Heather Moyse trying to see if three's the charm with cycling

As Heather Moyse embarks on the challenge of becoming a three-sport athlete – she announced today she is pursuing track cycling – one person who likes her chances is ace strength and conditioning trainer Matt Nichol.

Moyse was a gold medalist in the women's two-man bobsleigh at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics with driver Kaillie Humphries, has represented Canada in rugby at the World Cup and has now decided to try her hand at another power and speed sport, track cycling.

It will be the toughest of her challenges to date, but the 33-year-old from Summerside, PEI, has already attended a team training camp in Pennsylvania in August and was recently with the Canadian cycling team training at a velodrome in Los Angeles. She will try to qualify for the team in October.

Strength trainer Matt Nichol, whose NHL client base includes Mike Cammalleri and Tyler Seguin among others and also guides Moyse, happened to be in L.A. when she was training last week on the track and was very impressed.

“From a speed, power, raw athleticism standpoint, I don't know how many female athletes in Canada would be better than her,” said Nichol. “It's pretty crazy the fact she's so dominant when she plays rugby, so dominant in something like bobsled, now she's able to try this. She's pretty impressive.”

Nichol was also blown away by his first look at track cycling up close.

“It's unbelievable,” he said. “It's like riding a bike on a wall. It's ridiculous. I think I'd be less scared to do bobsled than that because at least you have some kind of shell around you. I'd never seen it live before. It's crazy. They go so fast. If I tried to go on my bicycle, I couldn't get up on the wall, let alone go fast. The legs on these girls are ridiculous. They look like NFL fullbacks.”

Moyse doesn't shy away from saying this will be her most difficult test yet.

“But I thrive off of challenges and being able to push myself in sport, and I want to see how well I can do in this sport,” said Moyse in a statement. “This will be a great break from bobsleigh that will allow me to maintain my fitness. It is a new world for me and I’m looking forward to it.”

She'll have extra support to do it. She's just signed a sponsorship deal with Prince Edward Island Potatoes, a natural fit given how proud she is of her heritage.