Had it not been for widespread travel restrictions over the COVID-19 global pandemic, Nick Wammes would be in Europe working on specific cycling skills with an eye to representing Canada at the Summer Olympics in Japan in July.
“We were actually scheduled to be in Spain right now doing a training camp until the whole travel ban got put in place,” he said during a recent interview with The Herald.
“But now we are doing more general work, both in the gym and on the bike, since we now have a greater window to focus on.”
The additional preparation time comes as a result of the Olympics being postponed for at least a year because of the novel coronavirus.
Although the veteran rider had not yet been officially named to the national Olympic cycling squad before the world was turned upside down two months ago, he was upbeat about his chances of wearing Canadian colours had the Olympics proceeded as originally scheduled this summer.
“That whole selection process was never completed,” he says.
“But there was a pretty good chance that I would have been named to the team,” he commented.
The 20 year-old Bothwell rider has won several medals at national events, both at the senior and junior levels, as well as representing Canada last year at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Wammes, who was home on a recovery week when the economy was shuttered in March, freely admits on social media that training in relative isolation has been a challenge. But he says training with his girlfriend, also a member of the national team, has been helpful.
“Having her here has been good motivation for me,” he said.
The pair is riding up to three hours per day and working out at neighbours home gym.