March 9, 2007 (Ottawa, ON) — Canada will see three of its best male mountain bike riders, all from British Columbia, compete at the 2007 Pan American Championships, this Sunday, March 11, in Villa la Angostura, Argentina.

Taking place annually, the Pan American Championships is the International Cycling Federation’s (UCI) designated continental championship. Only open to the countries on the American continents, these championships are worth a lot of points. Sunday’s competition will be decisive for Olympic qualification, especially for the men. Canadian mountain bikers are presently ranked 11th in the world and need to gather as many points as possible in 2007 to ensure Canada maintains at least two starters at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

National coach Michel LeBlanc is managing the team with the support of mechanic Chad Grochowina. “This is the first mountain bike race of the season and our athletes are looking forward to it,” said LeBlanc, who reported that the riders arrived in Argentina on Thursday. “We will face fierce competition from the South American riders who already have several competitions under their belt.”

Canada will be represented by its top three male cross-country MTB riders: Max Plaxton, Seamus McGrath and Geoff Kabush.

“It has been a very pleasant surprise for us in Argentina so far,” said Geoff Kabush. “I rode two laps of the course today (Friday) and it is a great mix of challenging single track in the woods. It is really similar to riding in BC, so if the legs are good it should be a good course for the three of us.”

In 2006, Canada had captured three medals, two silver in the men’s (Mathieu Toulouse) and women’s (Catherine Pendrel) categories and one gold in the men’s under 23 (Max Plaxton).

“This place is one of the nicest if have seen in the world. So green and clean! The cross-country MTB course is again one of the best I have rode – perfect for Canadians because it is kind of wet and rooty,” said Plaxton.

“It’s an amazing place to race, with beautiful trails and friendly people. I am looking forward to the race,” said McGrath.

“The 6-km race course is close to sea level (about 100m) and our three riders feel in great shape, training has been good over the past weeks. Plaxton has been training in hometown Victoria, Kabush just competed at the Tour of Cuba and McGrath went to a training camp with Ryder Hesjedal in Hawaï,” added Michel LeBlanc.

The main contenders will be the same as at last year’s Pan Am Championships in Brazil, i.e. the U.S. riders and Silva (Chile), with one of the favourites, Colombia’s Paez Leon, not attending this year.