News – Page 4 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

TEN UCI CONTINTENTAL TEAMS AFFILIATE WITH CYCLING CANADA FOR 2022

Ottawa, ON (February 4, 2022) ­– In its continuing effort to develop programs, policies and services that support Canadian teams, Cycling Canada is pleased to release the list of ten Cycling Canada UCI Continental and Women’s Teams that have affiliated with our organization for the coming year. These squads will be comprised of over 75 Canadian athletes who will be competing across road, downhill and cross-country mountain biking.

The five UCI men’s and women’s road teams registered for 2022 are Emotional.FR Tornatech GSC Blagnac, InstaFund Racing, Toronto Hustle, Xspeed United Continental and the newly-formed Premier Tech U23 Cycling Project team. The team rosters include several road and track stars, including track Olympian Michael Foley, Junior world champion Dylan Bibic and numerous current & former Canadian champions such as Charles-Étienne Chrétien, Edward Walsh, Matteo Dal-Cin, Carson Miles and Adèle Desgagnés.

On the mountain bike side, Cycling Canada will count Canyon MTB Racing (XCO), Forbidden Synthesis Team (DH), Foresco Holding Proco RL Pro Team (XCO), Norco Factory Team (XCO & DH) and Pivot Cycles – OTE (XCO) as 2022 UCI mountain bike teams. Among the major athlete shifts, Canadian champion Jenn Jackson has joined Emily Batty and Laurie Arsenault on the Canyon MTB Racing Team, Olympian Léandre Bouchard has made his way to the Foresco Holding Proco RL Pro Team and U23 national champion Emilly Johnston is moving to the Norco Factory Team, as is Junior DH World Championships bronze medallist, Gracey Hemstreet.

“We’re very excited to see such a solid list of affiliated Canadian teams for the 2022 season,” said Jen Milligan, Community & Grassroots Manager at Cycling Canada. “It’s an encouraging sign for the development of cycling across Canada and we’re looking forward to seeing these athletes continue to grow and improve with the support of their teams in the years to come.”

Trade Teams affiliated with Cycling Canada receive several benefits, including free technical space at Canadian Championship and Canada Cup events, priority invitations to events on the international and national calendar, access to special rates and more. For more information, click here.

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NIGEL ELLSAY JOINS CYCLING CANADA AS NATIONAL ROAD COACH

Ottawa, ON (January 12, 2022) – Following the announcement of four new National Team coach hires in December, Cycling Canada is happy to welcome former professional road cyclist Nigel Ellsay in the role of National Team Coach – Road Lead. Based out of Victoria, BC, Ellsay’s mandate will include working with clubs, provincial sports organizations, and trade teams in order to sustainably grow Cycling Canada’s development road programming, while increasing our communication and engagement with top athletes and teams.

Ellsay retired in 2020 after racing for six years for teams Silber Pro Cycling and Rally Cycling. Over the course of his career, he won several medals at the Canadian Road Championships, including a title in the time trial as a Junior in 2012. Since stepping away from racing, he has worked as an athlete mentor for Bridge the Gap, a Sports Director for TaG Cycling Team’s U23 team and has led several European projects for Cycling Canada, including the Tour de l’Avenir and l’Étoile d’Or.

“Nigel has raced throughout North America and Europe and represented Canada on numerous occasions,” said Cycling Canada’s Head Coach, Dan Proulx. “We’re incredibly excited to see him build on these experiences in this new role and help us deliver the next generation of champions to the world stage.”

Cycling Canada’s National Team coaches will work together to provide a sustainable performance program across all cycling disciplines that can deliver champions to the world stage and lifelong ambassadors to the Canadian cycling community. Based primarily out of regional training centres and hubs across the country, the coaching team works collaboratively to cultivate aligned and integrated multi-discipline development and performance programming.

“Cycling Canada is committed to providing programming across all disciplines and increasing racing and skill development opportunities for athletes,” said Chief Sport Officer, Scott Kelly. “Despite the continued impact of the pandemic on our programming, we were able to run several successful road projects this past year. It is our intent to build on this, offering an increased amount of development road programming, including spring and summer European projects for both Juniors and U23s. We are focused on offering more opportunities for athletes at a development level and having Nigel on board will allow us to achieve this goal.”

In addition to providing technical and tactical expertise within their respective focus areas, National Teach Coaches help lead, mentor and empower Canada’s network of provincial, club and affiliate coaches to build a robust athlete pipeline and provide racing and skill development opportunities for athletes while increasing coaching knowledge, expertise and capacity across the country.

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CYCLING CANADA HIRES FOUR NEW NATIONAL TEAM COACHES

Ottawa, ON (December 8, 2021) – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the addition of four world-class coaches to its National Team staff as the organization ramps up its investment and commitment to developing Canadian technical leadership and coaching expertise. No strangers to international competition, Catharine Pendrel, Laura Brown, Richard Wooles and Tanya Dubnicoff will bring a wealth of experience to their new roles.

Catharine Pendrel recently retired from a prolific mountain bike career which included world titles in 2011 and 2014; winning the 2010, 2012 and 2016 World Cup series; bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games; and gold medals at the 2007 Pan American Games and 2014 Commonwealth Games. Pendrel will build on her years of experience in her new role of National Team Coach, working with endurance athletes. She also recently enrolled in the Commonwealth Women Coach Internship Program and will be at the Birmingham Games this summer alongside Team Canada athletes.

Laura Brown was a member of both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic teams and won a bronze in the Team Pursuit at the 2016 Olympic Games as well as gold medals at both the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games. Brown has spent the past several years in a part-time assistant coach role with the National Team, as well as working with Cycling BC and several road trade teams. Brown will join Cycling Canada in a full-time role as a National Team Coach based in Vancouver, working with endurance athletes.

Richard Wooles is one of Canada’s most experienced and accomplished cycling coaches. His career has included leadership roles with British Cycling, the UCI World Cycling Centre, Cycling Canada and Cycling BC. Wooles spent the past year working with Cycling Canada in a part-time capacity and played a key role in leading last summer’s Junior and U23 road programming in Europe. Wooles will officially join Cycling Canada as a full-time National Team Coach based in Vancouver and will be working with endurance athletes.

Tanya Dubnicoff will be returning to Cycling Canada in the newly created role of Advancement Camp Coach. The Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame inductee’s sprint career includes three Olympics as an athlete, a world title in 1993, four Pan American Games gold medals, and coaching the 2012 Olympic Team Pursuit squad to a bronze medal. Dubnicoff will be responsible for leading Cycling Canada’s Advancement Camp initiatives, contributing to coaching and athlete education programs, and leading talent identification efforts across the country, including through RBC Training Ground.

Led by Head Coach Dan Proulx, Cycling Canada’s National Team coaches will work together to provide a sustainable performance program across all cycling disciplines that can deliver champions to the world stage and lifelong ambassadors to the Canadian cycling community. Based primarily out of regional training centres and hubs across the country, the coaching team works collaboratively to cultivate aligned and integrated multi-discipline development and performance programming.

“The cohort of National Team coaches we have assembled is truly exceptional,” said Proulx. “When you bring good people together like this, it creates an x-factor that raises the bar for everyone. The aim is to continue developing great riders who compete alongside the best on the world stage. At the same time, we want to improve the athlete experience, empowering them to achieve success on the bike and beyond. The coaches we’ve brought together have a track record of bringing out the best in others and this will certainly help the entire system to improve.”

In addition to providing technical and tactical expertise within their respective focus areas, National Teach Coaches help lead, mentor and empower Canada’s network of provincial, club and affiliate coaches to build a robust athlete pipeline and provide racing and skill development opportunities for athletes while increasing coaching knowledge, expertise and capacity across the country.

“One of our goals is to increase the knowledge, expertise and capacity amongst coaches in the Canadian system,” said Cycling Canada’s Chief Sport Officer, Scott Kelly. “It’s important that we continue to invest in and develop Canadian coaches. These additions to our team reflect a commitment on the part of Cycling Canada to do just that.”

Pendrel, Brown and Wooles have already begun their roles with Cycling Canada, while Dubnicoff will start on January 1st and will be based out of Calgary, Alberta.

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ALISON JACKSON’S BREAKTHROUGH SEASON CONTINUES AT 2021 UCI ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Flanders, Belgium (September 25, 2021) – After competing at her first Olympic Games in Tokyo earlier this summer, winning her first World Tour race at the Simac Ladies Tour and earning both Canadian road titles, Alison’s Jackson breakthrough season continued on Saturday with a 6th place finish at the Road World Championships in Flanders, Belgium.

Jackson rode aggressively throughout the race, managing to stay at the front and to chase down every attack with the main pack. With only 13-kilometres to go, Jackson was part of a 20-rider group and it became clear the finish would come down to a sprint. Although she was too far back to fight for gold, she beat other strong opponents in the sprint, finishing with a solid 6th place, the best Canadian result of the week.

“At the start of the day, the girls [Karol-Ann Canuel and Leah Kirchmann] had a lot of confidence in me and how I’ve been riding so far this season and they wanted to commit to bringing me in the best possible way to the finish,” said Jackson. “With 5-kilometres to go in the top five, I really liked my chances for a sprint but had to play the game and it got a bit messy at the end but really happy with a top-10 finish.”

The Canadian squad also celebrated Karol-Ann Canuel’s final international race after an amazing career, which includes several team time trial and national titles. The Quebec native finished 31st, while her teammate Leah Kirchmann finished 64th.

“It’s my final race of my career and it’s nice to finish it off in Belgium,” said Canuel. “The weather and the crowd was good and it’s a fun course to do. I just wanted to do the best race and I’m happy with how I finished.”

Racing will wrap up tomorrow with the Elite men’s road race at 4:05am EDT on Flobikes.

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19 ATHLETES TO REPRESENT CANADA AT ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BELGIUM

Ottawa, ON (September 13, 2021) – A strong and experienced team of nineteen riders will represent Canada at the 2021 UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Flanders, Belgium, from September 19-26, in the road race and time trial events across the Junior, U23 and Elite categories.

Canada qualified to enter six riders in the Elite men’s road race. The team will be led by Olympians and WorldTour professionals Hugo Houle, Antoine Duchesne, and Guillaume Boivin, who was crowned Canadian road champion on Saturday. They will be joined by development riders Ben Perry, Nickolas Zukowsky and Pier-André Côté. Houle, who became Canadian ITT champion on Friday, will be competing in the time trial alongside Zukowsky. Michael Woods and James Piccoli both declined their selection to the road race, while Rob Britton declined selection to the time trial.

On the women’s side, Canada qualified three spots and the team will be made up of the same athletes who represented Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: Karol-Ann Canuel, Leah Kirchmann and Alison Jackson. The two former team time trial world champions will be competing in both the time trial and road race, while Simac Ladies Tour stage winner and two-time 2021 Canadian champion Jackson will be joining them for the road race.

Due to the lack of points-scoring opportunities during the pandemic, Canada only qualified one starter in the U23 men’s road race. Raphael Parisella will apply the experience he gained during the Tour de l’Avenir in the road race and will also compete in the time trial alongside Francis Juneau.

Both the men’s and women’s Junior squads will be heading into the event in peak form after training in Europe and competing at several high-profile international races over the last month. The men’s field will see incredible depth, with junior world points race champion Dylan Bibic, Michael Leonard, Matisse Julien, and Quentin Cowan all having achieved podium results in European road races this season. We can also expect aggressive riding from the women’s team of Nicole Bradbury, Lilly Ujfalusi, Dylan Baker and Isla Walker, with the four athletes leaving a strong impression in their pre-Worlds races in Spain and The Netherlands.

“Our development athletes have really shown that they are fierce competitors who can apply what they learn at each new race,” said Cycling Canada’s Elite Road Manager, Shawn Clarke. “The growth we’ve seen in the past few weeks is impressive and we can expect to see an exciting race from them at Worlds.”

The world championships begin on Sunday, September 19 with the Elite men’s time trial, and conclude on Sunday, September 26th, with the Elite men’s road race.

Team Canada [TT – Time Trial, RR – Road Race]

Elite Men
Guillaume Boivin – Montreal, QC [RR]
Pier-André Côté – Levis, QC [RR]
Antoine Duchesne – Saguenay, QC [RR]
Hugo Houle – Sainte-Perpétue, QC [TT, RR]
Ben Perry – St.Catharines, ON [RR]
Nickolas Zukowsky – Ste-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC [TT, RR]

Elite Women
Karol-Ann Canuel – Gatineau, QC [TT, RR]
Alison Jackson – Vermilion, AB [RR]
Leah Kirchmann – Winnipeg, MB [TT, RR]

Under-23 Men
Francis Juneau – La Prairie, QC [TT]
Raphael Parisella – Boucherville, QC [TT, RR]

Junior Women
Dylan Baker – London, ON [RR]
Nicole Bradbury – Hamilton, ON [TT, RR]
Lilly Ujfalusi – New Westminster, BC [TT, RR]
Isla Walker – Victoria, BC [RR]

Junior Men
Dylan Bibic – Mississauga, ON [TT, RR]
Quentin Cowan – Calgary, AB [RR]
Michael Leonard – Oakville, ON [TT, RR]
Julien Matisse – Laval, QC [RR]

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JACKSON EARNS SECOND MAPLE LEAF JERSEY AT CANADIAN ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Saint-Georges, QC (September 12, 2021) – The Canadian Road Championships concluded on Sunday after three days of racing with the road events for para-cycling, Junior men and Elite women’s categories. Alison Jackson (Liv Racing) repeated as the Elite women’s champion after winning the time trial on Friday, confirming she is one of Canada’s top road athletes and a force to be reckoned with on the world stage.

The Elite women faced the same hilly course as the men yesterday, with the added difficulty of harsh winds which took its toll on the riders. The 114.6-kilometer race started off strong, with 14 athletes breaking away from the main pack in the first 10 kilometers. The pack thinned out as the race progressed and eventually only Jackson and two-time Pan American cyclo-cross champion Maghalie Rochette (Specialized Racing) were left to battle it out at the front. Jackson attacked with 35 kilometers to go to take the win in front of Rochette and Sara Poidevin (Rally Cycling). The main field finished seven minutes later, Ruby West sprinting to take the win in the U23 category, followed by Laury Milette (Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux) and Florence Normand (Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux).

“My experience racing in Europe and the Belgium classics, I really knew how to race in the wind and that really played to my advantage,” said Jackson. “I took to the front pretty early on to help make it more of a selection and I picked my moment and went all in all the way to the end. I think I was more nervous this weekend than I’ve been for any other race so I’m really happy to come out with the double win.”

The 54 Junior riders completed the same distance as the women and faced similar conditions, with strong crosswinds affecting the race pace. Canadian time trial champion Léonard Peloquin (Équipe du Québec) attacked at the 45-kilometer mark and rode solo for over 20 kilometers before being joined by teammate Jérôme Gauthier and Clovis Roy (ZVP Opto-Réseau). Peloquin eventually dropped both riders and managed to create a solid gap with the main peloton in the last 30 kilometers, finishing 1:30 ahead of Charles Duquette (Équipe du Québec) and Luke Hubner (Cycling BC).

“It was really hard,” said Gauthier. “I had a teammate in the breakaway very early on in the race so I bridged the gap to help him; he didn’t have the legs to go with me so I just went as hard as I could. Our strategy was to control the race, stay in the front and win at the end and that’s what we did.”

In the para-cycling categories, Marie-Claude Molnar, Louis-Albert Corriveau Jolin & the duo of Lowell Taylor & Ed Veal repeated as Canadian champions after finishing first in the time trial races on Friday. The event also saw new athletes on the podium, including newcomers Alexandre Hayward and Thuy Do, who were competing at their first Nationals.

“Today was a battle of wills going up and down a hill repeat,” said Taylor. “Team Quebec had three tandems chasing us down but every time they attacked, we shut it down. We knew we had the legs and I’m so proud to race alongside Ed Veal. I came into the sport older, a little bit later and I’ve been aiming to get to the top of the podium at Nationals. It feels so amazing to come home with the jerseys, the medals and the maple syrup.”

Full results for all competitions can be found here. The Canadian championship series now head to Baie-Saint-Paul for the Canadian Mountain Bike XCO Championships from September 24-26.

Results
C4-5 Women: 1- Marie-Claude Molnar
C1-5 Men: 1- Alexandre Hayward 2- Lachlan Hotchkiss
T1-2 Men & Women: 1- Louis-Albert Corriveau-Jolin 2- Thuy Do
H1-5 Women & H1-2 Men: 1- Kara Douville 2- Matthew Kinnie
H3-5 Men: 1- Mark Ledo 2- Charles Moreau 3- Joey Desjardins
Tandem Women: 1-Carla Shibley & Meghan Leminski
Tandem Men: 1- Lowell Taylor & Ed Veal 2- Daniel Chalifour & Jean-Michel Lachance 3- Mathieu Croteau-Daigle & Michel Jean
Junior Men: 1- Jérôme Gauthier 2- Charles Duquette 3- Luke Hubner
U23 Women: 1- Ruby West 2- Laury Milette 3- Florence Normand
Elite Women: 1- Alison Jackson 2- Maghalie Rochette 3- Sara Poidevin

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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

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OLYMPIANS HOULE & JACKSON WIN TIME TRIAL NATIONAL TITLES

Saint-Georges, QC (September 10, 2021) – The 2021 Canadian Road Championships kicked off on Friday with the time trial races for Para, Junior, U23 & Elite categories, where athletes completed distances ranging from 16 to 34 kilometers. With only a handful of the 2019 Canadian champions competing for the maple leaf jersey, multiple titles were up for grabs and only four athletes managed to hold on to their national titles.

The out-and-back course located in Saint-Prosper, on the outskirts of Saint-Georges, offered multiple climbs and was challenging to even the most experienced riders. Astana-Premier Tech’s Hugo Houle completed the 34km course with a time of 41:48.247, 1:39.463 ahead of his closest opponent Alec Cowan (L39Ion Of Los Angeles). Track cyclist Derek Gee (Xspeed United Continental) completed the podium.

“I was 100% on target today. My plan was to come out strong to give myself some wiggle room after the turnaround,” said Houle. “I could see that there was no significant gap with the riders in front of me, so I knew I was doing good time. I really pushed the limit to get the win and didn’t leave anything on the road. It’s always fun to have the [maple leaf] jersey with our professional teams and I especially wanted to win the jersey for my brother.”

Houle’s Olympic teammate Alison Jackson (Liv Racing) also took the win on the women’s side, completing the 28-kilometer course with a time of 39:58.436, more than 43 seconds in front of 2019 bronze medallist Marie-Soleil Blais. Gillian Ellsay (Instafund Racing), who finished third in 2019 as a U23, won the bronze medal.

“I had a very specific plan on pacing and went out a little strong, but I just felt really good,” said Jackson. “I just had a lot of confidence right to the turnaround and back so I was hopeful that it could produce a win. Being able to focus on the time trial will mean good things for the next Olympic cycle and it’ll be really cool to be able to wear the maple leaf jersey in the next year.”

Riders from Quebec swept the podium in the U23 and Junior categories, with siblings Tristan and Laurie Jussaume winning both U23 titles, while Leonard Peloquin and Jazmine Lavergne finished first in the Junior races. The para-cycling competitions saw titles awarded in five different categories, four of which were won by 2019 Canadian champions Marie-Claude Molnar, Charles Moreau, Louis-Albert Corriveau Jolin and Lowell Taylor.

Tomorrow, Canada’s Junior women will tackle the road race at 8:30am EST, followed by the Elite men at 12:00pm EST. Full results and schedules can be found here.

Results

T1-2 Women & Men: 1- Louis-Albert Corriveau Jolin 2- Michael Shetler 3- Thuy Do
H1-5 Women & Men: 1- Charles Moreau 2- Joey Desjardins 3- Matthew Kinnie
C1-5 Women & C1-3 Men: 1- Marie-Claude Molnar, 2- Catharine Konopelky 3- Adam Purdy
Tandem: 1- Lowell Taylor & Ed Veal 2- Carla Shibley & Meghan Lemisky 3- Benoit Lalumière Cloutier & Maximilien Moreau
C4-5 Men: 1- Piotr Czyzowicz 2- Lachlan Hotchkiss
Junior Women: 1- Jazmine Lavergne 2- Pénélope Primeau 3- Mairen Lawson
Junior Men: 1- Leonard Peloquin 2- Campbell Parish 3- Gavin Hadfield
U23 Women: 1- Laurie Jussaume 2- Ruby West 3- Dana Gilligan
U23 Men: 1- Tristan Jussaume 2- Ethan Sittlington 3- Carson Miles
Elite Women: 1- Alison Jackson 2- Marie-Soleil Blais 3- Gillian Ellsay
Elite Men: 1- Hugo Houle 2- Alec Cowan 3- Derek Gee

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24 TITLES AWARDED AT 2021 CANADIAN MASTERS ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Victoriaville, QC (September 7, 2021) – 24 titles across 8 categories were awarded at the 2021 Canadian Masters Road Championships from September 3-6 in Victoriaville, Quebec. Over 250 participants from across the country competed in the time trial, road race and criterium over the long weekend, with riders also taking part in the 6th edition of the Appalachian Classic on Sunday.

The event was part of the Gran Fondo World Series (GFWS) and gave Masters athletes a chance to qualify for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in both the time trial and road events. This marked the first time a stage of the GFWS was held in Quebec.

“We are thrilled to have seen such a strong return to racing this past weekend at the Canadian Masters Road Championships,” said Josh Peacock, Cycling Canada’s Marketing & Community Engagement Director. “The organization at Vélo Victo Fest put on a spectacular show, highlighting the nation’s top Masters athletes with some of the most challenging courses we’ve seen to date.”

Full event details and results can be found here. Next weekend, the Canadian Road Championships head to Beauce, Quebec, for the Elite, Junior & Para road and time trial competitions.

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DOMESTIC ROAD RACING RETURNS FOR TWO BACK-TO-BACK WEEKENDS OF CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ottawa, ON (September 3, 2021) – The two biggest events on the 2021 national road calendar, the Canadian Road Championships for Masters, Elite, Junior and Para athletes, are returning to Quebec for two weekends of exciting racing.

The Canadian Road Championships for Masters athletes, combined with the Gran Fondo World Series (GFWS), are heading to Victoriaville, Quebec, from September 3-6. The event will kick off on Friday with the individual time trial, followed by the road races for all categories on Saturday, both of which are GFWS qualification events. Sunday will see riders compete in the Appalachian Classic and the GFWS road races, with criterium races rounding off the final day of competition on Monday.

The following weekend, the Canadian Road Championships for Elite, Junior and Para athletes return to Beauce, with races scheduled to take place from September 10-12. Over 350 athletes from all over the country will be looking to secure Canadian titles in the time trial and road race, the criterium being cancelled due to COVID-19 implications.

“Following a two-year hiatus of national road events, we are thrilled to see the Canadian Road Championships return to the calendar this year,” said Cycling Canada’s Events & Officials Manager, Jolène Dupuis. “We are expecting a great set of events and performances with our back-to-back competitions, starting with the Masters this weekend, and our Elite, Junior, and Para athletes the following week. We are confident that the organizers have offered courses that will be fun and challenging for all athletes.”

The Elite, Junior and Para Championships will begin on Friday, September 10, with the individual time trial for all categories, which will be held on the outskirts of Saint-Prosper, over distances ranging from 11 to 34 kilometres.

Saturday and Sunday will see the road race titles awarded, beginning with the Junior women on Saturday morning (86.7 km), followed by the U23 and Elite men, who will complete 198.9 kilometres, including 5 laps of the circuit in the city of Saint-Georges. The following day, Para athletes will compete in eight different categories, completing distances ranging from 30.5 to 73.5 kilometres on the 6.1-kilometre city circuit. In the afternoon, both Junior men and Elite women will tackle the 114.6-kilometre course, finishing with two laps of the circuit.

Despite several defending champions being absent, the field will be stacked with prominent athletes, including Olympians Hugo Houle (Astana-Premier Tech), Antoine Duchesne (Groupama-FDJ), Derek Gee and Alison Jackson (Liv Racing). Elevate – Webiplex Pro Cycling’s Jordan Cheyne will also be a contender on the men’s side, while his teammate Adam Roberge will be looking to bring home the Elite time trial title after winning the U23 title in 2019.

Several strong riders are expected to put the hammer down in the women’s field besides Jackson, including Rally Cycling’s Sara Poidevin, Marie-Soleil Blais, cyclo-cross star Maghalie Rochette and the 2019 U23 champion Olivia Baril. On the para-cycling side, Paralympians Marie-Ève Croteau, Charles Moreau, Joey Desjardins and Marie-Claude Molnar will be onsite and looking to add Canadian champion to their long list of accomplishments.

Please note that due to Quebec’s rules around the vaccine passport, all participants will be required to show proof of vaccination on site. More information can be found here.

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