What a weekend! On Saturday, Canadians fought for medals and maple leaf jerseys in Lévis, Que. and on Sunday, riders duked it out at a UCI C2 race.
Elite women
2023 junior world champion Isabella Holmgren took the win. As predicted, the race was between Holmgren, Maghalie Rochette, and Sidney McGill. With the win, Holmgren added the Canadian junior, under-23, and elite women’s titles to her resume. It was only Holmgren’s third ‘cross race of the season. Ultimately, Rochette and Holmgren distanced themselves, but in the end, the multiple world champion rode clear for the win.
Bella Holmgren powers to first elite Canadian cyclocross championship
Under-23 women and men
The under-23 titles went to Mika Comaniuk and Marin Lowe.
Runner-up to Ian Ackert in the 2022 junior men’s race, Comaniuk of Lachine, Que., missed last year but made up for it on Saturday with the under-23 men’s title. He finished half a minute ahead of Alexander Woodford, with Maxime St-Onge rounding out the podium.
British Columbian Marin Lowe delivered a strong performance in Saturday’s under-23 women’s race, claiming her first title. Mia de Martin took second, while another British Columbian, Katja Verkerk, finished third.
Junior and under-17 men and women
Rafaelle Carrier of Lac-Beauport, QC, repeated as the junior women’s champion, and Emilien Belzile of Sherbrooke was the best of the junior men.
In the earliest races, Carter deVeer of the Ottawa Bicycle Club snagged the under-17 men’s honours, and Alexa Haviland of the Durham Shredders took the under-17 women’s title.
Quebec sweeps Junior titles at Canadian Cyclocross Championships
After the race, Carrier, who took silver at the 2024 MTB worlds, said, “It was super fun but really tough with the mud. I really like these conditions. The run-up right there was super tough with off-camber; it was the hardest part for sure. I’m leaving for Europe in a week for the cyclocross World Cup in Ireland.”
Elite men
Saturday’s action wrapped up with the elite men’s race, where Ian Ackert swapped his under-23 men’s title for an elite championship. Ackert broke away in the first half of the race and never looked back, celebrating his win with a wheelie at the finish.
“I’m pretty happy. I took the holeshot. I rode the lines I knew I could and went hard everywhere else,” he said after.
Ian Ackert conquers Lévis course to take Canadian elite cross…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…