Cole Dempster crossed the finish line and turned to see his time.
“I was pretty blown away,” the 17-year-old said. “If you see me (on the video), I look super happy.”
Dempster had seen dramatic improvements leading into the Junior Cycling World Championships in Cali, Colombia in August. He had posted a time of 10.6 seconds (over 200 metres) at junior nationals. That earned him an invitation to train with the national team, which further accelerated his progress.
In training sessions, he cut his time by half a second to 10.1 seconds.
“When I first qualified for world juniors, I thought, ‘OK, I’ll go get some experience,” he said of his first international competition. “When I got to 10.3, I thought, top 10 would be nice and then once I got to 10.1, people started talking about me having the possibility to win. So I thought, ‘OK, maybe I can get a medal.’”
So when Dempster looked back and saw 9.95 on the clock, he was thrilled with his first sub-10 second time that helped him secure the bronze medal.
Dempster’s sister Madison, a member of Canada’s development team, began cycling following the Pan Am Games in 2015. He also found himself spending a lot of time at the velodrome in Milton, albeit playing basketball. He would also begin cycling, but initially opted for the road.
Watching his sister race got him interested in trying track. And once he did, there was no going back.
“It seemed like fun,” he said. “Just the intensity of it. Being able to go 80 km/h on a bike, feeling the G forces.”
He was still playing other sports at the time, but he soon started to realize his potential in cycling. In addition to the coaching he got when he joined the national team’s training group, he said training alongside faster riders helped push him.
“Cole has had a tremendous year on the bike,” said Cycling Canada coach Tanya Dubnicoff. “He’s done so well, so quickly.”
His potential was reinforced when he attended the RBC Training Ground in 2022. The annual talent identification program attracts more than 2,000 athletes from across the country, with representatives of national sports organizations on hand to evaluate them.
Dempster made the national final for the top 100 in 2022. He returned last year and not only made the final again, but was one of 30 athletes chosen to receive funding to help them pursue their sport.
“The power test confirmed that his trajectory is on par, if not ahead, of those who came through our pathway currently on our men’s national team,” Dubnicoff said. “He is an exciting prospect for LA 2028 (Olympics), but still new to the sport, and not yet a carded athlete, so this funding from RBC will be very helpful.”
It will allow Dempster to get more international experience – he leaves for a competition in the Netherlands this week – which will help him test himself against the best in the world.
For now, the Grade 12 student at Acton District School is trying to balance education and the training required to be an elite athlete. Typically, he works out in the morning in Milton, attends school, and then returns to the velodrome for work on the track. He said teachers have been supportive, though it can be a challenge – he’ll start exams days after returning from the Netherlands.
But Dempster said the rewards of competing at an elite level are worth it.
“Over the last two or three years, knowing how good I could be, knowing I could be one of the best, that’s something I couldn’t really believe before,” he said. “Now 2028 is not so much of a dream. I can see a road that leads there.”
