September 05, 2017 (Cairns, Australia) – The 2017 MTB World Championships kick off on Sept. 6 with the Team Relay at 3pm local time and Team Canada is fielding a team this year headlined by Catharine Pendrel (EW) along with Raphaël Gagné (EM), Peter Disera (UM), Holden Jones (JM) and Anne-Julie Tremblay (UW). The Team Relay is now a five-lap race – a Junior or Under-23 woman must now be part of the team – which is new as previously only four riders competed per country.

Canada did not compete in the Team Relay last year electing to focus on the XCO individual races but this year a strong squad will take on traditional powerhouses like France which has been unbeatable over the past three years. Canada has won the event three times in 2001, 2002 and 2004 and took home silver in 2009 with Pendrel, Gagne, Geoff Kabush and Evan Guthrie.

The new 5-lap course could shake things up and the order of each team’s riders is a closely held secret until race day as strategy can be everything in this unique competition. “We have to keep the order secret as it effects strategy from other teams,” Dan Proulx, Mountain Bike Head Coach at Cycling Canada, told Pedal.

Team Canada’s complete 46-rider squad includes an Olympic medalist, former and current world champions, plus some of Canada’s most promising future riders. The XCO contingent consists of 28 athletes in the Junior, Under-23 and Elite categories for men and women, while the DHI team of 18 athletes includes Elite men and women and Junior men – complete roster here.

2017 MTB World Championships Race Schedule
All times local (less 12h for EST)
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Sept. 6 – 3pm – XCO Team Relay
Sept. 6 – 5pm – Opening Ceremonies
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Sept. 7 – 1pm – XCO Junior Women
Sept. 7 – 3pm – XCO Junior Men
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Sept. 8 – 10am – DH Junior Women/Men Seeding Runs
Sept. 8 – 11:15am – DH Elite Women/Men Timed Sessions
Sept. 8 – 2:30pm – XCO U23 Men
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Sept. 9 – 10am – XCO U23 Women
Sept. 9 – 12pm – XCO Elite Women
Sept. 9 – 2:30pm – XCO Elite Men
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Sept. 10 – 9:30am – DH Junior Women
Sept. 10 – 10:00am – DH Junior Men
Sept. 10 – 1pm – DH Elite Women
Sept. 10 – 2pm – DH Elite Men
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