At the end of a perfect fall day here in Mont Sainte Anne, two UCI XCC races went down; U23 women and U23 men.
U23 women
The riders took off promptly at 4:30 pm in dry conditions with a gentle, cool breeze. The crowds cheered as the field rushed into the first corner. With three Canadians on the front line, Ella MacPhee, Emilly Johnston and the rainbow-wearing Isabella Holmgren, the largely Canadian crowd was hoping for a win. The short XCC course was fast and furious. It was an evenly-matched field and at one point Isabella was in first place. But when it all shook out, it was Germany’s Kira Bohm who took the win, followed by Holmgren, then Switzerland’s Lea Huber. Emily Johnston ended up in sixth place and Ella MacPhee took ninth.
U23 women overall titles
With all the points tallied, it was Kira Bohm that took the overall title. Canada’s Emilly Johnston took second place, American Madigan Munro third and Orillia’s own Isabella Holmgren fourth. Ella MacPhee cracked the top ten in ninth place overall.
U23 men
After a stellar performance last weekend in Lake Placid, all eyes were on Canadian Cole Punchard. But after a fast and furious race, it was Switzerland’s Dario Lillo that stepped on the gas and sprinted the entire last lap to take the win. American Bjorn Riley took second and South African Luke Moir took third. Canadian Noah Ramsey kept up the pace and managed to take fifth place. Punchard didn’t crack the top ten, but got eleventh. He did win best hair though.
U23 men overall titles
With the last race of the season complete, final points were tallied. It was the two American Rileys in spots one and two; Riley Amos in first spot overall and Bjorn Riley in spot two. Switzerland’s Dario Lillo took the third spot. Cole Punchard was the only Canadian to crack the top 20 in 15th overall.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…