September 15/20 10:10 am - Cycling Canada Announces MTB Worlds Squad

Posted by Editoress on 09/15/20
 

Cycling Canada has announced a team of 27 riders - 11 Downhill and 16 XCO - for the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, which are scheduled to take place in Leogang, Austria from October 7th to 11th. Athletes will be competing in Cross-Country (XCO), Downhill (DH) and E-MTB events.

Due to travel advisories during the pandemic, athletes were only eligible for selection if they were already in Europe as part of their competition program with UCI-registered trade teams. The Canadian team will be supported by their UCI-registered trade teams and Europe-based Cycling Canada staff.

In this pandemic-shortened season, the only major event leading into the Worlds is the MTB World Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, which takes place the week before the world championships. The Norco Factory XC team has travelled to Europe early to do some regional races and Emily Batty just finished a cross-Iceland trip, however, there will be no Downhill World Cups before the world championships for DH riders.

Emily Batty

Haley Smith

Sandra Walter

Jenn Jackson

"I didn't expect that I would get the chance to race at all this year, so to be back is a little overwhelming," said Haley Smith, who will compete in the Elite Women's XCO. "I know that, on paper, I am fitter than ever before and have done more and better training than ever as well but I don't yet know how this training will translate to race speed. I am mentally fresher and sharper, having not had an entire summer of travel and race fatigue built up. I'm truly excited which is a really positive mental space to find myself in. I'm grateful for the chance to dig deep and see what I've got in me, and to hopefully do the maple leaf proud in the process."

Léandre Bouchard

Peter Disera

Raphaël Auclair

Marc-André Fortier

Félix Belhumeur

Andrew L'Esperance

Quinton Disera

Sean Fincham

Carter Woods

Gunnar Holmgren

Marianne Théberge

Maghalie Rochette will ride both E-MTB and XCO

In the E-MTB category, Maghalie Rochette will look to go one better than last year, when she took silver in the inaugural edition of the event on home soil in Mont-Sainte-Anne. Rochette will also be competing in the XCO event in preparation for the cyclo-cross World Cup season.

Miranda Miller

Finn Iles

Mark Wallace

Henry Fitzgerald

Lucas Cruz

Ethan Shandro

Seth Sherlock

Patrick Laffey

Elite Women (XCO)
Emily Batty - Brooklin, ON
Jennifer Jackson - Oro Medonte, ON
Maghalie Rochette - Ste-Adèle, QC [XCO & E-MTB]
Haley Smith - Uxbridge, ON
Sandra Walter - Coquitlam, BC

Elite Men (XCO)
Raphaël Auclair - Haut-Saint-Charles, QC
Félix Belhumeur - Quebec City, QC
Léandre Bouchard - Alma, QC
Peter Disera - Horseshoe Valley, ON
Andrew L'Esperance - Halifax, NS
Marc-André Fortier - Victoriaville, QC

U23 Women (XCO)
Marianne Théberge - Lévis, QC

U23 Men (XCO)
Quinton Disera - Horseshoe Valley, ON
Sean Fincham - Squamish, BC
Gunnar Holmgren - Orillia, ON
Carter Woods -- Cumberland, BC

Elite Women (DH)
Miranda Miller - Squamish, BC

Elite Men (DH)
Lucas Cruz - Pemberton, BC
Henry Fitzgerald - West Vancouver, BC
Finn Iles - Whistler, BC
Elliot Jamieson - White Rock, BC
Magnus Manson -- Sechelt, BC
Mark Wallace - Duncan, BC

Junior Men (DH)
Patrick Laffey - Nanaimo, BC
Drew Mozell - North Vancouver, BC
Ethan Shandro - North Vancouver, BC
Seth Sherlock - Squamish, BC