The Immunity-FX Canadian Road National Cycling Championships concluded on Sunday with the Criterium events, with Leah Kirchmann (Team Manitoba) dominating the women's race. The Criterium championship was contested as a Points race this year, with sprints every five laps [5-3-2-1], and double points for the final sprint.
Kirchmann was easily the strongest in the 30 lap women's race, racking up points in almost every intermediate sprint to finish with 23 points ahead of Joelle Numainville (TIBCO/To the Top) at 15 points and Rhae Shaw (Independent) with 11 points.
"I just decided that it was best to contest as many sprints as I could," explained Kirchmann. "Joelle [Numainville] is a strong sprinter, but this race favours consistency through the race."
Initiated by the 2024 Olympics, the circuit featuring the cobbled climb of Butte Montmartre returns for the second consecutive year to close out the Tour de France in Paris
