Saanich, BC – The Lazer Canadian Cyclocross Championships will be hosted in Saanich BC on November 25-27, 2022 and feature 3 days of exciting racing action for cross enthusiasts from across the country. “After 2 long years of having no championship, we feel this is the year to finally make it happen.”, said race director, Jon Watkin. “We had originally planned to host in 2020 but that went sideways due to Covid-19, and then when we tried again for 2021, we were hit with a double whammy of bad weather and Omicron. It is said that ‘Three times is the charm’, so we are all in to make this an awesome event.”
The last Canadian Cyclocross championships were held in Peterborough Ontario in 2018-19. Victoria was slated to host in 2020-21, however the Covid-19 pandemic situation resulted in the race being cancelled for those years.
One major change is that the event has been moved to Layritz Park in Saanich, which is located just north of downtown Victoria. The park has had past cyclocross races including the very popular Tripleshot Cross Fondo and features varying terrain and excellent spectator viewing opportunities.
For the district of Saanich, it is the first major national sanctioned cycling event that has been hosted since the Mount Tolmie Road Race in 2000, which was spawned as a legacy of the Commonwealth Games in 1994. “I’m thrilled Saanich will welcome the Lazer Canadian Cyclocross Championships to our community this fall,” said District of Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes. “Hosting this event offers many benefits for our local businesses including an uptick in tourism with the many competitors and spectators visiting us for this exciting weekend race.”.
“We are super supportive of these kinds of events that bring national attention to the Greater Victoria Region.” Said Keith Wells, Executive Director of the Victoria Sport Tourism Commission. “It also shows
that hosting high level sporting events can be attained by all municipalities and can bring enormous economic and social benefits.”
The event schedule combines family friendly activities for kids, fun races for enthusiasts, and high-performance racing for elites, juniors, U23, and Masters.
On Friday November 25, the course will be available for pre-riding by all racers and will also feature some night-time single speed cyclocross racing with the Broad Street Cycles “Blackout CX”.
The Lazer Canadian Cyclocross Championships take place the following day on November 26 and will highlight the Elite, Junior, U23, and Masters Championship events while also offering “Sportif” races for beginners.
Sunday’s racing will feature the Trek Bear Crossing Grand Prix UCI C2 International races where Canadian and International racers will be racing for valuable World Ranking UCI Points. Age group races will also be included to extend the racing action for youth and offer additional ranking points for masters.
Tentative Schedule—Subject to Change:
| 2022 LAZER CANADIAN CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS / TREK BEAR CROSSING GRAND PRIX EVENT SCHEDULE | |
| THURSDAY / JEUDI – Course Set up Day / Mise En Place du Cours | |
| 12h00 – 17h00 | Race office open **NOTE Registration will not be open** / Bureau de course ouvert **REMARQUE L’inscription ne sera pas ouverte** |
| 12h00 – 14h00 | Team Tents and Expo area open for setup / Tentes d’équipe et la zone d’exposition sont ouvertes pour l’installation |
| FRIDAY / VENDREDI – Training Day / Jour D’entrainement | |
| 12h00 – 19h00 | Registration and race office open / Ouverture du bureau des inscriptions et des courses |
| 12h00 – 19h00 | Team Tents and Expo area open for setup / Tentes d’équipe et la zone d’exposition sont ouvertes pour l’installation |
| 14h00 | Managers Meeting at Registration/Race Office / Réunion des managers au bureau des inscriptions/course |
| 14h30 – 16h30 | Course open for training / Cours ouvert à la formation |
| 17h00 – 18h00 | TBD |
| 18h30 – 21h00 | Blackout CX Single Speed Cross Night Racing / Cyclocross de nuit à pignon fixe |
| SATURDAY / SAMEDI – Lazer Canadian CX Championships / Championnats Canadiens CX | |
| 07h00 – 17h00 | Registration and race office open / Ouverture du bureau des inscriptions et des courses |
| 07h00 – 08h00 | Team Tents and Expo area open for setup / Tentes d’équipe et la zone d’exposition sont ouvertes pour l’installation |
| 07h15 – 07h45 | Course open for training / Cours ouvert à la formation |
| 08h00 | U17 M/H / U17 W/F ; U15 M/H ; U15 W/F ; U13 M/H ; U13 W/F (Challenge Races); |
| 08h55 | Master 65+ W/F ; Master 55-64 W/F, Master 45-54 W/F ; Master 35-44 W/F; (Championship Race), Sportif W |
| 09h50 | Master 55-64 M/H ; Master 65+ M/H; (Championship Race), Sportif M |
| 10h45 | Master 45-54 M/H ; (Championship Race) |
| 11h45 | Master 35-44 M/H; (Championship Race) |
| 11h30 | Cycling BC Hop On – Kids Cross |
| 12h45 | Junior M/H ; U23 M/H; (Championship Race) |
| 13h50 | Junior W/F ; U23 W/F; (Championship Race) |
| 14h45 | Elite M/H; (Championship Race) |
| 16h00 | Elite W/F; (Championship Race) |
| 17h30 | Awards Ceremony for all start times / Cérémonie de remise des prix |
| SUNDAY / DIMANCHE – TREK Bear Crossing Grand Prix BC CX Championships | |
| 07h00 – 15h00 | Registration and race office open / Ouverture du bureau des inscriptions et des courses |
| 07h00 – 08h00 | Team Tents and Expo area open for setup / Tentes d’équipe et la zone d’exposition sont ouvertes pour l’installation |
| 07h15 – 07h45 | Course open for training / Cours ouvert à la formation |
| 08h00 | U17 M/H / U17 W/F ; U15 M/H ; U15 W/F ; U13 M/H ; U13 W/F |
| 08h55 | Master 55-64 W/F ; Master 65+ W/F ; Master 45-54 W/F ; Master 35-44 W/F |
| 09h50 | Master 55-64 M/H ; Master 65+ M/H ; |
| 10h45 | Master 45-54 M/H |
| 11h45 | Master 35-44 M/H |
| 10h15 | Awards Ceremony for 08h00 & 08h55 & 09h50 starts / Cérémonie de remise des prix pour 08h00 & 08h55 & 09h50 départs |
| 11h30 | Cycling BC Hop On – Kids Cross |
| 12h30 | Awards Ceremony for 10h45 & 11h45 starts / Cérémonie de remise des prix pour 10h45 & 11h45 départs |
| 12h00 – 12h30 | Course open for training / Cours ouvert à la formation |
| 12h45 | Junior M/H |
| 13h50 | Junior W/F |
| 14h45 | Elite W/F |
| 16h00 | Elite M/H |
| 16h40 | Awards Ceremony for 12h45 and 13h50 and 14h45 and 16h00 starts |
Registration will be open in late September and the 1st draft of a Technical Guide will be made available as well.
Cycling Canada link about National Ranking: https://cyclingcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MEMO-CX-National-Ranking-Series.pdf
For more information:
Contact:
Jon Watkin
Race Director
info@bearcrossgrandprix.com
UCI / Cycling Canada
Contact Josh Peacock
josh.peacock@cyclingcanada.ca