9-race series comes to an end in Drummondville

(Drummondville, QC – October 05, 2014) The 2014 BMX Canada Cup series came to an end on Sunday in Drummondville, and two categories were decided with tie breaker to determine the series Champions.

James Palmer of North Vancouver, BC (Yess Factory) won the men’s title in a tiebreaker with Mischa Partridge of Duncan, BC (Ridge Meadows BMX), while Eliane McAdam of Calgary, AB (Ssquared Canada) enjoyed a comfortable lead, both winning their first Canada Cup titles.

Palmer rode away with the victory on this last race of the season, scoring 700 points. Palmer had a hard task ahead of him as the day started, in a position where he had to win the race to score the maximum points and hoping that Mischa Partridge would finish the race third or higher. And that exact scenario happened.

Palmer won all three motos of the day and finished first of the race. With only three riders in the category, and with Partridge suffering from injuries suffered in yesterday’s Canadian BMX Championships, Partridge soldiered on and participated in the races. He finished third of the first two rounds, and opted not to start the third round, allowing Palmer to cruise to the victory and the Canada Cup title.

Palmer finished the series with 4700 points, having competed in each of the BMX Canada Cup races this season. Patridge also finished with 4700 points, but Palmer took the title having won the Finals. Tory Nyhaug of Coquitlam, BC (Redline) finished in third place with 2800 points.

In the women’s category, first-year elite rider Eliane McAdam easily won the title with 4780 points, with an impressive 1300-pt lead over two-time Canadian Champion Amelia Walsh of Ayr, ON (Yess Factory) in second place. Rosemary Adams of Surrey, BC (Abbotsford BMX) came in third place.

McAdam entered the elite rank this year, and has established herself as an immediate threat to her opponents. In the Canada Cup series, she won four of the nine races and provided stiff competition to Amelia Walsh at the Canadian Championships. Walsh won four of the five races in which she entered for the second place.

Drew Mechielsen of Langley, BC (Yess Factory) won the junior women title with 3460 points for the season. Erin Kinnie of Burnaby, BC (Team BC) finished second close behind just 200 points of the leader with 3260 points, while Daina Tuchscherer of Chestermere, AB (Factory Pure) took the third place.

In the hotly contested junior men category, Hayden Mechielsen of Langley, BC (Abbotsford BMX) won the series title with 3250 points, jumping from third to first thanks to his victory on this last day of competition. Jared Ennis of Coquitlam, BC (Team BC) finished second, tied with Mechielsen with 3250 points. Similarly to the elite men situation, Mecheilsen broke the tie thanks to his victory at the Finals to win the title. Kiran Kawa (Team Alberta) took third place.

The top seven results were taken in consideration for the Canada Cup final standings for all categories.

FINAL STANDINGS – 2014 BMX CANADA CUP

Elite Women

1. Eliane McADAM (Ssquared Canada, AB) 4780 pts

2. Amelia WALSH (Yess Factory, ON) 3480 pts

3. Rosemary ADAMS (Abbotsford BMX, AB) 2670 pts

Elite Men

1. James PALMER (Yess Factory, BC) 4700 pts

2. Mischa PARTRIDGE (Ridge Meadows BMX, BC) 4700 pts

3. Tory NYHAUG (Redline, BC) 2800 pts

Junior Women

1. Drew MECHIELSEN (Yess Factory, AB) 3460 pts

2. Erin KINNIE (Team BC, BC) 3260 pts

3. Daina TUCHSCHERER (Factory Pure, AB) 2440 pts

Junior Men

1. Hayden MICHIELSEN (Abbotsford BMX, BC) 3250 pts

2. Jared ENNIS (Team BC, BC) 3250 pts

3. Kiran KAWA (Alberta, AB) 3060 pts

Development Women

1. Cayleigh VAN STAALDUINEN (St Albert BMX, AB) 1460 pts

2. Brianne VANDERKUIP (Alberta BMX Provincial Team, AB) 1060 pts

3. Kelly Ann HEUGHAN (Well Green Tech, AB) 1030 pts

Development Men

1. Deven KAWA (Team Alberta, AB) 1980 pts

2. Alex TOUGAS (Yess/Team BC, BC) 1500 pts

3. Ethan BURGER (TLD Yess Factory, AB) 790 pts

Red and White jerseys on the line in ultimate races of the season

(Ottawa, ON – September 30, 2014) Drummondville is ready and set to host the 2014 Canadian BMX Championships this upcoming weekend, October 3-5.

Canada’s top BMXers will go shoulder to shoulder in exciting races with the ultimate goal to be crowned Canadian Champion, and receive the coveted Red and White jersey.

In the men’s elite category, all eyes will be turned on Canada’s Tory Nyhaug of Coquitlam, BC, who will aim to extend his streak of Canadian titles at the event. Nyhaug is undefeated at Canadian Championships, both in the junior and elite categories. He won the last six Canadian Championships titles at the event.

Nyhaug has enjoyed his career best international season in 2014 at the BMX SuperCross World Cup level, notably winning the silver medal at the 2014 BMX World Championships.

Competition will come from a rising group of BMXers, including Jim Brown of Airdrie, AB, who posted his career best international result with a 16^th place at the Supercross in Argentina. A large group of bmxers, such as James Palmer of North Vancouver, BC, who finished second at the event in 2013, Brandon Reid of Victoria, BC, Mischa Partridge of Duncan, BC, and Corey Walsh of Ayr, ON among others will also be looking to dislodged Nyhaug from the top.

In the Elite women, Amelia Walsh of Ayr, ON will be looking to defend her title from 2013. Walsh participated at most of the UCI BMX SuperCross World Cup this season and showed consistency throughout the season. Strong competition should come from youngster twin sisters Eliane and Morgan McAdam of Calgary, AB, both racing in the Elite category for the first time. The two McAdam’s dominated the junior category of the Canada Cup Series and the junior race at the Canadian Championships for the last two years.

Daina Tuchscherer of Airdrie, AB will be taking advantage of the wide open junior women category. Tuchscherer impressed many among the cycling world by riding in the sixth place of the Time Trial SuperFinals at the 2014 BMX Worlds this year and the eighth place in the BMX Main Event. Tuchscherer will receive fierce competition from other young women, including Drew Mechielsen of Langley, BC, who raced some SuperCross World Cups for Canada in 2014, including a Top 20 performance in Argentina.

In the junior men, two riders had the chance to represent Canada on the World stage in 2014, including Tanner Vandenhoven of Didsbury, AB being the sole Canadian in the category at the BMX World Championships. Hayden Mechielsen of Langley, BC who took part in two SuperCross World Cup, will also be racing this weekend. Jared Ennis won the junior men title in 2013.

Alex Tougas of Pitt Meadows, BC, the reigning World Champion in the Boys 16 category, will also be racing the event. Tougas will be proudly displaying his W1 bike plate, awarded to the World Champion. Avriana Hebert of St-Albert, AB also won the World Title and the W1 plate in the Girls 14 at the World Championships.

The event is organized by the Club de BMX St-Charles-de-Drummond in collaboration with the Federation Québécoise des sports cyclistes (FQSC) on a revamped track. Some Canadian riders had a chance to race on the track as the club also hosted a set of BMX Canada Cup races in August.

Competition begins on Friday night with the Time Trials for the Elite and Junior categories. BMX motos and Main events will be presented on Saturday. On Sunday, the 2014 BMX Canada Cup will come to an end, crowning Canada’s top riders of the developmental domestic series.

Registration is opened until October 2, 2014 and can be done online at http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/inscription-championnats-canadiens-canadian-championship-bmx-2014-drummondville-12913862711. No One-Day UCI licence will be issued, and no on-site registration will be accepted.

SCHEDULE – 2014 CANADIAN BMX CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 3

11am-2:30pm: Track Open for training (see specific schedule published in Technical Guide)

3:30pm: Time Trial qualifications

4:30pm: Canadian BMX Time Trial Championships

October 4

9:30am-12pm: Track Open for training (see specific schedule published in Technical Guide)

12pm: Canadian BMX Championships (moto scheduled to be posted on-site)

October 5

9am-11am: Track Open for training (see specific schedule)

11am: Canada Cup Finals

Nyhaug takes third place in Argentina; Jim Brown rides to career best performance

(Santiago del Estero, ARG – September 7, 2014) Canada’s Tory Nyhaug finished in third position of the BMX Supercross in Argentina, standing on the World Cup podium for the second time this season.

On Saturday, Nyhaug took the top rank in the qualifying motos, winning all three rounds.

In the Supercross motos, Nyhaug squeaked in the quarterfinals with a seventh place, a fourth place and a first place. In the quarterfinals, Nyhaug went on to take the second place, and qualified for the finals with a second place in the semis. In the Main Event, racing for medals, Nyhaug went on to finish third.

Nyhaug, ranked 20^th in the world ranking, stood today for the second time on the World Cup podium, in addition to his silver medal at the World Championships.

Jim Brown of Airdrie, AB also had a good performance on the bike, racing all the way to the semi-finals. He took the 15^th position, by far his best performance of the season.

Canada’s junior women also had a good race day, finishing with Drew Mechielsen finishing 19^th and Daina Tuchscherer finishing 21^st of the elite women group. In the junior ranking, they placed second and third.

The final BMX Supercross World Cup will take place in Chula Vista, California, on September 26 and 27.

RESULTS – BMX SUPERCROSS WORLD CUP – SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, ARG

Elite Men

1. STROMBERGS, Maris (LAT)

2. PHILLIPS, Liam (GBR)

3. NYHAUG, Tory (CAN)

=====

15. BROWN, James (CAN)

75. PALMER, James (CAN)

Elite Women

1. PAJON, Mariana (COL)

2. POST, Alise (USA)

3. McLEOD, Melinda (AUS)

=====

19. MECHIELSEN, Drew (CAN)

21. TUCHSCHERER, Daina (CAN)

40. WALSH, Amelia (CAN)

Daina Tuchscherer makes finals and finishes in eighth place

(Rotterdam, NED – July 27, 2014) Tory Nyhaug of Coquitlam, BC took the silver medal on Sunday in the BMX Supercross main event at the 2014 UCI BMX World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Canada’s BMX superstar, who was fifth at the World Championships last year, rode to his career best performance, proving that is a force to reckon with when at the start line. Throughout his young career as an Elite rider, Nyhaug rode three times to the podium, including a third place this season in Manchester, and twice in second place last season.

“The day went great. It was a battle out there with this track. There was no separation, and we had to fight for every inch. I honestly rode the best I possibly could… so stoked with the silver medal,” said Nyhaug, the six-time Canadian Champion, who started BMX racing at age 4.

Nyhaug overcame lots of adversities throughout his career, suffering from ruptured spleens in 2010 and 2012, just 11 weeks before the Olympic Games in London. He bounced back in 2013, finishing twice on the World Cup podium and fifth at the World Championships.

Ken Cools was thrilled with the team’s performance today, especially on Tory Nyhaug’s performance: “Tory Nyhaug – the kid is just an animal. Doesn’t matter how he goes in practice, when it comes down to racing, he proves time and time over that he is a playoff player. He came back faster and faster from each lap. He capitalized on other’s mistakes and used his own strength and abilities to take the number 2 spot in the main event.”

In the junior women’s race, Daina Tuchscherer of Airdrie, AB also rode all the way to the main event in her first participation at World Championships and took the eighth place.

“It was honestly one of the greatest experiences I have ever had so far. I rode well in the semi-finals, so I was pretty excited. In the main, I was just so happy to be there. This is just the beginning for me, so this is really exciting,” said Tuchscherer.

Cools also had some great words for the young junior women rider from Airdrie, AB. “Daina is the girl of the future. She had a fantastic day, winning throughout the day. In the finals, she was in the top 5 but bounced back in the eighth place of the junior women final, which is a great feat for a first year junior rider.

Cools continued on the other Canadian performances: “In the Elite men, all of our guys had great rounds, and they battled very hard throughout the day. Tanner Vandenhoven had a great day as well in the junior men, making it to the second round. Unfortunately for him, he had an outside lane and couldn’t use his third place advantage down the first straightaway, and got hung out on the first turn. He battled very hard.”

The 2014 Canadian BMX Championships will be held October 3-5 in Drummondville, QC.

RESULTS – BMX SUPERCROSS – 2014 UCI BMX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Elite Men

1. WILLOUGHBY, Sam (Australia)

2. NYHAUG, Tory (Canada)

3. WHYTE, Tre (Great Britain)

=====

35. BROWN, James (Canada)

58. REID, Brandon (Canada)

83. PALMER, James (Canada)

Junior Women

1. AZUERO GONZALEZ, Domenica Michelle (Ecuador)

2. RENO, Shealen (United States of America)

3. KAPITANOVA, Tatiana (Russian Federation)

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8. TUCHSCHERER, Daina (Canada)

Elite Women

1. PAJON, Mariana (Colombia)

2. POST, Alise (United States of America)

3. SMULDERS, Laura (Netherlands)

=====

36. WALSH, Amelia (Canada)

Junior Men

1. KIMMANN, Niek (Netherlands )

2. GAIAN, Sean (United States of America)

3. RACINE, Romain (France)

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43. VANDENHOVEN, Tanner (Canada)

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Two Canadian riders will be forces to reckon with in just a few years

(Ottawa, ON – July 25, 2014) Cycling Canada would like to congratulate Canadian BMXers Avriana Hebert (Girls 14) and Alex Tougas (Boys 16), who won gold medals and W1 plates at the 2014 UCI BMX World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in the challenge classes.

Coach Ken Cools was thrilled with both performances: “Avriana Hebert was in a league of her own at this event. She was not challenged by any girl, on any lap. In her main event, she won from wire to wire and has become the new queen of the 14 year old girls class. Her athleticism and hard work will make her a force to reckon with for years to come as her potential has not even been tapped yet.”

Added Cools of Tougas back-to-back wins: “Alex Tougas dominated his class and repeated his success of last year with a back to back World Championships title, something that does not happen very often in the older categories. After a second place finish in his first qualifying round, Alex settled in and found his stride and did not drop another lap for the rest of the night, proving to everyone that he is hands down, the fastest challenge rider in the world!”

The junior and elite categories will be presented Saturday and Sunday.

RESULTS – CHALLENGE CLASSES – 2014 UCI BMX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Boys 16 

1. Alex TOUGAS (Canada)
2. Andrew HUGHES (Australia)
3. Ryan PETTIGREW (United States of America) 

Girls 14 

1. Avriana HEBERT (Canada)
2. Mathilde BERNARD (France)
3. Shelby GREEN (Australia) 

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