Canada Cup and Dunbar Summer Series racing stampeded into Kicking Horse Mountain Resort over the weekend, with Gabe Neron and Ainhoa Ijurko riding away with wins and Canada Cup leader’s jerseys.
In the open men’s race, Neron and Jack Pelland were the only two to break the four-minute mark on the long, physical track at KHMR. Patrick Laffey finished right on four minutes, with Adam Woodhouse and Wilson Thompson rounding out the podium.
Ainhoa Ijurko increased her lead in the women’s Canada Cup points race by taking the win in the elite women’s downhill. Eva Leikermoser followed in second place.
Gallery: 2023 Kicking Horse Canada Cup DH / Dunbar Summer Series
All photos: Sara Kempner
In the junior racing, Brock Hawes and Kiera Melnechuck corralled wins at Kicking Horse. Hawes pulled off another stellar race fun after a slower qualifying, just as he did in Fernie and Panorama, to beat Cory Fitchett by 2.43 seconds. Cody Wharton rounded out the junior podium in third. Finnegan Craig and Clem Loveless finish fourth and fifth.
In the junior women’s race, Ruby Dinn pushed Kiera Melnechuck to the line, finishing just 1.38 seconds back of the race winner. Jorja Macintosh earned the final podium spot to join in the junior’s ginger ale podium celebrations.
For the under-17s, Ryder Wilson edged out Anthony Shelly for the men’s win. Austin Makson takes the final podium spot for u17 men. In the women’s race, Tayte Proulx-Royds earned a solid win ahead of Cameron Bragg and Maggie Sutherland.
Canada Cup racing keeps right on riding into the final Dunbar Summer Series weekend. The series makes a long-awaited, much-anticipated return to Sun Peaks Resort outside Kamloops, B.C. for the Dunbar finals.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…