2024 Women’s Ready to Ride Clinic presented by RBC

Laura Brown

Laura Brown is a former professional and Canadian National Team track and road cyclist. She competed on the international circuit from 2004 up until her retirement in 2018. Competing in two Olympic Games, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the Team Pursuit event. From 2017 - 2019 Laura joined the RBC Olympians Program. Launched in 2019, Laura is the founding coach of the RBC Women’s Ready to Ride Clinic, participating in the Tour de Cure twice in person and once virtually. Laura calls North Vancouver, BC home and currently owns her own coaching business DRKHORSE Cycling and is a full-time Cycling Canada, National Team Coach, working with the Men’s Track Endurance Team. In her free time, she can be found playing on the North Shore: mountain biking, skiing, and digging in her garden.

Annie Foreman-Mackey

Annie Foreman-Mackey is a former professional road and track cyclist with the Canadian National Cycling Team. Competing on the UCI World Cup circuit since 2015, she has won an array of medals at World Cups, World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Championships, and most recently was 4th at the Tokyo Olympics in the Team Pursuit. On the road, she raced in events around the world and was the Canadian National Road Champion in 2016. Annie is currently finishing up her last months of medical school at UBC and will be kicking off a rural family medicine residency program this summer.  She also holds a Masters of Public Health and continues to be passionate about her work in harm reduction research and advocacy. Off the bike and away from the books, Annie loves exploring the local mountains, trail running, climbing, lake swimming, and singing in choir.

Aly Hodgins

Alyse (Aly) Hodgins is a Physiotherapist with over 14 years of experience, 7 of which have been working in High Performance Cycling. With certifications from Bike Fit Canada, Retul, Sport Physio Canada and advanced training in musculoskeletal assessment and treatment, Aly uses this unique lens to support the Track Cycling Team on their road to the Paris Olympics. Aly is currently involved in saddle health research involving both amature and professional cyclists. Outside of work, Aly enjoys riding her bike in Halton Hills, Curling and spending time with her 2 young daughters.

Fiona Majendie

Fiona started cycling in 2019 with the local Vancouver to Whistler Fondo. You could say that hooked her, and since then she has fallen in love with the sport. Fiona has been on the Canadian National Track Cycling team since 2022 and has her sights set on the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics.

Sonia Taylor

Sonia started cycling in 2014 and racing in 2016. She developed as a racer within the Glotman Simpson cycling club race program where she was a member from 2016-2019. She also served as a race ambassador at Glotman Simpson from 2018-2019, helping to organize and coach numerous women’s Learn to Ride and Learn to Race clinics. She raced for The Cyclery from 2021-2022. Sonia has a master's degree in mechanical engineering and works in the transit sector designing ventilation systems for major North American subway projects.

Lilly Ujfalusi

Lilly is a kinesiology student at UBC and a long time bike lover. Lilly has a decade of road racing experience and have begun coaching in the last couple years. She loves all kinds of riding, and has recently started mountain biking too. Outside of riding, she enjoys climbing, hiking, camping, reading, and making banana bread.

Elizabeth Vaags

Elizabeth has recently completed her Bachelor's degree in Design at UBC and races professionally for the Canadian road cycling team Primeau Velo-Groupe Abadie. She grew up racing in several cycling disciplines in the Greater Vancouver area and greatly appreciates the local cycling community.

Kate Wright

Kate Wright competed for Canada for 14 years. She captained the Canadian Women's Field Hockey Team for 10 years and is the most capped female field hockey player in Canadian history, representing her country 228 times. Kate has competed in three Commonwealth Games and three Pan American Games and has led her team to capture a Pan American Games bronze medal in 2015, and silver medal in 2019. In 2013, Kate was recognized as being one of the best players in Pan America and the Field Hockey Canada female athlete of the year. Field hockey has given her the opportunity to join and help manage the RBC Olympian’s Program in BC where she has been taking on new challenges with the RBC Marketing and Citizenship team in BC.

Vanessa Zoras

Vanessa Zoras is a Registered Dietitian and Sport Science Nutritionist currently working at the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific servicing UCI Pro Tour road cycling team, Israel Premier Tech. Vanessa has experience servicing a variety of sports including endurance, ultra endurance, speed-power, weight-class, aesthetic, and contact sports.

Vanessa studied nutrition at the University of Guelph before going on to complete a dietetic internship at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. To further specialize, she completed a Culinary Arts certificate from George Brown College and a diploma in sport nutrition through the International Olympic Committee. 

As an athlete herself, Vanessa understands the practical side of fuel performance, having completed half-marathons, multi-day cycling tours, triathlons and a half ironman, as well as multi-day backpacking trips. She has been fully embracing the west coast lifestyle since moving to Vancouver Island in 2018 with trail running, hiking, mountain biking, climbing, and road riding.   

As a speaker and clinician, Vanessa applies her food-first approach to nutrition to help individuals implement practical and sustainable changes to improve performance; whether that is in sport or everyday life.