July 23/23 19:42 pm - Jackson & Woods Takes Elite XCO Titles
Posted by Editoress on 07/23/23
Jenn Jackson (Liv Factory) took her second XCO title in three years on Saturday, while Carter Woods (Giant Factory), riding up from the Under-23 category, won his first elite XCO title, to go along with the XCC (short track) title he won on Thursday.
Torrential rain overnight on Friday led to concerns that the XCO championship races on Saturday in Kentville, Nova Scotia, might be cancelled. And, indeed, flooding and road washouts mean that riders and spectators coming from outside the region (particularly Halifax) were unable to attend, however, Saturday morning at the race site was clear and dry, with the sun coming out. The 5.2 kilometre circuit quickly dried out in the open areas, but in the woods it was a different story, with riders facing mudholes filled with water.
Jackson, who had lost the XCC title on Thursday to Laurie Arseneault (Pittstop Racing) in a bike throw, left nothing to chance in the elite women's five lap XCO, powering away from the rest of the field on the first lap. She quickly went up two minutes, then three and a half minutes, and finally topped out at over six and a half minutes by the finish line. It was one of the biggest margins in recent memory for the elite categories. Haley Smith (Maxxis Factory), Sandra Walter (Liv Cycling Canada) and Cindy Montambault (Project Dialed In) initially chased together, before Smith dropped Walter, and Walter dropped Montambault. The three finished in that order, but with less than a minute between them.
Jenn Jackson
"I think I've been super motivated all week," said Jackson, "and it [losing the XCC in a bike throw] was a reminder to me that even if you ... are the strongest, you still need to be strong at the right time and deliver a smart race. It wasn't my intention to open a gap early, but I did want to ride a consistent race. When we got into the singletrack, I could immediately feel that the pace I was willing and able to ride was higher than the other girls at that time. So I was quickly able to skirt by the others and settle into my own rhythm. Being on a factory team this year, with some other champions there in their own right, I'm excited to bring a jersey as well."
In the men's race, a lead group containing all the top favourites formed early on, including Woods, Leandre Bouchard (Foresco Holding Proco RL), Sean Fincham (Berria Vittoria Factory Team), Andrew L'Esperance (Maxxis Factory) and defending champion Peter Disera (Pivot OTE). Woods and Bouchard were clearly the strongest, distancing the others by the end of the second lap. Woods then opened a small gap on Bouchard; never much more than 30 seconds, but not one that Bouchard could close. Fincham moved into solo possession of third, but was falling behind the other two. Woods, who will now be able to wear the maple leaf jersey next year, his first in the elite ranks, beat Bouchard by 26 seconds, with Fincham at 2:10.
Carter Woods
Elite Men XCO gallery
"Having only a few races left in my U23 career, I think it's cool that Cole Punchard will ride in the jersey next year," explained Woods. "I felt like I had a pretty good shot at the elite title, and now I get to wear the jersey next year. I wanted to bring some U23 speed to the first few laps, so I went pretty hard off the start, just to see what would happen. I think it worked pretty well and caught some people off guard."
In the Under-23 categories, Emilly Johnston (Trek Future), caught much of the elite field on her way to taking the women's title, nearly three and a half minutes ahead of Ella Myers (The Bike Shop Racing/ Team Alberta), with Ella MacPhee (Charge BC XC Racing) a further 19 seconds back. In the absence of Woods, Cole Punchard (Hockley Valley Resort Armada) took the men's title, 1:19 ahead of team mate Owen Clark, with Noah Ramsay (Bateman's Bike Co) making it an all Ontario podium.
Emilly Johnston
U23 Women XCO gallery
Cole Punchard
The Junior women's title went to Marin Lowe (Stimulus Orbea), who rode away from the rest of the field, with Anabelle Drouin (Equipe Quebec - Sigma Assurances) taking silver and Ayana Gagne (Siboire QuiRoule) bronze. Ian Ackert (Stimulus Orbea) similarly won the Junior men's title, ahead of Felix Antoine Leclair (Siboire QuiRoule) and Jacob Roy (Ponsse). Both Lowe and Ackert won their respective XCC titles on Thursday.
Marin Lowe
Ian Ackert
Rafaelle Carrier (CVM Sigma Assurance) beat team mate Lily Rose Marois for the Under-17 women's title, with Nico Knoll (Team Alberta ) taking bronze. In the men's race, XCC champion Nicolas Gauthier (Ride with Rendall P/B Biemme) had to settled for silver, 12 seconds behind Emilien Belzile (Siboire QuiRoule), with Eliot Courcelles (Velo pays d'en haut/S4 suspension) finishing third.
National Mountain Bike Championships: Photo Galleries
National Mountain Bike Championships: XCO results
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