Charles-étienne Chrétien
BEFORE making the leap to Silber, Charles-étienne Chrétien enjoyed what he describes as a nice final year racing with his friends. “It was nice to do great teamwork,” he says. Racing as part of his team from Abitibi, Iamgold, the 18-year-old road cyclist had a consistent 2017 season, winning the road race at the Canadian championships (one of his goals) and placing second in the time trial and criterium. As a member of the Canadian national team, he had a third and two top-10 finishes at the Tour de l’abitibi. “I’m pretty upbeat about that season,” he says. “I’d like to have done better at worlds, but I got a flat tire and crashed. With all the rest of the season, I’m pretty happy.” Silber Pro Cycling general manager Scott Mcfarlane saw a lot of promise in the under-23 cyclist. On the team’s website, Mcfarlane says he was impressed by Chrétien’s racing IQ. “I was pretty happy about it,” says Chrétien of landing on the uci continental-level squad. “I was not looking for it this year, but I was hoping to get on that team.” Chrétien is setting realistic goals for himself in 2018 as a new and young member of the team. He says he’s not looking for personal results, but rather he’s looking to be a strong teammate. “I want to be there to make them get good results,” he says, referring to his teammates. The Amos, Que., cyclist spent the late winter training in preparation for his first race of the early season, New Mexico’s Tour of the Gila. His big goal is to get back to worlds in the fall. As far as longterm cycling goals? “I’m taking it year by year,” he says. “As long as I’m having fun, I’ll continue. When I’m not, I’ll probably stop.” His backup plan involves forestry; he attended a cegep in RouynNoranda, Que., this past year and is taking online courses until he can go back to full-time studies.