So you like cyclocross, eh? Good news, hosers. There’s a whole bunch of Canucks racing in Europe this weekend.
The start lists for this weekend’s doubleheader of World Cup races—Hulst, the Netherlands, on Saturday and Zonhoven, Belgium, on Sunday—reveal a strong Canadian contingent of 27 riders across all categories. The junior men’s field will include Sagan Goertz, Evan Moore, Tristan Taillefer, Emilien Belzile, and Grayson Franks. Representing Canada in the U23 women’s races are Rafaelle Carrier, Aislin Hallahan, Lily Rose Marois, and Nico Knoll, while the U23 men’s lineup features Ian Ackert, Liam Sargent, Maxime Stonge, and Alexander Woodford. The elite women’s races boast a robust group of nine Canadians: Isabella Holmgren, Ava Holmgren, Sidney McGill, Katja Verkerk, Siobhan Kelly, Christiane Bilodeau, Katelyn Walcroft, Mia De Martin, and Dorothee Perron. Meanwhile, in the elite men’s category, Canada will be represented by Evan Russell, Fabian Merino, Cody Scott, and Gunnar Holmgren.
Canadians doing well in Yrup
At the Namur round on Sunday, Rafaelle Carrier placed 19th in the elite women’s race, and Ian Ackert finished 23rd after an early push into the top seven. Carrier currently sits third in the junior women’s overall standings, having taken third in Dublin. This season, Katja Verkerk, Fabian Merino, and Liam Sargent have each raced one World Cup and one X2O Trofee round in Europe, while Nico Knoll has competed in two World Cups, similar to Carrier.
No Rochette, malheureusement
One notable exception to the Canadian contingent is Sainte-Adèle, Que.’s Maghalie Rochette. After crashing at the X2O Badkamers Trofee and injuring her finger, Maghalie Rochette was forced to skip the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Namur, Belgium, and head home. Thankfully, it’s not broken, but according to her partner, David Gagnon, it’s difficult for her to grab her handlebars. However, they believe she will be up and running soon and will be able to catch the tail end of the World Cups and have a good ride at her main goal of the year, the worlds in Liévin, France.
Another rider, albeit very much not Canadian, who will be racing this weekend is Mathieu van der Poel. The world champ will be there on Sunday as he builds up to his world championship defence.
To watch the races, you can head on over to the YouTube channel of the UCI, for free!
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…