The 2021 Canadian Road Championships for Elite, Junior, and Para athletes took place from September 10-12 in Beauce, Quebec, after over two years since the last road national championships. There was no Criterium race included in the championships this year due to circumstances brought on by the pandemic but the Maple Leaf Jersey was awarded for the Time Trial and Road Races.
Cycling BC sent a team of Junior athletes on a project to compete against the best from the rest of the country and our BC riders returned some impressive results. Starting with the Individual Time Trials on Friday, seventeen-year-old Vancouverite, Campbell Parrish, podiumed with a 2nd place finish behind Team Quebec’s Leo Peloquin and ahead of Ontario rider Gavin Hadfield (Toronto Hustle) in the Junior Men’s category. Cycling BC’s other Junior riders Manu Moore finished in 7th, Liam Sargent in 30th, and Marc Sato in 34th.
In the Junior Men’s Road Race it was second year Junior, Luke Hubner, of Qualicum Beach who would podium for Cycling BC with a 3rd place finish behind Quebec’s Charles Duquette in 2nd and Jerome Gauthier in 1st. The Cycling BC team had three more riders in the top 20 including Campbell Parrish (10th), Manu Moore (11th), and Liam Sargent (17th). Marc Sato, despite facing some abdominal pain early in the race, gutted it out and finished 37th on the day.
A couple of Junior Women from BC and Yukon racing for their club team, TaG Cycling Race Team, were also at Road Nationals to compete for a title. Ana Large of Kelowna, BC, finished 6th in the Junior Women’s Time Trial and Mara Roldan placed 13th in the Time Trial and 6th in the Road Race.
Overall, it was a great weekend for our Juniors who have had limited opportunities to race at a high level over the past year and a half due to the pandemic. Congratulations to all the riders. The future looks bright for this cohort of young athletes.
Results from the other races and categories at the 2021 Canadian Road Cycling Championships (Elite/Junior/Para) can be found below.
Road Race (Junior Women, U23/Elite Men)
Road Race (Para, Junior Men, U23/Elite Women)
To support the future of cycling and BC’s young athletes, please consider making a donation to the Cycling BC Athlete Development Fund