The 2019 UCI Road Cycling World Championships took place in Yorkshire, Great Britain from September 26th to 29th where a squad of 25 riders represented Canada to vie for the coveted rainbow jersey.
Canadian Junior Women’s Champion Magdeleine Vallieres-Mill of Quebec finished in the top ten in the Junior Women’s Road Race which would prove to be the best result for any Canadian at the world championships this year.
Canadian National Time Trial Champion, Jacob Rubuliak of Kelowna, in his first-ever world championships, finished 25th in the Junior Men’s Time Trial but would not fare so well in the Road Race. Rubuliak and fellow junior BC rider, Riley Pickrell, would be in the group of 48 that did not finish the very wet and slippery 148km course. Quinn Simmons of the USA would go on to win the rainbow jersey in the Junior Men’s Road Race for 2019. Gillian Ellsay of Courtenay, BC would also come up with a DNF result in the Elite Women’s Road Race but did finish in 42nd place in the Time Trial several days earlier.
There was not one Canadian that would finish the course in the Elite Men’s Road Race as heavy rains, wind, frigid temperatures, and slippery roads would end the race early for many riders. Only 46 riders of the 197 that started the race would see it through to the very end including twenty-three year old, Mads Pedersen, of Denmark who would go on to win the very first world championships for his country.
Hats off to the Canadian squad for braving a tough world championship that was heavily impacted by the weather in Yorkshire this year.
View full results from the 2019 UCI Road World Championships