News – Page 29 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

PETER DISERA WINS SILVER MEDAL AT MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Disera becomes first men to win a medal at World Championships since Max Plaxton’s bronze in 2006

(Ottawa, ON – August 29, 2013) Peter Disera, of Barrie, ON, won Thursday the silver medal in the junior men competition at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, posting Canada’s best result at this event since 1998 when Ryder Hesjedal had won the silver medal.

Disera finished second of the 23.5-kilometer junior men race with a time of 1:20:48, just 42 seconds behind the time of the newly crowned Junior Men World Champion, Lukas Baum of Germany.

“I’m not sure if it’s the extreme fatigue or the high of being on the podium, but I feel like I’m floating,” said Disera to Canadian Cyclist after the medal presentation. “This has been an extremely successful year for me, and I am pleased to end the season with a bang. It really exceeded any expectations I had before the season. My coach and I have been working extremely hard.

“It’s all mind over matter, really. I woke up this morning hesitant, but with the small belief that I could be on the podium. Despite the traffic, I enjoyed just racing my own race, making my way through traffic one by one.

The young cyclist has enjoyed a successful season to date, winning the Junior Canadian Championships titles in the road time trial, the mountain bike cross country and in cyclo-cross, as well as winning the UCI World Cup stop at Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC earlier in August.

The last time a Canadian men had won an individual medal at this event goes back to 2006 when Max Plaxton had won the bronze medal in the U23 men’s cross-country. In 1998, now UCI WorldTour rider Ryder Hesjedal had won the silver medal in the junior men’s race at the Mountain Bike World Championships.

Other Canadians were in the race with Félix Burke and Félix Belhumeur taking the 25th and 26th rank respectively.

In the women’s junior race, Marine Lewis had the fastest time among the three Canadian women, finishing in 15th place. Rachel Pageau and Gabrielle April finished 19th and 22nd.

In Wednesday’s team relay, Canada finished in fourth place of the four-rider race. Canada started the first lap with the seventh fastest time with Disera at the helm, and then the 2013 Canadian Champion Derek Zandstra flew by everyone to bring back the team in the second place midway to the race. In the third exchange, Mitchell Bailey took the control of the race, and managed to pass the Italian rider to take the race lead with one lap to go. In the fourth lap, the 2013 Canada Cup Champion Sandra Walter worked hard to maintain the lead, but against men elite riders managed to finished cross the finish line in fourth eleven seconds off the podium.

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RESULTS – 2013 UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – SOUTH AFRICA

Junior Men

1. BAUM, Lukas (GERMANY) 1:20:06

2. DISERA, Peter (CANADA) +00:42

3. BERTOLINI, Gioele (ITALY) +01:02

=========

25. BURKE, Félix (CANADA) +08:16

26. BELHUMEUR, Félix (CANADA) +08:35

DNF. FORTIER Marc-André (CANADA)

 

Junior Women

1. KELLER, Alessandra (SWITZERLAND) 1:18:24

2. COLLOMB, Emilie (ITALY) +00:46

3. BAUER, Sarah (GERMANY) +01:01

=========

15. LEWIS, Marine (CANADA) +06:45

19. PAGEAU, Rachel (CANADA) +09:34

22. APRIL, Gabrielle (CANADA) +11:38

 

Team Relay (Wednesday)

1. ITALY 19.38 km/h 0:58:12

FONTANA, Marco Aurelio ME 13:39

BERTOLINI, Gioele MJ 14:33

LECHNER, Eva WE 16:13

KERSCHBAUMER, Gerhard MU 13:47

 

2. FRANCE 19.38 km/h 0:58:12 +00:00

SARROU, Jordan MU 14:00

GAY, Raphael MJ 14:42

BRESSET, Julie WE 15:58

MAROTTE, Maxime ME 13:32

 

3. GERMANY 18.63 km/h 1:00:33 +02:21

SCHULTE-LUENZUM, Markus MU 14:04

EGGER, Georg MJ 15:06

KLEIN, Hanna WE 17:51

FUMIC, Manuel ME 13:32

==========

4. CANADA 18.57 km/h 1:00:44 +02:32

DISERA, Peter MJ 14:15

ZANDSTRA, Derek ME 14:17

BAILEY, Mitchell MU 14:48

WALTER, Sandra WE 17:24

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QUEBEC WINS CYCLING EVENTS FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE CANADA GAMES

Host province wins 18 of the 36 medals available in cycling, including eight gold medals

(Sherbrooke, QC – August 17, 2013) The Canada Game ended on Saturday, and the host province of Quebec came out on top of the provincial standings in the cycling events, followed closely by Ontario.

A total of 36 medals were available throughout the Canada Games in cycling events. Quebec topped the medal tally with 18 (8-6-4), followed by Ontario with 11 medals (4-4-3).

Quebec started the Canada Games with force in the mountain bike events, taking eighth medals (5-1-2), including an impressive triple-crown from Léandre Bouchard. Team Ontario was the closest in the Mountain Bike events with five medals (1-3-1), while Manitoba (0-1-1) and British Columbia (0-0-2) each took home two medals, and Nova Scotia one medal (0-1-0)

The momentum continued for Quebec in the road cycling events, and the powerful Quebec squad took was brilliant in the road races, taking five of the six available medals on that day, including a podium sweep in the women’s race. Quebec would end up winning a total of 10 medals (3-5-2) in the road events to clearly emerge as the top province for cycling. Team Ontario followed in second place, with six medals (3-1-2) highlighted by a stellar day in the time trials with four medals, including the two gold medals. Alberta (0-0-1) and British Columbia (0-0-1) each took a bronze medal in the road events.

“We were excellent both on the trails and on the roads of Sherbrooke. Our cycling teams here, both mountain bike and road, performed on-demand in front of their home fans, and we couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments in representing their province. We came to the Canada Games with the mission to continue our streak of flag victories, and we met our main objective,” said Pascal Choquette, head coach of the Quebec road cycling team, who was an athlete in road cycling when Quebec began its streak. “More than sports, these Games will remain a very positive experience for these young athletes, precious life moments that will be remembered for many more decades.”

Throughout the six days of competition at the Canada Games, many memorable moments will remain engraved in the minds of cycling enthusiasts, notably a triple-crown by Léandre Bouchard in mountain bike, a double-gold day for Ontario in the Time trials, and a podium sweep for Quebec in the women’s road race.

Mathieu Boucher, Director of Performance Development at Cycling Canada in charge of the Canada Games files, was thrilled with the outcome of the event. “We congratulate all provinces and every cycling athletes who participated at these Canada Games. Their accomplishments – whether to win a medal or to meet their personal objectives – will forever be cherished. The Canada Games are for most of these athletes a great opportunity to be introduced to a multi-sport environment, learnings that can easily be transferred as they grow within the international sport system.”

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cyclingcanada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cyclingcanada.

PROVINCIAL STANDINGS – CANADA GAMES – SHERBROOKE, QC

Men

  • Quebec (1,300)
  • Ontario (1,202)
  • British Columbia (1,101)
  • Nova Scotia (1,090)
  • New Brunswick (1,007)
  • Manitoba (997)
  • Alberta (996)
  • Saskatchewan (837)
  • Newfoundland and Labrador (812)
  • Yukon (489)
  • Prince Edward Island (323)
  • Northwest Territories (0)
  • Nunavut (0)

Women

  • Quebec (1,316)
  • Ontario (1,259)
  • British Columbia (1,089)
  • Manitoba (1,042)
  • Alberta (998)
  • Saskatchewan (749)
  • Nova Scotia (742)
  • New Brunswick (391)
  • Yukon (341)
  • Prince Edward Island (0)
  • Newfoundland and Labrador (0)
  • Northwest Territories (0)
  • Nunavut (0)

 

PODIUM RECAP – ALL EVENTS

Road cycling – Road Race, Men

1. Pierrick Naud (QC)

2. Matteo Alexander Dal-Cin (ON)

3. James Piccoli (QC)

Road cycling – Road Race, Women

1. Alizée Brien (QC)

2. Adriane Provost (QC)

3. Elisabeth Albert (QC)

Road cycling – Individual time trial, Men

1. Matteo Alexander Dal-Cin (ON)

2. James Piccoli (QC)

3. Jordan Harris Cheyne (ON)

Road cycling – Individual time trial, Women

1. Annie Foreman-Mackey (ON)

2. Alizée Brien (QC)

3. Saskia Charlotte Kowalchuk (ON)

Road cycling – Points Criterium, Men

1. Pierrick Naud (QC)

2. Elliott Doyle (QC)

3. Kris Dahl (AB)

Road cycling – Points Criterium, Women

1. Annie Foreman-Mackey (ON)

2. Adriane Provost (QC)

3. Tessa Pinckston (BC)

Mountain bike – Cross-Country, Men

1. Léandre Bouchard (QC)

2. Antoine Caron (QC)

3. Mitchell Bailey (ON)

Mountain bike – Cross-Country, Women

1. Frédérique Trudel (QC)

2. Laura Bietola (ON)

3. Karlee Gendron (MB)

Mountain bike – Sprint, Men

1. Léandre Bouchard (QC)

2. Andrew L’Esperance (NS)

3. Quinn Moberg (BC)

Mountain bike – Sprint, Women

1. Andréane Lanthier-Nadeau (QC)

2. Laura Bietola (ON)

3. Laurence Harvey (QC)

Mountain bike – Team Relay, Men

1. Team Quebec (QC)

2. Team Ontario (ON)

3. Team British Columbia (BC)

Mountain bike – Team Relay, Women

1. Team Ontario (ON)

2. Team Manitoba (MB)

3. Team Quebec (QC)

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CANADA EXPANDS TEAM FOR 2013 MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

(Ottawa, ON – August 15, 2013) Cycling Canada announced it has added riders to the Canadian cross-country team that will compete at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

“Cycling Canada has expanded its capacity at the World Championships and we’re pleased to use this opportunity to build the best team possible for the World Championships. We have a lot of depth in our program and these additions will help to insure that Canada’s development program is a World leader” said National Team Head Coach, Dan Proulx.

“In the first two years of this Olympic quadrennial leading into the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, it is important to continue to identify and develop our talent pool so as to continue being one of the top mountain bike cycling nations in the world. The addition athletes to our worlds team roster is aligned with the philosophy of exposing our development athletes to top international competition like the World Championships,” said Jacques Landry, High Performance Director & Head Coach of Cycling Canada.

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cyclingcanada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cyclingcanada.

TEAM ADDITION – CANADA – UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE AND TRIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Elite Men

JETTE, Cameron (Toronto, ON) SCOTT-3 Rox Racing

Elite Women

KOFMAN, Mikaëla (Toronto, ON) SCOTT-3 Rox Racing

PICHETTE, Andréanne (Québec, QC) Opus-OCG

Espoirs (U23) Men

BOUCHARD, Léandre (Alma, QC) Cyclone d’Alma

GUTHRIE, Evan (Peachland, BC) Norco Factory Team

MARTIN, Jérémy (Boischatel, QC) Rocky Mountain Bicycles Factory Team

Espoirs (U23) Women  

BIETOLA, Laura (Greenwood, ON) RealDeal Gears/Fieldgate

Junior (U19) Men

FORTIER, Marc-André (Victoriaville, QC) National Team

Junior (U19) Women

APRIL, Gabrielle (Québec, QC) National Team

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5 CYCLISTS NOMINATED FOR CIBC TEAM NEXT FUNDING

Cycling Canada is putting forward five names for the CIBC Team Next program.

These athletes were chosen from among more than 50 who submitted applications by the Aug. 1 deadline.  Cycling Canada’s High Performance Committee reviewed all the applications and nominated one athlete per cycling discipline to put forward:

  • Para-cycling: Louis-Albert CORRIVEAU-JOLIN
  • Road : Gabrielle PILOTE-FORTIN
  • Track : Candice VERMEULEN
  • MTB : Derek ZANDSTRA
  • BMX : Corey WALSH

These athletes will have until Sept. 6 to complete an online nomination process and vie to be among the 67 athletes who will receive support. Later in the fall, AthletesCAN and CIBC will announce the final list of athletes who will be receiving support.

CIBC is investing $2 million into helping these young athletes realize their dreams of representing Canada on the world stage. The 67 selected athletes will each receive a $5,000 annual grant for the next 3 years ($15,000 total) in addition to receiving mentorship from top prominent athletes, workshop and advice on personal finance and community support.

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CYCLING CANADA ANNOUNCES NEW ATHLETES COUNCIL

Through an internal election where Cycling Canada’s present National Team listed athletes were asked to vote for athletes council members the following athletes have been elected to sit in as athletes council members up to the 2014 Cycling Canada Annual General Meeting.

Para-cycling:

  • Matthieu PARENT (re-elected)
  • Robbi WELDON

Road:

  • Leah KIRCHMANN
  • Vacant

Track:

  • Stephanie ROORDA
  • Joachim ALBERT

MTB:

  • Amanda SIN (Re-elected)
  • Geoff KABUSH (Re-elected)

BMX:

  • Amelia WALSH
  • Mischa PARTRIDGE

The mandate of the newly appointed members of the athlete’s council is to promote the views and interests to Cycling Canada on all issues which directly or indirectly affect national team athletes, high performance athletes and/or any national caliber athlete.

In the coming weeks the new council will elect their chair and co-chair who will respectively represent athletes interests at the Cycling Canada board of directors level and the High Performance Committee levels. 

Any athlete wishing to raise concerns, comments or suggestions can do so by merely emailing the council (athletescouncil@cyclingcanada.ca). 

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STEVE SMITH WINS DOWNHILL, KING OF MONT-SAINTE-ANNE

Wallace sixth in junior men; Gatto takes eighth in women’s race

(Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC – August 11, 2013) Wearing the sleeve denoting him as Canadian Champion, Steve Smith of Canadian-based Devinci Global Racing made history today at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC, becoming the first Canadian men to win a men’s elite downhill race at Mont-Sainte-Anne.

Smith, who took second and third places to kick start the current World Cup season, and finished fourth in the third race of the season, Sunday posted a time of 3:58:485 after completing 2.99-kilometre fast course.

“I couldn’t be more excited. I was very nervous at the top as it was pissing rain. I wasn’t gonna make a game plan on how I would ride it. I tried to ride the track as it was dry, but I was sliding at every corner. The way I was hooking in practice was just not hooking today… it was just like a gloss coat out there. It was scary,” said Steve Smith, still in shock as he was making his way out of the finish compound.

Smith, the last rider to go facing the adversities of rain and ruts due to the sheer number of competitors, becomes the first Canadian men to win a downhill race at Mont-Sainte-Anne.

The victory is sweet for Smith, he who finished in seventh place at the last two years on this hill after winning the silver medal at the World Championships in 2010.

“Every year I am pissed off because I know I can do well here. I just leave too much on the track every year. Seventh place for two years in a row just made me angry. I love this place, and it was going goo all week. I had a lot of fun on the track. I was having lots of fun. This is one of the track where you are going fast all the time, but you have time to think. I realized how much fun I had. I couldn’t have picked a better place to win.”

Smith’s last victory on the World Cup came on the last race of 2012, in Hafjell, Norway. He now has two World Cup victories to his credit.

Welcomed at the finish area like a rock star, with the massive crowd chanting his name, Smith took the time like a gentlemen to pose for portraits, shake people’s hand, sign autograph and soak in the moment.

The men’s race was deep in talent today, with 12 National Champions out of the 17 represented nations, the current World Cup Leader Gee Atherton of Great Britain and the reigning World Champion Greg Minnaar.

Gee Atherton benefited from an earlier start, before the rain started to pour at Mont-Saint-Anne, and managed to post a very fast time in dry conditions, just under the 4-minute bar – the only other rider to reach that milestone. Atherton finished second of the race with a time of 3:59.389, just less than one second more than Smith’s winning run. In third place came Sam Hill of Australia, with a time of 4:00.603

The victory by Smith is the second only among the men in the history of the event at Mont-Sainte-Anne, which has been presented since 1991. In 2001, Roland Green had won the cross-country race, who was followed in second by none other than Canadian rider Ryder Hesjedal.

Smith has two World Championships medals in his career, a silver in 2010 and a bronze in 2012.

Seven other Canadian men qualified for the finals.

GATTO IN TOP 10 OF WOMEN’S RACE

In the women’s elite race, Canada had four women starting the race that included current World Champion Morgane Charre of France and current World Cup Leader Rachel Atherton of Great Britain.

Canadian Champion Micayla Gatto of North Vancouver, BC, was the fastest of the group of Canadians, taking the eighth position. Gatto raced the course in a time of 4:46.700.

“I flatted in qualis, so it was my first full race here. I honestly didn’t feel that great, and it was a mediocre run. Considering how the week has been for me, I am OK with a Top 10,” said the always smiling Gatto. “Just seeing the girls doing the last jump, it makes me want to go home and hit massive jumps and train even harder. Definitely, one taste of the podium is not enough.”

“It was good to be ‘at home’. This morning a little girl came and asked me for my autograph, and this was great. Racing in Québec does feel like home. It’s a bonus that makes it feel comfortable, and at the same time it doesn’t feel like it’s a big race. A great crowd, great people and I absolutely love Mont-Sainte-Anne, an amazing experience,” continued Gatto.

WALLACE TIES CAREER BEST RESULTS ON WORLD CUP TOUR

Mark Wallace of Duncan, BC, the top Canadian junior rider, came back from a crash in the qualifiers on Friday to take the sixth place of the final race, in doing so tying his career best result at a World Cup. Wallace continues to show consistency at the World Cup level, at his first full season racing the tour.

“The run felt pretty good – probably closer to the safe side. At the same time I am very happy to make it down” said the Junior Canadian Champion. “I am satisfied [with sixth place] but I am not at the same time. I wanted to win, especially at home. It’s still my best one yet this year, and I’ll take it. Big thanks to everyone who supports me… sponsors, family and friends.”

Wallace rides and trains with Steve Smith with Canadian-based team Devinci Global Racing, and he learns a lot from the pro. “I am trying to learn everything I can [from Steve]. He teaches me a lot, and I like being around him.”

A large group totalling twelve Canadians took part in the men’s junior race. Jack Iles of Whistler, BC cracked the top 10 with a tenth place, while Alexander Geddes, also of Whistler, finished eleventh. McKay Vezina of Newbury Park, CA suffered from a mechanical issue, and finished the course walking.

The next race for the downhill riders will be Crankworx, in Whistler, next weekend, a race that is also dubbed as the Canada Cup Finals.

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cyclingcanada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cyclingcanada.

RESULTS – DOWNHILL – UCI WORLD CUP – MONT-SAINTE-ANNE, QC

Elite Men

1. SMITH, Steve (CAN) DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING 3:58.485

2. ATHERTON, Gee (GBR) GT FACTORY RACING +0.904

3. HILL, Samuel (AUS) CHAIN REACTION CYCLES.COM / NUKEPROOF +2.118

4. MINNAAR, Greg (RSA) SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE +2.167

5. GWIN, Aaron (USA) SPECIALIZED RACING DH +3.123

==========

33. RIESCO, Forrest (CAN) +9.803

39. MCDOWALL, Kirk (CAN) +11.557

42. GAUVIN, Remi (CAN) +12.310

53. SANGERS, Kyle (CAN) +15.221

54. THIBAULT, Samuel (CAN) +15.275

59. SLOTEGRAAF, Sidney (CAN) +16.743

DNF. FRASER, Rob (CAN)

Elite Women

1. RAGOT, Émmeline (FRA) LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC 4:24.985

2. CARPENTER, Manon (GBR) MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM +4.211

3. PUGIN, Floriane (FRA) GSTAAD-SCOTT +7.094

=========

8. GATTO, Micayla (CAN) +21.715

13. VERBEECK, Vaea (CAN) +35.577

15. HILL, Jaime (CAN) +45.552

16. COURTNEY, Kristen (CAN) +52.999

Junior Men

1. VERGIER, Loris (FRA) LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC 4:09.969

2. LUCAS, Dean (AUS) AUSTRALIA +0.303

3. NIEDERBERGER, Noel (SUI) GSTAAD-SCOTT +0.964

==========

6. WALLACE, Mark (CAN) DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING +4.766

10. ILES, Jack (CAN) CANADA +9.920

11. GEDDES, Alexander (CAN) CANADA +11.129

23. LANGEVIN, Hugo (CAN) CANADA +19.284

27. HARDWICK, Matt (CAN) CANADA +22.638

29. JACKSON, Lee (CAN) CANADA +26.078

30. DESPRES-MORIN, Benjamin (CAN) CANADA +33.618

33. IRVINE, Bowen (CAN) CANADA +47.344

34. BENNETT, Chris (CAN) CANADA +53.821

35. O’KEEFE, Mitchell (CAN) CANADA +1:07.375

37. VEZINA, McKay (CAN) CANADA +1:36.858

DNF.  WYATT, Kelln (CAN) CANADA

/by

PLAXTON STAYS WITH MAIN GROUP, TAKES NINTH PLACE AT MONT-SAINTE-ANNE

Peter Disera wins Junior Men race; Fortier comes third

(Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC – August 10, 2013) Mountain bike rider Max Plaxton of Victoria, BC riding for Sho-Air Cannondale was the top Canadian rider in the elite men cross-country race at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne on Saturday, taking the ninth place despite fighting a severe cold all week.

The race was between a small group of riders that included World Champions, Olympic Champions and World Cup champions, notably Julien Absalon of France, Nino Schurter of Switzerland, Ondrej Cink of Republic Czech, Jose Hermida of Spain and Marco Fontana of Italy.

Early on, Absalon and Schurter created a small gap of 50 seconds. On the third lap, Schurter suffered from an untimely flat, forcing him to lose more than a minute, leaving Absalon as the sole race leader. A group of five riders stayed within 1:20 of Absalon midway in the race, but in the fourth and fifth lap, Absalon continued to increase his lead, showing a gap of 1:32 on a chase group of two riders after his fifth lap. Ultimately, Absalon went on to win his first World Cup race of the season after 1:28:17 of racing, more than one minute faster than his next competitor.

In the last lap, Schurter and Hermida distanced themselves from a group of eight racers to set the battle for the second place. In the final moments of the race, Hermida, the 2010 World Champion from Mont-Saint-Anne, created a gap and took second position, while Schurter crossed the line in third place.

Plaxton crossed the finish line in ninth spot among some of the biggest name of the sport, 2:28 after the winning time set by Absalon.

“It was an exciting race. At first, with the shorter course, I was a little disappointed, but it made for some interesting racing. There was a lot of shuffling around, and with that one main climb, it was really tough to get positions,” said Plaxton, still catching his breath from the intensity of racing. “I had a good start, and just moved my way up. I feel like I could have fought for a Top5, but I made a few mistakes, and had a crash which kind of disrupted my momentum.”

Plaxton chose to ride on a dual-suspension bike, opting against the popular hard tail bike. “The bike was flawless. I surprised a lot of guys who tough this was a hard tail course, but went for the dually here, and it was phenomenal. The course was quite rough and the dually was great.”

Plaxton was not sure if he’d be in form today, he who fought a severe cold all week. “It was a tough week, to be honest. We had a good weekend last week in Vermont. We had a late night, celebrating the end of the domestic season… I fortunately came around at the ideal time.”

Canada’s Geoff Kabush of Courtenay, BC (SCOTT-3 Rox Racing) finished 15th.

ANTOINE CARON SURGES IN MONT-SAINT-ANNE, TAKES ELEVENTH PLACE

Antoine Caron of Stoneham, QC surged in the last lap, and sprinted to the finish line to take the eleventh place in the Espoirs (u23) race at Mont-Saint-Anne.

The espoirs rode six laps of the course, one less than the elite men’s race. Early on the race, it was a battle of four riders, Julien Schelb and Markus Schulte-Luenzum of Germany, Reto Indergand of Switzerland and Anton Cooper of New Zealand. The four riders took a significant lead on the main group from the sound of the whistle to start the race, and rode together for three of the six laps. In the third lap, Markus Schulte-Luenzum was forced to abandon the race, leaving Schelb, Indergand and Cooper together as the race lead. Towards the finish line with two laps to go, two clear riders emerged from the lead group with Schelb and Cooper creating and maintain a gap on Indergand.

Ultimately, it was Anton Cooper who took the victory, leaving Schelb in second place and Indergand in third.

The U23 Canadian Champion Mitch Bailey flirted with the Top 10 all race, and finally placed 12th, behind Caron. With two laps to go, only 26 seconds separated the fifth and tenth place, where Bailey was sitting.

PETER DISERA BREAKS THROUGH, WINS JUNIOR MEN RACE; FORTIER SPRINTS FOR THIRD

A month after winning the Canadian Junior title on his home track at Hardwood Ski and Bike, Peter Disera of Barrie, ON continued to showcase strength in mountain bike, winning his career first UCI World Cup in the junior men race.

Disera attacked from the outset of the race, taking an impressive 42-second lead in the first lap alone. Throughout the five-lap race, Disera was able to increase his lead in each lap on the 20-rider group, and crossed the finish line with a time of 1:09;03, showing an impressive gap of 2:19 on his closest competitor, Lucas Newcomb of the United States. In the sprint for third place, Canadian rider Marc-André Fortier of Victoriaville, QC sprinted at the finish line to take the third place.

“Wow….,” said Disera. “I knew this would have been a tough race. I didn’t think winning would be feasible. Right at the start, I got 10 feet on the group and never looked back the rest of the way. I never realized I had a two-minute gap. I had 40 seconds in the first lap, and I tought that was significant. I just wanted play it safe, to keep it smooth. I knew it was important for me to stay calm and keep my head clear.”

Fortier, who finished eleventh at his first ever World Race earlier this season in Germany, today raced his career third World Cup race.  “It’s amazing… It’s amazing for my third race of the World Cup in life. It was not even in my goals early in the race. My start was not that fast, but I progressed throughout the race. On the last lap, I rode together with the guy in third place. He dropped me on the climb, then he slowed down towards the end, and I picked him up at the line. This third place finish my season on a very high note.”

The Canadian National Team wore today the brand new kit designed by Louis Garneau Sports, the first time it is used in mountain bike.

The downhill races will be held Sunday. Reigning Canadian Champion Steve Smith of Cassidy, BC (Devinci Global Racing) qualified with the fastest time in Friday’s qualifying run and will be going for his career second victory on the World cup tour. In 2010, Smith won the silver medal at the World Championships at Mont-Sainte-Anne.

Online, all the elite races for cross country and downhill at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC can be viewed live through www.redbull.tv.

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cyclingcanada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cyclingcanada.

RESULTS – CROSS-COUNTRY – UCI WORLD CUP – MONT-SAINTE-ANNE, QC

Elite Men

1. ABSALON, Julien (FRA) BMC MOUNTAINBIKE RACING TEAM 1:28:17

2. HERMIDA, RAMOS José Antonio (ESP) MULTIVAN MERIDA BIKING TEAM +1:04

3. SCHURTER, Nino (SUI) SCOTT SWISSPOWER MTB RACING TEAM +1:40

4. NAEF, Ralph (SUI) BMC MOUNTAINBIKE RACING TEAM +1:49

5. MCCONNELL, Daniel (AUS) TREK FACTORY RACING +1:59

==========

9. PLAXTON, Max (CAN) +2:28

15. KABUSH, Geoff (CAN) SCOTT-3ROXRACING +3:57

25. ZANDSTRA, Derek (CAN) SCOTT-3ROXRACING +6:00

30. JETTE, Cameron (CAN) SCOTT-3ROXRACING +7:52

41. GAGNE, Raphael (CAN) -1LAP

42. WATSON, Andrew (CAN) -1LAP

45. THIBAULT-ROBERGE, Jean-Philippe (CAN) -2LAP

49. BELANGER BARRETTE, Mathieu (CAN) -3LAP

Espoirs (U23) Men

1. COOPER, Anton (NZL) CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING 1:17:53

2. SCHELB, Julian (GER) +1:07

3. INDERGAND, Reto (SUI) BMC MOUNTAINBIKE RACING TEAM +1:41

4. DRECHOU, Hugo (FRA) CALVISSON VTT +1:57

5. SCHULTE-LUENZUM, Markus (GER) FOCUS XC TEAM +1:57

==========

11. CARON, Antoine (CAN) +3:19

12. BAILEY, Mitchell (CAN) +3:46

18. BOUCHARD, Léandre (CAN) +5:24

22. CHARTRAND, Patrick (CAN) +6:29

25. VIALLE, Alexandre (CAN) +8:36

27. GAGNE, Julien (CAN) +9:35

28. MCNEELY, Evan (CAN) +9:49

31. L’ESPERANCE, Andrew (CAN) +11:26

32. NOBLE, Steven (CAN) +11:26

33. BOILY, Emmanuel (CAN) +11:39

34. GUTHRIE, Evan (CAN) +11:41

36. MASSICOTTE, Kevin (CAN) -1LAP

37. NADON, Marc-Antoine (CAN) SCOTT-3ROXRACING -1LAP

38. ROSS, Davis (CAN) -1LAP

Junior Men

1. DISERA, Peter (CAN) CANADA 1:09:03

2. NEWCOMB, Lucas (USA) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA +2:30

3. FORTIER, Marc Andre (CAN) CANADA +2:58

4. POWLESS, Neilson (USA) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA +2:59

5. VROUWENVELDER, Luke (USA) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA +3:54

=========

8. BELHUMEUR, Felix CAN19961017 CANADA +5:45

10. BURKE, Felix (CAN) CANADA +7:56

12. FAUCHER ROBERT, Charles (CAN) CANADA +8:23

13. LAROSE-GINGRAS, Guillaume (CAN) CANADA +9:42

17. TURCOTTE, Matthew (CAN) CANADA +12:30

18. O’DONNELL, Trevor (CAN) CANADA -1LAP

/by

DESPITE INJURIES, PENDREL TAKES EIGHTH PLACE AT WORLD CUP IN MONT-SAINTE-ANNE

Rachel Pageau earns career first World Cup podium

(Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC – August 10, 2013) The cross-country races were held today at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, near Québec City, an event that attracted the top mountain bike riders in the world including World Champions and World Cup leaders alike.

On a very windy day, Catharine Pendrel, the 2011 World Champion and winner of the 2012 World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, made her comeback race to the World Cup today, after nursing a broken collarbone earlier this spring. The four-time Canadian Champion finished the race as the top Canadian of the action-packed race, in eighth place.

“I’m pleased that I got around the course and felt pretty normal. I never want to get eighth, I always want to finish on the podium. I thought that was a possibility here, but I didn’t know,” said Pendrel after the race. “I went into this race a little unsure of myself today and not my usual ‘I think I’m going to be on the podium’…. This race was a good opener for me [coming back from injury], and felt very efficient and consistent out there.”

The race for the top was a tight one, and intensified with less than two laps to go. Current World Champion and Olympic Champion Julie Bresset of France took the control of the race for the first four laps, but slowly the short gap was bridged by Maja Wloszczowska of Poland, Katerina Nash of Czech Republic and World Cup leader Tanja Zaklej of Slovenia.

In the last lap, Wloszczowska joined by Bresset as the race leaders, a lead she exchanged with Bresset. But midway into the last lap, the Top 4 riders merged together. On the last steep climb, Nash attacked out of the group and gained a significant lead, and eventually rode to her career first World Cup victory. Wloszczowska took the second rank, followed by Zaklej.

Emily Batty of Brooklin, ON (Trek Factory Racing), the top Canadian in the World Cup rankings entering the race, placed tenth, while Sandra Walter of Coquitlam, BC (Liv/Giant) rode to the 16thrank today, tying her career top result at a World Cup.

“It’s actually a little bit surprising,” commented Walter of her season, which saw her climb on the second step of the podium at the 2013 Canadian Championships. “I came off a really good season last year, so I was hoping to build off that. I was injured at a critical time early this season. I had a knee injury and missed a lot of training. I guess sometimes it’s a blessing in the sky, and needed the rest to come out very strong, winning all three Canada Cup races so far this season.

Today, both Pendrel and Walter confirmed their presences at the finals of the Canada Cup Series, in Whistler this upcoming week. Walter will be defending her title from 2012, and is currently leading the elite women category.

The 4-kilometer course was slightly modified compared to previous years at Mont-Sainte-Anne, due to the expansion at the resort. The race remains one of the most popular stop on the World Cup tour, and has been held since 1991.

TRUDEL TOP CANADIAN, AFTER A GRUELLING WEEK

In the women’s U23 race, Frédérique Trudel of Breakeyville, QC was the top Canadian in the race taking the seventh spot of the 5-lap race. Trudel, which is coming off a hot streak of domestic victories winning the Canada Games and the U23 Canadian Championships race, completed the course in 1:28:10, just before teammate Andréane Lanthier-Nadeau in ninth, who won on Wednesday the sprint race at the Canada Games.

“I really would have liked to finish in the Top 5 today,” admitted Trudel. “I’m still happy with the seventh. It’s been a demanding week with all the events at the Canada Games. My plan was to attack in the long climb, and then keep a good pace. Today the course was super dry, and the wind made ​​it really difficult,” continued the athlete who was cheered on by all her family and friends.

“Today I was less fit than at the Canadian Championships and the Canada Games. At one point, all these races get to you, and you can’t really control the form. With the rest in the next few weeks, I’ll be ready for the World Championships.”

Australia’s Rebecca Henderson took the first place of the U23 race, finishing with a time of 1:21:09 ahead of Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds and Helen Grobert of Germany.

RACHEL PAGEAU EARNS CAREER FIRST PODIUM

Canadian junior champion Rachel Pageau of Chicoutimi, QC rode to the third place of the junior women race after four laps by posting a time of 1:01:05, securing her career first podium on the World Cup Tour.

American junior women champion Kate Courtney took the first place of the race by crossing the finish line with a time of 1:03:06, followed by Ukrainian Dina Gordiuk. Courtney started off with an attack in the first lap of the race, and never looked back, slowly increasing her lead throughout the race.

“It’s really exciting to get that first podium, especially since last year I had missed the podium by just one second,” said Pageau, the leader of the junior women Canada Cup Series heading into the series final at Whistler next week. “It really is a beautiful course in Mont-Saint-Anne, but I’m a little disappointed they removed the Beatrice section. Still, it is a beautiful course that I like.”

Pageau is having a season so far, having won the title at the Canadian Championships and leading the Canada Cup series with two wins in three races. “My season is going really well so far. I reached all my goals so far. It’s almost a perfect season, so I’m very happy.”

The Canadian National Team wore today the brand new kit designed by Louis Garneau Sports, the first time it is used in mountain bike.

Online, all the elite races for cross country and downhill at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC can be viewed live through www.redbull.tv.

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cyclingcanada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cyclingcanada.

RESULTS – CROSS-COUNTRY – UCI WORLD CUP – MONT-SAINTE-ANNE, QC

Elite Women

1. NASH, Katerina (CZE) LUNA PRO TEAM 1:30:27

2. WLOSZCZOWSKA, Maja (POL) GIANT PRO XC TEAM +17

3. ZAKELJ, Tanja (SLO) UNIOR TOOLS TEAM +24

4. BRESSET, Julie (FRA) BH – SR SUNTOUR – KMC +48

5. DAVISON, Lea (USA) SPECIALIZED RACING XC +1:21

=========

8. PENDREL, Catharine (CAN) LUNA PRO TEAM +3:33

10. BATTY, Emily (CAN) TREK FACTORY RACING +4:34

16. WALTER, Sandra (CAN) +7:32

19. PICHETTE, Andréanne (CAN) +9:35

21. SIN, Amanda (CAN) SCOTT-3ROXRACING +10:23

22. KOFMAN, Mikaela (CAN) SCOTT-3ROXRACING +11:12

27. MONTAMBAULT, Cindy (CAN) +14:44

31. DREYER, Mandy (CAN) -1LAP

33. BEAUMONT, Rebecca CAN) -2LAP

36. CHRETIEN, Annick (CAN) -3LAP

 

Espoirs (U23) Women

1. HENDERSON, Rebecca (AUS) TREK FACTORY RACING 1:21:09

2. RISSVEDS, Jenny (SWE) +30

3. GROBERT, Helen (GER) FOCUS XC TEAM +1:19

4. BELOMOYNA, Yana (UKR) SUPERIOR BRENTJENS MOUNTAINBIKE RACING TEAM +2:25

5. JACOBSEN, Ingrid Sofie (NOR) +4:18

==========

7. TRUDEL Frederique (CAN) +7:01

9. LANTHIER-NADEAU, Andréane (CAN) +9:55

10. FLEURY, Catherine (CAN) +10:14

12. BIETOLA, Laura (CAN) +11:48

13. MEUNIER, Valerie (CAN) +12:38

14. HARVEY, Laurence (CAN) +14:24

15. BROOKS, Cayley (CAN) +15:11

16. NIEUWOLD, Elyse (CAN) -1LAP

17. DUNDAS, Katlyn (CAN) -1LAP

18. SMITH, Haley (CAN) -1LAP

19. LAFORGE, Kristina (CAN) -1LAP

20. AUGER, Rosalie (CAN) -2LAP

21. LAROSE-GINGRAS, Frédérique (CAN) -2LAP

DNF. ROCHETTE, Maghalie (CAN)

DNF. GENDRON, Karlee (CAN)

Junior Women

1. COURTNEY Kate (USA) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1:10:49

2. GORDIUK Dina (UKR) UKRAINE +45

3. PAGEAU Rachel (CAN) CANADA +1:22

4. TREMBLAY Anne-Julie (CAN) CANADA +2:36

5. LEWIS Marine (CAN) CANADA +3:14

==========

7. APRIL, Gabrielle (CAN) CANADA +3:51

8. BERNIER, Alexandra (CAN) CANADA +8:33

9. TREMBLAY, Stéphanie (CAN) CANADA +9:07

10. DOSTIE-MENARD, Sarah-Claudie (CAN) CANADA +10:48

11. HAGUE, Gillian (CAN) CANADA +12:50

12. GOLDING, Haley (CAN) CANADA +13:33

13. MORIN-BLANCHETTE Kayla (CAN) CANADA -1LAP

 DNF. KELLY, Siobhan (CAN) CANADA DNF1

/by

ROGERS SPORTSNET ONE TO BROADCAST LIVE THE CROSS COUNTRY RACES AT MONT-SAINTE-ANNE

Both Elite races broadcasted live on Rogers Sportsnet One

(Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC – August 10, 2013) The two cross-country elite races at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup can be viewed LIVE on Canadian television at Rogers Sportnets ONE.

The women’s race starts at 11:30 am Eastern Time today, and the men’s race will begin at 2:00 pm. Both race will benefit from a 15-minute pre-race show prior to the race start.

Online, all the action at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC can be viewed live through www.redbull.tv.

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cyclingcanada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cyclingcanada.

/by

STEVE SMITH POSTS FASTEST TIME OF DOWNHILL QUALIFIERS AT MONT-SAINTE-ANNE

Smith has one goal here at Mont-Sainte-Anne: win his first World Cup race of the season

(Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC – August 8, 2013) Canadian downhill star Steve Smith of Cassidy, BC, racing for Devinci Global Racing, has one goal on his mind as he enter his final preparations for the finals of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, on Sunday: to win his first World Cup race this season.

Last year in 2012, at Hafjell in Norway Smith won his first World Cup race in Hafjell, Norway. This year, Smith won medals in back to back races to start the season, in Fort William and Val di Sole.

In the qualifying run on Friday, Smith proved that he has what it takes to accomplish this goal as he posted the fastest qualifying time of the group of 111 riders, which includes the reigning World Champion Greg Minnaar of South African, and the current World Cup Leader, Gee Atherton of Great Britain.

Smith was impressed with the track here at Mont-Sainte-Anne: « It’s a completely different track than what we normally see in the world. It’s its own kind and completely amazing. It’s so fast and the dirt is amazing. The rain we have received helped out quite a bit. Yesterday morning the track was pretty bad and slow. It allowed us to cut some ruts, but the rain helped out to pact it up. Now, we can hold speed through corners, and it’s as pretty good as it’s going to get right now. »

Steve Smith won the silver medal at the 2010 World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, but the track changed and Sunday will offer new challenges: « There are some sections that are the same, but overall it changed quite a bit. It only evolved and it’s getting better and better. »

Smith recently won the Canadian Mountain Bike Downhill Championships in Panorama, BC, and is now wearing the coveted Maple Leaf on his sleeve. « This my first time being the Canadian Champion. Its nice to race in Canada, even though I am not close to home. It feels really good to wear the sleeve. »

For the race on Sunday, Smith is confident his equipment has the right components to go fast. « The suspension and geometry are going to stay the same for Sunday because the track is fast and I know what I need. What might change due to the sun or not will be the tire choice. Right now I have cut spikes, but we’ll see what happens on Sunday. »

In the women’s race, Vaea Verbeeck was the fastest of the women’s group with a time of 5:27.846. Along with Verbeeck, three other Canadian women will be racing on Sunday.

The current Canadian Champion Micayla Gatto of North Vancouver, BC, was the victim of a flat in the top section of the course, and finished last of the group. The flat didn’t deflate her spirit, and she’ll be ready to perform on Sunday.

« I think [the track] is awesome here. The buffed out a lot of stuff so its less rough than most years. Unfortunately it rained so it roughed it up a little bit, but the dirt is perfect, » said the unlucky Gatto, after her run. « I was having so much fun in practice. Today I happened to front flat near the top. I don’t think I even run down a mountain that fast today. Despite the flat, I am really looking forward to race day. It’s a smaller field since few of the girls are broken right now, but all the top girls are here so it should make for some tough competition.

Gatto was seen at the track wearing her Canadian Champion outfit. « It definitely feels good to have the Canadian Champion jersey again. Even though Mont-Sainte-Anne is a five hour plane ride, it still feels like home as I have been coming here for so long. »

In the junior men’s seeding runs, Canadian rider Jack Iles had a good day on the track, qualifying with the sixth fastest time of the day. A total of 12 Canadian junior riders qualified for the finals.

Every cross-country races will be held on Saturday, with the espoirs (U23) and Junior women starting the day at 9am Eastern Time. The elite women will start at 11:30am, followed by the men’s race at 2pm. To end the day, the espoirs (U23) and junior men will take to the course at 4:30pm.

All the action at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC can be viewed live through www.redbull.tv.

Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cyclingcanada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cyclingcanada.

RESULTS – SEEDING RUNS – DOWNHILL – UCI WORLD CUP – MONT-SAINTE-ANNE, QC

Men Elite – Qualified

1. SMITH, Steve (CAN) DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING 4:05.183

2. HART, Danny (GBR) GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM +1.097

3. BLENKINSOP, Samuel (NZL) LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC +2.645

==========

45. GAUVIN, Remi (CAN) +17.571

47. MCDOWALL, Kirk (CAN) +18.811

48. SANGERS, Kyle (CAN) +19.061

68. SLOTEGRAAF, Sidney (CAN) +24.086

71. THIBAULT, Samuel (CAN) +24.346

74. RIESCO, Forrest (CAN) +25.056

78. FRASER, Rob (CAN) +27.361

Women Elite – Qualified

1. ATHERTON, Rachel (GBR) GT FACTORY RACING 4:42.418

2. RAGOT, Émmeline (FRA) LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC +0.892

3. PUGIN, Floriane (FRA) GSTAAD-SCOTT +1.645

4. CARPENTER, Manon (GBR) MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM +6.399

5. SIEGENTHALER, Émilie (SUI) GSTAAD-SCOTT +11.685

=========

11. VERBEECK, Vaea (CAN) +45.128

14. HILL, Jaime (CAN) +57.190

19. COURTNEY, Kristen (CAN) +2:28.042

20. GATTO, Micayla (CAN) +5:44.118

Men Junior – Qualified

1. GRAHAM, Innes (GBR) MS MONDRAKER TEAM 4:20.881

2. SHAW, Luca (USA) SPECIALIZED RACING DH +1.685

3. NIEDERBERGER, Noel (SUI) GSTAAD-SCOTT +7.049

4. VERGIER, Loris (FRA) LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC +7.116

5. GULLAND, Morgan (GBR) GREAT BRITAIN +7.573

=========

6. ILES, Jack (CAN) CANADA +8.530

10. VEZINA, McKay (CAN) CANADA +12.344

17. GEDDES, Alexander (CAN) CANADA +25.173

23. LANGEVIN, Hugo (CAN) CANADA +29.498

24. O’KEEFE, Mitchell (CAN) CANADA +32.890

26. BENNETT, Chris (CAN) CANADA – B +34.844

27. JACKSON, Lee (CAN) CANADA +35.223

30. HARDWICK, Matt (CAN) CANADA +46.220

31. WYATT, Kelln (CAN) CANADA – B +50.883

35. DESPRES-MORIN, Benjamin (CAN) CANADA – B +5:14.470

DNF. WALLACE, Mark (CAN) DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING

DNF. IRVINE, Bowen (CAN) CANADA

/by
 
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