Baie-Saint-Paul, QC (September 25, 2021) – After awarding eight cross-country titles on Friday, the 2021 Canadian Mountain Bike XCO Championships continued on Saturday with the Short Track (XCC) event being presented for the first time. A large crowd gathered at the Baie-Saint-Paul campgrounds to watch the Elite women and men complete several loops of the 1-kilometer course for a total of 20 minutes.

The women’s race was full gas from the start and numerous contenders sat at the front during various parts of the race, including Tokyo 2020 Olympian Haley Smith, XCO champion Jennifer Jackson and former U23 champion Laurie Arsenault. Sandra Walter (Liv Racing Collective) stayed with the main pack throughout the race and decided to attack with 300 meters to go, keeping that momentum until the finish line to take her second Elite title and become Canada’s first Short Track champion. Jocelyn Stel (Cyclepath Oakville Race Team) was right behind her in second, followed by Haley Smith (Norco Factory Team) in third.

“I’m really excited and to be honest, a bit surprised,” said Walter. “I usually tend to do better on courses that have a good climb in them and most of the course was flat with a lot of technical corners, so it was very tactical. I really focused on staying near the front but not at the front, I stayed out of the wind as much as I could and saved energy and just waited until the end to make my move. I can’t wait to represent the maple leaf at the short tracks next year.”

35 athletes took the start for the men’s race, which was mainly controlled by riders from Norco Factory Team and Team Pivot Cycles – OTE. The race was extremely fast and tactical, with a group of about 15 riders remaining at the front for the entire twenty minutes. 2019 U23 XCO champion Quinton Disera (Norco Factory Team) attacked on the final climb and sprinted to first place, with Marc-André Fortier (Team Pivot Cycles – OTE) and Tyler Orschel (Norco Shredders) stepping on the podium for the second time this weekend.

“Short track is one of those races that can go any way,” said Disera. “On the last lap, it kind of sat up for a quick second and I thought this is the time to go. I’m pretty confident in my sprint so once it got flat, I just really laid it out there. I’m super stoked to be the first Canadian Short Track champion.”

The championships conclude tomorrow with the cross-country races for Masters men and women starting at 1:00pm EST. Full results and event details can be found here.

Results
Elite Women: 1- Sandra Walter 2- Jocelyn Stel 3- Haley Smith
Elite Men: 1- Quinton Disera 2- Marc-André Fortier 3- Tyler Orschel

Val di Sole, Italy (August 30, 2021) – After six stunning days in Val di Sole, Italy, 55 Canadian cross-country and downhill riders have officially wrapped up the 2021 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. The week proved successful for many riders, including first-year Junior downhiller Jackson Goldstone who won the world title, as well as Gracey Hemstreet who clinched bronze in the Junior women’s race, on top of 16 other top-20 finishes.

“Our downhill team had a very successful week here in Val di Sole said Team Manager Adam Walker and Coach Claire Boucher. “While the podiums and results are definitely a highlight, we are even more excited about the growth of this program and potential of our athletes and staff as a team. We genuinely feel that the future is bright for DH in Canada.”

The week also saw the introduction of the new Short Track event, with 7 Canadian men and women qualifying for the final round. Qualifiers included Laurie Arseneault (19^th) and Quinton Disera (16^th) who were Canada’s top finishers in the event. They were joined by Sandra Walter, Haley Smith, Peter Disera, Tyler Orschel and Marc-Andre Fortier in the final.

There was also plenty to celebrate on the Elite side with Catharine Pendrel riding in her 17^th and final World Championships. Pendrel finished on a high note, placing 22^nd to earn the best Elite result of the day. Her accolade comes off the heels of the Tokyo Olympic Games, where she raced into an impressive 18^th place.

Shaking off some of the cobwebs after a pause on international racing, Mountain Bike National Head Coach, Dan Proulx, said athletes are getting back into the swing of things and is happy with the progress the Canadian team has made.

“We definitely have a renewed appreciation for the importance of racing regularly and reliably as part of building an athlete’s engine for optimal performance each year,” said Proulx. “We’re getting better every race, but we still have a way to go. I’m confident we’ll get there. We have a lot of ambitious and talented riders to work with who are eager to be successful at the highest level. We’re strengthening our programs to make sure they get there.”

Athletes will head to Switzerland next with their professional teams to continue international racing for the fifth world cup of the season. Full results can be found here.

Ottawa, ON (August 15, 2021) – Cycling Canada recognizes that a healthy cycling nation offers support to athletes of all disciplines and has been working hard to diversify its revenue streams in order to be able to support programs outside of the publicly funded Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. These efforts have allowed additional support for development riders at this year’s Downhill World Championships and we expect this support to increase over time as we remain committed to better supporting Canadian downhill athletes.

As a result of not being able to traditionally support downhill athletes, Cycling Canada formed what is referred to as the ‘Downhill Working Group’; this advisory group is made up of representatives from the downhill community including Trade Teams, provincial sports organizations and both female and male athlete representatives. This group contributes to the creation of selection policies at the beginning of each year and advises on the selection of riders for both world cups and world championships. Selections made by the DH Working Group are then confirmed by our High Performance Committee, which consists of former athletes, a current athlete representative, and representatives from the cycling community. Overwhelmingly, the ask from athletes has been for clear and objective criteria and it is the High Performance Committee’s role is to ensure that selections are done in accordance with the posted criteria.

The selection criteria for the 2021 World Downhill Championships for both Elite men and women was clear and objective. Selection was based on 2020 World Championships results, 2021 world cups, UCI rankings and Nationals and all athletes had the same opportunities to enter races in 2021 and achieve results for selection. This year, three Elite women were selected to attend the World Championships, and unfortunately, all three declined their selection. The criteria clearly states that Cycling Canada is to only select the top three who are not already selected, provided that they finish in the top-8. If those athletes decline, the criteria does not state that selections should be rolled down the results list to pick additional athletes.

However, it is also very clear that there are extenuating circumstances. It is incredibly rare that every qualified athlete in a specific category would decline selection. Cycling Canada has a responsibility, above and beyond the confines of high performance sport, to both promote and encourage cycling in Canada. Canadian athletes’ success on the world stage inspires the next generation of Canadian athletes and fielding a team that does not include a single Elite female athlete does not move us closer to that goal.

In consideration of these extenuating circumstances, and with the goal of increasing female representation at this year’s World Championships, Cycling Canada has made the following decisions:

1. Cycling Canada will roll down selections to athletes finishing in the top-8 of the Canadian Downhill Championships in the Elite women’s category. This includes:

Vaea Verbeeck
Jennifer McHugh
Rachel Pageau

2. In consideration of her injury this season, Cycling Canada will also select Gracey Hemstreet as an additional Junior female athlete.