December 10/23 7:35 am - BTG Releases Final 2023 Canadian Cup Standings

Posted by Editoress on 12/10/23
 

In 2022, the Global Relay Bridge The Gap Fund [BTG] started the Canadian Cup ranking system for domestic road racing, which takes into account results from provincial and national level road events from across the country. In 2023 it consisted of a total of 53 races for women, men and Juniors covering 80 days of racing in 11 provinces and territories.

Karol Ann Canuel and Shawn Clarke started the BTG Canadian Cup, and were joined this year by Alex Cataford to help organize rankings. Ongoing, Alex and Karol Ann are becoming a new dynamic duo in Canada's community of event organizers. Ultimately, the BTG Canadian Cup is about fun, building community and showcasing a development pathway of Canadian races. See more on BTG's website at grbridgethegap.com/cup.

BTG uses the Canadian Cup to help spot up-and-coming riders, the next potential superstars of Canadian Cycling. The eligible winners in each category are awarded a Canadian Cup Champion's jersey and a $1,000 BTG athlete grant. Top-3 in the final standings were:

Women - Elite
1. Alison Jackson - 705pts
2. Holly Simonson - 440pts
3. Kiara Lylyk - 410pts

Women - Junior
1. Eloise Camire - 689pts
2. Jade Parent-Lafreniere - 496pts
3. Nora Linton - 480pts

Men - U23 & Elite
1. Carson Miles - 590pts
2. Mateo dal Cin - 555pts
3. Laurent Gervais - 501pts

Men - Junior
1. Matthew Ney - 788pts
2. Patrick Harris - 543pts
3. Ethan Powell - 537pts

The winners, who will receive a $1,000 BTG athlete grant are:

Eloise Camire, QC, Espoir Laval. Junior Women
Holly Simonson, BC, LA Sweat. Elite Women
Matthew Ney, BC, Red Truck Racing. Junior Men
Carson Miles, On, Toronto Hustle. Elite Men

Alison Jackson is listed first in the women's ranking, however, the grant goes to the first athlete eligible according to BTG's granting criteria, which is:

• Be Canadian
• Be a development rider (ie, not already a pro biker)
• Be under 25 (men), under 29 (women)
• Not be a TikTok superstar or Paris Roubaix winner

Here's what AJ had to say about being first, and not getting the grant: "I'm happy the grant rolls down to the next best rider. I love coming back to Canada to race and I want to see more young riders come up through the ranks into the pro levels like I did."

Full rankings and analysis can be found Here.

Analysis

This year every category had an increase in competitive riders:

• Overall, 655 athletes are ranked, up 28% from 2022
• More than 200 Junior riders ranked, with Junior women up 21% and men up 40%
• 246 Women and 409 Men were ranked (all ages)

The ratio of Juniors and women to total riders ranked remained pretty constant from 2022 to 2023.

With two years of rankings BTG is able to compare the top-10 athletes by category and look at some interesting athlete groups:

The Improvers
Riders who made the biggest rise up in the rankings (within a category) from one season to the next. This year, that's: Nora Linton, Ethan Powell, Holly Simonson and Carson Miles.

The Dependables
Riders demonstrating top-10 ranking consistency (within a category). Congratulations: Anabelle Thomas, Eloise Camire, Matthew Ney, Alexis Bouchard, Sasha Renaud-Tremblay, Laury Milette, Phil Jacob, Warren Muir and Laurent Gervais. [Note: Muir and Gervais are outside of BTG eligibility range (age)]

The Newcomers
Juniors hitting the top-10 in their first year or even U17 riders racing-up in the Junior category. The ones to watch are: Addison Frank, Larissa Pedersen, Sidney Swierenga, Alex Volstad, Filipe Duarte, Mik Guilbeault and Jayden McMullen (who also just won Junior CX Nationals).

The Graduates
The Juniors who make an impressive transition from top-10 Juniors in 2022 to top-10 in Elite/U23 standings in 2023. Expect more cool things from: Kiara Lylyk, Felix Hamel and Jerome Gauthier. With cycling's rush for for young talent, this is an interesting group to track.


In terms of general participation and membership, Ontario struggled the most of any province during the pandemic. Lots of factors likely played into both a short term dip, and resurgence. BTG has made some interesting special project investments in Ontario. Most notable being its third successive year supporting Kevin Simm's Junior initiatives - originally Toronto Hustle, and now Ignite.

It's great to see Ontario challenging Quebec again. Quebec lost 3,564 points in 2023, with most of those going to up-and-coming Ontario riders. Still, Quebec retains its top spot, including leads in both Junior divisions.

And hello Alberta, which seem to be building a wave of current and emerging women riders!

It does appear that the Canada Games had a big effect on 2022 rankings and, as we move into 2024 and 2025, different trends could emerge. The Canadian Cup has helped BTG spot and work with riders in Saskatchewan, Yukon, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Historically, some of Canada's best riders have come from parts of the country outside the Big-4 (Alberta, BC, Ontario, Quebec). In the end, the Canadian Cup is as much or more about connecting community as spotting talent.

BTG is always looking for more help. You can donate to the good cause or get in touch to volunteer in one of BTG's program or project areas.