October 12, 2018 – A new animated film-in-progress about female cycling pioneer Nora Young, who was recently inducted into the Cycling Canada Hall of Fame, is looking for support from the cycling community for a crowdfunding campaign. “The film is going to be an important contribution in terms of championing women’s cycling and ensuring that women’s contributions get documented as part Canada’s early cycling history,” says filmmaker Julia Morgan, “I would love people’s support to help share Nora’s incredible story.”

Nora Young (1917-2016) rose to prominence as one of the top female road cyclists in Canada in the 1930s and 40s, where she distinguished herself in the top-level cycling races open to women of that era.

“She was amazing and had such a great spirit,” says Morgan. “She was sometimes the only woman competing at road races in the 1930s, where often she left many of her male competitors in the dust, and at the weekly women’s races at the CNE grounds, where the top-level female cyclists of the time raced, she absolutely dominated. And all of this when she was just a teenager!”

Young famously was one of the first women in Canada to compete in a track race on a modern bicycle, the main story told in Morgan’s film. “Nora and several other top female cyclists were invited to compete in a track race of their own at the start of a men’s 1936 Six-Day Race at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto,” says Morgan. “Nora was one of the first women in Canada to ride on a banked track on a modern bicycle in this epic race, and it’s going to be fantastic bringing this historic moment to life through animation. Audiences young and old are going to learn a lot about the challenges and triumphs that Nora and other female cyclists of that time experienced.”

Nora Young was a national record holder and champion (1/4-mile time trial, Dominion Championships) in her youth, among other accomplishments. She also had a distinguished cycling career in her 60s, 70s, and 80s, as a Master’s athlete, winning numerous gold medals in sprint and distance road races across Canada, the U.S., and Australia.

Sadly Young’s competitive peak in the 1930s was fifty years ahead of the inclusion of women’s cycling as an Olympic sport. “If there’d been professional sports [for women] in her day,” says cycling historian Bill Humber, “She would have been an Olympic-calibre athlete.”

Morgan’s film, Undeniably Young: Nora Young and the Six-Day Race, aims to raise $15,000 towards the finishing costs of the film. Contributions can be made here.

More information:

Pedal Magazine – Linda Jackson, Eric Wohlberg & Nora Young Inducted into Cycling Canada Hall of Fame here.
Undeniably Young: Nora Young and the Six-day Race here.
Toronto Star – Toronto’s audacious ‘girl cyclist’ left riders — and stereotypes — in the dust here.

October 10, 2018 (Milton, ON) – Pedal caught up with Linda Jackson and Eric Wohlberg following their recent inductions into the Cycling Canada Hall of Fame at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre. Jackson was a trailblazer winning Road Worlds bronze back in 1996 along with several medals at the Commonwealth Games including winning the Tour de l’Aude Cycliste Féminin. She formed the TIBCO Silicon Valley Bank squad in 2004, now the longest running professional women’s cycling team in North America. Wohlberg is a 3-time Olympian who represented Canada at eight Road World Championships and one Commonwealth Games, winning several medals in the process. With eight National time trial titles to his name he is currently the Sport Director for Rally Racing, America’s top-ranked continental women’s and men’s program, where his passion for cycling continues with many Canucks on the roster – more on their induction here.

October 10, 2018 (Varese, Italy) – Canada’s Michael Woods (EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale) battled for the podium again claiming 4th at the Tre Valli Varesine, 197.07km from Saronnoto to Varese, in Italy won by Toms Skujins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo.

The final lap determined the winner with Woods making the selection on the final Casciago climb. An attack by Skujins gave him the win with Woods narrowly missing the podium behind Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ in second and Peter Kennaugh (Gbr) Bora-Hansgrohe in third.

Results

1. Toms Skujins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo 4:55:41
2. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ
3. Peter Kennaugh (Gbr) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Michael Woods (Can) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
5. Mathias Frank (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale
6. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb
7. Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 4
8. Julien Simon (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:13
9. Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
10. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
11. Mattia Cattaneo (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
12. Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
13. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Bardiani CSF
14. George Bennett (Nzl) LottoNL-Jumbo
15. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team
16. Alexandre Geniez (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
17. Davide Vilella (Ita) Astana Pro Team
18. Sam Oomen (Ned) Team Sunweb
19. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
20. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
21. Sébastien Reichenbach (Sui) FDJ
22. Primoz Roglic (Slo) LottoNL-Jumbo
23. Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
24. Simone Ponzi (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 1:02
25. Guillaume Boivin (Can) Israel Cycling Academy
26. Marco Canola (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
27. Natnael Berhane (Eri) Dimension Data
28. Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
29. Simone Velasco (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
30. Nicholas Schultz (Aus) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
31. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data
32. Luca Wackermann (Ita) Bardiani CSF
33. Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Bardiani CSF
34. Jose Manuel Diaz (Esp) Israel Cycling Academy
35. Antwan Tolhoek (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
36. Edward Ravasi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
37. Hermann Pernsteiner (Aut) Bahrain-Merida
38. Carlos Verona (Esp) Mitchelton-Scott
39. Sebastian Shonberger (Aut) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
40. Matteo Badilatti (Ita) Israel Cycling Academy
41. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Astana Pro Team 1:04
42. Stéphane Rossetto (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
43. Davide Formolo (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe
44. Rob Power (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 1:06
45. Ivan Santaromita (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
46. Marco Tizza (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 1:38
47. Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Israel Cycling Academy
48. Pierpaolo Ficara (Ita) Amore & Vita-Prodir
49. Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe 1:40
50. Manuel Senni (Ita) Bardiani CSF 2:43
51. Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 2:52
52. Nicola Bagioli (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
53. Luis León Sanchez (Esp) Astana Pro Team
54. Mirko Trosino (Ita) Amore & Vita-Prodir
55. Luca Raggio (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
56. Andrey Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team
57. Davide Gaburro (Ita) Amore & Vita-Prodir
58. Dayer Quintana (Col) Movistar Team
59. David Gaudu (Fra) FDJ
60. Nicola Conci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
61. Daan Olivier (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
62. Sergey Firsanov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
63. Sergey Lagutin (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
64. Robert Gesink (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
65. Awet Andemeskel (Eri) Israel Cycling Academy
66. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates
67. Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe 4:10
68. Michele Gazzara (Ita) Sangemini-Mg. K Vis-Vega 4:26
69. Fausto Masnada (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
70. Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
71. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Mitchelton-Scott 5:42
72. Alessandro Fedeli (Ita) Trevigiani Phonix-Hemus 1896
73. Jose Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
74. Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ
75. Floris De Tier (Bel) LottoNL-Jumbo 6:23
76. Koen Bouwmam (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
77. Edoardo Zardini (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia 6:48
78. Mathias Le Turnier (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 7:34
79. Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale 8:03
80. Pierre Latour (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
81. Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
82. Antonio Pedrero (Esp) Movistar Team
83. Ivan Martinelli (Ita) D’Amico Utensilnord 8:06
84. Mattia Frapporti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:10:18
85. Aleksandr Riabushenko (Blr) UAE Team Emirates
86. Antonio Di Sante (Ita) Sangemini-Mg. K Vis-Vega
87. Andrea Garosio (Ita) D’Amico Utensilnord
88. Dario Puccioni (Ita) Sangemini-Mg. K Vis-Vega
89. Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) Bardiani CSF
90. Andrea Bagioli (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
91. Robert Stannard (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Hector Carretero (Esp) Movistar Team
DNF Carlos Betancur (Col) Movistar Team
DNF Winner Anacona (Col) Movistar Team
DNF José Joaquin Rojas (Esp) Movistar Team
DNF Nans Peters (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Manuele Boaro (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
DNF Antonio Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
DNF Kristijan Koren (Slo) Bahrain-Merida
DNF Michael Albasini (Sui) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team
DNF Nikita Stalnov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
DNF Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team
DNF William Bonnet (Fra) FDJ
DNF Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ
DNF Léo Vincent (Fra) FDJ
DNF Pawel Poljanski (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Matteo Bono (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Ben Swift (Gbr) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Oliviero Troia (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Eugenio Alafaci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Gregory Daniel (USA) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Michael Gogl (Aut) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb
DNF Christopher Hamilton (Aus) Team Sunweb
DNF Lennard Kämna (Ger) Team Sunweb
DNF Michael Storer (Aus) Team Sunweb
DNF Jai Hindley (Aus) Team Sunweb
DNF Victor Lafay (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eri) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Esp) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Simon Clarke (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
DNF Hugh Carthy (Gbr) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
DNF Joe Dombrowski (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
DNF José Fernandes Neves (Por) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
DNF Cyrus Monk (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
DNF Stephen Cummings (Gbr) Dimension Data
DNF Ben O’Connor (Aus) Dimension Data
DNF Matteo Sobrero (Ita) Dimension Data
DNF Johann Van Zyl (Rsa) Dimension Data
DNF Danilo Celano (Ita) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Alvaro Cuadros Morata (Esp) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Justin Oien (USA) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Luis Guillermo Mas Bonet (Esp) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Cristian Rodriguez Martin (Esp) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Ruben Plaza (Esp) Israel Cycling Academy
DNF Guy Niv (Isr) Israel Cycling Academy
DNF Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Roman Maikin (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
DNF Evgeny Kobernyak (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
DNF Evgeny Shalunov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
DNF Vladislav Kulikov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
DNF Alexandr Kulikovskiy (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
DNF Davide Ballerini (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
DNF Marco Frapporti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
DNF Andrea Vendrame (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
DNF Sho Hatsuyama (Jpn) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNF Joan Bou Company (Esp) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNF Miguel Eduardo Florez Lopez (Col) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
DNF Nicholas Rinaldi (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
DNF Ilia Koshevoy (Blr) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
DNF Zahiri Abderrahim (Mar) Trevigiani Phonix-Hemus 1896
DNF Fabio Mazzucco (Ita) Trevigiani Phonix-Hemus 1896
DNF Manuel Peñalver Aniorte (Esp) Trevigiani Phonix-Hemus 1896
DNF German Nicolas Tivani Perez (Arg) Trevigiani Phonix-Hemus 1896
DNF Filippo Zana (Ita) Trevigiani Phonix-Hemus 1896
DNF Colin Chris Stüssi (Sui) Amore & Vita-Prodir
DNF Marco Bernardinetti (Ita) Amore & Vita-Prodir
DNF Antonio Zullo (Ita) Amore & Vita-Prodir
DNF Michele Corradini (Ita) Amore & Vita-Prodir
DNF Nicola Gaffurini (Ita) Sangemini-Mg. K Vis-Vega
DNF Paolo Totò (Ita) Sangemini-Mg. K Vis-Vega
DNF Francesco Bettini (Ita) D’Amico Utensilnord
DNF Ettore Carlini (Ita) D’Amico Utensilnord
DNF Emanuele Onesti (Ita) D’Amico Utensilnord
DNS Luca Colnaghi (Ita) Sangemini-Mg. K Vis-Vega

October 09, 2018 – The all-new Turbo Levo is what happens when a group of Swiss geniuses refuse to be satisfied, are kept well fed and entertained, and are hell-bent on giving you a ride even better than you thought was possible. New chassis. New motor. New battery. Next-level software—the new Turbo Levo reflects a complete design overhaul that doesn’t just set the bar for e-MTB, it embodies it. And for the record, yeah, we know that’s saying a hell of a lot. The Levo, however, takes everything we learned from the latest Stumpjumper’s development and puts it into a lighter, slimmer, stiffer, and incredibly capable package. We even boosted its range by a staggering 40%, and equipped it with the smoothest, quietest, and most powerful motor in its class.

It Starts at the Frame
Lighter. Slacker. More Capable.
You’re looking at one of the lightest, most capable full-suspension e-mountain bikes to ever touch dirt. And much of the Turbo Levo’s summer beach body is the result of what we learned while designing the latest Stumpjumper. Case in point is its new Sidearm frame design that gives it an exceptional stiffness-to-weight ratio. We also gave it a slacker geometry, so the Turbo Levo is now lower-slung for incredibly capable handling on tough descents and even easier maneuverability in technical terrain.

A Better Ride
Rowdy Descents? Steep Climbs? Hell. Yes.
Taking nods from the Stumpjumper, the Turbo Levo is a fully-fledged progressive trail bike. We’ve lengthened the reach, kept the chainstays nice and short, and maintained a low center of gravity. Next, we slackened the head angle for more confident descents and steepened the seat angle to improve climbing efficiency. We’ve also added a Flip Chip, so you can adjust your bottom bracket height and head angle in a matter of minutes. It’s dialed.

New Suspension
More Control Up AND Down the Trail
We fine-tuned the Turbo Levo’s suspension design to give you even more control where you need it most. The initial travel is supple—perfect for smoothing out small bumps and trail chatter. We also added more mid-stroke support, so there’s no wallowing about or blowing through your 150mm of suspension travel on big hits and drops. This extra mid-stroke support also helps when you’re climbing by keeping the bike from sinking into its rear travel when the trail points up and your weight shifts back.

Truly Innovative Power
The Smoothest, Quietest, and Most Powerful Motor in Its Class
The Turbo Levo’s ultralight, magnesium-bodied Specialized 2.1 motor amplifies your input by up to 410% with absolutely no awkward surges in power. No lurch. No “I really hope this thing will stop” motor jumps. Our engineers in Switzerland devoted years, literally, to making this a reality by creating custom software that drives the most cutting-edge motor in its class. And it’s all exclusive to the Turbo Levo—a motor that provides an incredibly smooth and natural boost to your own pedaling efforts. It’s You, Only Faster.

A Cutting-Edge Battery
More Miles from Every Charge
What do you call an e-MTB with no battery charge left? Unacceptable. That’s why we’ve increased battery capacity by 40%, courtesy of the most advanced lithium-ion technology out there. The Turbo Levo now gets more distance out of every full charge, so you’ll never have to worry about getting caught on the trail without enough juice to get you home. The Smart Control feature, available with our Mission Control App, lets you set the Turbo Levo’s power assist to last for either the duration of your ride or until you reach a point you’ve defined yourself. Wondering how much battery you have left? The battery status is always on view with both the new Turbo Connect Unit and the optional handlebar-mounted Turbo Connect Display.

Connectivity
Brilliance Made Simple
This Turbo is, quite possibly, the smartest and best-connected e-MTB to date. There, we said it. In the center of the top tube, you’ll find our Turbo Connect Unit that connects the bike, via ANT+ and Bluetooth®, to both the outside and the Turbo Connect Handlebar Display (available aftermarket). Speaking of which, the latest version of the Mission Control App now has more features and is simpler to use than ever before. It lets you easily custom-tune nearly every aspect of the bike, monitor your power use, control your range, perform basic system diagnoses, record and upload rides—there’s even a new Shuttle Mode feature that takes the sting out of long climbs by giving you maximum motor support with less required effort at the pedals. It’s perfect for the days where you want to ditch the lift and get up on your own. Seriously, the new Mission Control puts the whole Turbo Levo experience over the top, and you’ll only get it here.

Read more here.

October 09, 2018 – EF Education First and Rapha announce a major new partnership to revolutionize the way professional cycling is presented, with the aim of taking a disruptive approach to the sport throughout the 2019 season and beyond. The move marks Rapha’s return to men’s WorldTour professional cycling after a two-year hiatus.

Rapha will bring their creative credentials to EF Pro Cycling, and together they will focus on profiling inspirational and charismatic riders and showcasing their stories. Coverage will include regular shows from inside the team, with some developed and presented by the riders themselves. Cameras will follow the racers on a year-long journey through the most interesting events in cycling, offering a new window into all aspects of the sport.

This new partnership follows a two-year study conducted by Rapha into the future of professional cycling. Led by four academic experts around the world and based on interviews with more than 50 of the most experienced stakeholders in the sport, the project examined in detail the opportunities and challenges facing road cycling at large. The project found that there is vast opportunity to grow the sport and increase its overall value by converting more cyclists into fans and connecting more meaningfully with a modern audience.

It is this foundation that Rapha and the EF team will build upon. Storytelling and creative content has been part of Rapha’s business since its launch in 2004, resulting in over 300 films created in its 15-year history, and several EF riders and staff are already known as some of the sport’s most colorful.

Together, Rapha and EF will celebrate the team’s characters and heroes, and will explore not only the traditional heart of cycling in the Grand Tours and Classics but also bring new formats and disciplines into focus. A number of EF racers will ride a mixed calendar of events in the 2019 season, including the WorldTour schedule and also criteriums, ultra-endurance races and renowned mixed-terrain events. This coverage will be coupled with live events in Rapha Clubhouses and other venues around the world, building on the local cycling communities that the brand has been developing since the company’s inception.

Building on Rapha’s previous success in the WorldTour and race-proven range of Pro Team kit, the team will wear the most technically advanced and visually striking clothing in the professional peloton. The new designs will be released soon.

Simon Mottram said: “Rapha started in 2004 because of my own love for road racing. Racing has always been something that inspires us and our customers – it’s our common ground. Through our sponsorships with Rapha-Condor, Rapha Focus, Team Sky, Team WIGGINS and CANYON//SRAM, we’ve had great success, but are still frustrated that the sport can only grow if it fundamentally reforms. For this reason, we are excited to play a role in moving the sport forwards through the new venture with EF. We are passionate about making it reach more fans and be a better spectacle so that more people come to appreciate how great it is. As a fan, I’m so excited about us being back in the men’s WorldTour.”

Jonathan Vaughters said: “Rapha is a great partner for us, from their world-class kit to the cycling culture we both want to help grow. We aim to open up cycling to a wider group of people; we’re interested in exploring all aspects of the community, from racing and its core fans to the people who just got on bikes. By bringing some of our athletes to grassroots and mainstream races across the world, we’re hoping to deepen the relationship between our team and other riders, and have some fun while we’re at it. We’re also going to give people more insight into the sport than before, showing a rare, unvarnished perspective of these athletes’ lives. The human element of cycling is very, very powerful. And as for the kit… we look forward to building on the strong visual identity forged by POC and bringing our style into a new chapter. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”

By showing a true portrait of the riders and engaging at both the sport’s pinnacle and outskirts, Rapha and EF Pro Cycling will give fans plenty of reasons to cheer in 2019 and beyond.

Canadian team member Michael Woods tweeted. “2019… @rapha … @rideargyle … #mindblown #boom #itsgoingtobeagoodyear #stokelevelhigh #buckleup.”

October 06, 2018 (Baltimore, USA) The Mid Atlantic’s premier two-day cyclocross race, Charm City Cross, returned for its 14th season on Saturday, featuring Category 1 events for Elite Women and Elite Men in Baltimore City’s historic Druid Hill Park. The top athletes from USA Cycling’s Pro Cyclocross Calendar (ProCX) took on a muddy course with its featured staircase, towering 50 feet in height with 29 steps. Event sponsor Scaffold Resources added eight additional steps from the 2017 feature, which did factor into strategic attacks on the final laps for both ProCX races.

Ellen Noble (Kennebunkport, Maine/Trek Factory Racing CX) took the Charm City crown for the women and Kerry Werner (Birdsboro, Penn./Kona Maxxis Shimano) grabbed the hardware for the men. Both also claimed early leads for the Parkway CX Trophy presented by Union Craft Brewery. Saturday’s ProCX races were the first of four events in the new series.

Elite Women’s C1 Race
Racing started at Druid Hill Park in Baltimore under cloudy skies and mild temperatures. Rain from Thursday and Friday had created muddy conditions for the early events, with hundreds of juniors and masters riders packing down some of the areas.

After two turns on the circuit, the Elite Women’s field saw a battle at the front between the top two women in the ProCX standings, Noble, who is now ranked second overall, and points leader Maghalie Rochette (St-Jerome, Quebec/CXFever p/b Specialized). Trailing a few seconds behind in third was Kaitie Keough (Colorado Springs, Colo./Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld). Another 10 to 15 seconds in full chase mode was Rebecca Fahringer (Concord, N.H./Kona Maxxis Shimano).

Rochette, who took the holeshot, did most of the work out front for the first half of the 5-lap contest. With two to go, Noble attacked on the back side of the course and tried to open a gap on her nemesis. The move extended the lead of the duo over Keough to 20 seconds, but the two continued to battle until the final lap.

“It was definitely a super tactical race, which is something that I’m not really used to. Maghalie is specifically such a hard racer to race against,” said Noble, who finished third in the 2017 Charm City C1 race. “We’re both pretty punchy and pretty good technically. So figuring out how to beat her has been an ongoing process. What it took today was finding out where she was making mistakes and capitalizing on that. I knew she was struggling on the 180 going along Club Row. I didn’t know if she was bluffing a little bit or if she was starting to ‘take on water,’ but I figured I would put in one more dig. Otherwise, I was saving a little bit for the sprint.”

Noble attacked after the final climb up the staircase and took a gap into the final turns. She did not need to use energy for a sprint, as she went solo across the finish in 45 minutes, 37 seconds. Rochette would follow in second place 28 seconds later. Keough took third place, 58 seconds back.

“I’m actually happy with it (the race), because I really gave it everything I had today. Ellen was just stronger today, and there’s nothing I can do about that,” said Rochette, who was 11th in this same race last year. “I think we are very similar. She’s really strong and super powerful, but she’s also a great technical rider. There’s nothing that she doesn’t do well. I feel like that’s great, because you have to be technically ‘on it’ to get the best of her. It’s great battles. It makes me better.”

The two will not face off on Sunday for the C2 title, as Rochette will be going home to Canada to prepare for a World Cup race in Europe. “I’m going back home, because I haven’t been home for a month. I’ll be home for a week and then go to Switzerland. I made a last-minute decision to go to the World Cup in Switzerland in a couple of weeks.”

All the women in the Top 5 of the Saturday contest are currently ranked in the Top 10 of ProCX. Baltimore-native and five-time U.S. mountain bike national champion Georgia Gould (Boulder, Colo.) made her way through the 31-rider field, moving from 26th to finish seventh.

“Right now there’s a lot of really strong women in North America,” Rochette added. “And every time we get to race each other, one of us has a better day. It’s never the same person winning, but it’s always great battles. I feel like that is really making all of us better. I’m really enjoying the state of the women’s field right now.”

Elite Men’s C1 Race

It didn’t take the elite men very long to launch a five-man group at the front and string out the rest of the 41-rider field.

“I took the holeshot and led the first lap,” said Werner, who finished just off the podium in fourth place at last year’s C1 in Baltimore. “Honestly, I thought I could get away from these guys a little quicker. I thought pushing the pace on some of these corners would have shattered the field a little sooner. I reckon it did. There were five of us that basically stayed away.”

Along with Werner, the pistons in the lead included Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y./Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld), Matthieu Boulo (Saint-Guyomard, France/Team Pays de Dinan), Matthew van den Ham (Brandon, Manitoba/Garneau-Easton p/b Transitions), and Jamey Driscoll (Park City, Utah). Trailing in sixth was Tobin Ortenblad (Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz, Calif./Santa Cruz/Donkey Label Racing).

There were multiple moves and bike changes. With two to go, Werner moved to the front and picked up the pace. White would not be able to stay in touch with the leaders, leaving four to continue to set the pace.

“It was a bit of a chess match,” noted Werner about the race. “Van den Ham was riding pretty strong. When you see Jamie Driscoll at the front of the race, towards the end, you always have to check yourself. And then the Frenchman (Boulo), he had some very solid World Cups, so it was wide open. He was riding into the flyover every lap, and he was doing damage for sure. That was really wrecking me.”

On the final of the seven laps, Boulo opened a small gap on Werner. The move did damage to van den Ham and to Driscoll. But Werner fought back.

“I really had to work in the corners to bring him back before the (Zoo) Mansion Hill. I connected right at the bottom – I was gassed,” added Werner. “I managed to just slot in front of him (Boulo) at the top and kind of work the corners off the top of the hill. I got three seconds and just ran with it. It was freaking tight. I was not ever relaxed this entire race. It was good. I was happy to win the C1 that way. Man, I am ecstatic. So pulling it off today was huge.”

Werner, who is the ProCX points leader for Elite Men, would win his fourth race this season in a time of 58 minutes, 12 seconds. It was his first C1 of the year, finishing second at Rochester Cyclocross in early September. Boulo would finish alone in second, just eight seconds back.

It took a sprint for Driscoll to outlast van den Ham and take third place, 25 seconds off the winning time. Driscoll, who was second at RenoCross earlier this season, said he could feel the high humidity during the race and the conditions were a little slower than last year.

“I’m not a good sprinter, but I just had more gas at the end,” Driscoll said about catching van den Ham on the final lap to battle for the final podium spot. “The move that I got him on was that last river crossing. I just chose a different rut than him and basically came to the pavement equal position, but I had more speed. Even though I was on the outside, I was able to carry my speed around the dry pavement.”

White would follow in fifth and Ortenblad in sixth.

“The pace was high all race, so that was a big thing. Smooth was fast today,” said Werner. He’s ready for Sunday in the C2 event. “I’m just going to race really hard. I’m not going to play games. I kind of want go pedal to the metal. I’m going to make it fast, send it early.”

Results (brief)

Women
1. Ellen Noble (USA) Trek Factory Racing 0:45:37
2. Maghalie Rochette (Can) CXFever p/b Specialized 0:28
3. Kaitlin Keough (USA) Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com 0:58
4. Rebecca Fahringer (USA) Kona Maxxis Shimano 1:44
5. Sunny Gilbert (USA) Van Dessel Factory Team 1:59

Men
1. Kerry Werner Jr. (USA) Kona Maxxis Shimano 0:58:12
2. Matthieu Boulo (Fra) Team Pays de Dinan 0:08
3. James Driscoll (USA) Independent 0:25
4. Michael van den Ham (Can) Garneau-Easton p/b Transitions 0:26
5. Curtis White (USA) Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld. 1:06

October 06, 2018 (Israel) – Awesome day on the bike for the team moving up in the overall ranking to finish 3rd on the final Stage 3 and 7th place overall. After the neutral start we positioned ourselves close to the front to stay out of the dust and be ready for any move that went. On a steep pavement climb about 5 km into the race the pair of Russia and Germany riders attacked and we followed quickly, and the Czech team could also follow.

The break quickly gained time on the field and Kulhavy made his way to the front to keep it that way. The top 5 teams were within 7 min of each other so there was certainly that GC race going on along with the race for the stage victory.

“We delivered a strong day on the bike for this last stage. Its nice to see that we never played defense in the day or overall, always charging always playing offense, again today it proved to be a smart decision. After 5k the pace went really hard after the Russian/German attacked and we were the only one to follow as well as the Czech team,” said Raphael Gagne.

“We rode the front trio team for half of the race until we had to take our own pace. Doing so probably meant we finished strong unlike the last two days where the last long climb was our weakness. Lots of dust but most fun day with a bit more speed and singletrack. We finished a strong 3rd place climbing the overall classification to 7th.”

“What a great way to finish off our time here in Israel with our strongest ride and 3rd place on the stage. Going into the last day our goal was to again race at the front and ride aggressively but my personal goal was to make it to the last climb in good shape and finish strong,” said Andrew L’Esperance.

Unlike the last two days, we both made it to the final climbs of the race with good energy and good legs and we smashed them. Overall it was an awesome experience racing and touring around Israel. We got some really good race experience and a bit of vacation on the side. Huge thanks to the Israel Ministry of Tourism for this opportunity.

“My experience at Epic Israel was amazing. Each time I get to do a stage race I learn so much and takeaway so many great lessons. I am happy to conclude my 2018 season with this race and I am looking forward to getting back to Canada to start preparations for 2019. Thanks to the race organization, Norco Bicycles and Forward Racing for the support to make all this happen,” added L’Esperance.

Gagne echoed his partner, “Mission accomplished. I’d like to thank my partner Andrew for the race, the ministery of tourism Israel for inviting us and hosting us well. Also my team Silverback OMX pro team, this concludes my 2018 XCO season and I am excited for a bit of rest before starting building towards next race season.”

Canada’s Cindy Montambault racing with teammate Jaqueline Mourao from Brazil also landed on the podium in 3rd on the final stage and claimed 3rd overall in the women’s race.

Results (brief)

Men
1. Specialized (Matous/Kulhavy) 2:21:56
2. Bergamont/Salcano (Zwiehoff/Sintsov) 2:21:59
3. Team Canada (Gagne/L’Esperance) 2:24:41

Women
1. BWR Team (Michiels/Crnogorac) 2:46:27
2. Hungarian Nation Team-Ghost (Terpstra/Benko) 2:54:01
3. Scott Bresil/Trek GPL (Mourao/Montambault) 3:09:55

Final GC

Men
1. LEXWARE Mountain Bike Team (Brandl/Eger) 9:51:41
2. Mobel Markl MTB Pro Team (Raggl/Market) 9:55:16
3. Hungarian National Team (Morton/Valter) 9:57:00

7. Team Canada (Gagne/L’Esperance) 10:13:42

Women
1. Hungarian Nation Team-Ghost (Terpstra/Benko) 11:45:31
2. BWR Team (Michiels/Crnogorac) 12:39:01
3. Scott Bresil/Trek GPL (Mourao/Montambault) 12:53:28

 

 

 

October 06, 2018 (Bologna, ITA) – Canada’s Michael Woods (EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale) delivered another strong result attacking on the final climb again to finish just off the podium at the 200km Giro dell’Emilia won by Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) BMC Racing Team with Woods’s teammate Rigoberto Uran (Col) in second followed by Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC Racing Team in 3rd.

Results

1. Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) BMC Racing Team 5:09:35
2. Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 0:08
3. Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:09
4. Michael Woods (Can) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
5. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 0:13
6. Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
7. Primoz Roglic (Slo) LottoNl-Jumbo
8. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 0:15
9. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 0:18
10. SÈbastien Reichenbach (Sui) Groupama-FDJ 0:21
11. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team
12. Davide Villella (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:32
13. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
14. Daniel Felipe Martinez Poveda (Col) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
15. Sergei Chernetski (Rus) Astana Pro Team 0:34
16. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:38
17. Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky 0:47
18. Jan Polanc (Slo) UAE Team Emirates 0:58
19. Miguel Angel Lopez Moreno (Col) Astana Pro Team
20. Matej Mohoric (Slo) Bahrain-Merida 1:04
21. Mattia Cattaneo (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 1:07
22. Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 1:14
23. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) Team Sky 1:16
24. Hugh John Carthy (Gbr) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 1:23
25. Kilian Frankiny (Sui) BMC Racing Team 1:27
26. Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data
27. Simone Petilli (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 1:32
28. Alexandre Geniez (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 1:56
29. Ivan Santaromita (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 2:01
30. Nans Peters (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
31. Jasha S¸tterlin (Ger) Movistar Team 2:05
32. Edoardo Zardini (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia 2:10
33. Simone Ravanelli (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo 2:54
34. Diego Rosa (Ita) Team Sky 3:20
35. Edward Ravasi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
36. Ivan Ramiro Sosa Cuervo (Col) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
37. Sebastian Henao Gomez (Col) Team Sky
38. Ruben Fernandez (Esp) Movistar Team
39. Natnael Berhane (Eri) Dimension Data 3:37
40. Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 4:15
41. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 4:21
42. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo 4:24
43. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 4:37
44. Luca Wackermann (Ita) Bardiani CSF 4:45
45. Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
46. Simone Velasco (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
47. Simon Clarke (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 5:00
48. Robert Gesink (Ned) LottoNl-Jumbo 5:25
49. Sebastian Schˆnberger (Aut) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
50. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Bardiani CSF 5:56
51. Jacques Willem Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Dimension Data 6:05
52. Nicola Bagioli (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
53. Joan Bou Company (Esp) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 6:11
54. Samuele Zoccarato (Ita) Italy 7:52
55. Michele Gazzara (Ita) Sangemini – Mg. K Vis – Vega 9:03
56. Mattia Frapporti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 9:13
57. Marco Tizza (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
58. Carlos Barbero (Esp) Movistar Team
59. Nicola Conci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
60. Ivan Rovny (Rus) Gazprom Rusvelo
61. Guy Niv (Isr) Israel-Cycling Academy
62. Jorge Arcas (Esp) Movistar Team
63. Luca Raggio (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia 9:37
64. Fausto Masnada (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 9:51
65. Jose Manuel Diaz Gallego (Esp) Israel-Cycling Academy
66. Matteo Spreafico (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
67. Matteo Badilatti (Sui) Team Vorarlberg Santic
68. Nathan Brown (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
69. Davide Gabburo (Ita) Amore & Vita – Prodir 0:10:24
70. Sergey Firsanov (Rus) Gazprom Rusvelo 0:11:18
71. Scott Davies (Gbr) Dimension Data 0:11:35
72. Marco Bernardinetti (Ita) Amore & Vita – Prodir 0:12:24
73. Giovanni Aleotti (Ita) Italy 0:12:48
74. Lorenzo DelcÛ (Sui) Biesse Carrera Gavardo 0:15:33
75. Viesturs Luksevics (Lat) Amore & Vita – Prodir 0:17:51
76. Nicola Gaffurini (Ita) Sangemini – Mg. K Vis – Vega 0:18:15
77. Niklas Eg (Den) Trek-Segafredo 0:18:23
DNF Manuele Boaro (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
DNF Antonio Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
DNF Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
DNF Dario Cataldo (Ita) Astana Pro Team
DNF Jan Hirt (Cze) Astana Pro Team
DNF Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team
DNF Alberto Bettiol (Ita) BMC Racing Team
DNF Alexander Evans (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane
DNF Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team
DNF Joseph Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team
DNF Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
DNF William Bonnet (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
DNF Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
DNF Anthony Roux (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
DNF LÈo Vincent (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
DNF Matteo Bono (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Manuele Mori (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Ben Swift (Gbr) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Aleksandr Riabushenko (Blr) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Carlos Betancur (Col) Movistar Team
DNF Mikel Landa Meana (Esp) Movistar Team
DNF JosÈ Rojas (Esp) Movistar Team
DNF Michael Albasini (Sui) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Rob Power (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Carlos Verona (Esp) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Simon Philip Yates (Gbr) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Stephen Cummings (Gbr) Dimension Data
DNF Ben O’connor (Aus) Dimension Data
DNF Nicholas Dlamini (RSA) Dimension Data
DNF Enrico Battaglin (Ita) LottoNl-Jumbo
DNF Floris De Tier (Bel) LottoNl-Jumbo
DNF Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNl-Jumbo
DNF Daan Olivier (Ned) LottoNl-Jumbo
DNF Antwan Tolhoek (Ned) LottoNl-Jumbo
DNF Kenny Elissonde (Fra) Team Sky
DNF Michal Golas (Pol) Team Sky
DNF David Lopez Garcia (Esp) Team Sky
DNF Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Tsgabu Gebremaryam Grmay (Eth) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Axel Domont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Pierre Latour (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Aldo Caiati (Ita) Italy
DNF Eros Capecchi (Ita) Italy
DNF Massimo Orlandi (Ita) Italy
DNF Davide Orrico (Ita) Italy
DNF Antonio Santoro (Ita) Italy
DNF Marco Frapporti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
DNF Andrea Vendrame (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
DNF Daniel Savini (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Umberto Orsini (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Manuel Senni (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Miguel Eduardo Florez Lopez (Col) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
DNF Ilia Koshevoy (Blr) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
DNF Nicholas Rinaldi (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
DNF Sho Hatsuyama (Jpn) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNF Filippo Zaccanti (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNF Simone Ponzi (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNF Pierpaolo Ficara (Ita) Amore & Vita – Prodir
DNF Colin Chris St¸ssi (Sui) Amore & Vita – Prodir
DNF Mirko Trosino (Ita) Amore & Vita – Prodir
DNF Kristian Javier Yustre Rodriguez (Col) Amore & Vita – Prodir
DNF Evgeny Shalunov (Rus) Gazprom Rusvelo
DNF Dmitriy Kozontchuk (Rus) Gazprom Rusvelo
DNF Evgeny Kobernyak (Rus) Gazprom Rusvelo
DNF Sergey Lagutin (Rus) Gazprom Rusvelo
DNF Vladislav Kulikov (Rus) Gazprom Rusvelo
DNF Awet Andemeskel (Eri) Israel-Cycling Academy
DNF Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel-Cycling Academy
DNF Mihkel R‰im (Est) Israel-Cycling Academy
DNF Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Israel-Cycling Academy
DNF Danilo Celano (Ita) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Alvaro Cuadros Morata (Esp) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Luis Guillermo Mas Bonet (Esp) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Cristian Rodriguez Martin (Esp) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Nicholas Jack William Schultz (Aus) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Justin Alexander Oien (USA) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
DNF Matteo Draperi (Ita) Sangemini – Mg. K Vis – Vega
DNF Luca Colnaghi (Ita) Sangemini – Mg. K Vis – Vega
DNF Niccolo’ Salvietti (Ita) Sangemini – Mg. K Vis – Vega
DNF Antonio Di Sante (Ita) Sangemini – Mg. K Vis – Vega
DNF Alberto Amici (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
DNF Enrico Logica (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
DNF Michel Piccot (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
DNF Enrico Salvador (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
DNF Andrea Zanardini (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
DNF Vlad-Nicolae Dobre (Rom) Mstina Focus
DNF Emil Dima (Rom) Mstina Focus
DNF Mattia Marcelli (Ita) Mstina Focus
DNF Andrea Ruscetta (Ita) Mstina Focus
DNF Riccardo Stacchiotti (Ita) Mstina Focus
DNF Denis Marian Vulcan (Rom) Mstina Focus
—

October 05, 2018 (Milton, ON) – Three new members were inducted into the Cycling Canada Hall of Fame last weekend at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, located in Milton. Linda Jackson, Nora Young and Eric Wohlberg were honoured at the Hall of Fame luncheon ceremony after the third annual Lexus Ride with Legends through the beautiful Halton Hills region, north of Milton.

The Cycling Canada Hall of Fame was created in 2015 to recognize outstanding achievement and contribution to the sport of cycling by both athletes and builders. With this induction, twenty two members have been inducted to the Hall of Fame, including nineteen athletes and three builders.

“It is so important to recognize and celebrate the gracious champions and builders who have been instrumental in shaping the development of cycling in Canada,” said Matt Jeffries, Executive Director of Cycling Canada. “There is no better way to honour them than through this induction into our Hall of Fame. We are grateful to Nora, Linda, Eric and their families for the enormous contributions they have made and continue to make to our sport in Canada and abroad.”

Linda Jackson had a remarkable career in road cycling despite entering into the sport at the age of 32. She won a bronze medal at the 1996 World Championships in the Road Race, as well as several medals at the Commonwealth Games.

In 2004 she founded the women’s road racing team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank, which is now the longest running professional women’s cycling team in North America. She was also a founding Director of the CCA – Hamilton 2003 Road Cycling Foundation, which has supported numerous road riders through the years.

As a professional athlete, Eric Wohlberg represented Canada in three different Olympic Games, eight Road World Championships and one Commonwealth Games, winning a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. From 1996 to 2006, Eric was on the podium at every single Canadian Road Championships in the Individual Time Trial. Since retiring, he has continued with his passion for the sport acting as Sport Director for Rally Racing, America’s top ranked continental women’s and men’s program.

“I’m very honoured to be part of an exclusive club of Canadian cyclists,” said Wohlberg, who attended the ceremony with members of his family. “To see my name on the plaque in Milton was great. I had a pretty long run in the sport and I try to continue to make significant contributions. Honestly, it was one of the best weekends of my life; all of my family were able to come down from northern Ontario. I was very impressed with how the whole weekend went, and hats off to Cycling Canada and the Hall of Fame Committee for putting this together.”

Nora Young (1917 – 2016) was a leading early era athlete who rose to prominence as one of the top female road cyclists in Canada in the 1930s and 1940s. She is one of Canada’s most important early female cycling pioneers, distinguishing herself in the top-level cycling races open to women in that era. Young’s cycling career never fully came to a halt, and she continued to win multiple medals in her 60s, 70s, and 80s in Master’s competitions throughout the world.

October 03, 2018 (Ottawa, ON) – Cycling Canada’s Para-Cycling NextGen Program is now accepting athlete applications for the 2019 season. This program is focused on providing targeted athletes with an elevated level of support to deliver international podium performances and transition seamlessly into the elite ranks. In addition, the program offers athletes without prior experience an opportunity to see if they have what it takes to be a Paralympian.

Selected athletes will receive a world class Daily Training Environment with personalized and periodized coaching from the NextGen coach, and integrated support services such as nutrition, mental performance, physiology and strength & conditioning.

The Para-Cycling NextGen program aims at supporting and elevating skilled athletes towards the National Team by providing personal coaching, access to sports science services and specific equipment all year long. NextGen training camps and international racing opportunities will target athletes that are ready to commit to a high performance lifestyle to develop their skills to the fullest.

Applications can be completed online here until October 12, 2018 at 17:00 PDT. Any questions can be directed to Para-Cycling Program Manager Nicholas Vipond here.

October 02, 2018 (Milton, ON) – Over 150 athletes participated in the 2018 Canadian Track Championships for Elite and Masters on September 27-29 at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario.

“We are very pleased with the delivery of the 2018 Canadian Track Championships for our Elite and Masters category riders here in Milton,” said Jolene Dupuis, Events and Officials Coordinator at Cycling Canada. “We continue to see a growth in participation numbers for these Championships, with a total of 156 riders who joined us this year. This has added an increase of competition for the riders, which proved to have some great performances on the track! Although the schedule was quite full, we appreciate the work from our commissaires, volunteers and staff who continuously worked in ensuring a smooth execution of the event.”

The Elite women and men categories each contested for eight national titles in the sprint and endurance events. Derek Gee of Ottawa was the only competitor to sweep his events, winning all four gold medals in the Elite men’s endurance category – the Omnium, Individual Pursuit, Team Pursuit and Madison.

Hugo Barrette of Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, won three Sprint titles in the men – 1000 metre time trial, Sprint and Team Sprint, while three women and one man each won two titles – Lauriane Genest of Levis, Quebec, in the 500 metre time trial and Team Sprint, Steph Roorda of Vancouver in the Omnium and Madison, Annie Foreman-Mackey of Kingston, Ontario, in the Individual Pursuit and Team Pursuit, and Michael Foley of Milton, Ontario, in the Team Pursuit and Madison.

Barrette, who won the 1000 metre time trial on the first day of competition, admitted to feeling the effects of his effort in later events: “I haven’t done the Kilo in seven years, so it was definitely hard! I woke up the next day really tired, but as the day went on, I felt faster and faster, and by the Sprint final I was full gas. It’s good to see that the younger generation are coming up, it’s motivating.”

Kelsey Mitchell, riding for the Juventus team out of Alberta, was a first time Elite champion, winning the Sprint. “It feels amazing; I was fourth in qualifying, so to win was a pretty good feeling. I knew Lauriane’s [Genest] top speed was a lot faster than mine, so I just brought the speed up gradually to tire her out, and it worked.”

“We had three really good days of competition at the Championships, and it is good to see that the participation numbers are up,” said Kris Westwood, Head of Performance Operations at Cycling Canada.  “But it’s not just the quantity – the quality of competition has improved dramatically. It shows how our track program is raising the level in Canada. It’s been great to watch.”

October 01, 2018 (Innsbruck, Austria) – Three hundred meters from the finish line in Innsbruck, Austria, Canadian Mike Woods found himself in a race-winning position. The 31-year-old, fresh off his Vuelta a España stage win, had forced a selection on Höttinger Höll and was coming to the line with Alejandro Valverde (Spain), Tom Dumoulin (The Netherlands) and Romain Bardet (France).

Valverde opened up the four-up sprint that would decide who would wear the rainbow jersey in 2019.

“I had a lot of confidence in my sprint, so my plan was to simply wait until 150 meters to go,” said Woods. “When Valverde opened at 300 meters, I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was going to beat him.”

As Woods dug deep to pour the last bit of power in his legs into the pedals, he cramped.

“I had missed my final bottle,” said Woods. “And I began to cramp super hard in both my calves and my hamstrings. I started pedaling squares and went from thinking ‘I could win this’ to ‘I hope I can carry myself across the line in front of Dumoulin.’ ”

Woods managed to hang on for third place. Valverde took the win. Bardet settled for silver.

“I was disappointed in the immediate aftermath,” said Woods. “I can’t believe that I’m saying that now, but that’s how I truly felt when I crossed the line. At 200 meters to go, I thought I was going to beat Valverde, but once I started to cramp, my chances faded away.

“No matter how good you are, you won’t find yourself in a race-winning position with 300 meters to go that often at a World Championships,” said Woods. “To be that close and have it go out the window because of cramping, in that moment, it was disappointing. Now, after having 24 hours to think about it, I’m over the moon. I didn’t sleep last night. That’s how excited I was.”

Until he cramped with the finish line in sight, Woods had a dream race.

“The race played out pretty much as we had expected,” Woods explained. “I’m really fortunate to be riding for a federation – Cycling Canada – that is open to consultation and to ride for a team – EF Education First – Drapac p/b Cannondale – that is so supportive of me. My federation director Kevin Field and my coach Paulo Saldanha are both aware of my strong relationship with my sport director Juanma Garate. They worked with him to try to understand how the race would play out.

“Through conversations with Juanma, we landed on a strategy that would have me play off France and use Alaphilippe as my reference,” Woods noted. “When we hit the final climb, all I had were three riders in front of me: Thibaut Pinot, Romain Bardet and Julian Alaphilippe. At that point, things had gone so to plan that I thought I might be dreaming.”

The last of seven laps of the 23.8 kilometer Inssbruck circuit veered from course to include the 2.9 kilometer Höttinger Höll. The climb included gradients as steep as 25 percent. Woods drew inspiration from a vocal crowd on the steepest slopes to initiate the move from which the podium would emerge.

Initially Gianni Moscon (Italy) made the selection. A second acceleration by Woods saw Moscon fall away. Dumoulin used the descent to claw his way back to the leaders, latching on with two kilometers left to race.

“When Tom caught us, all cohesion went out the window,” said Woods. “At that point, there was such little distance left, and with the work he did alone to bridge across while the rest of us worked together, I knew he’d pretty gassed from the effort.”

Dumoulin put in one last dig, without effect, as Woods bided his time. Valverde opened. Woods launched. And cramped.

Third.

“To be a bronze medalist at the world championships is not something that I could have dreamt of when I was working behind a teller stand at a bank a few years ago,” said Woods. “I think I started to show glimpses of these types of performances last year. This year, I’ve really stepped up my consistency and shown that now, as long as I am healthy, I can contend against the best riders in the world.

“This confidence and inner-belief has made racing at the WorldTour a lot less scary and a lot more fun.,” Woods added. “When I first started racing at this level, I spent half of my races in fear of crashing or getting dropped. I’m seeing bike racing far differently, and when it goes well, it is damn fun.”

Woods’ season is not over yet. He’ll line up for GP Emilia next weekend, and Il Lombardia the weekend after next.

“As I get ready for my final few races this year and start shifting my focus to next year, I just hope I can continue to learn from these past results,” said Woods. “I’m aim to use this perspective to continue my progression in this sport and inspire more kids to get on bikes and more fans to cheer for a Canadian kicking it in the WorldTour.”

October 01, 2018 – Rally Cycling’s Sara Poidevin climbed her way to 14th place at the UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria this weekend. With no separate category for the under-23 women, Poidevin claimed the unofficial world title while competing in the elite race for Team Canada alongside her Rally Cycling teammates Katherine Maine and Sara Bergen.

The result capped off an impressive season for Poidevin that saw her win the Best Young Rider jersey at the Amgen Tour of California and the Tour de l’Ardèche.

Held over the hilliest parcours in recent World Championship’s memory, the peloton was decimated on each passage of the eight km Igls climb. Eight riders escaped the peloton on the finishing circuits and Poidevin sprinted into Innsbruck for 14th place.

“My result is really motivating and makes me excited to do more European racing,” said Poidevin. “It was really inspiring to race against the best riders in the world while our whole team worked cohesively – I loved being part of that.”

An untimely crash leading into the day’s first major climb left many riders scrambling. Poidevin was among its victims, which included newly-crowned World Time Trial Champion Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands).

“I crashed at a pretty critical moment,” said Poidevin. “I was getting into position leading into a steep three km climb when someone in front of me hit a median and I had nowhere to go. I had to chase for a few kilometers and spent the whole climb weaving through the pack. It definitely cost me some energy but fortunately, I recovered quickly.”

After a long season, it was a good feeling for Poidevin to close things out with a world-class performance in Austria over such a demanding course.

“You couldn’t hide out there,” said Poidevin. “The race was super tough and the body responded well. The atmosphere in Innsbruck was amazing, there were fans lined three deep all the way up the top of the climb and all through the city. It was a beautiful way to head into the offseason.”

In the elite men’s race, Rob Britton spent over 180 km off the front of the race before being reeled in by the obliterated peloton. Former Rally Cycling athlete Mike Woods, also representing Team Canada, leaped out of the pack on the final climb of Höttinger Höll. With gradients approaching 28%, Woods pulled Alejandro Valverde (Spain) and Romain Bardet (France) off the front. In the sprint for the coveted rainbow jersey, Woods sprinted to third.

EW RR Results here.

October 01, 2018 (Santiago del Estero, Argentina) – Canada’s Drew Mechielsen of Langley, BC, finished off the BMX World Cup season with a ninth place finish in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, on Saturday in Elite women. Mechielsen’s result, combined with 11th on Sunday, moved her into eighth place overall for the Series.

Avriana Hebert of Edmonton, Alberta, made it to the quarterfinal round of the Elite women at her first World Cup. In Elite men, Alex Tougas of Pitt Meadows, BC, was 34th, and James Palmer of North Vancouver, BC, was 36th.

“I’m happy that I was in position to possibly make the Finals [missing by one spot], said Mechielsen. I wish I could have pushed it a little bit further, but I’m looking forward to improving next year. I’m really happy with my top-8 ranking in the World Cup.”

“I’m happy with Drew’s ride here,” said Adam Muys, Head BMX Coach at Cycling Canada. “She was in position to qualify for the Finals, and contested against some of the major players in the sport; great improvements this season. Alex and James had some really fast rides, but tactically missed spots to move on in their races. Avriana’s first World Cup was a bit of an eyeopener for her, but she came back the second day, finishing in the quarterfinals, which is great for her first time.”

September 30, 2018 (Iowa City, Iowa) – The third and final day of Jingle Cross continued with cloudy skies and the threat of more rain looming over the Johnson County Fairgrounds. A day after Toon Aerts and Kaitie Keough took victories in the Telenet UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup, amateur and Elite riders lined up to take one last shot at the Jingle Cross podium.

In the UCI C1 Elite Women’s race, Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing CX) set the early pace, pulling Katerina Nash (Clif Pro Team) and Maghalie Rochette (CXFever p/b Specialized) clear of the rest of the field. Despite her quick start, yesterday’s second-place effort in the World Cup began to take its toll on Richards, and she started to fade. She first lost contact with Rochette and Nash before being caught by her teammate Ellen Noble. The early race leader would eventually finish fifth. Back up front, Rochette and Nash extended their lead, and going into the penultimate lap Nash opened a 10-second gap over her breakaway companion. Nash would continue to increase her lead, crossing the line 29 seconds clear of Rochette. Ellen Noble held off a mid-race surge by yesterday’s World Cup winner Kaitie Keough (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) to capture the final podium spot.

“I was surprised that we got away so quickly, but Maghalie pushed the pace early on,” said Nash. “I don’t know what lap, but on the run-up, I just felt good, and I could sense that she was starting to slow down just a little bit. So, I pushed it up the hill, and I had to keep pushing all the way to the end. I wanted to win yesterday and was disappointed, so I’m really excited. I will take a win when I can and today was awesome.”

The 2018 edition of Jingle Cross came to a close with the UCI C1 Elite Men’s event. It didn’t take long for Belgian Nicolas Cleppe (Telenet Fidea Lions) to stamp his authority on the day as he powered clear of teammate Jim Aernouts. Behind Aernouts, a chase group containing Thijs Aerts (Tele-net Fidea Lions), Kerry Werner (Kona Maxxis Shimano), Michael Boros (Creafin – Tuvsud) and Sieben Wouters (Creafin – Tuvsud) formed, eventually reeling in Aernouts. With Wouters pushing the pace, the group shattered, with Aerts and Werner falling back. As the laps counted down, the rain returned, making the final two laps slick and treacherous. The conditions didn’t affect Cleppe as he continued to push the pace, crossing the line in 1:04:39. Wouters out sprinted his teammate Boros for second, with Aernouts in fourth.

“In the first laps, my teammate Aernouts made the tempo and I followed,” said Cleppe. “The second or the third around, I was in the lead position and I was able to ride tempo – one hard enough for the whole race. In the head, it was concentration, concentration, concentration all the way to the finish. I won the race, and I am very happy.”

Kerry Werner would finish the day as the top American in sixth.

“It’s always great when these guys come over here to the U.S. It’s always a learning experience,” said Werner.  “I found myself on the front row, like the fourth guy to get called up. Usually, I can get a good start if I get clipped in, so I got the pedal and went for it. I just about had the holeshot, was second wheel. I was feeling pretty good, really good technically, so I slotted myself in the front pretty early. With four to go, I think I was still in a group for three, and then they started to pull away. I was making some small mistakes that were causing me to get gapped. And then I was in no man’s land. With three to go, I just put my head down and tried to hold on for sixth place.”

Results

Women
1. Katerina Nash (Cliff Pro Team) 44:43
2. Maghalie Rochette (CXFever p/b Specialized) 45:12
3. Ellen Noble (Trek Factory Racing CX) 45:47
4. Kaitlin Keough (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) 46:02
5. Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing CX) 46:28
6. Sunny Gilbert (Van Dessel Factory Team) 47:01
7. Clara Honsinger (Team S&M CX) 47:15
8. Rebecca Fahringer (Kona Maxxis Shimano) 47:26
9. Manon Bakker (Experza-footlogix) 48:06
10. Katie Clouse (Alpha Bicycle Co.- Groove Subaru) 48:16

Men
1. Nicolas Cleppe (Telenet Fidea Lions) 1:04:39
2. Sieben Wouters (Creafin – Tuvsud) 1:05:37
3. Michael Boros (CCreafin – Tuvsud) 1:05:38
4. Jim Aernouts (Telenet Fidea Lions) 1:05:38
5. Thijs Aerts (Telenet Fidea Lions) 1:06:25
6. Kerry Werner (Kona Maxxis Shimano) 1:06:36
7. Michael van den Ham (Garneau-Easton p/b Transitions) 1:06:54
8. Curtis White (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) 1:06:59
9. Jack Kisseberth (Garneau-Easton p/b Transitions) 1:07:26
10. Alois Falenta (Team Cross UCI Safir Ganova) 1:08:09

September 30, 2018 (Innsbruck, Austria) – Canada’s Michael Woods took home a brilliant bronze medal in the Elite Men’s road race, 258.5km from Kufstein to Innsbruck, at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships on Sunday, with a bold attack on the final climb with a 28% grade as he went for gold.

In the final sprint to the line Alejandro Valeverde (Spain) took the win with Romain Bardet (France) winning silver and Woods the bronze as Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands), who joined the trio at the end, finished 4th. Woods matches Steve Bauer’s best-ever Elite Men’s 3rd-place result at the 1984 Road Worlds.

Fellow Canuck Rob Britton animated the race as he made the early break and was at the front for over 200km finishing 76th. Teammates Antoine Duchesne and Hugo Houle helped protect and put Woods in good position throughout the race and did not finish.

Woods’ bronze finale caps Canada’s strongest Road Worlds performance as the team returns home with two individual bronze medals along with silver and bronze medals in the Team Time Trial. In addition there were five top-10 results including one fourth place, two fifth place results, a sixth and an eighth-place finish to rank a strong 4th overall, behind powerhouses Netherlands, Italy and Belgium.

Results

1. Alejandro Valverde (Spain) 6:46:41
2. Romain Bardet (France)
3. Michael Woods (Canada)
4. Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands)
5. Gianni Moscon (Italy) 0:13
6. Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic) 0:43
7. Michael Valgren Andersen (Denmark)
8. Julian Alaphilippe (France)
9. Thibaut Pinot (France)
10. Rui Costa (Portugal)
11. Ion Izagirre Insausti (Spain)
12. Bauke Mollema (Netherlands) 0:49
13. Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Spain) 0:52
14. Sam Oomen (Netherlands) 1:21
15. Nairo Quintana (Colombia)
16. Peter Kennaugh (Great Britain)
17. Jan Hirt (Czech Republic)
18. George Bennett (New Zealand)
19. Jack Haig (Australia)
20. Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark)
21. Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy)
22. Andrey Zeits (Kazakhstan)
23. Ben Hermans (Belgium) 1:32
24. Simon Geschke (Germany) 1:54
25. Sergei Chernetski (Russian Federation) 2:00
26. Mathias Frank (Switzerland) 2:10
27. Steven Kruijswijk (Netherlands)
28. Antwan Tolhoek (Netherlands)
29. Dylan Teuns (Belgium)
30. Odd Christian Eiking (Norway) 2:42
31. Rudy Molard (France)
32. SÈbastien Reichenbach (Switzerland)
33. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia) 2:57
34. Primo ~ Roglic (Slovenia) 4:00
35. Rafal Majka (Poland)
36. Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan)
37. Adam Yates (Great Britain)
38. Wilco Kelderman (Netherlands)
39. Nelson Oliveira (Portugal) 5:00
40. Alessandro De Marchi (Italy) 5:05
41. Merhawi Kudus (Eritrea) 5:44
42. Xandro Meurisse (Belgium)
43. Vegard Stake Laengen (Norway)
44. David De La Cruz Melgarejo (Spain) 5:56
45. Michael Gogl (Austria)
46. Emanuel Buchmann (Germany)
47. Pavel Sivakov (Russian Federation) 6:00
48. Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Colombia) 6:02
49. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)
50. Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium) 8:08
51. Pavel Kochetkov (Russian Federation)
52. Kasper Asgreen (Denmark) 0:10:22
53. Franco Pellizotti (Italy) 0:10:33
54. Carl Fredrik Hagen (Norway) 0:12:24
55. Emil Nygaard Vinjebo (Denmark) 0:12:57
56. Lukasz Owsian (Poland) 0:13:05
57. Ilnur Zakarin (Russian Federation)
58. Tony Gallopin (France)
59. Patrick Konrad (Austria)
60. Steve Morabito (Switzerland)
61. Jesus Herrada (Spain) 0:13:09
62. Toms Skujins (Latvia) 0:13:13
63. Brent Bookwalter (United States Of America) 0:14:23
64. Damiano Caruso (Italy)
65. Dario Cataldo (Italy)
66. Hugh John Carthy (Great Britain)
67. Nicolas Roche (Ireland)
68. Tim Wellens (Belgium)
69. Pieter Weening (Netherlands)
70. Rob Power (Australia)
71. Richard Carapaz (Ecuador) 0:14:48
72. Benjamin King (United States Of America) 0:15:57
73. Eduardo Sepulveda (Argentina) 0:16:51
74. Nico Denz (Germany) 0:18:17
75. Gianluca Brambilla (Italy) 0:19:35
76. Robert Britton (Canada) 0:19:37
DNF Enric Mas Nicolau (Spain)
DNF Simon Clarke (Australia)
DNF Omar Fraile Matarranz (Spain)
DNF Jonathan Castroviejo (Spain)
DNF Jacques Willem Janse Van Rensburg (South Africa)
DNF Tanel Kangert (Estonia)
DNF Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland)
DNF Wout Poels (Netherlands)
DNF Jesper Hansen (Denmark)
DNF Markus Hoelgaard (Norway)
DNF Peter Stetina (United States Of America)
DNF Kilian Frankiny (Switzerland)
DNF Andrey Grivko (Ukraine)
DNF Ildar Arslanov (Russian Federation)
DNF Marcus Burghardt (Germany)
DNF Daniel Martin (Ireland)
DNF Bob Jungels (Luxembourg)
DNF Ilia Koshevoy (Belarus)
DNF Tobias Ludvigsson (Sweden)
DNF Karel HnÌk (Czech Republic)
DNF Tao Geoghegan Hart (Great Britain)
DNF Damien Howson (Australia)
DNF Nicholas Jack William Schultz (Australia)
DNF Matej Mohoric (Slovenia)
DNF Simon Philip Yates (Great Britain)
DNF Simon `pilak (Slovenia)
DNF Jan Polanc (Slovenia)
DNF Zdenek `tybar (Czech Republic)
DNF Felix Grossschartner (Austria)
DNF Sepp Kuss (United States Of America)
DNF Patrick Schelling (Switzerland)
DNF Maximilian Schachmann (Germany)
DNF Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier Werkilul (Eritrea)
DNF Aleksandr Riabushenko (Belarus)
DNF Daniil Fominykh (Kazakhstan)
DNF Michael Sch‰r (Switzerland)
DNF Miguel Angel Lopez Moreno (Colombia)
DNF R?ben Guerreiro (Portugal)
DNF Paul Martens (Germany)
DNF Michal Golas (Poland)
DNF Christopher Hamilton (Australia)
DNF Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway)
DNF Winner Andrew Anacona (Colombia)
DNF Conor Dunne (Ireland)
DNF Hideto Nakane (Japan)
DNF Ryan Mullen (Ireland)
DNF Laurens De Plus (Belgium)
DNF Jhonnatan Narvaez (Ecuador)
DNF Tsgabu Gebremaryam Grmay (Ethiopia)
DNF Gregor M¸hlberger (Austria)
DNF James Knox (Great Britain)
DNF Connor Swift (Great Britain)
DNF Tiago Machado (Portugal)
DNF Antoine Duchesne (Canada)
DNF Josef Cern? (Czech Republic)
DNF Anthony Roux (France)
DNF Alexandre Geniez (France)
DNF Ben Gastauer (Luxembourg)
DNF Rory Sutherland (Australia)
DNF Mads Schmidt W¸rtz (Denmark)
DNF Laurent Didier (Luxembourg)
DNF Grega Bole (Slovenia)
DNF Jan Tratnik (Slovenia)
DNF Lukas Pˆstlberger (Austria)
DNF Georg Preidler (Austria)
DNF Maciej Bodnar (Poland)
DNF Maciej Paterski (Poland)
DNF Patrick Bevin (New Zealand)
DNF Peter Sagan (Slovakia)
DNF Nikita Stalnov (Kazakhstan)
DNF Rohan Dennis (Australia)
DNF Serge Pauwels (Belgium)
DNF Dion Smith (New Zealand)
DNF Sebastian Henao Gomez (Colombia)
DNF Daniel Felipe Martinez Poveda (Colombia)
DNF Tiesj Benoot (Belgium)
DNF Josip Rumac (Croatia)
DNF Matti Breschel (Denmark)
DNF Nicholas Dlamini (South Africa)
DNF Dmitrii Strakhov (Russian Federation)
DNF Rodrigo Contreras Pinzon (Colombia)
DNF Sven Erik Bystr¯m (Norway)
DNF Martin Haring (Slovakia)
DNF Tom Wirtgen (Luxembourg)
DNF Juraj Sagan (Slovakia)
DNF Patrik Tybor (Slovakia)
DNF Michael Kukrle (Czech Republic)
DNF Marek Canecky (Slovakia)
DNF Krists Neilands (Latvia)
DNF Ian Stannard (Great Britain)
DNF Jean-Pierre Drucker (Luxembourg)
DNF Roman Daniel Villalobos Solis (Costa Rica)
DNF Andrii Bratashchuk (Ukraine)
DNF Warren Barguil (France)
DNF Domen Novak (Slovenia)
DNF Hugo Houle (Canada)
DNF Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus)
DNF Luka Pibernik (Slovenia)
DNF Rein Taaram‰e (Estonia)
DNF Ignatas Konovalovas (Lithuania)
DNF Yauhen Sobal (Belarus)
DNF Niklas Eg (Denmark)
DNF Erik Baska (Slovakia)
DNF Martin Mahdar (Slovakia)
DNF Mohammadesmaeil Chaichiraghimi (Islamic Republic of Iran)
DNF Sam Bewley (New Zealand)
DNF Serghei Tvetcov (Romania)
DNF Alex Kirsch (Luxembourg)
DNF Stylianos Farantakis (Greece)
DNF Norman Vahtra (Estonia)
DNF Ho San Chiu (Hong Kong, China)
DNF Nicolas Sessler (Brazil)

 

 

September 29, 2018 (Innsbruck, Austria) – Karol-Ann Canuel from Gatineau, Quebec raced to a stellar 6th-place finish for Team Canada after challenging for the bronze medal in the grueling 155.6km Elite Women’s road race at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships on Saturday.

The Canadian women had one of their strongest performances in two decades in the Elite women’s road race as Sara Poidevin from Canmore, Alberta, came back from a crash to finish 14th, and Leah Kirchmann of Winnipeg, Manitoba finished 25th, to put three Canadians in the top-25, confirming Canada’s stature as one of the top cycling nations

Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) attacked on the penultimate climb and never looked back taking a decisive victory for her first Road Worlds title with Amanda Spratt (Australia) claiming the silver and Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) the bronze.

The 155.6 kilometre race began in Kufstein with an 80 kilometre run into the final 24 kilometre circuit in Innsbruck, which the women rode three times. At the 60 kilometre mark, the riders faced the first significant climb of the day, the Gnadenwald, however, a crash on the early portion of the climb took down Poidevin, along with time trial world champion Annemiek van Vleuten of the Netherlands. Poidevin made it back to the bunch, joining Alison Jackson, Kirchmann and Canuel.

Anna van der Breggen attacked on the second lap and powered away to win her first world title ahead of Australia’s Amanda Spratt. Behind, Canuel powered a chase with Tatiana Guderzo (Italy), who broke clear to win the bronze medal, while Canuel sprinted for fourth with Emilia Fahlin (Sweden) and Malgorzata Jasinska (Poland), finishing sixth.

“It was a long race and hard,” said Canuel, who was eighth earlier in the week in the time trial and won silver in the Team Time Trial. “I had trouble following attacks, but I could hold my pace. In the last climb I was able to get away with two other girls, and it worked for me to get my best [Worlds road race] result.”

“This was my first Elite Worlds road race,” said Poidevin. “I got unlucky with the crash, but I was with two really strong Dutch riders, so I knew their team would keep the pace slow in the pack and I was able to chase back conservatively, and try not to burn too many matches getting back to the group. There were a lot of attacks on the climb and it was super fast on the descent, so I just tried to position myself well, with lots of help from my team mates. I’m just happy to come away with a good result.”

Zach Bell, manager for the women’s race, said “We started today with a lot of good options for different parts of the course. After some hiccups with a crash early on, the team did great damage control. Sara [Poidevin] did well to climb with front group, and Karol-Ann and Leah did great work on the circuit to take advantage of tactical moves. The whole team rode at a world class level, and Karol-Ann finished it off with a great aggressive move. Anna [van der Breggen] was just so strong today, and a big congrats to her. Overall, I think this is a big step for Canada, and a clear demonstration that our women are at a world class level on the most challenging courses.”

Alison Jackson from Vermilion, Alberta finished 51st, Sara Bergen of Coquitlam, BC was 74th and Katherine Maine from Ottawa, Ontario at her debut road worlds did not finish.

*with files from Cycling Canada

Results

1. Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) 4:11:04
2. Amanda Spratt (Australia) 3:42
3. Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) 5:26
4. Emilia Fahlin (Sweden) 6:13
5. Malgorzata Jasinska (Poland)
6. Karol-Ann Canuel (Canada) 6:17
7. Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) 7:05
8. Amy Pieters (Netherlands)
9. Lucinda Brand (Netherlands) 7:17
10. Ruth Winder (United States Of America)
11. Rasa Leleivyte (Lithuania)
12. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland)
13. Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)
14. Sara Poidevin (Canada)
15. Anastasiia Iakovenko (Russian Federation)
16. Megan Guarnier (United States Of America)
17. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (South Africa)
18. Clara Koppenburg (Germany)
19. Margarita Victo Garcia Cañellas (Spain)
20. Erica Magnaldi (Italy)
21. Katharine Hall (United States Of America)
22. Jolanda Neff (Switzerland)
23. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark) 7:22
24. Lucy Kennedy (Australia) 7:31
25. Leah Kirchmann (Canada) 8:18
26. Danielle Rowe (Great Britain)
27. Arlenis Sierra (Cuba)
28. Sofie De Vuyst (Belgium)
29. Stine Borgli (Norway)
30. Polona Batagelj (Slovenia)
31. Coryn Rivera (United States Of America)
32. Hanna Nilsson (Sweden)
33. Urska Pintar (Slovenia)
34. Eider Merino Cortazar (Spain)
35. Shara Gillow (Australia)
36. Sina Frei (Switzerland)
37. Annika Langvad (Denmark)
38. Edwige Pitel (France)
39. Yevgeniya Vysotska (Ukraine)
40. Julie van De Velde (Belgium)
41. Sophie Wright (Great Britain) 8:36
42. Kelly van Den Steen (Belgium) 9:00
43. Ingrid Lorvik (Norway)
44. Chantal Blaak (Netherlands)
45. Hannah Barnes (Great Britain) 0:10:58
46. Liane Lippert (Germany)
47. Georgia Williams (New Zealand) 0:11:01
48. Grace Brown (Australia)
49. Omer Shapira (Israel) 0:11:14
50. Githa Michiels (Belgium) 0:12:32
51. Alison Jackson (Canada) 0:12:48
52. Blanca Liliana Moreno Canchon (Colombia) 0:13:01
53. Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spain)
54. Brodie Chapman (Australia)
55. Maria Novolodskaya (Russian Federation) 0:13:10
56. Olga Shekel (Ukraine) 0:13:46
57. Lorena Llamas Garcia (Spain) 0:14:05
58. Elena Pirrone (Italy)
59. Angelika Tazreiter (Austria) 0:14:26
60. Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands) 0:14:29
61. Juliette Labous (France)
62. Fernanda Yapura (Argentina)
63. Sofia Bertizzolo (Italy)
64. Danielle Christmas (Great Britain) 0:14:51
65. _pela Kern (Slovenia)
66. Grace Anderson (New Zealand)
67. Ur_ka _igart (Slovenia) 0:14:55
68. Anna Plichta (Poland) 0:16:05
69. Janneke Ensing (Netherlands)
70. Diana Klimova (Russian Federation) 0:18:04
71. Amalie Dideriksen (Denmark)
72. Soraya Paladin (Italy)
73. Audrey Cordon Ragot (France)
74. Sara Bergen (Canada) 0:18:20
75. Stephanie Subercaseaux Vergara (Chile) 0:18:44
76. Paula Andrea Patiño Bedoya (Colombia)
77. Natalya Saifutdinova (Kazakhstan)
78. Caroline Bohé (Denmark)
79. Eri Yonamine (Japan) 0:20:47
80. Jeanne Korevaar (Netherlands) 0:22:33
81. Sarah Rijkes (Austria) 0:23:06
DNF Marta Lach (Poland)
DNF Alice Sharpe (Ireland)
DNF Tayler Wiles (United States Of America)
DNF Lisa Brennauer (Germany)
DNF Anna Henderson (Great Britain)
DNF Anabelle Dreville (France)
DNF Sara Penton (Sweden)
DNF Ana Maria Covrig (Romania)
DNF Mónika Király (Hungary)
DNF Antri Christoforou (Cyprus)
DNF Pernille Mathiesen (Denmark)
DNF Mikayla Harvey (New Zealand)
DNF Katherine Maine (Canada)
DNF Yixian Pu (People’s Republic of China)
DNF Amiliya Iskakova (Kazakhstan)
DNF Trixi Worrack (Germany)
DNF Elena Cecchini (Italy)
DNF Charlotte Becker (Germany)
DNF Eugénie Duval (France)
DNF Aude Biannic (France)
DNF Leah Thomas (United States Of America)
DNF Lotta Pauliina Lepistö (Finland)
DNF Jelena Eric (Serbia)
DNF Eyeru Tesfoam Gebru (Ethiopia)
DNF Kathrin Hammes (Germany)
DNF Varvara Fasoi (Greece)
DNF Anna Potokina (Russian Federation)
DNF Katarzyna Wilkos (Poland)
DNF Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spain)
DNF Thi That Nguyen (Vietnam)
DNF Aurela Nerlo (Poland)
DNF Emma Cecilie Norsgaard Jørgensen (Denmark)
DNF Nicole Hanselmann (Switzerland)
DNF Hiromi Kaneko (Japan)
DNF Vita Heine (Norway)
DNF Susanne Andersen (Norway)
DNF Tereza Medvedova (Slovakia)
DNF Claire Faber (Luxembourg)
DNF Teniel Campbell (Trinidad & Tabago)
DNF Wing Yee Leung (Hong Kong, China)
DNF Ana Cristina Sanabria Sanchez (Colombia)
DNF Miyoko Karami (Japan)
DNF Faina Potapova (Kazakhstan)
DNF Anne-Sophie Harsch (Luxembourg)
DNF Rotem Gafinovitz (Israel)
DNF Alice Cobb (Great Britain)
DNF Maja Perinovic (Croatia)
DNF Cristina Martinez Bonafe (Spain)
DNF Tatiana Jaseková (Slovakia)
DNF Sarah Roy (Australia)
DNF Tiffany Cromwell (Australia)
DNF Alexis Ryan (United States Of America)
DNF Tetiana Riabchenko (Ukraine)
DNF Katrine Aalerud (Norway)
DNF Martina Ritter (Austria)
DNF Kseniia Dobrynina (Russian Federation)
DNF Tereza Korvasová (Czech Republic)
DNF Viivi Puskala (Finland)
DNF Kaat Hannes (Belgium)
DNF Camila Coelho Ferreira (Brazil)
DNF Clemilda Fernandes Silva (Brazil)
DNF Valerie Demey (Belgium)
DNF Christa Riffel (Germany)
DNF Elné Owen (South Africa)
DNF Jeydy Pradera Bernal (Cuba)
DNF Mosana Debesay (Eritrea)
DNF Hoi Wah Leung (Hong Kong, China)
DNF Rudina Baku (Albania)

September 29, 2018 – Ben Katerberg, 18, joins the team after racing on the Canadian and European scene over the past few years. He impressed with a double national title win at the junior Canadian championships this year as well as second places in the time trials at both the Tour de Gironde and Tour de L’Abitibi.

Katerberg said: “I’m really excited to join the team, take my development to the next level and really utilise the resources that the team has to offer which are unreal. It is very exciting to become a part of such a high caliber team that emphasises development. Team Sunweb’s Development program is a unique opportunity that I am extremely grateful to be a part of in 2019 and I’m really looking forward to this new adventure.”

Team Sunweb coach Sebastian Deckert (GER) said: “We are looking forward to adding Canada’s powerhouse Ben Katerberg to our Development program. Ben used several races in Canada and Europe to show his potential as a bike rider and we believe that he will fit perfectly to our group of riders. He is thirsty to learn and grow, which is exactly what we are looking for when adding riders to our Development program. It will be a big step for him to race and live in Europe but we believe that Ben is ready for this challenge and the team will support him in every way.”

TaG Cycling, Katerberg’s team in B.C. where he’s from in Canada, tweeted, “So excited for Ben and we were so happy to be a part of launching a new chapter. A Huge reward to our TaG Race Development Squad. We’ll be following your career Ben.”

September 27, 2018 (Milton, ON) – Lauriane Genest (Equipe du Quebec) defended her national title in the Women’s 500 Time Trial while Hugo Barrette (Equipe du Quebec) took home the Men’s Kilo TT crown. The 2018-2019 Canadian Track Championships for Elite and Masters athletes runs Sept. 27-29 at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario. More results to follow.

Results (brief)

Women’s 500 TT – 2 Laps
1. Lauriane Genest (Equipe du Quebec) 35.021
2. Amelia Walsh (Team Ontario) 35.697
3. Kelsey Mitchell (Juventus) 36.123

Men’s Kilo TT – 4 Laps
1. Hugo Barrette (Equipe du Quebec) 1:02.624
2. Vincent de Haitre (Team Ontario) 1:02.954
3. Joel Archambault (Equipe du Quebec) 1:03.495

September 27, 2018 – The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that two more cities have been awarded UCI Bike City status thanks to their clear strategies to grow and promote everyday cycling, as well as hosting UCI major cycling events. The successful cities and regions are , France, and Vancouver, Canada.

The UCI Bike City label was re-launched in 2015 with the aim of recruiting cities and regions that can act as inspiring examples of how cycling can help to create better, safer, and more active communities. Since 2016, eight cities and regions have received the label: Bergen, Norway; Drenthe, the Netherlands; Fyn, Denmark; Heusden-Zolder, Belgium; Gelderland, the Netherlands; Limburg-Valkenburg, the Netherlands; Woensdrecht, the Netherlands; and Yorkshire, Great Britain.

Following the ceremony, UCI President David Lappartient said: “We are very pleased to further expand our network of UCI Bike Cities and Regions, especially by broadening the global reach of the label with the inclusion of a new continent. We would like to congratulate the two new cities for the excellent initiatives they have and will implement within their respective communities to develop cycling in all its forms. We look forward to promoting each of their ambitious projects to inspire other countries to develop bike-friendly strategies and environments for their citizens and visitors.”

About the Award Winners

St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France
St-Quentin-en-Yvelines has hosted the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, a 2018 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup round, a 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Cup round and will host a 2019 BMX Supercross World Cup round. Their cycling development plan is structured around elite competition and mobility-focused infrastructure development, support for local and international events and support to local clubs and associations. The local mobility plan is composed of four key themes linked to active mobility: making roads bike friendly, encouraging cycling, promoting walking and developing bike parking.

The current bicycle network offers over 400km of bicycle lanes, with €2m having been spent on the creation or renovation of more than 8km of cycling infrastructures in the past three years. Key areas of infrastructure development include: improving connectivity between permanent cycling infrastructure and local businesses with cycling paths and increasing intramodality between public transport and cycling. Children’s cycling education is provided to elementary school children while numerous events and initiatives are organised for youth, including programmes linked to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games focused both on competition and cycling for all promotion. In 2018, 23 mass participation cycling events have been organised in the city.

Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver will host the 2020 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, as well as a UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualifier in 2019. Vancouver’s main goal is to encourage cycling to ensure two-thirds of all trips are made by walking, cycling, and shared transport. Cycling ranks as the fastest growing transport mode with a growth from 4% in 2013 to 7% in 2016. Their objective in terms of cycling infrastructure is to build an All Ages and Abilities (AAA) network that is safe and accessible for all. The AAA network consists of local street bikeways that are low-stress corridors, plus protected bike lanes and intersections along busier roads.

The Transportation 2040 plan sets a five-year strategy for infrastructures upgrades and improvements, with a clear focus on road safety. Cycling initiatives also include the requirements to provide: on-street and off-street parking for new developments, bike racks across the city, and end-of-trip facilities for cyclists at major employment sites. Various mass participation events are organised around the year, along with children’s education programmes linked to the school curriculum and active travel initiatives.

September 27, 2018 (Innsbruck, Austria) – Thomas Schellenberg led the Canadians finishing 46th in the Junior Men’s 131.8km road race won by Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) who soloed in for a dominant victory after suffering a wheel change early on and battling back for the victory.

Marius Mayrhofer (Germany) was second and Alessandro Fancellu (Italy) won a close race for the bronze over Switzerland’s Alexandre Balmer.

Results
1. Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) 3:03:49
2. Marius Mayrhofer (Germany) 1:25
3. Alessandro Fancellu (Italy) 1:38
4. Alexandre Balmer (Switzerland)
5. Frederik Wandahl (Denmark) 3:20
6. Gabriele Benedetti (Italy)
7. Alois Charrin (France)
8. Kevin Vermaerke (United States Of America)
9. Antonio Tiberi (Italy)
10. Sean Quinn (United States Of America) 3:25
11. Andrea Piccolo (Italy) 4:37
12. Karel Vacek (Czech Republic)
13. Biniam Girmay Hailu (Eritrea) 6:41
14. Jakob Gessner (Germany)
15. Ludvig Fischer Aasheim (Norway)
16. Guilherme Mota (Portugal)
17. Ben Tulett (Great Britain) 7:20
18. Aksel Bechskot-Hansen (Denmark)
19. Jonathan Bogli (Switzerland)
20. Mason Hollyman (Great Britain)
21. Marco Frigo (Italy) 7:54
22. Gleb Brussenskiy (Kazakhstan) 9:34
23. Yevgeniy Fedorov (Kazakhstan) 0:10:47
24. Robin Juel Skivild (Denmark)
25. Ben Healy (Ireland)
26. Lewis Askey (Great Britain)
27. Michel Hessmann (Germany) 0:10:55
28. Marek Gajdula (Slovakia) 0:11:07
29. Daniil Pronskiy (Kazakhstan) 0:11:19
30. Vinicius Rangel Costa (Brazil)
31. Kim Alexander Heiduk (Germany) 0:12:14
32. Adne Holter (Norway) 0:12:22
33. Oleksandr Shchypak (Ukraine)
34. Casper Van Uden (Netherlands)
35. Lev Gonov (Russian Federation) 0:13:21
36. Jon Barrenetxea Golzarri (Spain) 0:13:37
37. Samuel Watson (Great Britain) 0:15:02
38. Felix Engelhardt (Germany)
39. Hugo Page (France) 0:15:18
40. Jean Eric Habimana (Rwanda) 0:15:25
41. Valentin Retailleau (France) 0:15:31
42. Vojtech Repa (Czech Republic)
43. Andrew Vollmer (United States Of America)
44. Enzo Leijnse (Netherlands)
45. Artjom Mirzojev (Estonia) 0:15:47
46. Thomas Schellenberg (Canada) 0:16:22
47. Marek Bugar (Slovakia)
48. Pelayo Sanchez Mayo (Spain) 0:17:18
49. Alfred George (Great Britain) 0:17:28
50. Lucas Plapp (Australia)
51. Kei Onodera (Japan)
52. Nurbergen Nurlykhassym (Kazakhstan) 0:17:29
53. Mesut Cepa (Albania) 0:17:40
54. Daniil Turuk (Belarus) 0:17:55
55. Aaron Van Der Beken (Belgium) 0:17:58
56. Henri Vandenabeele (Belgium)
57. Jakob Reiter (Austria) 0:18:15
58. Breandan Flannagan (Ireland) 0:18:45
59. Anton Vtiurin (Russian Federation) 0:18:54
60. Gilles Kirsch (Luxembourg)
61. Bas Van Belle (Netherlands)
62. Josh Lane (New Zealand)
63. Alekss Krasts (Latvia) 0:18:57
64. Simon Imboden (Switzerland)
65. Vladimir Miksanik (Czech Republic) 0:19:00
66. Maksim Bilyi (Ukraine)
67. Ruben Eggenberg (Switzerland)
68. Tomas Aguirre Garza (Mexico)
69. Jakub Boucek (Czech Republic)
70. Afonso Silva (Portugal)
71. Ben Katerberg (Canada) 0:20:34
72. Theo Gilbertson (New Zealand)
73. Petr Kelemen (Czech Republic) 0:21:01
74. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spain) 0:22:34
75. Dzianis Mazur (Belarus) 0:22:43
76. Axel Van Der Tuuk (Netherlands) 0:23:13
77. Wessel Krul (Netherlands) 0:23:44
78. Emil Lindgren (Sweden)
79. Henri Treimuth (Estonia)
80. Archie Ryan (Ireland) 0:24:27
81. Fredrik Gjesteland Finnesand (Norway) 0:24:29
82. Dominik Gorak (Poland)
83. Damian Bieniek (Poland) 0:25:10
84. Noppachai Klahan (Thailand) 0:27:56
DNF Pirmin Benz (Germany)
DNF Aljaz Omrzel (Slovenia)
DNF Yoshiaki Fukuda (Japan)
DNF Martin Messner (Austria)
DNF Camilo Jose Navas Madera (Ecuador)
DNF Oskar Palm (Sweden)
DNF Samuele Rubino (Italy)
DNF Iakov Gusev (Russian Federation)
DNF Conor Martin (Canada)
DNF Carter Turnbull (Australia)
DNF Anze Skok (Slovenia)
DNF Soren Waerenskjold (Norway)
DNF William Blume Levy (Denmark)
DNF Daniel Arnes (Norway)
DNF Dennis Grasvold (Norway)
DNF Arthur Kluckers (Luxembourg)
DNF Hiryu Kayama (Japan)
DNF Abner Gonzalez Rivera (Puerto Rico)
DNF Rick Pluimers (Netherlands)
DNF Igor Humbert (Switzerland)
DNF Ricardo Broxham (South Africa)
DNF Cian Leveridge (South Africa)
DNF Carlo Jurisevic (Croatia)
DNF Taisei Hino (Japan)
DNF Robin Plamondon (Canada)
DNF Ilan Van Wilder (Belgium)
DNF Juan Tito Rendon Franco (Colombia)
DNF Ivan Cobo Cayon (Spain)
DNF Sam Cook (New Zealand)
DNF Hiroyuki Umakoshi (Japan)
DNF Xandres Vervloesem (Belgium)
DNF Steven Pattyn (Belgium)
DNF Phunsiri Sirimongkhon (Thailand)
DNF Quinn Simmons (United States Of America)
DNF Michael Garrison (United States Of America)
DNF Louis Barre (France)
DNF Luis Esteban Murillo (Costa Rica)
DNF Zani Sylhasi (Kosovo)
DNF Tyler Lindorff (Australia)
DNF Sergey Zatcepin (Russian Federation)
DNF Laurynas Kuras (Lithuania)
DNF Gavrail Stefanov (Bulgaria)
DNF Aaron Doherty (Ireland)
DNF Shahin Eyvazov (Azerbaijan)
DNF Nadjaf Baghirov (Azerbaijan)
DNF Yoel Asmerom Tesfasilasie (Eritrea)
DNF Admir Kolasinac (Serbia)
DNF Riley Sheehan (United States Of America)
DNF Raphael Da Costa Barros (France)
DNF Alex Baudin (France)
DNF Valentin Vasiloiu (Romania)
DNF Marcel Rodrigo Teneb Schiesewitz (Chile)
DNF Ventsislav Venkov (Bulgaria)
DNF Carson Miles (Canada)
DNF Julian Espinoza (Costa Rica)
DNF Imad Sekkak (Morocco)
DNF Jakub Hnik (Czech Republic)
DNF Jacob Hindsgaul Madsen (Denmark)
DNF Erikas Sidlauskas (Lithuania)
DNF David Alejandro Camargo Hernandez (Colombia)
DNF Renus Uhiriwe (Rwanda)
DNF Andrei Novicov (Republic of Moldova)
DNF Frederik Thomsen (Denmark)
DNF Josu Echeverria Azpilicueta (Spain)
DNF Maksim Kulakov (Russian Federation)
DNF Tsun Wai Chu (Hong Kong, China)
DNF Kwun Hei Ho (Hong Kong, China)
DNF Chalermchai Bangsiri (Thailand)
DNF Dorde Duric (Serbia)
DNF Ciprian Jitaru (Romania)
DNF Jeffrey Diaz Rivera (Puerto Rico)
DNF Blerton Nuha (Kosovo)
DNF Briton John (Guyana)
DNF Mojtaba Hajizadeh (Afghanistan)
DNF Vladislav Korotas (Republic of Moldova)

September 27, 2018 (Innsbruck, Austria) – Simone Boilard of Quebec City won Canada’s first medal of the 2018 Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, on Thursday in the Junior women’s road race, finishing third in a four rider sprint for the title. It is Canada’s first medal in the Junior women’s category since Clare Hall-Patch of Victoria also won bronze in 2000 – the year Boilard was born.

The 71.7 kilometre race featured two long climbs that split the field. Both times, Boilard, the Canadian time trial champion, was among the leaders. While much of the field regrouped after the first climb, the second one saw multiple attacks that whittled the lead group down to three – Boilard, Laura Stigger (Austria) and Barbara Malcotti (Italy). Boilard was dropped by the other two a couple of times on the long descent, but always fought back to the leaders.

Coming into the final two kilometres, Marie Le Net (France) bridged across, making four for the final sprint. Stigger, who recently won the mountain bike world title, attacked with 100 metres to go, holding off Le Net at the line, with Boilard coming in at the same time for third.

“I was happy with my ride in the time trial [where she finished fifth], but I knew I could do better,” said Boilard, “so I really wanted this medal today. Stigger’s attack was really decisive, and I saw the Italian following her, and I thought, ‘this is it, I have to push’. I had to push really hard to catch them because it was a big gap to close. So it was three of us and then the French girl came back, and I thought ‘I want a medal so I have to do something’. I was cramping, but I gave everything I had to win this medal.

In other Canadian results, Magdeleine Vallieres Mill was 38th, despite riding with a broken thumb from a crash in the time trial, Kaitlyn Rauwerda was 48th and Elizabeth was 73^rd.

Results

1. Laura Stigger (Austria) 1:56:26
2. Marie Le Net (France)
3. Simone Boilard (Canada)
4. Barbara Malcotti (Italy)
5. Jade Wiel (France) 0:14
6. Vittoria Guazzini (Italy)
7. Camilla Alessio (Italy) 0:29
8. Aigul Gareeva (Russian Federation) 0:56
9. Mie Saabye (Denmark) 1:52
10. Maina Galand (France)
11. Pfeiffer Georgi (Great Britain)
12. Erika Milena Lopez Botero (Colombia)
13. Iuliia Galimullina (Russian Federation)
14. Olha Kulynych (Ukraine)
15. Anna Baidak (Russian Federation)
16. Veronika Jandova (Czech Republic)
17. Marta Jaskulska (Poland) 1:57
18. Eva Jonkers (Netherlands)
19. Hannah Ludwig (Germany)
20. Rozemarijn Ammerlaan (Netherlands) 2:02
21. Lea Curinier (France) 4:03
22. Desiet Tekeste (Eritrea)
23. Urara Kawaguchi (Japan) 4:07
24. Alena Rytseva (Russian Federation) 4:14
25. Katie Clouse (United States Of America) 4:47
26. Maeve Gallagher (Ireland) 4:56
27. Marketa Hajkova (Czech Republic)
28. Catalina Anais Campos Soto (Chile)
29. Jasmine Soh (United States Of America)
30. Elynor Backstedt (Great Britain)
31. Abigail Youngwerth (United States Of America)
32. Anastasiya Kolesava (Belarus)
33. Kelsey Van Schoor (South Africa)
34. Matilde Vitillo (Italy)
35. Alina Abramenko (Belarus)
36. Niamh Fisher-Black (New Zealand)
37. Emeline Eustache (France)
38. Magdeleine Vallieres Mill (Canada)
39. Mireia Trias Jordan (Spain)
40. Amaia Lartitegi Ormazabal (Spain)
41. Lina Svarinska (Latvia)
42. Marina Uvarova (Russian Federation) 4:59
43. Shari Bossuyt (Belgium) 5:47
44. Martine Gjos (Norway)
45. Amalie Lutro (Norway)
46. Nika Jancic (Slovenia)
47. Sylvie Swinkels (Netherlands)
48. Kaitlyn Rauwerda (Canada)
49. Akvile Gedraityte (Lithuania)
50. Silje Mathisen (Norway)
51. Tina Zuger (Switzerland)
52. Dorothea Heitzmann (Germany)
53. Femke Gerritse (Netherlands)
54. Lara Gillespie (Ireland)
55. Anya Louw (Australia)
56. Daniela Leitane (Latvia) 6:04
57. Ricarda Bauernfeind (Germany) 6:28
58. Sarah Gigante (Australia)
59. Petra Machalkova (Slovakia)
60. Tetyana Yaschenko (Ukraine) 7:30
61. Silke Smulders (Netherlands)
62. Noemi Ruegg (Switzerland)
63. Caroline Andersson (Sweden) 7:32
64. Tereza Saskova (Czech Republic) 7:34
65. Julia Borgstrom (Sweden)
66. Svetlana Pachshenko (Kazakhstan) 7:50
67. Ariana Gilabert Vilaplana (Spain) 8:11
68. Lara Stehli (Switzerland) 8:42
69. Katharina Hechler (Germany) 8:45
70. Dominika Wlodarczyk (Poland) 9:51
71. Radka Paulechova (Slovakia)
72. Lorena De La Fuente Alcalde (Spain)
73. Elizabeth Gin (Canada)
74. Danait Tsegay (Eritrea)
75. Julia Hrtankova (Slovakia)
76. Gabrielle Lehnert (United States Of America)
77. Vivien Chiu (Hong Kong, China)
78. Sofie Kielland Bjerk (Norway)
79. Tatyana Bogdanova (Kazakhstan)
80. Vita Movrin (Slovenia) 0:11:52
81. Britney Kerr (New Zealand)
82. Hannah Streicher (Austria) 0:11:54
83. April Tacey (Great Britain) 0:13:03
84. Anzhela Solovyeva (Kazakhstan) 0:14:24
85. Mette Egtoft Jensen (Denmark) 0:15:05
86. Natalia Szymczak (Poland) 0:15:46
87. Shoko Nakatomi (Japan)
88. Emma Christensen (Denmark)
89. Karla Kozic (Croatia) 0:17:50
90. Nina Berton (Luxembourg)
91. Paulina Pastuszek (Poland) 0:17:54
92. Amy Monkhouse (Great Britain)
93. Amelia Sharpe (Great Britain)
DNF Azulde Britz (South Africa)
DNF Marina Kurnossova (Kazakhstan)
DNF Sze Wing Lee (Hong Kong, China)
DNF Ellen Hjollund Klinge (Denmark)
DNF Tina Berger-Schauer (Austria)
DNF Dorotea Cargonja (Croatia)
DNF Katharina Kreidl (Austria)
DNF Shira Biran (Israel)
DNF Hoi Ian Au (Macao, China)

September 27, 2018 (Pelham, ON) – This for the third year the race has been at Bissells Hideaway resort in the town of Pelham. It really is an ideal venue for the race with lots of parking, washrooms, two pavillions and some nice elevation changes to mix the course up a bit.

This year the temps were near perfect, as opposed to last year’s 40 C humidex, and the course was fast and racing was exciting across all starts. New this year was shorter barriers that were bunny hopped by a lot of riders and seemingly everyone under 18 has to bunnyhop.

The first stat of the day had the Master 3 Men’s field line up and after a very fast opening lap Brook Smith had a good lead and kept charging for the whole 40-min race. Behind a very tight race for 2nd came down to Marc Kell Whitehead out-sprinting William Hellems. The Elite 4 Men’s race had former sand sculpture champ Andrew Edmunds again have a hope-crushing opening lap that left the field in his wake. He rolled in for the win.

The Under 17 starts had a nice mix of younger crossers and a boat-load of barrier hopping older racers. There were a few misfires at the barriers but no one was hurt, only a few feelings were injured. Unfortunately I did not have time to watch much of the racing and only noticed the barrier action on this start.

One of the more exciting races was the Junior Men’s competition with three racers duking it out for the whole race until Matthew Leliveld crushed the last lap to take the win by 20 secs.

The Elite Women’s race saw the 2016 winner take home a repeat win as Erica Leonard was also very impressive hopping the barriers each lap. She got the holeshot and put down another fast opening lap that no other riders could respond to. Her lead of 17secs on the opening lap was pretty much the difference as she won by 19 secs over Lisa Holmgren.

The last start of the day, Elite 1&2 / Master 1 Men, saw very tight racing for a few laps until Colton Woods and Dylan Kerr put on the pressure and separated themselves for a 1-2 finish. Anton “yeah I own a cross bike” Varabei rounded out the podium. In the M1 race Derek Hardinge rode through the field after a poor start – I know because I had a poor start and he was behind me – to win the race over Robert Holmgren and take 4th overall with Holmgren in 5th overall.

The day again was awesome and aside from a few crashes at the barrier which were self induced – yeah they can get off like the rest of us – there were no issues. The course held up nicely through the day and the Lantern Rouge and Bateman’s Cycling clubs were again out in full force with polite Canadian versions of heckling and lots of cheering.

Expect pretty much the same course next year with to a tweaks to two or three corners. I may try to set up a road start also to allow the bigger fields more passing opportunity. I would like to report on all the races but as organizer it is hard to actually watch the racing most of the time.

I really love the vibe and energy that all of the racers and various sectors bring to the race and although it is a lot of work I love putting it on. The volunteers and the St. Catharines Cycling Club are of unapparelled help and I can’t thank them enough. With out them there simply would be no race – period.

And finally, please don’t park in my spot next year – looking at you, guy in the Honda SUV. You never did move your car. Yes, I did notice.

Full results here.

September 26, 2018 (Innsbruck, Austria) – Team Canada’s Hugo Houle finished 32nd as Rohan Dennis (Australia) claimed his first title in the Elite Men’s 52.1km TT at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Austria today. Defending champ, Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands), was second and Victor Campenaerts (Belgium) was third.

Results

1. Rohan Dennis (Australia) 3:45.5
2. Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands) 1:21.1
3. Victor Campenaerts (Belgium) 1:21.6
4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) 2:04.6
5. Nelson Oliveira (Portugal) 2:14.3
6. Jonathan Castroviejo (Spain) 2:17.5
7. Tony Martin (Germany) 2:25.2
8. Patrick Bevin (New Zealand) 2:34.8
9. Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus) 3:07.5
10. Martin Toft Madsen (Denmark) 3:23.4
11. Maximilian Schachmann (Germany) 3:40.0
12. Stefan Kung (Switzerland) 3:44.2
13. Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan) 4:08.0
14. Jan Barta (Czech Republic) 4:08.1
15. Joseph Rosskopf (United States Of America) 4:20.1
16. Wilco Kelderman (Netherlands) 4:21.1
17. Maciej Bodnar (Poland) 4:22.5
18. Soren Kragh Andersen (Denmark) 4:28.9
19. Matthias Brandle (Austria) 4:31.2
20. Jos Van Emden (Netherlands) 4:33.6
21. Benjamin Thomas (France) 4:45.0
22. Tanel Kangert (Estonia) 4:45.1
23. Marc Soler (Spain) 4:47.8
24. Bob Jungels (Luxembourg) 4:47.9
25. Josef Cerny (Czech Republic) 4:49.3
26. Hamish Bond (New Zealand) 4:50.5
27. Tejay Van Garderen (United States Of America) 4:53.6
28. Alessandro De Marchi (Italy) 5:05.5
29. Alex Dowsett (Great Britain) 5:24.7
30. Fabio Felline (Italy) 5:25.7
31. Jan Tratnik (Slovenia) 5:38.1
32. Hugo Houle (Canada) 5:39.5
33. Pavel Sivakov (Russian Federation) 5:50.0
34. Yoann Paillot (France) 5:57.6
35. Tao Geoghegan Hart (Great Britain) 6:03.4
36. Georg Preidler (Austria) 6:12.6
37. Rodrigo Contreras Pinzon (Colombia) 6:20.3
38. Andrey Grivko (Ukraine) 6:22.1
39. Tsgabu Gebremaryam Grmay (Ethiopia) 6:23.4
40. Kristoffer Skjerping (Norway) 6:24.5
41. Domingos Goncalves (Portugal) 6:29.1
42. Anton Vorobyev (Russian Federation) 6:34.2
43. Ignatas Konovalovas (Lithuania) 6:47.5
44. Toms Skujins (Latvia) 6:47.8
45. Eduardo Sepulveda (Argentina) 6:49.2
46. Nicolas Roche (Ireland) 7:03.7
47. Silvan Dillier (Switzerland) 7:03.8
48. Tobias Ludvigsson (Sweden) 7:05.2
49. Ryan Mullen (Ireland) 7:17.9
50. Laurens De Plus (Belgium) 8:14.2
51. Gediminas Bagdonas (Lithuania) 8:16.5
52. Marek Canecky (Slovakia) 10:50.2
53. Ahmad Badreddin Wais (Syrian Arab Republic) 15:30.5
54. Dealton Nur Arif Prayogo (Indonesia) 17:33.5
55. Ho San Chiu (Hong Kong, China) 18:05.5
56. Darel Christopher Jr (British Virgin Islands) 28:41.3
DNS Najeeb Ullah (Pakistan)
DNS Eugert Zhupa (Albania)
DNS Arsalan Anjum Muhammad (Pakistan)
DNS Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eritrea)
DNS Mekseb Debesay (Eritrea)