Canadian ‘cross nationals postponed due to flooding in southern B.C.

A week before the Lazer Canadian cross national championships at Bear Mountain in Langford, BC on Vancouver Island, Cycling Canada, after conferring with its organizing partners, decided to postpone the event on Friday. Extensive flooding in the Lower Mainland and interior of BC has led to multiple road closures.

Cycling Canada has made the difficult decision to postpone the 2021 Canadian Cyclo-cross Championships & Bear Crossing Grand Prix, initially scheduled on November 27-28, due to the current state of emergency in the province of BC.

Full details ⬇https://t.co/ZPq1PUmp0U

— Cycling Canada (@CyclingCanada) November 19, 2021

The nationals were to take place on Saturday, November 27 and the C2 races the next day. The event was expected to draw over 500 participants from across the nation. Right now there are plans to hold the nationals on January 8 and 9 if the UCI gives the green light.

In a statement, event organizer Jon Watkin said, “Recognizing the difficult situations that many British Columbians are facing, we felt that it was appropriate to postpone the event while we wait for things to normalize. As we work through the event logistics, we will continue to keep participants and volunteers updated on next steps and registration.”

Ruby West and Derek Gee took the news in stride, West wondering in the replies to Cycling Canada’s tweet about the postponement, “How will Derek Gee do the track/cross double now!?” and Gee responding jokingly in reference to the national elite men’s champion, “You’re lucky, Michael van den Ham.”