Roland Green would ride whatever he could get his hands on as a teen. After showing promise in various bike races, he took to competitive road racing in 1991. His career took off in 1993, when he won the world junior gold medal in Abitibi, Quebec.

After five years riding speed bikes, he switched to mountain biking. He won several Canada Cup races and the national title in 1996, and placed fourth in an under-23 world championship race. In 1998, his first full year on the World Cup cross-country circuit, he finished 66th overall. He improved to 33rd and wound up 10th in 2000, the year he placed second at the World championships.

That was his coming out. He dominated cross-country through 2003, winning UCI World Cup titles in 2001 and 2002 and Commonwealth Games gold in 2002. His last Canadian mountain bike title came in 2003, and after 15 seasons he retired from competition in 2005.

SPONSORED BY RYDER HESJDAL'S TOUR DE VICTORIA

Three of Victoria's leading bike racers and their coach formed half of our country's eight-man cycling team at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. After bettering the Games qualifying times, Lew Rush, Glen Robbins and Stan Jackson were issued their red-&-white maple-leaf crested uniforms. They made, and paid, their own ways to L.A. where they reported being awed by the facilities, the crowds (105,000 at the Opening Ceremonies), and their European competition. Canada's best result was a 6th place finish in the team pursuit event, which was held on a banked wooden track at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. Rush finished only 2.6 seconds off the individual gold medal sprint time, and in the 62-mile road race, Robbins (who would go on to become Saanich Fire Chief) was only the third North American to cross the finish line but 18th over all. Stan Jackson, who had gone as an alternate, finished three riders behind him. Their coach and the fourth Victoria team-member was World Champion professional racer 'Torchy' Peden.