Friday was a historic day for Canadian cycling

As our friends at Canadian Cyclist first said, it was a historic day for cycling in Canada. Within just six hours, Canada secured two bronze medals at the Paralympics, a rainbow jersey, and silver and bronze medals at the MTB World Championships. And who could forget Michael Woods winning a stage at the Vuelta while wearing the maple leaf jersey!

After a challenging Olympics where Canada didn’t medal—though Maggie Cole-Lyster came close in the omnium—it was a great reminder of the country’s talent.

Holmgren wins another rainbow jersey

On Friday, Isabella Holmgren added to her impressive world championship record by winning the under-23 women’s short track cross-country race in Pal Arinsal, Andorra. Her sister, Ava Holmgren, joined her on the podium with a third-place finish, while Emilly Johnston nearly completed an all-Canadian podium by finishing fourth. Great Britain’s Ella Maclean-Howell, who took second place, prevented a full Canadian sweep. Additionally, Ella MacPhee finished 15th, showcasing the strength of the Canadian women’s cross-country program.

Isabella Holmgren wins XCC world champs in near-sweep of U23 podium

Canada’s under-23 men also excelled in short track. Cole Punchard and Owen Clark, both from Ontario, achieved top-10 finishes in the under-23 men’s XCC, with Punchard placing fifth, 12 seconds off the leader, and Clark eighth, 22 seconds behind. Ian Ackert and Noah Ramsay, also from Ontario, secured 18th and 19th places, with Zorak Paillé finishing 21st out of 48.

Carrier silver in junior women’s XCO

A few hours earlier, Rafaelle Carrier won Canada’s first medal at the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, finishing second in the junior women’s XCO race, 36 seconds behind winner Viktoria Chladonova of Slovakia. Tereza Šerkezi Maruša of Slovenia took third, 1:31 back. Carrier, a junior national champion in XCO and cyclocross, also had a strong cyclocross world championship earlier this year.

Rafaelle Carrier earns Canada’s first medal at 2024 mountain bike world championships

Lily Rose Marois finished 19th, Maude Ruelland 22nd, Aislin Hallahan 25th, and Eleanor Winchell 40th in the junior women’s race. In the junior men’s XCO, Felix Antoine Leclair led Canada in 25th place, followed by Jacob Roy (31st), Julien Desjardins (35th), Nicolas Gauthier (43rd), and Tristan Taillefer (66th).

Two medals at Paralympics

At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Keeley Shaw, who won silver in the women’s…