July 17, 2010 (Canmore, AB) – Riders were greeted to blue skies and a beautiful sunny and cool day for the start of the 2010 National MTB XC Championships. The Junior and U17 riders are on course and the U17 women are doing two laps, the Junior XC women and U17 will complete 3 laps, and the Junior Men are racing four laps. Sorry technical difficulties caused a delay in our coverage.

Lap 1
Ontario’s Mitch Bailey (Team Ontario) and Evan McNeely (Team Ontario/EMD Serono/Specialized) are leading the charge as the Junior men get underway…

Quebec’s Kristina Laforge (Cyclone d’Alma) is off the front along with Laura Bietola (Team Ontario/3Rox Racing) and Cayley Brooks (Team Ontario)

Lap 2
Bailey and McNeely have been joined by Antoine Caron (Equipe du Quebec) and Jeremy Martin (Equipe du Québec/Rocky Mountain Factory Team) as the men start lap two. McNeely attacks near the end of the lap and has a lead…

Laforge has gapped the chasers including Bietola and Valérie Meunier (Équipe du Québec/Cyclone d’Alma) with the riders strung out behind.

Cycling BC’s Louis Dillon and Amanda Wakeling are leading the U17 races…

Lap 3
McNeely has a 45s gap and is being chased by Caron, Bailey, Martin… we missed Ontario’s Steve Noble (Jetpower/Team Ontario) also in the chase group.

Laforge in on her last lap in Junior women’s race with over a minute on the chasers.

Antoine Perreault (CVM Val-David) has taken over the lead in the U17 Men’s race.

Lap 4
McNeely continues to power ahead on the junior men’s last lap.

Unofficial

U17 Women
1. Amanda Wakeling (Cycling BC) 59:51.2
2. Gabrielle April (Lessard Bicycles) 1:02:40.3
3. Emily de Freitas (Team Alberta) 1:05:42.6

U17 Men
1. Antoine Perreault (CVM Val-David) 1:10:19.6
2. Marc-Antoine Nadon (Team Ontario/Hardwood) 1:10:43.1
3. Quinn Moberg (Cycling BC) 1:12:00.3

Junior Women
1. Kristina Laforge (Équipe du Québec/Cyclone d’Alma) 1:22:53.3
2. Lauren Rosser (Cycling BC) 1:23:47.1
3/ Valérie Meunier (Équipe du Québec/Cyclone d’Alma) 1:24:16.5
4. Laura Bietola (Team Ontario/3Rox Racing) 1:24:28.4
5. Emily Fisher (Team Ontario/Angry Johnny’s/Cycle Solutions) 1:25:59.2
6. Cayley Brooks (Team Ontario) 1:28:59.0

Junior Men
1. Evan McNeely (Team Ontario/EMD Serono/Specialized) 1:26:42.8
2. Steven Noble (Team Ontario/Jetpower) 1:27:41.7
3. Antoine Caron (Equipe du Quebec) 1:28:00.9
4. Mitch Bailey (Team Ontario) 1:28:09.5
5. Jérémy Martin (Equipe du Québec/Rocky Mountain Factory Team) 1:29:34.7
6. Léandre Bouchard (Équipe du Québec/Cyclone d’Alma) 1:31:11.2