BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE FOR SIMONE BOILARD AS CANADA WRAPS UP COMPETITION AT ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Wollongong, Australia (September 26, 2022) – It was a breakthrough performance for Simone Boilard who had the best finish by a Canadian during the 2022 UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong, Australia. The U23 rider was just shy of a podium finish to ride into fourth spot in her category, while finishing 22nd overall with the Elite women after 164.2-kilometres of racing.
“It was a hard race,” said Boilard. “I wanted more; I would’ve loved a podium for U23 but I think I gave everything. The girls were amazing, we worked together really well. I’m proud of the ride; I’m proud of how we raced at the end. I was a little short for a better result, but I really did give everything I had, so I’m happy with the ride.”
Looking to better her stellar performance during the 2021 World Championships where she came in sixth in the women’s Road Race, Alison Jackson sought to move up the ranks in Australia, but would come in 18th in the women’s Elite category. Jackson would then watch her Olympic teammate, Leah Kirchmann cross the line in the Canadian jersey one last time after announcing her retirement earlier in the season to finish 46th in the event.
“I’m really happy with how the race went for the team today,” explains Kirchmann reflecting on her final race with Team Canada. “I think we came in with a great plan and think we really rode well together and supported each other well until the end. Overall, my goal was to enjoy my last race with the team here, and I definitely wanted to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy that there were so many people out there cheering us on. There was even a rainbow after the rain storm which felt appropriate to wrap up the Championships with a nice final race.”
Earlier in the week, athletes took on the Individual Time Trial where Canada saw four top-25 finishes of the 20-athlete contingent including Kirchmann, Derek Gee (Elite), Penelope Primeau (Junior) and Tristan Jussaume (U23).
After a full week of racing down under, athletes will now head back to their respective teams. Results from both the Individual Time Trial and Road Races can be found on the UCI website.
