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SPORTS Visit insidehalton. com for more coverage Foley's Commonwealth Games debut met with team pursuit bronze | | | STEVE LEBLANC sleblanc@metroland.com Michael Foley's poten tial in track cycling has skyrocketed since first en- tering the velodrome. But he sure hasn't lost his grounded mindset when it comes to the sport. "Oh, don't say that," the_ 19-year-old Miltonian with a smile that reveals both pride and pressure, when told that Canadian men's endurance head coach Jo- no Hailstone sees him as a likely participant at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "It feels good to be recognized that you're capable of big things, but just want to keep training every day and enjoy this as much as possible." Assuming that enjoy- ment and success go hand- in-hand, Foley had himself quite the fun day in Aus- tralia earlier this spring. The baby of a young na- tional men's team pursuit squad, he marked his Cofnmonwealth Games debut with a trip to the po- dium in Brisbane - riding to bronze; the first medal in that event ever for Can- ada. ~ Sitting fourth after the qualifying round but mov- ing up a spot when New Zealand was disqualified i for nonregulation equip- BATE SF es ihe vo 8 i ROYAL LEY ment, Foley, Derek Gee, Adam Jamieson and Ai- dan Caves - the lone re- turnee from a fourth-place performance at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, Scot- land - grabbed an early lead on Wales in the battle for third and hung on to win the four kilometre race in 4:00.440. That was 13 seconds fas- ter than at the last Games, thanks largely to Foley's late oomph. "Michael really saved us in the back end of the race," said Hailstone. "Usually you think it's the more seasoned guys who excel down the stretch, but he had a great second pull. For someone who's still relatively inexperienced, he was pretty amazing." CRAIN CIE Said Foley, "I'm the starter (front of tandem) so you don't really expect me to do much at the end, or even to finish (only three riders needed to complete race). I just wanted it so bad." The newly-minted Commonwealth Games medalist's late-race drive was a surprising - and much welcomed - turn- around after the local cy- cling standout took ill just before the trip overseas and was still out of sorts during the 15-hour plane ride. "We had one last test ride before leaving and I was garbage," he recalled. "It wa8l definitely hard (mentally) to be sick get- ting on the plane. You try #94865 Ss se ------ SEE STORE FOR DETAILS VISIT US ONLINE AT BAEBOY.CA TO VIEW ALL BAD BOY LOCATIONS 1 LE Gerard Foley photos (Above) Michael Foley proudly shows his bronze medal from the Commonwealth Games. (Above left) Foley and Canada's team pursuit squad race to Commonwealth Games bronze. not to freak out, but being ill like that so close to a big event can be devastating to the team." Averting that dreaded scenario, Foley regained his health and groove just in time to help give Canada its best-ever finish at the Commonwealth Games, with both men's and wom- en's team pursuit coming away with bronze. Foley's trip down under Nn pa men s road race wih as, the only Canadian t slew of attack and subsequent crashes he finished 48th survive a With a lack of road race training, his leg strength faded near the end of the 168.3-km course after stay- ing within range of the pack most of the way. Less than half the field finished. "I was hanging on for dear life (at the end),"" said Foley, whose post-second- ary studies will most like- ly be of the online variety in order to stay close to his hometown velodrome (Mattamy National Cy- cling Centre). "In a way it was great to finish. But then just finishing a race ...that'snot really what I'm there to do." With medals now se- "cured at the Common- wealth Games and Tissot UCI World Cup in Milton over the last six months - a silver and new national re- cord earned at the latter - Foley seems to have a com- fortable hold on his Cana- dian men's team pursuit spot. Just don't tell him that. "You always have to _ hustle. There's young guys coming for you from all sides. You need to keep get- ting better." Specializing in Imports, Domestics, and Performance Transmissions ¢ Automatic & Standard ¢ Imports & Domestic Cars * Trucks & 4X4'S ¢ Clutches & Differentials * Front Wheel Drive © Front Axle Repairs * Guaranteed Service + Warranties * Free Towing Within 10km ¢ Classic Cars ¢ Fleet Vehicles 905-878-8156 * 905-878-8157 85 Steeles Ave. E.,-Unit #3, 4, 5 Milton 1 X (West of Hwy. 25) Mark : mark @miltontransmission.com * www.miltontransmission.com woo uoyeygpIsul