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Canadian DH Championships 2014 Sun Peaks Report, Final Full Results & Photos

report by Cycling Canada
July 13, 2014 (Sun Peaks, BC) – The 2014 Canadian Mountain Bike Downhill Championships took place at the Sun Peaks Resort on Sunday. Canada’s Steve Smith of Nanaimo, BC (Devinci Global Racing) and Vaea Verbeek of North Vancouver, BC (Intense/GoPro) won the elite titles, while Daniel Shaw of North Vancouver, BC won the junior men’s title.

Smith, the overwhelming favourite in today’s race, impressed the crowd with a speedy run of 3:26.73, a narrow 1.5-second lead over Kyle Sangers of Kingston, ON in second place and a small 2.5-second lead over Remi Gauvin of Nanoose Bay, BC in third place.

“It was a lot for me this year, especially coming back from injury in the spring and going straight to racing the World Cup. This was a great race for me to come and just go fast, putting some good time on the bike. The track was great,” said Smith after the race.

Smith won his career second Canadian title and will be keeping the coveted Maple Leaf sleeve around the world. “With the pressure of winning last year, I didn’t want to throw that sleeve away. I wanted to win again this year, and it feels great to do it.

“This track was very technical in its own way, just because how fast it is. There are no roots or very technical sections, so the line choice is what separated the group. It was just a bunch of berms and going very fast. When you go very fast, it’s hard to create separation. It’s a fine line to go a little bit quicker then everybody without blowing up in that loose dirt,” added Smith about the tight time differences seen this year in comparison with the 2013 edition.

In terms of season goals, Smith’s objectives have changed after missing the opening World Cup events due to an injury in the spring. In 2013, Smith won the UCI World Cup overall title. “It changed in the overall thoughts. I can’t win the overall this year. For me, now it’s just able to race as good as I can. The first two World Cup races were good to see where I was at. I want to be able to finish this season the way I left off, to be able to win races and contend for the win.”

Vaea Verbeek Wins Women’s Race after two Months off the Bike
In the women’s race, Vaea Verbeeck was the fastest of the women’s group, taking the title and the sleeve. Verbeeck excelled in the timed session on Saturday and maintained her speed through to the Championships race. Verbeeck, who won her first Canadian title, finished first with a time of 3:56.00. Casey Brown of Revelstoke, BC came in second, while Jaime Hill of Pemberton, BC finished in third place.

Verbeeck was thrilled with the results. “This is a relatively unexpected victory, and I am extremely happy. Arriving this weekend, I saw that the start list was missing some of the Canadian girls. So I totally gave myself a goal to win the title,” confessed Verbeeck, which came back on the saddle just last week from two months of inactivity after lacerating her liver.

“I did not have many expectations as to my performance coming back from injury just last week, and I think that’s what helped me this weekend. I just wanted to ride, and go as fast as possible. I was eager to ride this very fast course. Yesterday, I won the seeding with a good margin, which gave me a good boost of confidence in today’s race,” added the rider from Granby, QC, who has been living in British Columbia for the past two years.

Verbeeck will, for the next twelve months, wear the sleeve designating her as a Canadian champion. “I never had the honor to wear the national champion jersey. The next year will undoubtedly be quite a different experience. I am confident that my results will follow at the World Cup level. My main goal this season is to break the top 10 at the World Cup, and I hope that the sleeve will give me a little boost.”

Daniel Shaw Steps up on Race Day to Take Junior Men’s Title
Daniel Shaw stepped up on race day in the junior men (U19) category to take the coveted Canadian title. After posting the third fastest time of the seeding session on Saturday, Shaw improved two ranks on Sunday by posting a fast time of 3:39.66. Jack Iles of Whistler, BC, fastest in the seeding run, posted the second fastest time on Championship day, just 0:00.11 behind the winning time of Shaw, while Max Scharf of Salmon Arm, BC crossed the finish line in third place.

The championships also featured races in cadet and master categories. Magnus Manson of Sechelt, BC was crowned in the cadet men (U17) category by posting the fastest time of 3:35.13 while Stephanie Denroche of Whistler, BC took the cadet women (U17) title with a time of 4:50.87.

Steve Storey of Whistler, BC (Master 30-39), Bryan Gioia of Port Moody, BC (Master 40-49), Michael Mooney of North Vancouver, BC (Master 50+) all won their respective races in the men’s master categories, while Keara Clark of Squamish, BC was the fastest among the master women.

The Canadian Championships is the most important one-day race of the season for the top Canadian downhillers, with the highly-coveted Maple Leaf Jersey and sleeve on the line. The National Champion jersey is a symbol of pride and achievement and is what drives many cyclists in their competitive career.

The Downhill race took place on a very fast course of 2.6 kilometers in length. Riders first tacked the aptly named “DH” trail, relatively steep descent winding in and out of sub-alpine forest offering steeps, fast and flowing berms, and some singletrack. “Holy Rollers” was the next section, offering a more mellow grade that forced pedalling to reach maximum velocity. This wider section featured multiple berms and small hits along the way leaving riders to balance speed and style, leading in to the final section of the course. The notorious “Arm Pump” was the most technical section of the course. Flowing singletrack with some roots, rocks, and some berms and drops kept speeds up as riders raced towards the finish line.

Results

Junior Expert Men (17-18)     
1. Daniel Shaw (BC)  03:39.6
2. Jack Iles (BC)  03:39.7
3. Max Scharf (BC) Skookum/Kona/Spank 03:42.1
4. Adison MacDonald (BC)  03:45.2
5. Nic Rodgers (BC) Dunbar Cycles 03:48.1
6. Isaac Marangoni (BC)  03:48.2
7. Chris Bennett (AB) Team Alberta / The Base Race Team 03:49.2
8. Jack Almond (BC) Team BC / C4 Rider Training / Raceface 03:50.1
9. Kurt Heering (BC)  03:50.7
10. Patrick Ladyman (BC) Skookum/Kona/Spank 03:50.9
11. Nik Dunn (BC) Cycling BC High Performance Team 03:51.2
12. Hayden Genoud (AB)  03:51.9
13. Rapha’l Baril (QC) ƒquipe du Qu_bec 03:52.5
14. Lynden Sandy (BC)  03:54.7
15. Levi Harapnuik (BC) Peak Performance Racing 03:56.8
16. Dylan Hoover (BC)  03:57.7
17. Tristan Keegan (AB)  04:02.5
18. F_lix Leclerc (QC) ƒquipe du Qu_bec / Cycles Performance-Niquet 04:04.8
19. Eric Keep (AB) Team Alberta / The Base Race Team 04:05.9
20. Sandy Thompson (BC)  04:07.1
21. Nick Hanlon (NFL)  04:12.8
22. Jack  Hickey (NFL)  04:18.1
DNF Nicholas Court (BC) Experience Cycling

Elite Women     
1. Vaea Verbeeck (BC) Intense/GoPro 03:56.0
2. Casey Brown (BC)  03:58.1
3. Jaime Hill (BC) CCN 04:10.9
4. Danice Uyesugi (BC) Intense National Team 04:12.5
5. Maria Darquier (BC)  04:14.5
6. Kirby McLean (BC) AFD Racing 04:35.4
7. Kristen Courtney (ON)  04:36.4
8. Jenn LeBlanc (ON)  04:52.3

Elite Men     
1. Steve Smith (BC) Devinci Global Racing 03:26.7
2. Kyle Sangers (ON)  03:28.3
3. Remi Gauvin (BC)  03:29.3
4. Mckay Vezina (CA) Devinci Global Racing 03:31.4
5. Matthew Beer (BC) Intense / Go Pro 03:31.7
6. Forrest Riesco (BC)  03:32.0
7. Kirk McDowall (BC)  03:32.3
8. Sidney Slotegraaf (ON)  03:32.4
9. Rob Fraser (BC) Dunbar Cycles 03:34.0
10. Hugo Langevin (QC) ƒquipe du Qu_bec / Cycles Performance-Niquet 03:34.5
11. Mark Wallace (BC) Devinci Global Racing 03:35.1
12. Dean Tennant (BC) Dunbar Cycles 03:37.0
13. Nick Grimm (BC)  03:37.2
14. Lee Jackson (BC)  03:37.4
15. Philippe Ricard (QC) ƒquipe du Qu_bec / Lama Cycles / NS Bikes 03:37.5
16. Adriano Digiacinto (BC)  03:37.8
17. Jonathan Lefrancois (QC)  03:38.1
18. Cameron  Porteous (BC) Dunbar Cycles 03:39.4
19. Alexander  Geddes (BC)  03:40.8
20. Taylor Rowlands (ON)  03:41.0
21. Matt Nielsen (BC)  03:42.0
22. Jamie Biluk (BC)  03:43.7
23. Aaron Dobie (BC) Dunbar Cycles 03:45.1
24. Sheldon Smith (NFL) OGC/Intense 03:45.4
25. James Frost (ON)  03:45.4
26. Evan Blackwell (AB) The Base Race Team 03:45.6
27. Kurtis Walton (BC) Bicycle Cafe Kamloops 03:46.3
28. Cody MacArthur (BC)  03:46.7
29. Julien Laram_e (QC) ƒquipe du Qu_bec 03:46.9
30. Ken Faubert (BC) Dunbar Cycles 03:47.2
31. Kip Shortreed (BC)  03:48.5
32. Samuel Thibault (QC) ƒquipe du Qu_bec / Lama Cycles / NS Bikes 03:48.8
33. Christopher McDowell (AB) Winsport Academy Mountain Bike Club 03:49.3
34. Trevor Thew (BC) Experience Cycling 03:52.9
35. Dexter Robson (BC) Experience Cycling 03:53.2
36. Garrett MacIntosh (AB) Peak Performance Racing 03:54.7
37. Bryden Rigets (BC) Intense National Team 03:54.8
38. Jay Boysen (BC)  03:55.3
39. Mitchell O’Keefe (AB)  03:57.9
40. Robert Venables (BC) Dunbar Cycles 03:58.3
41. Alex Currie (BC)  04:04.4
42. Brandon Douglas (BC)  04:04.6
43. Cory Brunelle (BC)  04:04.9
44. Dakota Boyer (AB) Independent 04:07.7
45. Braeden Onciul (AB) Xpress Racing 05:02.7
DNF Patrick McCarter (BC)

19-29 Citizen Women     
1. Michelle Griffiths (BC)  04:17.5
2. Laurie Citynski (BC) Muddbunnies 04:35.6
3. Laura Kean (BC)  04:43.1
4. Elizabeth Pieters (BC)  04:48.7

U19 Citizen Women (13-18)     
1. Georgia Astle (BC) Team BC  04:12.3
2. Jaide Foster (BC) Bicycle Caf_ Kamloops 04:40.4
3. Bobbi Douglas (BC)  04:45.7

19-29 Citizen Men     
1. Ed Thomsett (NY)  03:52.3
2. Levi Heise (AB)  04:00.3
3. Brandon Faliszewski (BC)  04:06.8
4. Jordan Schnarr (AB)  04:07.3
5. Linden Ladouceur (BC)  04:08.4
6. George Amos (BC)  04:08.8
7. Tanner Zinck (BC)  04:09.4
8. Elliot Pieters (BC)  04:13.0
9. Eric  Hartley (BC)  04:16.1
10. Alex Aubin (QC) Rocky Mountain Pro Cycle 04:31.2
11. Dave Gable (BC)  04:33.5
DNF Logan Ladouceur (BC)
DNS  Mark Allison (BC)

30+ Citizen Men     
1. Geoff Pendrel (BC)  03:51.4
2. Sean Marechel (BC)  04:13.3
3. Tyler Reid (AB)  04:18.9
4. Eric Sandberg (BC)  04:22.0
5. Tim Seaward (BC)  04:30.4
6. Andrew Clarke (WA)  04:31.0
7. Kyle Simpson (BC)  04:33.9
8. Adam Meeks (AB)  04:39.4
9. Richard  Hall (BC)  04:57.5
DNS Steve Knox (BC)
DNS Greg Bergen (BC)

U19 Citizen Men (13-18)     
1. Rhys Heyman (BC)  04:05.3
2. Stephen  Schwarz (BC) Bicycle Cafe 04:17.0
3. Ethan Wade (BC)  04:24.6
4. Curtis Bergen (BC)  04:26.6
5. Dylan Sandberg (BC)  04:27.3
6. Brad Fielding (BC)  04:37.9
7. Cam Quadrelli (BC)  04:42.7
8. Jacob Fagrie (BC)  05:31.3
DNS Jordan Rosner (BC)

U15 Men (13-14)     
1. Kendall McLean (BC) AFD Racing 03:52.7
2. Kael Markle (BC) Cycling BC 04:11.2
3. Jackson Phillips (BC) Bicycle Caf_ Kamloops 04:11.9
4. Aidan Cutting (BC)  04:12.4
5. Ian Milley (BC)  04:16.0
6. Jack Tanton (BC)  04:18.6
7. Mason Seaward (BC)  04:21.2
8. Ben Wallace (BC)  04:22.4
9. Joseph Witwicki (BC) C4 Rider Training 04:24.1
10. Drayden Dougan (BC)  04:35.9
11. Levi Fehlauer (BC)  04:36.7
12. Keegan Fry (BC)  04:40.6
13. Riley Gibbs (BC) Bicycle Caf_ Kamloops 04:40.7
14. Parker Wood (AB) The Base Race Team 04:49.1
15. Steven Bobyn (BC)  04:53.1
DNF Aaron Sexsmith (AB) Base MTB

U17 Sport Men (15-16)
1. Cole Mooney (BC) C4 Rider Training 03:56.4
2. Jacob Stefiuk (BC) Cove Bikes 03:57.5
3. Max Hajdu (BC) Cowichan cycles 03:58.6
4. Sean Sampson (BC)  03:59.5
5. Jesiah Dyck (BC)  03:59.6
6. Blake Bunting (BC) C4 Rider Training 04:00.5
7. Joshua Fultz-Veinotte (AB)  04:00.7
8. Max Nutini (BC)  04:01.2
9. Braedon McNicol (AB) Winsport Academy Mountain Bike Club 04:02.0
10. Caleb Harapnuik (BC) Cove Bikes 04:03.2
11. Josh Dziwenka (BC)  04:05.6
12. Darian Griffin (BC)  04:13.7
13. Javante Marchio (BC) Bicycle Cafe Kamloops 04:18.0
14. Jack Williston (BC)  04:19.8
15. Caleb Mohamed (AB) The Base Race Team 04:20.4
16. Willem Zwiers (BC) Cove Bikes 04:21.9
17. Jack Ayrton (AB) The Base Race Team 04:22.3
18. Ian Cundiff (BC) Cove Bikes 04:23.9
19. David Lemieux (AB) The Base Race Team 04:24.3
20. Daniel Froese (BC) C4 Rider Training 04:26.1
21. Chris Greehy (BC)  04:26.3
22. Noah Birkkjaer (AB) Winsport Academy Mountain Bike Club 04:27.1
23. Nelson Kleer (BC) Skookum Cycle 04:27.8
24. Tye Welsh-Hicks (BC)  04:30.0
25. Jacob Howitt (BC) C4 Rider Training 04:39.5
26. Matthew Coetser (AB) The Base Race Team 04:40.2
27. Matthew Green (BC)  04:40.5
28. Misha Linehan (BC)  04:49.9
29. Nathan Harvey (BC)  05:10.4
DNF Ethan Akelaitis (BC)
DNS Jordan Stairs () The Base Race Team

Junior Sport Men (17-18)
1. Ian Fry (BC)  03:52.1
2. Cole  Jones (BC) Cove Bikes 04:01.7
3. Adam Woodhouse (BC)  04:02.6
4. Carter Paschinski (AB) AFD Racing 04:03.3
5. Brad Jansen (BC)  04:04.2
6. Joshua Stadnyk (BC) Skookum Cycle 04:05.0
7. Logan Ratte (AB) Independent 04:07.7
8. Liam Kain (BC) Independent 04:12.8
9. Harry Head (BC) Team Squamish 04:13.8
10. Connor Carson (BC) Kicking Horse Mountain Resort 04:15.4
11. Arron Pitre (AB) Winsport Academy Mountain Bike Club 04:15.6
12. Sam Tomkins (BC) Independent  04:16.1
13. David Symons (BC)  04:17.0
14. Bailey Larusson (BC)  04:18.5
15. Ethan Folkmann (BC)  04:18.9
16. Mitch Corless (BC) Skookum Cycle 04:19.5
17. Ryan LaRocque (BC)  04:20.2
18. Nikita Karpov (BC)  04:22.0
19. Brendan Gauthier (BC)  04:25.0
20. Matt Voiles (BC)  04:26.4
21. Cameron Halliday (BC)  04:38.6
22. Callum Cameron (BC)  04:54.1
23. Jason Reddy (BC) Burnaby Velodrome Club 05:07.9

Senior Men (19-29)
1. Anton W’nscher (HE)  03:49.3
2. Matt Monod (AB) Back Door/Panorama 03:51.9
3. Mark Sackney (AB) Bow Cycle DH 03:56.5
4. Andrew Hargreaves (AB) Bow Cycle DH 03:56.7
5. Colin Hill (AB) Bow Cycle 03:56.8
6. Andrew Vincent (AB)  04:01.7
7. Justin Woodman (BC)  04:08.0
8. Dustin Tumbach (AB)  04:11.1
9. Nicholas Chappell-Moss (BC)  04:13.0
10. Wesley Brown (BC)  04:13.5
11. Sam McConnery (BC)  04:15.0
12. Joe Howlett (ON)  04:17.8
13. Sean Hayzelden (AB)  04:17.9
14. Paul Stichbury (AB) Peak Performance Racing 04:19.9
15. Brandon Johnson (AB) WinSport Academy Mountain Bike Club 04:25.9
16. Codie Regnier (AB) Bikehawks MTB Club 04:28.8
17. Jayden Gisbone (BC) Cowichan Cycles Cartel 05:03.1
DNS Josh Quissy (BC)
DNS Qwynn Dalmer (BC)

U15 Women (13-14)
1. Arianwyn (Wynnie) Tipton (BC) C4 Rider Training 05:28.8

U17 Women (15-16)
1. Stephanie  Denroche (BC)  04:50.9
2. Kyleigh  Stewart (BC) AFD Racing 04:52.9
3. Devin Knox (BC)  05:40.5

Masters 30+ Women
1. Keara Clark (BC)  04:31.4
2. Karaleen Gioia (BC)  04:33.4

Masters 50+ Men
1. Michael Mooney (BC)  04:18.8
2. Olivier Rousseau (BC) Pivot Factory DH Team 04:22.1
3. Derek Diedricksen (BC)  04:46.9
4. Ian Rudd (BC)  04:54.4
5. Chris August (BC)  06:42.2
DNS Richard Ratte (AB) Independent

Masters 40-49 Men
1. Bryan Gioia (BC)  03:56.2
2. Colin Yarrow (BC) Cove Bikes 04:04.6
3. Martin Newman (BC)  04:08.5
4. Syd Jacklin (AB)  04:08.7
5. Steve  Boucher (BC)  04:10.7
6. Terry Hauk (BC)  04:36.7
7. Stephen Exley (AB)  05:21.6
– Jerrod Hoskins (AB) Graviti Driven DNS

Masters 30-39 Men
1. Steve Storey (BC)  03:56.1
2. Jason Latreille (AB) Peak Performance Racing 04:21.8
DNS Steve Wong (BC)

U17 Expert Men (15-16)
1. Magnus Manson (BC) Dunbar Cycles 03:35.1
2. Henry Fitzgerald (BC) Cycling BC 03:42.7
3. Finn Iles (BC)  03:44.8
4. Bracken Camilleri (BC)  03:46.0
5. Adam Robbins (ON)  03:47.2
6. Paul Rohner (BC)  03:51.6
7. Alex Auger (BC) C4 Rider Training 03:54.3
DNS Simon Tellier (BC)





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