The cycle continues, with the names changing every few
years. Some remain constant over decades. It's ironic when you
consider that we are talking about the Sudbury Cycling Club, an
organization that owes its very existence to the perpetual turn
of a wheel.
And while countless riders have come and gone, the backbone of
the club remains to lead the next generation of would-be racers
to provincial or national glory. Club head coach Battista
Muredda owes his first taste of cycling to his native homeland
of Italy, but it was clearly in Canada where his interest in
the sport would rise to a whole new level.
With the help of fellow cycling enthusiasts such as Eli
Girolametto, Carlo Valduga, Dick Pianosi and others, Muredda
founded and developed the Sudbury Cycling Club from its infancy
back in 1974.
At that time, the goal of the club was nothing more than to
prepare a handful of young local cyclists for the upcoming
Ontario Summer Games. More than three decades later, the list
of accomplishments of the group is more than a little
impressive - most spearheaded by the dedication of Muredda and
his athletes.
The likes of Olympians Gary Trevisiol, David Spears and Eric
Wohlberg all owe much of their start in the sport to the work
of Battista Muredda and the Sudbury Cycling Club. And these
days, Tuesdays and Thursdays to be more specific, the endless
cycle continues.
Thomas Hums, coming off a great deal of success at the junior
level, battles back from a costly injury suffered last summer
following a collision on the Delki Dozzi track with an errant
dog running loose. Still, he works hard trying to work his way
up the Senior 1-2 rankings.
James Larmer and Rob Rice provide a couple of clubmates for
Hums to emulate, with both having participated at the Senior
level for a few years now. With any luck, it won't be long
before they have even more company.
Mike Seppa, Jason Henrie and Charles Dumas continue to search
for valuable Ontario Cup points, looking to make the jump from
the Senior 3 grouping to the next level up. The added bonus,
from a club standpoint, is that the SCC could soon have
sufficient numbers at the Senior 1-2 level to be competitive as
a club entity, rather than on an individual basis.
Peter Sanowar is a former national team member who lived his
dream of cycling in Europe. He is now back home to pursue a
career, but is still engulfed by the sport that has brought him
so much. Seeking the balance of the time needed to grow in his
new job while working in some time to enjoy a venue where the
day-to-day requirements of work are left behind every bit as
quickly as the last corner he turned along the winding cycling
track.
A more familiar name for long-time local cycling fans, Derek
D'Angelo now competes in the Masters 1 division, the highest
level for the 35-and-over age group cyclist. After cracking the
top ten in the province one year ago, D'Angelo has his sights
set on an Ontario crown in either the Road Race or Time Trial
classification.
Multi-sport athletes, the likes of Kerry Abols and Laura West,
spend countless hours improving their technique and stamina on
the bikes, an obvious aid to any athlete seeking to undertake
the grueling challenge of a triathlon.
Therein lies the beauty of the Sudbury Cycling Club, in my mind
anyway. Venture over the Delki Dozzi track, on any summer early
Thursday evening, and have a listen to the conversation. Tales
of people who are passionate about the sport of cycling.
Chatter of the latest race results, a lengthy Sunday training
session or a group excursion offered in some part of North
America.
Endless are the twists and turns that these cyclists may take.
Newcomers welcomed with open arms. Just a couple of years
removed from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary, Erica Bota finds her way
out on to the track. As one veteran rider shares with me, the
potential is there based in part on a long-time commitment she
had clearly made to maintaining a base of general fitness.
It's that same base of fitness that the likes of Michel
Barbeau, Guy Zito, Frank Battaion, Al Vardy, Roy Hums and so
many others enjoy - that and the friendships, the laughs, the
sense of accomplishment as they push the physical limits of
their bodies. All of this only scratches the surface of what
the Sudbury Cycling Club has to offer.
A surface that will continue to sustain the endless cycle of
the wheels, through spring, summer and fall, of rider after
rider after rider….
Randy Pascal is the voice of Persona 10 Sports and founder of SudburySports.com.
