Cycling BC’s High Performance MTB team completed their final team project of the season at the 2023 Canadian National XCC & XCO Championships which took place in the town of Kentville, Nova Scotia from Thursday, July 20th to Sunday, July 23rd.
The Cycling BC team was represented by Noah Rubuliak (Jr Men), Ethan Wood (U17 Men), Kelan Wells (U17 Men), Ellie Winchell (U17 Women), Geza Rodgers (Jr Women), and Maddi Pollock (Jr Women). The Cycling BC team members were amongst some world-class competitors including several current and past Cycling BC targeted athletes including Marin Lowe, Emilly Johnston, and Carter Woods, who were also there to contend for the maple leaf championship jersey on behalf of their respective trade teams.
The weekend’s events started off with the MTB XCC (Short track) National Championships in which Cycling BC team rider, Madeleine Pollock, achieved the best Cycling BC team result with a second-place sprint finish in the Junior Women’s race, ahead of 3rd place Team Quebec rider Anabelle Drouin and behind fellow BC rider Marin Lowe (Stimulus-Orbea).
The Top 3 results in the 2023 Canadian MTB XCC National Championships are as follows,
Elite Women
1. Laurie Arseneault (QC) Pittstop Racing Team
2. Jennifer Jackson (BC) Liv Factory Racing
3. Haley Smith (QC) Maxxis Factory Racing
Junior Women
1. Marin Lowe (BC) Stimulus Orbea
2. Madeleine Pollock (BC) Cycling BC
3. Anabelle Drouin (QC) Equipe Quebec – Sigma Assurances
U17 Women
1. Rafaelle Carrier (QC) Cvm sigma assurance
2. Juliette Raymond (QC) Club Cycliste Mont-Sainte-Anne – CCMSA
3. Maude Ruelland (QC) Cvm Sigma Assurance
Elite Men
1. Carter Woods (BC) Giant Factory Off Road Team
2. Raphael Auclair (QC) Pivot Cycles – OTE
3. Leandre Bouchard (QC) Foresco Holding Proco RL
Junior Men
1. Ian Ackert (ON) Stimulus Orbea Racing Team
2. Jacob Roy (QC) Ponsse
3. Mika Comaniuk (QC) Independent
U17 Men
1. Nicolas Gauthier (QC) Ride with Rendall P/B Biemme
2. Tristan Taillefer (QC) SIBOIRE QUIROULE
3. Maddox Johnson (BC) Independant
The MTB XCO National Championships took place on Saturday, July 22nd and the BC women asserted their will with national title-winning performances by—Marin Lowe (Stimulus Orbea) in Junior Women, Emilly Johnston (Trek Future) in U23 Women, and Jenn Jackson (Liv Factory Racing) in the Elite Women’s race. Carter Woods added to the BC gold medal count with a 1st place finish in the Elite Men’s race.
Several other BC riders made podium appearances including Sandra Walter (Liv Cycling Canada) in 3rd place in Elite Women, Ella MacPhee (Charge BCXC) 3rd in U23 Women, and Sean Fincham (Berria Vittoria Factory Team) in 3rd place among Elite Men.
Cycling BC’s best team rider result in the XCO championships belonged to Geza Rodgers in Junior Women’s and Ellie Winchell in the U17 Women’s race—they both finished in 6th place in their respective races.
The Top 3 results in the 2023 Canadian MTB XCO National Championships are as follows,
Junior Women
1. Marin Lowe (BC) Stimulus Orbea
2. Anabelle Drouin (QC) Equipe Quebec – Sigma Assurances
3. Ayana Gagne (QC) Siboire QuiRoule
U17 Women
1. Rafaelle Carrier (QC) CVM Sigma Assurance
2. Lily Rose Marois (QC) CVM Sigma Assurance
3. Nico Knoll (AB) Alberta
U23 Women
1. Emilly Johnston (BC) TREK Future
2. Ella Myers (AB) The Bike Shop Racing/ Team Alberta
3. Ella MacPhee (BC) Charge BC XC Racing
Elite Women
1. Jennifer Jackson (BC) Liv Factory Racing 1:28:21.4
2. Haley Smith (QC) Maxxis Factory Racing 1:34:52.8
3. Sandra Walter (BC) Liv Cycling Canada Off-Road Team 1:35:12.4
Junior Men
1. Ian Ackert (ON) Stimulus Orbea Racing Team
2. Felix Antoine Leclair (QC) SIBOIRE QUIROULE
3. Jacob Roy (QC) Ponsse
U17 Men
1. Emilien Belzile (QC) Siboire QuiRoule
2. Nicolas Gauthier (QC) Ride with Rendall P/B Biemme
3. Eliot Courcelles (QC) Velo pays d’en haut/S4 suspension
Elite Men
1. Carter Woods (BC) Giant Factory Off Road Team
2. Leandre Bouchard (QC) Foresco Holding Proco RL
3. Sean Fincham (BC) Berria Vittoria Factory Team
U23 Men
1. Cole Punchard (ON) Hockley Valley Resort Armada
2. Owen Clark (ON) Hockley Valley Reasort Armada
3. Noah Ramsay (ON) Bateman’s Bike Co
The weekend concluded with the Mountain Bike Team Relay championships where Provincial teams and Trade teams entered teams of four to complete 4 laps (one lap per rider) of a shortened XCO course. Cycling BC entered two teams and finished in 5th and 12th. The Pivot Cycles OTE mountain bike team won the relay event ahead of Team Ontario in 2nd and Team Alberta in 3rd.