Ottawa, ON (November 2, 2026) – The 2026 Canadian Championship season came to an exciting close this weekend, as athletes from across the country gathered at Hardwood Ski and Bike in Simcoe Ontario for the 2026 Lazer Canadian Cyclo-Cross Championships. Organized by Pulse Racing Inc, the venue provided a challenging course to test Canada’s best cyclo-cross riders across Elite, U23, Junior, U17, and Masters categories.
In the Elite Women’s race, Sidney McGill powered through the race, riding through six demanding laps to take the gold medal and wear the maple leaf jersey with a time of 49:52. Sarina Daigle secured the silver medal, while Siobhan Kelly rounded out the podium in third place. “Although I separated from the group fast, I was able to still keep on the gas and I wanted to make sure I was carrying the race effort,” highlighted McGill following her win. “There was also Nico [Knoll] coming up so it wasn’t just a cruise out there for sure.”
In the Elite Men’s battle, Tyler Clark took the top step after stopping the clock at 58:31, holding off Émile Perreault who finished second and Alexander Woodford in third. Clark commented, “It’s one of these courses that you have to be ‘on’ every time, even when you’re out of the sand, there’s gravel corners. You’re going hard on the climbs, and then you have to figure out how to recover to tackle these technical parts.”
In the U23 races, Nico Knoll claimed the U23 Women’s national title, finishing second overall after Sidney McGill, while Rhett Bates captured the U23 Men’s crown. Both riders arrived at Hardwood with an impressive season start, with Knoll fresh off top-five finishes on the USCX circuit and Bates securing key C2 victories earlier this autumn.
The Junior races saw Alexa Haviland claim gold in the Women’s race, with Jon Mercier taking victory in the Junior Men’s. In the U17 division, Hannah Lehmann took the top step of the podium in the women’s race, while Charles Elie Belzile secured gold in the U17 Men’s category.
National titles were also awarded across the Masters divisions. In the Women’s categories, victory went to Stephanie Vialle (Master A), Sue Haviland (Master B), Kelly Welbourn (Master C), and Nancy Chong (Master D). On the Men’s side, Alexandre Dumont (Master A), Dan Souter (Master B), Jean Francois Blais (Master C), and Robert Orange (Master D) each took home national titles.
Cycling Canada thanks Pulse Racing Inc., Hardwood Ski and Bike, Ontario Cycling and the entire cycling community who came out to support the weekend, and the last Canadian Championship event of the 2026 season. For full results, please visit the Cycling Canada events page.
