (both 14), Adrian Large (17) and Kelly Knowles (25) who joined Gary and I on this great challenge ride. We left parliament hill just before 8am and road all the way into Old Montreal for dinner by 5:30. We changed the route from last year's, stopped in VanKleek Hill for lunch and came in via Rigaud/Hudson/Dorion. It was about 10km shorter and came in around 215km.( I missed one consession that could have saved another 6 km)

Tauran was awesome and very proud of himself, his longest ride prior to this had been 80km (last Wednesday). He and Kelly set personal records for distance. Adrian went from sitting on last year to pulling his share at the front. Marc A told me that last year;s ride was what hooked him on cycling. So I can see it is worth keeping going.

We stopped for coffee on a waterfront deck once we got on the island at Ste Anne de Bellevue and then cruised into town around 5:30 shaving about 2 hours off our last year's time. Tailwind is what makes that a great day. As opposed to last years slug fest head wind.

For sure this will be an annual event. A great day.

Thanks goes out to Kevin Nelson and Alain and Andrea Labelle for volunteering to drive to Mtl to help shuttle riders home. Thanks to Nadia for coming to get us and setting up a great restaurant in Old Montreal for dinner.

Young racer starting fast

Following in the footsteps of his champion Grandfather, Marc Antoine Labelle is off to a good start.

In his first year racing, 14 year old Marc Antoine qualified for the Jeux du Quebec, and did our colours proud in his first ever races. He placed in the top 1/2 of the field in all 3 events and was only just caught in the final km after attacking in the finale of the road race.

Marc Antoine has successfully finished both the A and B level criteriums and is an inspiration to our other young riders and old vets too. Keep up the good work.

Yet another epic day!

There is no way for this race to unfold without it being a classic. One of the oldest and definately the longest single day event on the Canadian calendar.

We welcomed a few guests to the team for the day and that meant lots of support from the team car.

Left to right: Adrian Large, Ian Bickis, Joel Sidhu, Stephen Keeping, Shawn Clarke, Garrett McCloed, Geoff O'Toole, Charles Bougies and John Large

At 252km lots can happen and lots did. Big cross winds and high speeds wore down the peleton but our young team tasted top quality Canadian racing. Best on the day was Ian Bickis,42nd place 5min 11sec behind the winner. Geoff O'Toole was next followed by young 18 year old junior Garrett who upgraded his licence for the day. Steve and Joel were caught up in one of the many crashes but road into finish and Charles enjoyed a great ride and successfully got back on the group after a puncture laste in the race.

This was the first attempt at this race for all of the riders and a first in the caravan for John.

Thanks to Joel's Dad Manny for coming along and driving the boys home and thanks to Derek Medland for contributing a tank of gas to the cause.

Full results can be found HERE

What an amazing experience!

High heat, tough terrain, strong competition, mechanical troubles and the challenge of doing something for the first time!

We faced it all and had 3 of our 4 starters finish this international classic. The 26th annual Tour of Martinique was a terrific debut for the Echelon Project.

Along with teams from Denmark, Holland, Switzerland and France, the Echelon Project was team Canada against the best Caribbean talent in this 9 day - 11 stage epic.

Check the TOUR BLOG to get the feel of how it all went. Results and videos will follow soon.

A team of 4 riders and 2 support head south for the 26th annual Tour Cycliste International de Martinique. Follow the team as they undertake their first International adventure. Hopefully this will not be the last. Follow our trip on our TOUR BLOG

STAGE	DAY	DATE	DISTANCE
1	Saturday	07/07/2007	123.8 km
2A	Sunday	07/08/2007	92.5 km
2B	Sunday	07/08/2007	7.5 km
3	Monday	07/09/2007	105.8 km
4	Tuesday	07/10/2007	104 km
5	Wednesday	07/11/2007	122 km
6	Thursday	07/12/2007	110.5 km
7	Friday	07/13/2007	106 km
8A	Saturday	07/14/2007	99.3 km
8B	Saturday	07/14/2007	15.5 km
9	Sunday	07/15/2007	116.5 km

Our Nova Scotian imports are starting to make a mark on the scene. Geoff O'Toole arrived here and just about stole a victory from professional rider Erik Lyman finishing second in the Lyn Road Race.

Stephen Keeping has been looking at the prize list from just outside all season but is coming on strong. This is the local area tear up NRC long course, the week leading up to the Annual Italian Festival Race. Steve was just beat by the top sprinters in town.

The boys got their first reality check of the season by taking part in 2 professional criterium in the NJ area. The "Tour of Somerville is a true classic on the North American cycling scene. Full of history and marked by celebrity champions, the annual Memorial Day Race weekend provide an opportunity to race along side the pros, and gauge where things are at.

School of hard knocks was in session as our Canadian season is really just winding up and we meet elite racers who have been going hard for months.

Fantastic experience for all and a great chance to see the sport is just a few hours south down RTE 81.

This will become an important part of our annual calendar.

Thanks Tauran and Sophia for the great support provided.

The Biker Banquet was the result of a convergence of many influences and the Ottawa cycling community was out in full force to fuel it. As people kept pouring in it felt as if the only thing missing was a red carpet.

Gord Fraser's triumphant return home was not without a Canadian winter's influence. Friday's ice storm diverted his flight to Washington DC for the night but that only reminded Gord of his xc ski roots and gave him the opportunity to show his desert born son Angus where he gets that icy sprinter poker face from.

Gord left Ottawa as a young rocket and returned as a classy professional.

For 20 years Ottawa has been blessed with with front row seats at the big stage. We have cheered for the champ and lived and died by his struggle to the top.

What a night. Kevin Field worked the phones and had Gord's friend and teammate, Mike Sayers, flying in from Sacremento California (you'd never know from his accent!) to surpirze Gord. Super Mechanic Geoff Brown was home too and went full circle with Gord - they had worked together at Geoff's Dad's bike shop in the 80's. Steve Bauer, Eon D'Ornellas, Tim and Dan Lefebvre, Jacques Landry, Dave Spears, Chris Koberstein, Adam Rupple and a cast of others joined in with cyclists from the region to create a vibe that won't soon be forgotten.

Eon fired up the old magic with his 4500$ bid on Floyd's yellow jersey. The place was on fire.
Thanks Nadia for your quick draw on your camera (big file but worth waiting for!)

For those there to hear Eon talk of arrival in Canada, the bike he was given in 1973 and the support he never forgot, then here he is on that on that very machine in 1973.

Eon in the breakaway in the 1973 Ontario Provincial Championships, Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa.

Thanks to everyone who came out. The collection of people there demonstated that there is so much going on in the region. The Gatineau Park is our Velodrome, our arena and Camp Fortune was the perfect place for us to be.

I will never forget Gord and Eon's generousity and the jumpstart they provided. They tossed a stone into the lake who's ripples will turn to waves.

We were proud to host such a special night.

Mike Sayers, Buck Miller, Dan Lefebvre and Gord Fraser.

After 14 years on the European professional circuit, Geoff in en route home to Canada. Having begun as a mechanic in his father's store in Ottawa, Geoff joins the elite ranks having worked for Lance Armstrong for all 7 of his Tour de France victories. Just so happens he'll be home in time for dinner. Geoff was the recipient of a Biker Banquet "Cyclist of the Year" for having been the first local cyclist to make it to the professional ranks.

The summer's final adventure was the big one. Leaving parliament hill at 7h30 we headed for Montreal, 225km away. A short detour, due to gravel seeking navigation, added 5 km to our route. After a full lunch was enjoyed in Alexandria, courtesy of Gary Monette and Ottawa Honda, we carried on and arrived in Old Montreal in time for dinner.