May 27, 2016 (Ottawa, ON) – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce that Canadian athletes have qualified two starting positions for both women and men in Mountain Biking at the Rio Olympic Games.  Specific athlete selections will be announced at a later date.

Olympic quotas for the 30 female and 50 male starting positions are based on nation rankings under the points system of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing body for cycling.  The qualifying period ended on May 22nd, after the World Cup event in Albstadt, Germany.

Canada ranked third among all nations in the women’s standings at the end of the qualifying period, behind Switzerland and Germany, and will receive the maximum two starting positions.

In the men’s nation rankings, Canada finishing the qualifying period in tenth place, allowing Canada to enter two riders.  The top five countries, led by Switzerland, received three starting spots.

“We are pleased to have secured two spots on both the women’s and men’s side for these upcoming Olympic Games!,” stated Jacques Landry, High Performance Director for Cycling Canada. “Our combined women’s and men’s Olympic ranking is an indication that Canada continues to be an international force in Mountain Biking.”

“With a little more than 14 weeks to the Mountain Bike events in Rio, the focus now will be to ensure that our targeted athletes continue to fine tune their technical and tactical skills, and hone in on final physiological adjustments through training and competitions in order to ensure that no stone remains unturned come August.”

The Olympic mountain bike competitions will take place on Saturday, August 21st, for women and Sunday, August 22nd, for men, at the Deodoro Olympic Park.