CANADIAN ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE HELD IN OTTAWA-GATINEAU THIS SUMMER

Gatineau, May 30, 2017 – From June 24 to 28, 2017, road cyclists from across Canada will converge on the Gatineau-Ottawa region to compete for the coveted title of Canadian champion and earn the right to wear the maple leaf jersey for the next 12 months. The 2017 Global Relay Canadian Road Championships presented by Lexus will feature road races, individual time trial races, and criterium races for men and women in the Elite, Under-23 and Junior categories at venues in Gatineau and Ottawa.

The Championships will open on Saturday, June 24, with the mass-start road races for Junior Men and Women and Elite Women. The start-finish of the 10-kilometre circuit will be in Tunney’s Pasture in Ottawa and will see riders racing along the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway between Island Park Drive and the War Museum. The Under-23 and Elite Men will race on the same circuit on Sunday, June 25.

The rest day on Monday will be followed by the Individual Time Trial (ITT) competitions for all categories on Tuesday, June 27, in the spectacular Gatineau Park. The out-and-back course features a tough climb out and a speedy descent back to the finish line, with distances varying from 16 to 36 km, depending on the age category.

The Championships will conclude on Wednesday, June 28, with the Canadian Criterium Challenge in the  Vieux-Aylmer sector of Gatineau, Quebec. This crowd-pleasing fast-paced Criterium offers spectators the chance to see riders hit speeds of 70 km an hour as they race many laps of a short course with lots of corners, ending with an explosive sprint finish.

“We are very happy to have the 2017 Global Relay Canadian Road Championships p/b Lexus in the national capital region in this historic year—Canada’s 150th anniversary,” said Pierre Lafontaine, Chief Executive Officer at Cycling Canada. “Once again, riders will experience challenging courses along with all the hospitality the nation’s capital region has to offer. The Canadian Championships are the premier event to showcase the top cycling talent our country has to offer.”

“This is just the second time in many years that the Canadian Championships road races are taking place in an urban setting,” points out Doug Corner, who, along with John Large, is the local organizer for the Championships. “I encourage Ottawa and Gatineau residents, as well as visitors, to take advantage of this special opportunity to get right up close to the action for these spectacular races.”“In addition to the actual races that make up the Global Relay Canadian Road Championships p/b Lexus, there will be lots more to see and do,” added Corner. “On Sunday, June 25 at 12:30 p.m., there will be a new special and free event: the Play List 150 Fun Ride, part of the Canada 150 celebrations. This is a 5 or 10 kilometer ride of the exact course that will be used for the Championships. It is fully closed to traffic and, as a highlight, some of the new Canadian champions from Saturday races will come out and ride with everybody! The Play List 150 Fun Ride starts in Tunney’s Pasture and finishes there, just in time to see the fastest men in Canada start their race at 2 p.m. Great fun for the whole family!”

Also at Tunney’s Pasture on June 25, there will be interesting cycling-related activities such as Can-Bike workshops, as well as bike tuning and bike decoration stations.

Corner concluded: “Best of all, the championships culminate in the fast-paced criterium races in Vieux-Aylmer on Wednesday, June 28. Spectacular beyond words and a party environment around the entire course. Come and join us for all the activities.”

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