Cycling Canada Cyclisme – (Ottawa, ON – June 4, 2016) On Friday, one of the giants of cycling in Canada passed away – Jocelyn Lovell.  Cycling Canada joins the rest of the cycling world in mourning the passing of this icon, at age 65.
 
John Tolkamp, President of Cycling Canada, said, “On behalf of Cycling Canada, we would like to extend our condolences to the family and friends of one of Canada’s greatest cyclists, Jocelyn Lovell. Throughout his career, that was cut short, he was a fierce competitor who enjoyed international acclaim for both his style and accomplishments. Canada has lost one of our most formidable and respected cyclists.”
 
Jocelyn Lovell won more than 35 national titles, on road and track, at every distance.  He represented Canada at three Olympic Games (1968, 1972 and 1976), and won six Commonwealth Games medals, include four golds, as well as a world championship silver medal (1978) and gold medals at two Pan Am Games (1971, 1975).  Lovell set records that stood for decades, and inspired generations of Canadian stars, including Steve Bauer, Curt Harnett and Gordon Singleton.  Last Fall, Jocelyn became a member of the inaugural induction to the Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame.
 
Tragically, Jocelyn Lovell’s career was cut short when he was hit by a dump truck on August 4, 1983, while training near his home.  The accident resulted spinal cord injuries and Lovell became a quadriplegic.  For the rest of his life, Jocelyn became a tireless advocate for spinal cord research.
 
Former team mates on the national team have spoken to his skill, determination and sense of humour.
 
Gordon Singleton, the 1982 Keirin world champion, won a gold medal with Lovell at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, in Edmonton. “Jocelyn’s storied career had many moments of bright shining stars. His determination to win came from deep within his personality. Sometimes this driving force got him into a little trouble, LOL.  Putting that aside, Jocelyn was one of the pioneers in Canadian cycling that paved the way internationally for people like myself, Steve Bauer and Curt Harnett. Jos was absolutely one of the best bike handlers I have ever seen. Today, I’m sad to hear of his passing yet humbled to have the memory of winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal in Tandem sprint riding as his partner.”
 
Steve Bauer, Olympic silver medalist and holder of the Tour de France Yellow Jersey for 14 days, rode with Lovell at the 1978 Commonwealth Games and many other events, and considers him a mentor, “It’s impossible to capture in a few sentences the great experiences I enjoyed as a young cyclist by Jocelyn’s side. I learned from JL as he went about his unique ways. We had a great connection and I am fortunate to have been close to Jos in that time. It was fun to be around JL but we knew when racing our bikes it was time to be serious.”
 
“Never idle, JL had a brilliant innovative mind and was superb athlete who knew how to perform. His bike handling skill and timely speed were abilities I tried to mimic. My memories are full of great moments Jos, a team mate, a friend.  RIP, the suffering has come to an end.”
 
ABOUT CYCLING CANADA
Cycling Canada is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. Founded in 1882, Cycling Canada aims to create and sustain an effective system that develops talented Canadian cyclists to achieve Olympic, Paralympic, and World Championship medal performances. With the vision of being a leading competitive cycling nation by 2020 celebrating enhanced international success, increased national participation and world class event hosting, Cycling Canada manages the High-Performance team, hosts national and international events and administers community programs to promote Cycling in Canada. For more information, please visit: www.cyclingcanada.ca.
 
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INFORMATION
Guy Napert-Frenette
Communications
Cycling Canada Cyclisme
Cell. 403 669-5015
guynf@performancepr.ca

 

French to be posted on www.cyclingcanada.ca as soon as possible.