MUD AND MOUNTAINS AT THE CANADIAN GRAVEL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ottawa, ON (June 17, 2024) – The second edition of the Canadian Gravel Championships took place under the majestic scenery of the Rockies on June 16, crowning a host of new Canadian champions in the U17, junior, elite and masters categories.
The 118-kilometer race to the top of the podium began in the rain and athletes had to use their skills and grit to navigate the muddy course.
After nearly four hours, it was Quebec’s Adam Roberge who finally claimed victory in the elite men’s category, having worked with his opponent, and silver medalist, Julien Gagné. Michael Van den Ham completed the podium, 44.2 seconds behind the race leader.
“It was hard from the beginning and with the weather, it was hard to draft,” said Roberge, who has been focusing on gravel racing for the past few years. “I figured being patient would be better with that type of course. With the help of my friend Julien Gagné we were able to push the pace on every climb until there were only three remaining in the lead. We ended up battling it out on the last climb until the end, and I knew my sprint was a little bit faster.”
In the women’s category, Katja Verkerk took top honours with a time of 4 hours and 37 minutes, just ahead of Olympian Haley Smith (+2:54) and Anna Gabrielle Traxler (+4:00). The British Columbia-born athlete scored her first-ever Canadian championship victory and made no secret of her surprise.
“I’m new to racing, so I don’t know anyone,” declared Verkerk. “I tried to follow the first five to ten wheels and I followed an attack from a rider I followed for a while, until she had a mechanical, where I could pass her. I wasn’t expecting to put a Canadian jersey on today, so it’s kind of crazy.”
Reigning Canadian champion in the Masters 35-44 category, John Vanderveen once again claimed the win. However, the jersey was awarded to new recipients in all other categories, crowning Mitchell Williams (men U17), Lydia Stack-Michasiw (women U17), Colton Zabolotney (junior men), Nico Knoll (junior women), Jenn Proche (women 35-44), Dan Wood (men 45-54), Elizabeth Stack (women 45-54), Greg Clark (men 55-64), Ewa Siarka (women 55-64) and Gregory Patychuk (men 65+).
The full results list can be found here. Next up on the Canadian Championships calendar is the Canadian Road Championships (Elite, Junior, Para), to be held on June 21-24. The full calendar of national events can be found on the Events Page of the Cycling Canada website.
