July 24, 2009 – The Canadian Cycling Association announced today a 7 Junior athlete Team for the 2009 MTB XCO World Championships, September 1st – 6th 2009 in Canberra, Australia. The Junior Team will be Lead by National Champions Laura Bietola from Pickering, Ontario and Evan Guthrie Peachland, British Columbia.

Junior Women
– Laura Bietola, Pickering, Ont
– Cayley Brooks, Barrie, Ont
– Natasha Oldcorn, Aliston, Ont

Junior Men
– Evan Guthrie, Peachland, BC
– Mitch Bailey, Barrie, Ont
– Antoine Caron, Stoneham, QC
– Tyler Allison, Whistler, BC

Based on deliberations involving National MTB Coach, CCA Chief Technical Officer and the CCA High Performance Committee members, it was determined that Tyler Allison will be added to the Team. This addition is considered an extraordinary exception. It is felt that as a first year Junior, Tyler will be as competitive as the 3 other Junior men selected. Tyler’s integration is also prompted by the fact that he will acquire a great deal of experience this year at Worlds so as to give him an excellent competitive edge for 2010 when the World Championships come to Mont- Sainte Anne, Canada.

The Team is presently in Mont Sainte-Anne for the World Cup event under the watchful eye of national coach Dan Proulx. They will continue their World’s preparation the following week at the Bromont World Cup event before their final training block leading up to the MTB XCO World Championships.

Funding from the CCA will allow the Juniors to be partially funded for the World Championships.

If you would like to make a donation to help support the Junior Mountain Bike World Championships Team and alleviate some of the financial stress, please fill out a donation form that can be found at here and e-mail it to Nicholas Vipond at nicholas.vipond@canadian-cycling.com . All proceeds will go directly towards covering the athlete’s expenses.