Hitting the road for Team Manitoba

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This article was published 24/07/2017 (3232 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the Canada Summer Games around the corner, Danick Vandale is tuning up his bicycle and his racing strategy.

The 21-year-old Silver Heights resident will be cycling for Team Manitoba in the Canada Games road races in Birds Hill Park.

This isn’t Vandale’s first time on the national stage — in fact, he competed at the cyclocross world championships in 2015.

“It was pretty eye-opening to see how talented the Europeans are at cycling,” Vandale said. “It was good really going there for the experience to see and really get the feel of the true cycling atmosphere.”

Vandale and his teammates, led by provincial coach Jayson Gillespie, have also been encouraged to race in other parts of the country in programs that will further their skills beyond what Manitoba may have to offer.

“We’ve all raced together so we know each other well and have a good sense of who’s stronger in this side or this part of cycling, like sprinting,” Vandale said of the team.

“There’s quite a bit of talking during the race, you talk about how you’re feeling… planning never goes properly. You’re probably looking at plan B when it comes to racing.”

Strategy becomes crucial during the road race, which is 120 kilometres long and will be held on Aug. 10. The entire team will be riding as a unit, with a focus on supporting the cyclist meant to sprint at the end. Vandale and his team have cycled Birds Hill many times, which gives them an advantage.

“We know every crack in the road, so there’s that and also having the test event there earlier this year helped a lot, getting to know exactly what the course will look like,” he said. “It comes down to the winds on the day, because that can change the race completely if it’s a cross wind or head wind.”

The other two races in which he’ll compete include an individual time trial on Aug. 8 also at Birds Hill Park, and a criterium race  on Aug. 12 at Red River Exhibition Park, which Vandale says will be a spectator favourite because of the great visibility. On the road, he describes his style as aggressive.

“I’m always trying to get into breakaways,” Vandale said. “There’s the peloton, the big group of racers… so I try to break away from the peloton, so you’re ahead of the race and being on that aggressive side. I do like the sprinting side of things as well.”

He says that, mentally, looking at the other riders and seeing signs of fatigue can be a motivator.

“You can tell a lot by the pedal stroke and the facial expression… then any ounce of energy you can save is to your benefit,” he said. “I kind of see it as a big, painful chess match.”