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TOP-10 PERFORMANCES FOR TEAM CANADA AT JUNIOR TRACK WORLDS

Aigle, Switzerland (August 21, 2018) – Team Canada finished the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland, with four top-10 performances from a young team that had only one returning athlete from last year, with two-thirds of the team being first year Juniors.

Five time national champion Riley Pickrell of Victoria, BC, had the top performance of the project, finishing fourth in the men’s Scratch Race. Other top-10 results include: Kaitlyn Rauwerda and Sarah Van Dam finishing seventh in the women’s Madison; seventh for the women’s Team Pursuit squad of Micaiah Besler, Ainsley Black, Kaitlyn Rauwerda, Victoria Slater and Sarah Van Dam; and Kaitlyn Rauwerda finishing tenth in the women’s Points Race.

“The Junior Worlds project was a great trip,” said Team Manager and NextGen coach Jenny Trew. “As one would hope for a project of this nature, there was a high level of learning; especially given how young the team was. Riley’s fourth place in the Scratch Race on his 17th birthday was a standout performance, but each of the riders left their all out on the velodrome in Aigle and should be proud of their performances. The momentum in the team grew with each day of competition as they supported one another’s performances. I’m excited to be a part of this group’s introduction and progression through the high performance stream of cycling in Canada. This is just the beginning for this cohort.”

August 21, 2018/by Communications

CANADA FINISHES PARA WORLD CUP WITH 12 MEDALS

Baie-Comeau, QC (August 20, 2018) – Canada had a strong finish to the para-cycling road season on Sunday at the final round of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, with four medals on the last day of competition, including two golds. Canada finishes the final round of the World Cup with a total of 12 medals, including six gold; tied with Great Britain and Germany for the most gold medals. Overall, Canadian athletes won six gold, two silver and four bronze medals over the week.

On the final day of competition, world champions Shelley Gautier of Toronto in women’s T1, and Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, in men’s C2, each won their respective road races. In men’s C1, Ross Wilson of Edmonton took the silver medal, and in women’s C4, Marie-Claude Molnar of St-Hubert, Quebec, won the bronze medal.

In the final World Cup standings, Shelley Gautier finished off an incredible road season that saw her sweep all six World Cup events – three time trials and three road races – for a perfect 360 points, in addition to her two world titles earlier in the month. Tristen Chernove finished second overall in the men’s C2 World Cup rankings, despite competing in only four of six events, while Michael Sametz of Calgary finished third in men’s C3 standings, despite racing in only half of the events; all of which he won. Holly Dapp of Fort Erie, Ontario, was second overall in women’s H2, Charles Moreau of Victoriaville, Quebec, finished second overall in men’s H3, while Nicole Clermont of St Denis de Brompton, Quebec, was third overall in women’s C5.

“It was a really, really good World Cup for us,” said Sebastien Travers, Para head coach for Cycling Canada. “Twelve medals is a new record for the Para group, and it is comprised of medals from the High Performance and the NextGen groups, which is exactly what we hoped for. The athletes that came on board for this event showed a lot of potential, and we can be assured we will see more of them in the coming years. Points-wise, we are in a good position; we have already earned a spot for the Paralympics, so things are looking good. Of course, 2019 and 2020 are still part of the qualification process, so we have to make sure we are qualifying as many spots as we can for the Games. I’m happy and proud of everyone, and it was a good event for us.”

August 20, 2018/by Communications

CANADA WINS 4TH GOLD AT BAIE-COMEAU PARA WORLD CUP

Baie-Comeau, QC (August 19, 2018) – Holly Dapp of Calgary won Canada’s fourth gold medal and eighth overall on Saturday at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Baie Comeau, Quebec.

Racing in the women’s H2 category, Dapp completed the three lap, 28.4 kilometre race with a time of one hour, 37 minutes and 20 seconds.

“I learned a lot today,” said Dapp, “it was my first road race and I loved it. I’m very appreciative of the crew here, who made it a lot of fun but were professional and helpful. I’ve come a long way in the last two years, but I know I still have a long way to go.”

In other Canadian results, Myriam Adam of Saguenay, Quebec, was fourth in the women’s H3 road race, as was Kara Douville of Calgary in the women’s H4 event. The men’s H3 road race had four Canadian competitors, led by Joey Desjardins in fifth, followed by Alex Hyndman in sixth, Charles Moreau in eighth and Rico Morneau in 14th. In the men’s H2 road race, Matthew Kinnie was the top Canadian in eighth place, followed former world champion Robert Labbe in ninth and Eric Page in tenth. Patrick Desnoyers, at his first World Cup, finished sixth in the H5 men’s road race.

August 19, 2018/by Communications

CANADA WINS 5 MEDALS ON DAY 2 OF PARA ROAD WORLD CUP

Baie-Comeau, QC (August 18, 2018) – Canada won five medals on Friday at Round 3 of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Baie Comeau, Quebec, adding to the two medals they won on Thursday. Canada is now fourth in the medal standings, with three gold, one silver and three bronze medals.

World champion Michael Sametz of Calgary won his men’s C3 time trial to give Canada its third gold medal. In other medal performances, Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, won silver in the C2 men’s time trial, while bronze medals went to Ross Wilson of Edmonton in the men’s C1, Marie-Claude Molnar of St-Hubert, QC, in women’s C4, and the men’s tandem team of Daniel Chalifour (Mont-Laurier QC), and his pilot Jean-Michel Lachance (Quebec City, QC).

“It was a good race for us, although we had a bit of stress at the start with a mechanical problem,” said Lachance. “It was a technical course, but we climbed pretty well and had a smooth ride.”

“Our motivation was at the top with the home crowd cheering for us,” said Chalifour. “The last year has been very tough for me, after my crash in Italy and the two surgeries I had to my hips. So to finish third here is very, very nice.”

In other Canadian results, Nicole Clermont (St-Denis-de-Brompton, QC) was fifth in C5 women, and in women’s tandem, Robbi Weldon (Ottawa, ON) and Anais Courteille (Gatineau, QC) were fourth, the Calgary team of Carla Shibley and Erin Ruttan fifth, and Annie Bouchard (Baie-St-Paul, QC) and Evelyne Gagnon (Montreal, QC) sixth, after two flats. In men’s tandem, Matthieu Croteau Daigle (Sherbrooke, QC) and Benoit Lussier (Montreal, QC) were 11th, and Lowell Taylor (Lethbridge, AB) and Andrew Davidson (Calgary, QC) were 13th after a flat.

August 18, 2018/by Communications

TWO MEDALS FOR CANADA ON OPENING DAY OF BAIE-COMEAU PARA WORLD CUP

Baie-Comeau, QC (August 17, 2018) – Canada had a strong opening day to the third and final round of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup on Thursday in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, with athletes winning two gold medals in competition.

World champion Shelley Gautier of Toronto continued her unbroken record for the 2018 World Cup in the women’s T1 time trial, while Charles Moreau of Victoriaville, Quebec, won the men’s H3 category.

“It was a great race, especially winning at home,” said Moreau. “The residents of Baie-Comeau were very supportive, and I wanted to make up for the world championships here. The course was really nice and challenging, with a couple of technical parts and a steep hill; that’s the kind of course I like. I’m looking forward to the road race now, hopefully to be on the podium and get some points for Canada as we prepare for Tokyo [2020 Paralympics].”

In other competition, two Canadian riders joined Moreau in the top-10 for men’s H3, with Alex Hyndman of Morpeth, Ontario, finishing sixth, and Joey Desjardins of Hawkesbury, Ontario, finishing eighth. In the women’s H2 time trial, Holly Dapp of Fort Erie, Ontario, finished second. Marie-Eve Croteau of Quebec City finished fourth in women’s T2, and in women’s H3, Myrian Adam was fifth, while Camille Rene was seventh. In the men’s T2 time trial, Louis-Albert Corriveau Jolin was seventh.

Competition continues on Friday with the time trial events for Tandem and Cycle categories.

August 17, 2018/by Communications

CANADA SENDS TEAM OF 29 RIDERS TO BAIE-COMEAU PARA WORLD CUP

Baie-Comeau, QC (August 16, 2018) – After a strong showing at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, where Canada won seven medals, including four gold, Cycling Canada will conclude the para-cycling road season on home soil in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, for the third and final round of the Road World Cup. Canada will send a team of 29 riders across all categories, including the three newly titled world champions.

“We are very excited to race on home soil in Baie-Comeau,” said Sebastien Travers, national para-cycling coach at Cycling Canada. “Coming back from a strong Road World Championships, we look forward to performing at home. This World Cup is also an amazing opportunity for NextGen and Devo athletes to be exposed to their first international events. The people of Baie-Comeau have been invested in this event since 2010 and we can’t wait to go back!”

The team will be led world champions Shelley Gautier of Toronto, double gold medalist at the world championships in Women’s T1; Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, gold and silver medalist in Men’s C2; and Michael Sametz of Calgary, gold medalist in Men’s C3.

Athletes will compete in time trial events on Thursday and Friday, followed by the road races on Saturday and Sunday.

Women
Myriam Adam – H3 [Saguenay, QC]
Annie Bouchard – Tandem [Baie-St-Paul, QC]
Evelyne Gagnon – Tandem Pilot [Montreal, QC]
Nicole Clermont – C5 [St-Denis-de-Brompton, QC]
Marie-Eve Croteau – T2 [Quebec City, QC]
Holly Dapp – H2 [Fort Erie, ON]
Kara Douville – H4 [Calgary, AB]
Shelley Gautier – T1 [Toronto, ON]
Marie-Claude Molnar – C4 [St Hubert, QC]
Carla Shibley – Tandem [Calgary, AB]
Erin Ruttan – Tandem Pilot [Calgary, AB]
Robbi Weldon – Tandem [Ottawa, ON]
Anais Courteille – Tandem Pilot [Gatineau, QC]

Men
Daniel Chalifour – Tandem [Mont-Laurier, QC]
Jean Michel Lachance – Tandem Pilot [Quebec City, QC]
Tristen Chernove – C2 [Cranbrook, BC]
Matthieu Croteau Daigle – Tandem [Sherbrooke, QC]
Benoit Lussier – Tandem Pilot [Montreal, QC]
Joey Desjardins – H3 [Hawkesbury, ON]
Patrick Desnoyers – H5 [Blainville, QC]
Alex Hyndman – H3 [Morpeth, ON]
Matthew Kinnie – H2 [Riverview, NB]
Charles Moreau – H3 [Victoriaville, QC]
Eric Page – H2 [Gatineau, QC]
Michael Sametz – C3 [Calgary, AB]
Mike Shetler – T2 [Kirkland, QC]
Lowell Taylor – Tandem [Lethbridge, AB]
Andrew Davidson – Tandem Pilot [Calgary, AB]
Ross Wilson – C1 [Sherwood Park, AB]

August 16, 2018/by Communications

EMILY BATTY 3RD AT MONT-STE-ANNE WORLD CUP

Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC (August 13, 2018) – Canadian champion Emily Batty of Brooklin, Ontario, flew the Canadian colours at home on Sunday, with a third place finish in the Elite women’s cross-country Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec. This was Batty’s fourth podium in six races, and moved her up from eighth to fourth in the standings with one race remaining in the series.

Batty overcame a poor start to move up to eighth by the end of the first lap and fourth by the end of the second in the six lap race. She moved into third place on the fifth lap and came within 14 seconds of catching second place Annika Langvad of Denmark. The race was won by world champion Jolanda Neff of Switzerland.

Showing the depth of the Canadian women’s field, Haley Smith of Uxbridge, Ontario, had her best result ever at a World Cup, finishing eighth, while four-time Mont-Ste-Anne winner Catharine Pendrel of Kamloops, BC, was 16th in her first race back from suffering an injury in June.

“I love racing here,” said Batty. “The energy from the Canadian fans is so empowering. I didn’t have a good first lap, so it was just a matter of trying to get by as many people as I could; climbing the climbs as hard as I could, and not making mistakes in the singletrack. I was giving everything I could to catch Annika, but I just came up a little bit short. I’m really proud to get Canada in the top three spots.”

In other Canadian results, Canadian Under-23 men’s champion Sean Fincham of Squamish, BC, finished tenth in the Under-23 men’s race, while Raphael Gagne of Quebec City was the top Canadian in the Elite men, finishing 25th.

Full results: https://bit.ly/2nxXwv3

August 13, 2018/by Communications

MILLER 8TH AT MONT-STE-ANNE DOWNHILL WORLD CUP

Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC (August 12, 2018) – Canadian world champion Miranda Miller of Garibaldi, BC, finished eighth in the Elite women’s race on Saturday at Round 6 of the Downhill World Cup in Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec. Miller was the only Canadian woman to qualify for the Final, finishing 45.611 seconds behind Rachel Atherton of Great Britain, the World Cup leader. Miller moved to 14th in the overall standings, with one round of competition remaining.

In the Elite men’s competition, two Canadian men finished in the top-25, with Mark Wallace of Duncan, BC, finishing 13th and Finn Iles of Whistler, BC, 25th. Wallace’s time of four minutes and 21.033 seconds, was 8.32 seconds behind race winner Loic Bruni of France, the reigning world champion. Wallace jumped one spot in the overall standings, to 12th place, with Iles dropping to 13th.

In the Junior categories, Valentina Holl of Austria won her sixth consecutive women’s race, with the only Canadian entrant, Piper Allman, finishing fourth. The men’s race went to France’s Thibaut Daprela, his third in a row and fourth for the season. Top Canadian finisher was Elliot Jamieson in sixth place.

Competition continues on Sunday with the Cross-country.

August 12, 2018/by Communications

MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP RETURNS TO MONT-SAINTE-ANNE FOR 26TH SEASON

Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC (August 8, 2018) – The Mountain Bike World Cup returns once again to Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, on August 10-12, for Round 6 of both the Cross-country (XCO) and Downhill (DHI) series. Mont-Sainte-Anne is the only North American stop on the World Cup tour, and is the site of many legendary races, dating back to the beginning of the World Cup in 1991. It is the only venue to have been on the World Cup circuit since the beginning; missing twice when it hosted the world championships instead.

Canada will have a strong presence for both the XCO and DHI events, with a total of 67 athletes across both disciplines. Unlike World Cups outside of North America, Canada will not field a national squad, with most riders racing in their trade team colours; however, a few NextGen XCO athletes and Downhill riders will race in the maple leaf uniform since they do not have the requisite UCI points to participate otherwise.

Competition begins on Friday with qualifying runs in the Downhill and the fifth round of the new XCC – Short Track – competition for XCO riders. In the XCC, the top-40 women and men on UCI ranking each race for 20 minutes on a short course, with the top 16 finishers filling the first two rows for the following XCO race. In addition, the XCC offers half World Cup points.

Mont-Sainte-Anne has made some changes to the courses, as they prepare to host the world championships in 2019 – the first venue to host the world championships three times. While traditional features such as the Beatrice descent remain, the start-finish has been moved so that the riders now face a final climb to the finish.

Canada’s hopes in the Elite women’s XCO will be led by Emily Batty (Trek Factory), fresh off winning her fourth national title and already on the World Cup podium three times this year. Mont-Sainte-Anne will also see the return to competition of two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Catharine Pendrel (Clif Pro Team), who has been out of action since June recovering from a broken arm. Other Canadian riders to watch out for are Haley Smith (Norco Factory) and Sandra Walter (Liv Canada), both of whom have become regular top-20 World Cup contenders this season.

The Elite men’s field will be led by world champion and World Cup leader Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM). Canada has four riders currently sitting in the top-50: Leandre Bouchard (KMC-Ekoi-SR Suntour), Andrew L’Esperance (Forward Racing Norco), national champion Peter Disera (Norco Factory) and Raphael Gagne (Silverback OMX).

The Downhill at Mont-Sainte-Anne is one of the longest on the circuit, requiring both endurance and technical skill. In the women’s race, Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Vallnord) returns to competition after missing the previous two rounds after a training crash. She will go up against World Cup leader Rachel Atherton (Trek Factory) and Tahnee Seagrave (Transition/MUC-Off), who has won the last two rounds. Canada’s Miranda Miller (Specialized), reigning world champion, has struggled this season, but can be expected to show the rainbow stripes, as will new national champion Vaea Verbeeck.

In Elite men, Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Vallnord) has a strong lead in the overall standings with three wins, however, defending champion Aaron Gwin (The YT Mob) is returning to competition after taking time off for a hand injury. Top Canadian contenders are Finn Iles (Specialized) and Mark Wallace (Canyon Factory), ranked 12th and 13th respectively.

August 8, 2018/by Communications

XCO CANADA CUP SERIES CONCLUDED IN NOVA SCOTIA

Kentville, Nova Scotia (August 7, 2018) – The 2018 edition of the XCO Canada Cup series concluded on Sunday with Round 7 in Kentville, Nova Scotia, a new venue, and the first time the Canada Cup has returned to Nova Scotia in 16 years.

In the Elite women’s race, Haley Smith (Norco Factory) took her third win of the season, finishing one minute and six seconds ahead of Canada Cup leader Jennifer Jackson (AWI Racing). Local Nova Scotia rider Mackenzie Myatt (Cyclesmith CC) took third, and was the top Under-23 rider. Jackson took the overall title after attending six of seven events and recording five second place results, for a total of 945 points. Smith took second place overall with 775 points, followed by Elyse Nieuwold (Pendrel Racing) with 580.

“It was a good race,” said Smith. “It was pretty slick out there, very, very rooty, and it rained! Jenn [Jackson] put a lot of pressure on for the first two laps, and I didn’t know if I had the energy to match it, but I was able to catch her on the descent and then I was able to ride away. It was awesome racing here – Lespy [Andrew L’Esperance] is my partner and he is from here, and all his family and friends were here, so I feel really stoked for him. The organizers did a great job and the course is awesome, and I hope everyone comes next year.”

In the Elite men’s competition, Forward Racing-Norco riders took the top two spots, with under-23 national champion Sean Fincham beating teammate and Nova Scotia local Andrew L’Esperance by one minute and 23 seconds. Under-23 rider Quinton Disera (Norco Factory) finished third, just ahead of his brother and Elite national champion Peter. Felix Burke (Rocky Mountain), despite missing the final round, took the overall title with 850 points after winning two rounds. L’Esperance was second with 705 points, followed by Fincham at 655.

“Sean was killing it the first few laps,” said L’Esperance, “and then I had a small crash and he got a gap, and he just rolled with it. We’re really happy to go 1-2 here, and I’m happy for Sean to get his first Canada Cup win. It’s really cool to have a Canada Cup back here [in Nova Scotia] after 16 years and to be able to race in front of friends and family. Thanks to the organizers for bringing this event back, and hopefully it will continue for years to come.”

The Junior women’s race was won by Krystel Gagnon of Quebec, ahead of Madison Baudoux of Nova Scotia. Marianne Theberge (Equipe du Quebec/Mathieu Performance) won the overall title with 355 points (best of four results), followed by Mireille Larose Gingras (Equipe du Quebec/Sigma) at 290 and national champion Roxanne Vermette (Mont Ste Anne) at 285.

The Junior men’s race was won by William Cote (Equipe du Quebec), who finished nearly five minutes in front of Zachary Brunelle (Dalbix Siboire), with Dylan Kerr (AJ’s Evolution) in third. The title was taken by national champion Carter Woods (Dodge City Cycle/RMB/CBC), who tied on points with fellow B.C. rider Holden Jones (Pendrel Racing) at 370 (best of four results), but Woods got the title for the most recent win. Cote improved to third with his win in Kentville, at 305 points.

In the new Canada Cup Under-17 category, Emily Johnston (Trek BC Devo) won her fourth race of the season to finish with a perfect 400 points and the overall women’s title. Emrick Vincent (Dalbix Siboire) won the Under-17 men’s race, but Jakob Yells (River City CC) took the title with two victories and 355 points.

“We are thrilled to end the 2018 Canada Cup XCO series in beautiful Kentville, Nova Scotia,” said Josh Peacock, Competition Coordinator at Cycling Canada. “The 2018 series saw stiff competition across the country, including the introduction of U17/Cadet as an official category. We continue to see young riders develop into top World Cup talent through this series and are very much looking forward to another year of competition in 2019. Special thanks to all of our dedicated organizers, athletes, volunteers and officials who continue to support this series.”

The final event in the Downhill Canada Cup series will take place on August 19th, at the Canadian Open DH Canada Cup presented by iXS, in Whistler, BC.

August 7, 2018/by Communications