May 16, 2018 (Albstadt, Germany) – Canada will bring eight riders to Europe for a national mountain bike project at Rounds 2 and 3 of the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Germany and the Czech Republic.

While a number of top Canadian pros will compete with their trade teams in Albstadt, Germany, on May 18-20, and Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic, on May 25-27, a selection of riders will also participate in Team Canada colours.

Dan Proulx, National Mountain Bike Coach, explains, “These World Cups are incredibly challenging and will test the riders’ climbing and technical skills. At this point in the season, most riders are in good form and we expect the races to be very fast. We’re bringing a good team of riders with a nice mix of developing athletes and experienced racers.”

“Emily Batty, Catharine Pendrel and Haley Smith will be competing with their pro teams at this event. They’ll be in the new Short Track event on Friday that will be used to establish start position for the XC race on Sunday. This is an exciting development for our sport and we’re looking forward to perfecting this event at the World Cup level. It’s going to be new for everyone in the field, so there will be a learning curve. Traditionally, when they add these sorts of events to endurance sport, Canadians end up doing very well.”

In the Elite ranks, Team Canada riders will be Andrew L’Esperance for the men, and Sandra Walter and Catherine Fleury for the women. The Under-23 squad is comprised of Mackenzie Myatt and Anne-Julie Tremblay for the women, and Gunnar Holmgren, Brody Sanderson and Sean Fincham for the men.

Team Canada
– Andrew L’Esperance (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Elite Men
– Sandra Walter (Coquitlam, BC) Elite Women
– Catherine Fleury (Saint-Gedeon, Quebec) Elite Women
– Mackenzie Myatt (Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia) U23 Women
– Anne-Julie Tremblay (Chicoutimi, Quebec) U23 Women
– Gunnar Holmgren (Orillia, Ontario) U23 Men
– Brody Sanderson (Oro Medonte, Ontario) U23 Men
– Sean Fincham (Squamish, BC) U23 Men