MONTAMBAULT & L’ESPERANCE TAKE WINS AT CANADA CUP XCO #5
HARDWOOD SKI & BIKE, June 21, 2017 – The fifth round of the Mountain Bike Canada Cup for Cross-country took place on Sunday at Hardwood Ski & Bike, north of Barrie, Ontario, and the site of the 2015 Pan Am Games XCO competition. Once again, there were new faces on the top step of the Elite categories, with Andrew L’Esperance (Forward Racing-Norco) winning the men’s race and Cindy Montambault (Equipe du Quebec/Trek GPL) the women’s.
Montambault took the lead on the opening lap of the women’s four lap race and never looked back, winning by nearly one minute. A chase group of three formed behind her containing Canada Cup series leader Soren Meeuwisse (Trek Canada), Round 4 winner Haley Smith (Norco Factory) and Anne-Julie Tremblay (Equipe du Quebec/Cyclone d’Alma). Tremblay was dropped by Meeuwisse and Smith on the second lap, with Meeuwisse pulling clear for second on the final lap. Meeuwisse padded her lead in the overall standings to 740 points and has now mathematically won the women’s title, since she is over 200 points ahead of second place Marine Lewis of Quebec (515 points) with one race remaining. Smith and Montambault are tied for third with 495 points.
In the Elite Men’s five lap race it was a battle between Round 2 winner Evan Guthrie of B.C. and L’Esperance for the first three and a half laps before the Halifax rider made an attack that stuck. Guthrie was also overtaken in the final two laps by Canadian champion Derek Zandstra (Cannondale-3Rox), who finished second for the second consecutive week in Canada Cup competition, 35 seconds back. Quinton Disera (Norco Factory) continues to hold the overall lead in the series, despite finishing a distant 14th, with 670 points, however, Guthrie is only 20 points back, with Zandstra at 505. This title will not be decided until the final round in Whistler, B.C., next weekend.
“I was very pleased to have a solid ride on the weekend as I am just finishing up a training block in preparation for the next World Cups,” said L’Esperance. “Hardwood put together an awesome course and despite the rain it rode really well and it was a blast to race. Evan Guthrie and I rode well together until I made a decisive attack towards the end of Lap 4 that established a gap. The highlight of the weekend was seeing our young teammate for Forward Racing-Norco, Sean Fincham, get on his first Elite Canada Cup podium with a heavy ride for fifth.”
In the Junior Expert Men’s competition, Gunnar Holmgren (Centurion Next Wave) took his third victory of the season. Holmgren and Tyler Clark (KMS Cycling) rode together for the first half of the race before Holmgren began to pull away in the last two laps, winning by 26 seconds. Holmgren’s team mate, Brody Sanderson, finished third, and relinquished his Canada Cup leader’s jersey to Holmgren, who now has 345 points, 20 more than Sanderson, with Clark in third at 285. This title will also be decided at the final round.
The Junior Expert Women’s three lap race was led from start to finish by Leya Masson (Equipe du Quebec/CC Mont-Ste-Anne), who finished 57 seconds ahead of team mate Roxane Vermette, with Mireille Larose-Gingras (Equipe du Quebec/CVM Sigma Assurances) taking third. Masson moves into the lead for the overall standings with her win at 345 points, followed by former leader Dana Gilligan (Progressive Sports/3Rox/Maverix) and Vermette, both at 275.
