Canadian Athletes Set to Tackle XCO, XCC, & DH Nationals

Ottawa, ON (July 19, 2022) – With the Mountain Bike World Cup and Canada Cup seasons in full swing, the nation’s top athletes are gearing up for an intense weekend of racing on home soil with the return of the Canadian Cross-Country (XCO), Short Track (XCC) and Downhill (DH) Mountain Bike Championships on July 23-24.

The Canadian XCO & XCC Championships will kick off in Oro Station, Ontario, on July 21^st with the Short Track titles being awarded to Elite riders for the second time. The Cross-country races for Cadet (Under-17), Junior (Under-19), Under-23, Elite and Masters men and women will take place on Saturday, July 23^rd, while trade teams and provincial squads will compete in the Team Relay on Sunday. The event schedule also includes several Canadian Challenge and Ontario Cup competitions throughout the weekend.

Races are expected to be highly competitive, with Olympians Léandre Bouchard, Peter Disera, Geoff Kabush, Haley Smith and Emily Batty all vying for a spot on the podium. Other top contenders include Cyclo-cross World Cup medallist Maghalie Rochette, reigning XCC Champions Quinton Disera and Sandra Walter, 2021 U23 National Champions Gunnar Holmgren and Emilly Johnston, as well as U23 World Cup medallist Carter Woods.

“We are thrilled to be hosting a double weekend of Canadian Mountain Bike Championships,” said Cycling Canada’s Events & Officials Manager, Jolène Dupuis. “With busy and successful World Cups happening internationally, we are impressed with the great registration numbers for the events this year. We expect it to be an exciting weekend for our athletes battling for their spot on the Championship podium at both ends of the country.”

That same weekend, the Canadian Downhill Championships will be stopping at the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, BC for the second consecutive year. The event will be a part of the longstanding Dunbar Summer Series, concluding a week of UCI downhill racing in BC’s interior. Saturday, Elite athletes will be tackling the steep and rugged terrain in the seeding rounds, with all categories competing in the finals on Sunday. After last year’s success, organizers will once again be offering an Adaptive Mountain Bike (aMTB) category for athletes of varying abilities.

With most defending champions absent due to scheduling conflicts, several titles will be up for grabs, including the Elite men’s, Elite women’s and Junior men’s maple leaf jerseys. Emmy Lan will be looking to defend her title in the Junior women’s category, while Wei Tien Ho could be a solid contender for the Junior men’s title after placing sixth at the recent Lenzerheide World Cup.

Full details and results will be available on the Cycling Canada website for both XCO and DH.

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Source: Cycling Canada
About Cycling Canada
Cycling Canada is one of the oldest national sport organizations in Canada and has one simple purpose: to inspire Canadians to cycle. Cycling Canada administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country, hosts national and international events and manages the National Team in all levels of international competition.