Ottawa, ON (Dec. 18, 2024) – Cycling Canada is proud to announce that two Canada Cup events – the Canmore Canada Cup XCO and SilverStar Canada Cup DH – will serve as stops in the recently announced UCI Continental Series for mountain bike. 

The Continental Series will be held during standard UCI calendar events in the cross-country Olympic (XCO) and downhill (DH) disciplines. Each continent will host six XCO and six DH stops to comprise their respective series. For 2025, Canada will host one stop in each discipline, highlighting two longstanding events on the national calendar. 

First is the Canmore Canada Cup XCO, scheduled for June 11-14 in Canmore, AB, hosted by the Alberta Nationals Mountain Bike Race Association. 

“Since 2017 when the Alberta Nationals Mountain Bike Race Association was formed and organized the Canadian XCO Mountain Bike Championships, we have been building to this moment,” said Ron Sadesky, Event Director of the Canmore Canada Cup. “Canmore is ripe for taking on higher-level international events and a UCI Continental Series status is the perfect opportunity to showcase the foundation we’ve built over many years of high-level hosting. We are incredibly excited about how a series like this will add to the vibrancy of XCO racing in North America and about welcoming new athletes to Canmore.” 

The second UCI Continental Series stop will coincide with the SilverStar Canada Cup DH on Aug. 2-3 in SilverStar Mountain, BC, organized by SilverStar Mountain Resort as part of the Crankworx Summer Series. 

“We hosted our first downhill race, the Grundig World Cup, in 1994 and since then SilverStar Bike Park has dedicated itself to delivering gravity-fueled fun to the biking community,” said Ian Jenkins, Director of Sales, Marketing and Events at SilverStar Mountain Resort. “Being selected as the first stop of the UCI DH Continental Series 2025 is a testament to our commitment to the dirt for over 30 years, as we’ve shaped the bike park into one of North America’s premiere biking destinations. We look forward to welcoming athletes and spectators to experience the excitement of SilverStar and see why people come back year after year long after the snow has gone!” 

The Series creates valuable opportunities for high-level international competition, both domestically and in easily accessible neighbouring countries. It also offers an additional route to the UCI World Cup for riders not registered in a World Series Team: For each category, the top five from each event will gain ‘Golden Ticket’ entries to a World Cup of their choosing in 2025, plus the top five in the final overall standings will win entries to the following UCI World Cup season. Series standings will also be considered in World Cup wildcard allocations for UCI mountain bike teams. 

For more information, visit the Events Page of the Cycling Canada website.   

Ottawa, ON (Sept. 7, 2024) – Mountain bike athletes from across the country are expected in Thunder Bay, Ontario, for the second edition of the Canadian Marathon Mountain Bike Championships (XCM) on Sept. 7.  

Crowned at the 2023 event held in the Yukon, Haley Smith and Andrew Lesperance will be back to defend their title. They will be joined by Jenn Jackson, whose mission is to add a hat trick to the short-course (XCC) and Olympic cross-country (XCO) titles won earlier this season in Kentville, Nova Scotia. Léandre Bouchard, Canadian elite XCO champion, will also be on hand, alongside Laurie Arseneault coming back from injury.  

Athletes will set off on a 30-kilometer loop, which they will complete three times for a total of 90 kilometers in their quest for the Canadian champion’s jersey.   

The full technical guide and important event information can be found on the Events Page of the Cycling Canada website.  

Ottawa, ON (Aug. 22, 2024) – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the team that will represent Canada at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships to be held in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1.

Fresh from their Olympic experience in Paris 2024, the brother-and-sister duo of Isabella Holmgren and Gunnar Holmgren will compete on a course well known to athletes, located at an altitude of 2,000 meters.

Isabella, who currently holds the world junior title, will be looking to make her mark in the U23 category alongside her sister, Ava Holmgren. Junior World Championship 2023 medallists Marin Lowe and Ian Ackert will also be making the leap to the top category.

Jenn Jackson, Léandre Bouchard, Cole Punchard, Emilly Johnston, Jacob Roy and Rafaëlle Carrier, all winners of the Canadian XCC and XCO Mountain Bike Championships held in Kentville, Nova Scotia, in July, will also be taking the start. Johnston, a familiar face on the UCI World Cup podium, will be one to watch.

As for the downhill, Bodhi Kuhn, silver medallist in the junior category at the 2023 World Championships, will be taking part, this time in the elite category. He will be joined by World Cup podium regulars Finn Iles and Emmy Lan, and Gracey Hemstreet, who won silver at the 2022 World Championships in the junior category.

Several Canadian champions crowned just a few weeks ago in Sun Peaks, BC, will also be taking part, including Geza Rodgers, Jon Mozell and Jakob Jewett.

The competitions officially kick off on August 28 and continue through the weekend. For full details, click here.

Team Canada (XC) 
Juniors 
Rafaëlle Carrier – Lac-Beauport, QC
Julien Desjardins – Gatineau, QC
Nicolas Gauthier – Gatineau, QC
Aislin Hallahan – Peterborough, ON
Felix-Antoine Leclair – St-Denis-de-Brampton, QC
Lily-Rose Marois – Lac-Beauport, QC
Jacob Roy – Ste-Gertrude-Manneville, QC
Maude Ruelland – Lac-Beauport, QC
Tristan Taillefer – Saint-Denis-de-Brompton, QC
Eleanor Winchell – Powell River, BC

U23 
Ian Ackert – Severn, ON
Owen Clark – King City, ON
Isabella Holmgren – Orillia, ON
Ava Holmgren – Orillia, ON
Emilly Johnston – Comox, BC
Marin Lowe – Squamish, BC
Ella MacPhee – Squamish, BC
Zorak Paillé – St-Sauveur, QC
Cole Punchard – Huntsville, ON
Noah Ramsay – Toronto, ON

Elites  
Léandre Bouchard – Alma, QC
Gunnar Holmgren – Orillia, ON
Jenn Jackson – Barrie, ON
Tyler Orschel – Uxbridge, ON
Roxane Vermette – St-Férréol-les-Neiges, QC
Sandra Walter – Coquitlam, BC
Carter Woods – Cumberland, BC

Team Canada (DH)
Juniors 
Geza Rodgers – Port Moody, BC
Megan Bedard – Whistler, BC
Rebecca Beaton – Pemberton, BC
Dane Jewett – Squamish, BC
Jon Mozell – North Vancouver, BC
Michael De La Salle – Vancouver, BC
Griffin Tulk – Squamish, BC
Ryan Griffith – Squamish, BC
Dylan Marino – Whistler, BC
Jack MacLeod – Squamish, BC

Élites 
Gracey Hemstreet – Sechelt, BC
Emmy Lan – Comox, BC
Sophi Lawrence – Whistler, BC
Jakob Jewett – Squamish, BC
Bodhi Kuhn – Rossland, BC
Finn Iles – Pemberton, BC
Mark Wallace – Duncan, BC
Kasper Woolley – Squamish, BC
Johnathan Helly – Kamloops, BC
Kirk McDowall – Port Moody, BC

Ottawa, ON (Aug. 8, 2024) – Elite, Junior, U17 and Masters athletes from all over the country will travel to Sun Peaks, BC, on Aug. 10-11, 2024, for the Canadian Downhill MTB Championships, for their chance to win the maple leaf jersey.  

“Hosting the Downhill Canadian Championship at Sun Peaks Resort embodies the pinnacle of gravity-fueled excitement against a backdrop of stunning mountain vistas,” said Stephen Exley, Host of the Dunbar Summer Series. “It’s not just about the thrill of competition; it’s about showcasing our nation’s top riders on world-class terrain, igniting the spirit of adrenaline-fueled excellence, and fostering a community united by the love of downhill racing.” 

All the defending champions, including Emmy Lan (elite women), Lucas Cruz (elite men), Joy Attalla (junior women), Dane Jewett (junior men) and Austin Makson (U17 men) will be on hand to try and get their hands on the Canadian sleeve. They will be joined by Gracey Hemstreet, who has a proven her strength on the world circuit, including a silver medal in her final year as a junior at the 2022 UCI World Championships.   

Over 380 athletes are expected in the west of the country to put on a show for the public.   

The full technical guide and important event information can be found on the Events Page of the Cycling Canada website.  

Ottawa, ON (July 22, 2024) – Mountain bike athletes were treated to all kinds of conditions at the Canadian Cross-Country Championships, held July 18-21 in Kentville, Nova Scotia. 

It was in pouring rain that most of the athletes took to the start line of the short circuit cross-country (XCC) on Thursday, July 18, crowning Rafaëlle Carrier (Pivot Cycle OTE) for a second year running, this time in the junior category. Jacob Roy (Ponsse MTB Racing) took top honours in the junior men’s category.    

In the combined elite and U23 categories, it was Jenn Jackson (Liv Factory Racing) – who had won silver in-extremis at the 2023 edition – who finally got to savor the victory, taking it early in the race. In the men’s race, U23 rider Cole Punchard (Pivot Cycle OTE), who has scored several top-five finishes in World Cups, shone in front of some of the sport’s biggest names. “Throughout the race, I could see that some of the guys were a little tired,” said Punchard. “I got a bit of a lead, then managed to pull away on the last lap and break away solo on the last bend to sprint my heart out and take the win.” 

Elly Moore (Team Ontario) and Émilien Belzile (Stimulus Orbea) were able to don the unified U17 jersey, both after a tight sprint.   

The July 20 XCO competition saw a number of athletes win back-to-back Canadian titles under a scorching sun, including Jackson (elite women), Punchard (U23 men), Carrier (junior women), Roy (junior men) and Belzile (U17 men), all of whom were able to open up a significant gap on their rivals.    

“It’s not something I really imagined (doubling the number of wins),” said Jackson. “A few years ago, I had no idea this is where I’d end up a few years down the line, and I’m really excited to be wearing the maple leaf in the upcoming World Cups.     

On the U17 women’s side, it was Éliane Blais (Équipe du Québec) who stood out, with no looking back. Ava Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) claimed her first-ever Canadian U23 women’s mountain bike title.  “It was a very good day,” said Holmgren. “The fact that the elites started out in front was extra motivation to be able to catch as many as possible.”  

Leading from the start of the race, Léandre Bouchard (Foresco Holding Proco-RL Pro Team) earned himself an eighth career title, having won at elite level in 2021 and donned the jersey on several occasions at U23 level.   

Masters athletes were also in action in Nova Scotia, where Peter Glassford (Trek Barrie Aurora – men 35-44), Aroussen Laflamme (Ponsse MTB Racing – men 45-54) and Sue Haviland (Durham Shredders – women 45-54) were once again crowned champions. They were joined by John Westdal (Ontario Bicycle Club – men 55+), Alessandro Polloni (Stimulus Next Wave – men 19-34), Meghan Todd (Crazy Creek Cycling Club 35-44) and Penn Hart (AVMBA – women 55+).   

The team relay, presented on Sunday, July 21, saw Cole Punchard and Rafaëlle Carrier, teamed for Pivot-OTE with Zorak Paillé and Simon Ruelland, add a third champion’s jersey to their already impressive collection.   

The complete list of results can be found here.    

The Canadian Masters Road Championships, held in Victoria, B.C., are still underway. The next Canadian Championships on the calendar will be the Canadian Downhill Mountain Bike Championships, to be held in Sun Peaks, B.C. on August 10 and 11. The complete calendar of national events can be found on the Events page of the Cycling Canada website.