Scott Ontario Cup mountain bike series finishes this weekend at Highlands Nordic with Ontario Cup No. 7

The 2015 Ontario Cup season comes to a head this weekend at Highlands Nordic in Duntroon, Ont., as the seventh and final installment of the Scott Ontario Cup series tears up the soil this Sunday.

And what a season it’s been for the annual cross-country mountain bike series, one of the most prestigious and competitive in Canada. On May 3rd, competition kicked off with the first event in Woodnewton, Ont. In the senior elite men’s class, Andrew L’Esperance of Norco Factory Team and Peter Glassford of Trek Canada Mountain Bike Team took first and second, respectively, while Norco’s Haley Smith and Cindy Montambault of Equipe du Quebec took first and second for the women.

The most recent race rolled out in Buckwallow, Ont., with Andrew Watson of Norco Factory Team winning for the elite men’s class. For the women, it was Heather Gray of Cycle Solutions Angry Johnny’s taking the title.

Setting this weekend’s competition apart, organizers say, is the inclusion of one of the best courses in Ontario at Highlands Nordic in Duntroon, with 4.8 km, 6.7 km and 7.2 km runs in doubletrack and singletrack configurations. “The combination of the rocky escarpment, steep topography and great trail builders culminates for a perfect race course,” said race director Sean Ruppel, who extended the event’s gratitude to Scott Holmes, Mike Duncan, and others at Highlands for getting the facility into pristine shape.

The Highlands terrain, of course, has hosted many other Ontario provincial championship events before this one, and its overall course has been the subject of many a glowing race report.

For cycling fandom, the facility is an ideal one for the final event of the Scott Ontario Cup series, with its close proximity to the town of Collingwood, Ont. Younger cyclists will have something on top of the race to enjoy at the event, too, with a kids’ skills area planned, thanks to Horseshoe Resort.

Competition gets underway on Sunday at 9 a.m., hosted by Superfly Racing.