The Canadian National Mountain Bike Championships saw Canada's top international riders defend their titles on Sunday, as they gear up for the world championships to be held at Mont Ste Anne, Quebec on Labour Day weekend.
Geoff Kabush (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) and Catharine Pendrel (Luna) won the men's and women's elite cross country titles under perfect weather conditions amid the beauty of the Rocky Mountains at the 1988 Olympic Nordic skiing centre.
Emily Batty (Trek World Racing) repeated as the women's Under 23 champion, while unheralded Jared Stafford (Team Ontario/Bikesports) took the corresponding men's title.
Pendrel's primary competition, Marie-Helene Premont (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain), pulled out of the competition less than 48 hours before the start with bronchitis, making Pendrel the overwhelming favourite.
The current leader of the World Cup didn't disappoint, pulling away from the rest of the field on the first seven-kilometre lap of the four-lap race to win by an impressive five-minute margin over Amanda Sin (3 Rox Racing). Mical Dyck (Trek/Terrascape) finished third, nearly seven minutes back.
After Pendrel rode away from the field, and Sin took possession of second place, the race became a matter of seeing how far up the elite field Batty would move, after starting 45 seconds back. In the end, she would catch all but Pendrel and Sin.
Mikaela Kofman (Team Ontario/3 Rox Racing) finished second in U23, and was the fifth rider across the finish line, another impressive ride.
I'm really pleased to keep the national champion's jersey," said Pendrel. "I went out there to push myself hard as I prepare for the next World Cup races and the world championships. Overall, I'm happy with how I rode today, and how my form is right now.
"National championships are always important," she continued. "To wear your national champ jersey is a source of pride. I want to do it; I want to see our jersey out there. It's a special race for everyone, no matter what level you are at."
Kabush, going for his eighth national title (seventh senior title), didn't have it as easy as Pendrel however, with Max Plaxton (Team Sho-Air/Specialized) finishing only 48 seconds back, and Derek Zandstra (3 Rox Racing) at 1:39.
The trio rode away from the rest of the men's field on the first lap of the five-lap event, and stayed together until late in the fourth lap, when Kabush attacked. He quickly opened a 20-second gap on Plaxton, who dropped Zandstra in the chase, and steadily extended his lead to the finish line.
"It wasn't an easy win," said Kabush. "Those guys are getting stronger every year, and pushing me a bit more. I waited until near the top of the steepest climb and then punched it hard, and was able to open enough of a gap to get away from them. I waited for the right moment to create some separation. I guess old school was able to beat new school for one more year."
Plaxton, who is coming off a concussion suffered at a US race, tried to stay with Kabush, but didn't have the power. Nevertheless, he was happy with silver.
"He [Kabush] picked the right time to go," Plaxton explained, "and he can put in such a powerful attack that I couldn't go with him. Geoff's one of the top guys in the world, so there's no shame in being beaten by him. But I'm going to get that jersey one of these days..."
In the morning junior races, Kristina Laforge (Equipe du Quebec/Cyclone d'Alma) finished nearly a minute in front of Lauren Rosser (Cycling BC) for the women's title, while Evan McNeely (Team Ontario/EMD Serono/Specialized) finished 58 seconds ahead of teammate Steven Noble (Team Ontario/Jetpower) in the men's race.
Antoine Perreault (CVM Val-David) won the men's Under 17 (Cadet) title and Amanda Wakeling (Cycling BC) the women's. Overall, British Columbia and Ontario each took three titles, with Quebec taking the other two.
Full Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) | 1:45:15 |
| 2 | Max Plaxton (Team Sho Air/Specialized) | 0:00:49 |
| 3 | Derek Zandstra (3 Rox Racing) | 0:01:40 |
| 4 | Matthew Hadley (XPREZO - Borsac) | 0:06:18 |
| 5 | Kris Sneddon (KONA) | 0:06:22 |
| 6 | Andrew Watson (Norco Factory Team) | 0:07:04 |
| 7 | Cory Wallace (KONA) | 0:07:23 |
| 8 | Eric Batty (Trek Canada) | 0:07:38 |
| 9 | Marty Lazarski (Rocky Mountain Factory Team) | 0:08:32 |
| 10 | Raphaël Gagne (Équipe Québec/Rocky Mountain Factory Team) | 0:08:32 |
| 11 | Peter Glassford (Trek Canada ) | 0:08:45 |
| 12 | Craig Richey (Aviawest-Blue Competition Cycles) | 0:10:08 |
| 13 | Daniel Sessford (Aviawest-Blue Competition Cycles) | 0:11:21 |
| 14 | Adam Morka (Trek Canada) | 0:11:56 |
| 15 | Leni Trudel (Équipe du Québec/Specialized) | 0:12:04 |
| 16 | Cameron Jette (La Bicicletta Elite Team) | 0:12:28 |
| 17 | Ryan Atkins (EMD Serono-Specialized) | 0:12:38 |
| 18 | Sullivan Reed (Prince George Cycling Club) | 0:16:14 |
| 19 | Roddi Lega (Pedalhead Bicycle Works) | 0:17:14 |
| 20 | Marc-André Daigle (Garneau/Club Chaussures-Ogilvy-Renauld) | 0:17:32 |
| 21 | Manuel Fehlmann (Pedalhead Bicycle Works) | 0:17:44 |
| 22 | Greg Day (Rocky Mountain-Different Bikes p/b KC Capital) | 0:19:48 |
| 23 | Thomas Skinner (Aviawest-Blue Competition Cycles) | 0:20:24 |
| 24 | Cory Zetterstrom (NBR/BCW/Horizon) | 0:22:37 |
| 25 | Drew Mackenzie (Island Racing p/b Robert W Cameron Law) | 0:24:35 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) | 1:37:41 |
| 2 | Amanda Sin (3 Rox Racing) | 0:05:01 |
| 3 | Mical Dyck (Trek Canada/Terrascape Racing) | 0:06:59 |
| 4 | Catherine Vipond (Norco Factory Team) | 0:09:11 |
| 5 | Sandra Walter (Local Ride Women's MTB Team) | 0:09:46 |
| 6 | Cindy Montambault (CVM Val-David) | 0:10:32 |
| 7 | Brandi Heisterman (Northlands Medical Clinic) | 0:12:24 |
| 8 | Jean Ann Mckirdy (Local Ride Women's MTB Team) | 0:13:33 |
| 9 | Wendy Simms (KONA) | 0:14:03 |
| 10 | Caroline Villeneuve (Norco Factory Team) | 0:16:43 |
| 11 | Katy Curtis (CMC/Bow Cycle) | 0:18:01 |
| 12 | Karen Trueman (Oak Bay Bicycles) | 0:21:25 |
| 13 | Jennifer Schulz (Fresh Air Concept/Balance Point Racing) | 0:23:54 |
| 14 | Shantel Koenig (Redbike) | 0:24:00 |
| 15 | Alana Heise (Terrascape Racing) | 0:26:00 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jared Stafford (Team Ontario/Bikesports Racing) | 1:57:37 |
| 2 | Francois Morin (Team Quebec/Specialized) | 0:00:27 |
| 3 | Simon Lalancette (Equipe du Quebec/DEVINCI) | 0:01:39 |
| 4 | Jon Kinsie (Lapierre) | 0:02:32 |
| 5 | Félix Cote (CVM Val-David) | 0:02:54 |
| 6 | Tyson Wagler (3 Rox Racing) | 0:03:22 |
| 7 | Andrew L'esperance (Cyclesmith/Trek) | 0:04:39 |
| 8 | Zachary Hughes (Norco Factory Team) | 0:05:02 |
| 9 | Alex Harvey (Indépendant) | 0:05:29 |
| 10 | Alexis Cartier (CVM Val-David) | 0:06:13 |
| 11 | David Gonda (CMC/Bow Cycle) | 0:07:03 |
| 12 | Jacob Mcclelland (Team Ontario) | 0:07:35 |
| 13 | Pierre-Louis Chamberland (CVM Val-David) | 0:09:15 |
| 14 | Matthew Krahn (Redbike) | 0:10:45 |
| 15 | Patrick Chartrand (CVM Val-David) | 0:11:46 |
| 16 | Peter Knight (Hardcore Cycling Club) | 0:13:48 |
| 17 | Brian Robinson (CMC/Bow Cycle) | 0:15:35 |
| 18 | Jeremi Bussieres (CVM Val-David) | 0:18:46 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emily Batty (Trek World Racing) | 1:43:31 |
| 2 | Mikaela Kofman (3 Rox Racing) | 0:01:29 |
| 3 | Rebecca Beaumont (Équipe du Québec/Cyclone d'Alma) | 0:11:13 |
| 4 | Ashley Barson (Coach Chris.ca/Ted Velikonja) | 0:11:33 |
| 5 | Cassandre Olivier-Lapierre (Équipe Québec/Subway-Genetik) | 0:15:33 |
| 6 | Marie-Claude Surprenant (Équipe du Québec/Xprezo) | 0:18:50 |
| 7 | Anna Schappert (Team Manitoba) | 0:18:59 |
| 8 | Krystyn Ong (Team Alberta/River Valley Cycle) | 0:20:27 |
| 9 | Samantha Grover (Pedalhead Racing Club) | 0:22:36 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evan Mcneely (Team Ontario/EMD Serono/Specialized) | 1:26:43 |
| 2 | Steven Noble (Team Ontario/Jetpower) | 0:00:59 |
| 3 | Antoine Caron (Equipe du Quebec) | 0:01:18 |
| 4 | Mitch Bailey (Team Ontario) | 0:01:27 |
| 5 | Jérémy Martin (Equipe du Québec/Rocky Mountain Factory Team) | 0:02:52 |
| 6 | Léandre Bouchard (Équipe du Québec/Cyclone d'Alma) | 0:04:28 |
| 7 | Felix Wilberg (Team Alberta) | 0:05:28 |
| 8 | Thomas Neron (Équipe Québec/Subway-Genetik) | 0:05:32 |
| 9 | Mo Lawrence (Cycling BC) | 0:06:15 |
| 10 | Daniel Varga (Jetpower) | 0:06:21 |
| 11 | Etienne Moreau (Team Ontario/Hardwood-Trek) | 0:06:24 |
| 12 | Preston Wagler (3 Rox Racing) | 0:07:38 |
| 13 | Karl Hoppner (EMD Serono-Specialized) | 0:10:11 |
| 14 | Bretton Matthews (Jetpower) | 0:10:11 |
| 15 | Philippe Paradis (CVM Val-David) | 0:12:48 |
| 16 | Xavier Perreault (CVM Val-David) | 0:14:20 |
| 17 | Jordan Doner (Team Spoke O'Motion) | 0:24:20 |
| 18 | Michael Van Den Ham (Brandon Bike Club) | 0:29:18 |
| 19 | Simon Boisvert (Le Yéti) | 0:31:08 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristina Laforge (Équipe du Québec/Cyclone d'Alma) | 1:22:53 |
| 2 | Lauren Rosser (Cycling BC) | 0:00:54 |
| 3 | Valérie Meunier (Équipe du Québec/Cyclone d'Alma) | 0:01:23 |
| 4 | Laura Bietola (Team Ontario/3Rox Racing) | 0:01:35 |
| 5 | Emily Fisher (Team Ontario/Angry Johnny's/Cycle Solutions) | 0:03:06 |
| 6 | Cayley Brooks (Team Ontario) | 0:06:06 |
| 7 | Caeli Barron (Team Alberta) | 0:10:38 |
| 8 | Andréane Lantheir Nadeau (Équipe du Québec/Rocky Mountain Factory Team) | 0:12:59 |
| 9 | Emily Flynn (EMD Serono-Specialized) | 0:12:59 |
| 10 | Samantha Wagler (Two Wheel Express) | 0:16:11 |
| 11 | Kristin Drygas (Team Squamish) | 0:20:50 |
| 12 | Hannah Cooley (Team Saskatchewan) | 0:27:41 |
| 13 | Sarah Witzke (Team Alberta) | 0:29:20 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antoine Perreault (CVM Val-David) | 1:10:20 |
| 2 | Marc-Antoine Nadon (Team Ontario/Hardwood) | 0:00:24 |
| 3 | Quinn Moberg (Cycling BC) | 0:01:41 |
| 4 | Louis Dillon (Cycling BC) | 0:02:17 |
| 5 | Michael Girolametto-Prosen (Cyclepath Markham) | 0:03:41 |
| 6 | Alexandre Vialle (CVM Val David) | 0:04:38 |
| 7 | Vincent Belhumeur (Specialized) | 0:07:19 |
| 8 | Kevin Stafford (Team Alberta) | 0:07:46 |
| 9 | Samuel Beaudoin (Team Alberta) | 0:08:46 |
| 10 | Gabriel Thibeault (Kona Biomax) | 0:10:43 |
| 11 | Tommy Beaulieu (Juventus) | 0:11:13 |
| 12 | Eric Ewert (CMC/Bow Cycle) | 0:14:14 |
| 13 | Thomas Hardy (Independent) | 0:19:49 |
| 14 | Dylan Smith (Team Saskatchewan) | 0:22:19 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amanda Wakeling (Cycling BC) | 0:59:51 |
| 2 | Gabrielle April (Lessard Bicycles) | 0:02:49 |
| 3 | Emily De Freitas (Team Alberta) | 0:05:51 |
| 4 | Erin Middleton (Team Alberta) | 0:09:35 |
| 5 | Zoe Dahl (CMC/Bow Cycle) | 0:11:57 |
| 6 | Hana Boersma (Portage Junk Yard Dogs) | 0:13:16 |
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