February 11/04 5:13 am - National Mountain Bike Championships at Mont-Sainte-Anne (official announcement)

Posted by Editoress on 02/11/04
 

Tim Hortons Mountain Bike National Championships at Mont-Sainte-Anne
Courtesy Gestev

Beaupré, Quebec, February 11, 2004 - The event management company Gestev Inc. has responded favourably to the Canadian Cycling Association's invitation to organize the Tim Hortons Mountain Bike National Championships at Mont-Sainte-Anne on July 16, 17 and 18, 2004.

Every year the National Championships bring together Canada's top mountain bikers to compete for the title of Canadian champion. It is the most important event of the year for athletes vying for a spot on the national team, and this competition plays a deciding role in sending athletes to the national team, the World Championships, and the Canadian Olympic team. There is good news for competitors from Quebec who will be able to compete on home soil. The current Canadian champion, Marie-Hélène Prémont from Château-Richer near Quebec City, agrees: "I couldn't have imagined a better scenario than having not only the Canadian Championships but another World Cup event at Mont-Sainte-Anne. 2004 looks like being a very big year and I'm hoping to give it my all and to achieve my objectives. That will mean getting a place on the Olympic team, continuing to make progress in the World Cup and defending my title as Canadian champion. The fact that these two major events are taking place so close to where I live will make things a lot easier; it is always good to compete at home, in front of people you know." Prémont is currently the only female mountain biker from the province who looks set to meet the criteria to compete at the Olympic games.

The Canadian Championships consist of cross-country and downhill events. And the 2004 event is of major importance, given the summer Olympic games taking place a few weeks later in Athens (August 28th and 29th for the mountain bike events). As a result, Canadian athletes will still have time to score points in order to qualify for the Olympics. The event, which will be televised across the country, will return on July 15 and 17, 2005.

The summer of 2004 will be a busy one for Gestev Inc. who, in addition to their involvement with the Tim Hortons Canadian Championships, will also be organizing Velirium in June, a nine-day international mountain bike festival which includes the World Cup and the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon. Several major events will be held at Mont-Sainte-Anne this coming summer, and we wish the competitors all the best coming up to the summer Olympic games.