October 23, 2007 – The most prestigious event of the 2007 Canadian cyclocross season is in the books, after a relatively early national championship was held last Sunday in Kamloops, B.C. Many of last year’s champions were unseated, making for a very exciting race on the twisty 2.7km course. The day started off overcast, chilly and windy, with light rain on and off during the Elite Men’s race, which made the course slippery and treated spectators to some exciting crashes.


Elite Men

Mike Garrigan (ON) Jetpower-Epic Ride pulled off an upset, gapping the rest of the field and riding together with defending National Champ Greg Reain (ON) Ride with Rendall-Colnago-Time in a nearly exclusive duo. The two looked evenly matched, so it was inevitable that the finish would be close. Whoever got through the final 180-degree corner only metres from the finish had the upper hand, and on the bell lap, Garrigan was the first out of the curve and first over the line to take the victory.

Max Plaxton (BC) Rocky Mountain-Haywood rode well to take third place, moving up to join the leading charge with Garrigan and Reain during the second lap. During the fifth lap, however, Plaxton had to visit the pits after he broke his seatpost. At the end of the lap, he came through the start/finish in sixth place, nearly a minute off the lead. He was able to ride himself back onto the podium, leaving Ryan Hopping (AB) Team Alberta-United Cycle and Aaron Schooler (AB) ERTC-Redbike behind to duke it out for fourth and fifth. The damage was done, however, and the best the Rocky Mountain rider could do was pull the gap back to 30 seconds. Schooler finished fourth, after Hopping, overcooked the final corner that had become slick with a sprinkling of rain during the race, and crashed out. Schooler, who rode most of the race with Hopping, managed to avoid his fallen Alberta comrade, and safely took home fourth spot, with Hopping
running across the line in fifth.


Elite Women

Wendy Simms (BC) Kona-Les Gets took her third National Cyclocross title of her career on Sunday, outfoxing defending champ Lyne Bessette (QC) Cyclocrossworld.com and super all-round cycling talent Alison Sydor (BC) Rocky Mountain-Haywood. It was the three of them together right off the bat, and it would stay that way throughout the 40-minute, six-lap race, with Simms and Bessette putting the pressure on a determined Sydor.

Behind the podium trio, last year’s bronze medalist, Mical Dyck (AB) Team Alberta was trying hard to bridge up to the lead, but she was also being hunted by a chase group led by Jean-Ann McKirdy (BC) Local Ride and Kelly Jones (BC) Sugoi. Over a minute back, the chasers could not reel the leaders back in, leaving Simms, Bessette and Sydor to work it out amongst themselves. And work it out they did. An ecstatic Simms crossed the line first, followed by the charging Sydor in only her first season of cyclocross racing. Bessette took third spot, Dyck hung on to fourth and Jones grabbed fifth.


Junior Men

The small Junior Men’s field raced at the same time as the women and had to deal with traffic as they caught and overtook the women’s pack. Off the start, David Larson (AB) Team Alberta and Evan Guthrie (BC) Total Restoration rode off the front together, leaving Alex McCormick (AB) Team Alberta dangling between the lead and the chase in third spot. Half-way though the race, Larson attacked Guthrie and pulled away to finish first, with a commanding 32-second lead over Guthrie. In a show of pure class, Larson pulled over to allow the leading women (who had started 90 seconds ahead of the Junior Men) an unobstructed sprint finish. McCormick held onto third place in the Junior Men’s race.


U23 Men

Mark Batty (ON) Team RACE took the National Championship in the U23 Men’s race over defending champ Kyle Douglas (ON) 3 Rocks Racing, after Douglas spent most of the five-lap race in the lead. Batty made the decisive move on the penultimate lap, and then charged to open a gap, which grew to 17 seconds by the finish. Michael Bidniak (AB) Trek Red Truck was passed on the final lap by Brian Robinson (AB) Team Alberta, losing the bronze medal position, which he had held for most of the race.


Masters

Alberta’s Nancy Burden (AB) Juventus took the title in the Master 30+ Women’s race, followed by Joanne Thompson (QC) Ride with Rendall in second and Vicki Thomas (ON) Stevens Cross in third.

B.C.’s John Fokkema (BC) AviaWest-Van Dessel won the Master 30-39 Men’s category, beating out second place Chris McNeil (AB) Team Alberta in a sprint. Steve Proulx (ON) Stevens Cross was third.

Norman Thibault (BC) Front Runners successfully defended his title, winning a very close Master 40-49 Men’s race only two seconds ahead of second place, Paul Green (ON) Chain Reaction, and four seconds in front of third place, Menno Jongsma (BC) Team IRC Robert Cameron Law.

Ontario’s Ed Campbell (ON) D’Ornellas/Delta Graphics RT decisively won the Master +50 Men’s race, with a minute lead over Tony Routley (BC) Team Whistler. Claude Breau (AB) Bicisport was third.