Peterborough, ON (November 2, 2019) – A total of 14 national titles were awarded on Saturday at the Shimano Canadian Cyclo-cross Championships in Peterborough, Ontario. Both Maghalie Rochette (Specialized/Feedback Sports) and Michael van den Ham (Easton-Giant p/b Transitions Lifecare) successfully defended their Elite titles in wet and muddy conditions.
Photo Rob Jones/Canadian Cyclist (All Rights Reserved) – Michael van den Ham
“It was a hard day today,” said Rochette. “I knew Jenn Jackson would come out firing today and she really did. She brought a solid battle which really brought the best out of me. I had to ride hard to shake her. I stayed pretty calm [when she got a gap]. I’ve been working on that, so I let her go in front for a bit and used this opportunity to recover a bit. I stayed calm, but I also realized that if I wanted to win, I had to do it from the front, so I quickly went back to the front and tried to put the pressure from there.”
“It’s never easy when it’s ‘Jersey Season’,” said van den Ham, “everyone wants to win one. Marc [André Fortier] had nothing to lose today and he was out there gunning for me. Marc and I were really throwing down the first couple of laps and then we sat up a bit. He did a good attack up a climb, and I can say that he had me a bit on the rivet, and I just made a silly mistake, got caught in a rut and lost my front wheel. Fortunately, we were close to the pits because I had bent my [brake] hoods in a bit. After that, it just became a time trial; I knew that I was riding big sections of the course stronger than him.”
Photo Rob Jones/Canadian Cyclist (All Rights Reserved) – Emilly Johnston
In other results, Gunnar Holmgren (Hardwood Next Wave) repeated as the U23 men’s champion, while Sidney McGill (Pedalhead Race Room) finished just ahead of last year’s winner Ruby West. In the Junior category, the men’s Time Trial champion Jacob Rubuliak (TaG Cycling) finished first, while Emilly Johnston (Naked Factory Racing) became the first-ever Junior women’s champion, as Cycling Canada added the category to achieve gender parity in cyclo-cross.
For full results, click here.
Cycling Canada is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. With the vision of becoming a leading competitive cycling nation, Cycling Canada manages the High Performance team, hosts national and international events and administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country.