November 9/18 11:14 am - Strong Fields To Contend for National Cyclo-cross Titles

Posted by Editoress on 11/9/18
 

The final National Championships of 2018 will take place on November 10th in Peterborough, Ontario, with the Shimano Canadian Cyclo-cross Championships.  Maple leaf jerseys will be awarded to women and men across Masters, Junior, Under-23 and Elite categories.  On Sunday, the domestic cyclo-cross season will conclude with the UCI C2 sanctioned Peterborough CX races, the traditional 'Nationals Revenge' race.

Competition will take place in Nicholls Oval Park, with racing starting at 10:00 am for the Masters categories.  In the afternoon, the Junior women and men will race, followed by the Under-23 and, finally, the Elite men and women.  Over 350 athletes are registered to compete.

"We are very excited to cap-off our 2018 season with the Canadian Cyclo-cross Championships, to be hosted in Peterborough, Ontario's, iconic Nicholls Oval Park," said Josh Peacock, Events Manager at Cycling Canada.  "This year will be the first of a two-year commitment from the organizer to bring the event to the region, and we anticipate action-packed racing across all categories.  Riders will be entering the weekend looking for redemption following the Pan American Championships, and as a result we expect attendance will be high and competition fierce."

The Elite women's field will be led by the new Pan American Continental champion and 2016 national champion - Maghalie Rochette (CX Fever p/b Specialized).  However, she will have plenty of competition, including Olympic mountain bike bronze medallist and former national cyclo-cross champion Catharine Pendrel (Clif Pro Team), two-time Olympic track bronze medallist Jasmin Duehring (Twenty20), Canada Cup champion Jenn Jackson (AWI Racing p/b The Crank and Sprocket), former national cyclo-cross champion Mical Dyck (Naked Factory Racing), Sandra Walter (Liv Cycling Canada) and Commonwealth Games mountain bike bronze medallist Haley Smith (Norco Factory Racing).  Missing from the field will be defending champion Christel Ferrier, who is expecting her second child next Spring.


Maghalie Rochette

Catharine Pendrel

Jenn Jackson

Sandra Walter

Haley Smith


The Elite men's field will show equal depth, with three former national champions on the start line.  Defending champion Michael van den Ham (Garneau-Easton) finished only half a bike length out of the Pan Am title last Sunday, and will be even more motivated for a win this weekend.  He will have to contend with a field that includes 2015 national champion Raphael Gagne (Silverback-OMX) and the legendary Geoff Kabush (Yeti Maxxis Shimano), a five-time national champion in cyclo-cross, who last week won The Iceman Cometh race in Michigan.  Other podium contenders include Peter Disera (Norco Factory Racing), Andrew L'Esperance (Forward Racing Norco), Marc-Andre Fortier (Pivot Cycles-OTE) and Trevor O'Donnell (Lakeside Storage/Bicycles Plus).


Michael van den Ham

Geoff Kabush

Raphael Gagne

Peter Disera

Marc-Andre Fortier


The Under-23 and Junior fields are equally strong.  Carter Woods (Naked Factory Racing), who was third at the Pan Am Championships, leads the Junior men's field, but will face competition from Ryan Maclean (Juventus CC) and Dylan Kerr (AJ's Evolution p/b Norco).  In the Under-23 men's category, Gunnar Holmgren (Hardwood Next Wave) finished just off the podium at the Pan Am Championships, but will face defending champion Raphael Auclair (Pivot Cycles-OTE) at the Nationals, as well as Quinton Disera (Norco Factory Racing), Brody Sanderson (AWI Racing p/b The Crank and Sprocket) and Tyler Orschel (Durham Shredders).

Carter Woods

Ryan MacLean

Gunnar Holmgren

Tyler Orschel

In the women's Under-23 category, defending champion Ruby West (Specialized Ten Speed Hero) is the favourite, after finishing second at the Pan Am Championships.  However, four other Canadians finished in the top-8 at the Pan Ams and will be contending for podium spots:  Emilly Johnston (Naked Factory Racing), Dana Gilligan (Macogep-Argon18-Girondins de Bordeaux P/P Mazda), Magdeleine Vallieres Mill (Quebecor / Stingray) and Sidney McGill (Focus CX Canada).

Ruby West

Dana Gilligan

Emilly Johnston

Magdeleine Vallieres Mill

Sidney McGill