Canadian riders appeared on the podiums in both Downhill and Cross-country over the weekend at the Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec.
Racing began on Saturday, August 5th, with Round 6 of the Downhill, and BC Junior rider Finnley Iles (Specialized) continued his dominance by taking his fifth win in six events. Iles, the reigning world champion, has been battling illness all week and came back from a flat tire in qualifying to set the fastest time in the Final with eight riders to go. No one challenged him until the last starter, Matt Walker (Madison Saracen), who was faster at the first split before suffering mechanical problems. Iles had already won the overall title coming into the race.
In the Elite categories, national champion Miranda Miller (Specialized) was the top Canadian in seventh place, with Kirk McDowall, the men’s national champion, finishing 12th.
On Sunday, Canadians put in top-5 performances in the XC race, with Catharine Pendrel (Clif Pro Team) and Emily Batty (Trek Factory) finishing third and fourth in Elite Women, while Quinton Disera (Norco Factory) had the best ride of his career to finish fourth in Under-23 men. Rio Olympian Raphael Gagne (Cannondale-3Rox) was the top Elite man, in 34th.
Cycling Canada is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. Founded in 1882, Cycling Canada aims to create and sustain an effective system that develops talented Canadian cyclists to achieve Olympic, Paralympic, and World Championship medal performances. With the vision of being a leading competitive cycling nation by 2020 celebrating enhanced international success, increased national participation and world class event hosting, Cycling Canada manages the High Performance team, hosts national and international events and administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country. Cycling Canada programs are made possible through the support of its valued corporate partners – Global Relay, Lexus Canada, Mattamy Homes, Louis Garneau and Bear Mountain Resort – along with the Government of Canada, Own The Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
