The Championship races this weekend featured all of Canada’s top mountain bikers assembled to race for the ultimate honour.
Canadian mountain bike legend and three-time Olympian Geoff Kabush of Courtenay, BC (Scott-3 Rox Racing) was crowned the men elite champion at the 2014 Canadian Mountain Bike Cross-Country Championships at Hardwood Ski and Bike in Oro-Medonte, near Barrie, ON. In doing so, Kabush became the most decorated mountain biker of all time at Canadian Championships, earning his eighth elite title in cross-country.
Right behind the two leaders were Canada’s top riders including Kabush, defending Canadian Champion Derek Zandstra of Trenton, ON (Scott-3 Rox Racing), Max Plaxton of Victoria, BC (Cannondale Factory Racing) and Raphael Gagné of Québec, QC (Rocky Mountain bicycles).
Catharine Pendrel of Kamloops BC (Team Luna Pro) won the highly anticipated women’s elite race. The defending Canadian Champion Emily Batty of Brooklyn, ON (Trek Factory), finished in second place while three-time Canada Cup Champion Sandra Walter of Coquitlam, BC (liv-Giant) took third place.
Léandre Bouchard took the title for the U23 men’s race, his second of the week after winning the Eliminator on Thursday. In second place came the defending Canadian champion and local rider Mitchell Baily of Barrie, ON (Trek Canada MTB team), and Felix Burke of Mont-Tremblant, QC (Opus-OGC) finished third.
Marc-André Fortier of Victoriaville, QC was the fastest among the junior men, posting a time of 1:09:28, beating at the finish line Rhys Verner of Garibaldi Highlands, BC (Cycling BC) and Felix Burke of Mont-Tremblant, QC (Opus-OGC).
In the U23 women’s race, Frederique Trudel of Breakyville, QC managed to squeak on the top of the podium, after coming back from a 40-second deficit on Hayley Smith of Uxbridge, ON (Norco Factory Team), who led for the majority of the race. Smith finished in second place after crashing in the last lap while Catherine Fleury of Alma, QC (Equipe du Québec-Cyclones d’Alma) was third.
Soren Meeuwisse of Barrie, ON (Trek Canada Mountain Bike Team), was the fastest of the women’s junior group. She completed the 3-lap, 18-km race with a time of 1:02:15. Laurie Arseneault of Terrebonne, QC (Iris) took the second place, while Paige Foxcroft of Collingwood, ON (Team Ontario-Angry Johnny CC), finished third.
The weekend came to an end on Sunday with the presentation of the team relay and master races. Team Quebec (Raphael Gagné, Marc-Andre Fortier, Cindy Montambault, Leandre Bouchard) won the Championships team relay, winning the second consecutive title for the province in the event. Team Ontario (Quinton Disera, Emily Batty, Marc-Antoine Fortin, Adam Morka) took the second place, while Team British Columbia (Max Plaxton, Quinn Moberg, Catharine Pendrel, Rhys Verner) came in third place.
Team Opus-OGC (Mathieu Belanger-Barette, Neil Symington, Andreanne Pichette, Félix Burke) won the Club Challenge Team Relay.
In the master races, Eric Batty (Master Men 30-39), Jon Barnes of (Master Men 40-49), Robert Sule(Master Men 50+) all won titles in their respective men categories, while Rhonda Stickle (Master Women 30-39) and Lisa Holmgren (Master Women 40+) took the titles.
Results: 2014 Canadian Mountain Bike Cross-Country Championships