GUILLAUME BOIVIN’S SPECTACULAR SEASON CONTINUES AT THE CANADIAN ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saint-Georges, QC (September 11, 2021) – After awarding Canadian time trial titles on Friday, the 2021 Canadian Road Championships relocated to Saint-Georges on Saturday for the Junior women’s and Elite men’s road races. Guillaume Boivin (Israel Start-Up Nation), who competed at his first Tour de France and first Olympic Games earlier this summer, won his third national title and second Elite title after previously winning in 2015.
Athletes faced a tough course that took them from Saint-Georges to a 28-kilometer circuit, where they completed five laps before heading back to Saint-Georges. Despite the sunny weather, the race was windy and the course rough and hilly, with over two-thirds of the field dropping out of the race.
Boivin was part of an early breakaway that included Olympians Antoine Duchesne (Groupama-FDJ), Hugo Houle (Astana-Premier Tech) and Derek Gee (Xspeed United Continental), among other strong riders. With 50 kilometers to go, Boivin made the decisive move and attacked, completing the 198.9-kilometer race with a solo finish, over two minutes in front of second place finisher Antoine Duchesne. Track cyclist Derek Gee finished third and claimed his second bronze medal of the weekend.
“It wasn’t an easy day out there at all, it was full gas from start to finish and everybody was on their knees,” said Boivin. “I paced myself and I knew if the guys were going to come back they were going to have to work for it and I just kept the pressure on until the finish. For me this is just the continuation of an amazing season with the Classics, the Tour and the Olympics and now, national champion and I will appreciate the races coming up with this jersey.”
Ottawa’s Carson Miles (Tag Cycling Race Team) was the top U23 rider of the day, finishing alongside Canadian ITT champion Hugo Houle. His teammate Thomas Schellenberg, who worked with him throughout the race, finished second, followed by Eric Inkster (Gsc Blagnac Velo Sport 31).
In the Junior women’s race, 14 of the 25 riders managed to breakaway in the first 30 kilometers, which eventually narrowed down to 10 riders when a few athletes crashed at the 50-kilometer mark. Despite getting caught in the crash, Canadian ITT champion, Jazmine Lavergne, managed to catch up with the lead group and held on until the very end. The 86.7km race ended with a sprint finish in the final 300 meters, with Elissa Proulx (Équipe du Québec) taking the win, followed by Mathilde Huot (Espoir Laval Planète Courrier) and Jazmine Laverge (Équipe du Québec).
“I just returned from racing in Europe so that was good training for Nationals,” said Proulx. “There were a lot of hills, but I was happy I was able to get to the front of the pack. My plan was to stay at the front of the race the whole time and I managed to do that so I’m super proud of my race.”
Tomorrow, the Canadian Road Championships conclude with the para-cycling races at 8:00am, followed by the Junior men at 11:15am and the Elite women at 2:45pm. Full results and schedules can be found here.
Results
Junior Women: 1- Elissa Proulx 2- Mathilde Huot 3- Jazmine Lavergne
U23 Men: 1- Carson Miles 2- Thomas Schellenberg 3- Eric Inkster
Elite Men: 1- Guillaume Boivin 2- Antoine Duchesne 3- Derek Gee
