Alison Sydor
Encyclopedia
Alison Sydor is a retired Canadian
professional cross country mountain cyclist
. She began cycling at age 20 and is a graduate of the University of Victoria
. She won a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics
in mountain bike, and has won 3 world mountain bike championships gold medals (1994 in Vail, Colorado
; 1995 in Kirchzarten
, Germany
; 1996 in Cairns
, Australia
; and the 2002 relay race in Kaprun
, Austria
.)
Sydor has also won five silver medals (1992, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003) and three bronze (1998, 1999 (relay race), 2004) at mountain bike world championships, and one bronze at the road world championships (1991). In addition, Sydor has won 17 World Cup (cross-country) races in her career, and for 13 consecutive years (1992-2004) never finished outside of the top-5 at the world championships.
In 1995 and 1996, Sydor was awarded the Velma Springstead Trophy
as Canada's top female athlete.
In September 2007 Sydor was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
In December 2007 it was publicly announced that Sydor will be inducted into British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2008 at a ceremony on May 29, 2008.
UCI Road World Championships
Summer Olympics
Commonwealth Games
Pan American Games
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional cross country mountain cyclist
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
. She began cycling at age 20 and is a graduate of the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
. She won a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in mountain bike, and has won 3 world mountain bike championships gold medals (1994 in Vail, Colorado
Vail, Colorado
The Town of Vail is a Home Rule Municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,589 in 2005. The town was established and built as the base village to Vail Ski Resort, with which it was originally conceived...
; 1995 in Kirchzarten
Kirchzarten
Kirchzarten is a town in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in the federal-state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany.A Zionist agricultural training farm was founded in Kirchzarten in 1919 to prepare young people to become farmers in Eretz Israel.The Kirchzarten synagogue had a set...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; 1996 in Cairns
Cairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; and the 2002 relay race in Kaprun
Kaprun
Kaprun is a small alpine village in the district of Zell am See in the state of Salzburg, Austria. At the foot of the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, it is a year round sports centre, with a population of 2,903 ....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.)
Sydor has also won five silver medals (1992, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003) and three bronze (1998, 1999 (relay race), 2004) at mountain bike world championships, and one bronze at the road world championships (1991). In addition, Sydor has won 17 World Cup (cross-country) races in her career, and for 13 consecutive years (1992-2004) never finished outside of the top-5 at the world championships.
In 1995 and 1996, Sydor was awarded the Velma Springstead Trophy
Velma Springstead Trophy
The Velma Springstead Trophy is an award presented annually to Canada's outstanding female athlete. It is named in honour of track athlete Velma Springstead whose career ended prematurely when she died from pneumonia in 1927 when only 20 years old. The Women's Amateur Athletic Federation of Canada...
as Canada's top female athlete.
In September 2007 Sydor was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Crested Butte Colorado. The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1988 to chronicle the history of mountain biking....
In December 2007 it was publicly announced that Sydor will be inducted into British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2008 at a ceremony on May 29, 2008.
Major results
UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships- Gold Medal (Cross Country: 1994, 1995, 1996; Team Relay: 2002)
- Silver Medal (Cross Country: 1992, 2000, 2001, 2003)
- Bronze Medal (Cross Country: 1998, 2004; Team Relay: 1999)
UCI Road World Championships
- Bronze Medal (1991)
Summer Olympics
- Silver Medal (19961996 Summer OlympicsThe 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
) - 4th Place (2004Cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Cross Country WomenThese are the results of the women's cross-country event in cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics. The pre-race favourite, Norway's Gunn-Rita Dahle, dominated the race throughout, despite a fall that damaged the gears on her bicycle. The reigning world champion Sabine Spitz overtook Alison Sydor late...
) - 5th Place (2000Canada at the 2000 Summer OlympicsCanada competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.The final days of the Olympics for Canada was shadowed by the death and state funeral of Pierre Trudeau, their 15th prime minister...
)
Commonwealth Games
- Silver Medal (Team Time Trial: 19941994 Commonwealth GamesThe 1994 Commonwealth Games were held in Victoria, in the province of British Columbia in Canada, from 18 August to 28 August 1994.The XV Commonwealth Games marked South Africa's return to the Commonwealth Games following the apartheid era, and over 30 years since the country last competed in the...
) - Bronze Medal (Cross Country: 19941994 Commonwealth GamesThe 1994 Commonwealth Games were held in Victoria, in the province of British Columbia in Canada, from 18 August to 28 August 1994.The XV Commonwealth Games marked South Africa's return to the Commonwealth Games following the apartheid era, and over 30 years since the country last competed in the...
)
Pan American Games
- Gold Medal (19951995 Pan American GamesThe 12th Pan American Games were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from March 12 to March 26, 1995. After 44 years, this was the Pan American Games first return to the country that hosted the first Games, in 1951.-Overview:...
, 20032003 Pan American GamesThe 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....
) - Silver Medal (19991999 Pan American GamesThe 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23-August 8, 1999 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Approximately 5,000 athletes from 42 nations participated at the games. The 1999...
)