September 28/21 9:33 am - Cycling Canada Releases Initial 2022 National Calendar

Posted by Editor on 09/28/21
 

Cycling Canada has released details of the 2022 national domestic calendar. In addition to returning events, a number of new events will be added for 2022. Of course, all of this is subject to provincial pandemic restrictions.

"Following an enthusiastic return to competition in 2021, we are very eager to see our organizers back for more as we announce a complete calendar of national and international events for 2022," said Cycling Canada's Events & Officials Manager, Jolène Dupuis. "Through the ongoing support of our provincial partners and dedicated event organizers, we are seeing bigger and better offerings in all disciplines that will give our athletes every opportunity to shine on Canadian soil."

The 2022 season will officially kick off on the track with the U17 & Junior Canadian Championships in Milton, Ontario, on April 8-10. Dates for Eastern and Western Track Challenge events will be confirmed following the October 1st National Calendar bidding deadline.

Junior Track Nationals

After a two-season hiatus, the Crossroads Festival in Mont-Tremblant, QC will mark the first event of the Canada Cup mountain bike calendar on May 27-29 in both the DH and XC disciplines. The XC series will then continue with stops in Quebec, Alberta, and Nova Scotia before the final event taking place in Dieppe, NB. With the popularity of the cross-country Short Track discipline on the rise, athletes can expect to see more XCC racing on the 2022 calendar, with UCI Short Track stops added to three Canada Cup events, in addition to the Canadian Championships. All Junior events within the XC series will be sanctioned at a minimum level of UCI C2, including four stops on the UCI Junior Series.

Following the Crossroads Festival, the DH Canada Cup series will make its way to Silverstar Mountain Resort to resume the season before heading to Fernie and Panorama for back to back races in the interior. The fan-favourite XCO & DH World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, has found its place back on the UCI calendar on August 5-7, while the Crankworx Festival is also planning to return in 2022 as the exciting finale to Cycling Canada's national DH calendar.

MTB Nationals

Both Canadian Mountain Bike Championships for XCO and DH will be organized on the weekend of July 23-24. Hardwood Ski & Bike in Oro Station, Ontario, will host the XCO event, while DH returns to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, BC, after a successful inaugural 2021 Championship.

The previously postponed Canada Summer Games are confirmed for 2022 in Ontario's Niagara Region and will highlight Canada's top developing talent in the mountain bike discipline on the week of August 8th, directly followed by road cycling in the final week of the Games.

GP Gatineau

Elite road racing will be back on June 2nd with the UCI women's Chrono Féminin de la Gatineau, followed by the Tour de Gatineau on June 3rd. Up next will be the Elite men's events at the Tour de Beauce on June 15-19, before the domestic road calendar heads West. The national road calendar's first western stop will be in Edmonton, Alberta, for what promises to be an exciting edition of the Canadian Elite/Junior/Para Road Championships on June 21-26, followed by BC Superweek looking to make its return in July.

The UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualifying event, Classique des Appalaches, held in conjunction with the Canadian Masters Road Championships in Victoriaville, Quebec, will be held June 30th to July 2nd after an outstanding debut on the national calendar in 2021. Another exciting staple marking its return for the 2022 season is the Tour de l'Abitibi on July 12-17. The road season will then cap off with the highest level of racing with UCI WorldTour stops in Quebec City and Montreal on September 9th and 11th for the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal.

The BMX Canada Cup series will welcome a few exciting new stops in 2022, starting in Quebec with Vaudreuil-Solanges, on July 9-10, followed by Drummondville, on July 16-17. On August 6-7, the series will stop in Saskatchewan for the first time at the Diamond BMX track in Warman, before heading to Okotoks, Alberta, on August 20-21. The BMX season concludes with the Canadian BMX Championships & Canada Cup finale at Calgary BMX on August 27-28.

The para-cycling calendar will once again kick off in Montreal, on April 30th to May 1st for the Challenge Gary Longhi as part of the Défi Sportif AlterGo Paralympic Festival. The road season will continue with the Canadian Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, on June 21-26 before some thrilling international racing on Canadian soil. The 2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships will take place on August 10-14 in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, after successfully delivering World Cups in both 2018 and 2019. The para-cycling national calendar will conclude with the Canadian Track Championships at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, joining the Elite and Masters athletes on September 1-3.

Still unconfirmed from the current calendar are the remaining events in the cyclo-cross and track disciplines. Cycling Canada is currently working with organizers in both disciplines towards an event application deadline of October 1st. Following review of all relevant applications, Cycling Canada will publish a release with complete event details in late 2021. The 2022 Canadian Championships for Mountain Bike Marathon, Enduro, and BMX Freestyle disciplines currently remain open for bid. The full events calendar will be confirmed and released in November.

"We would like to take this opportunity to extend a very special thank you to all of our devoted organizers and host communities across the country who endlessly support the sport of cycling," said Dupuis. "The return of events this year has shown how resilient and passionate our nation is, and we look forward to great racing and development through our domestic racing calendar in 2022."