Canadians off to fast start at Jingle Cross World Cup weekend
Holmgren takes a win while van den Ham moves up the ranks in night race
Photo by:
James Lissimore
Jingle Cross World Cup weekend is underway in Iowa and there’s much more than just Sunday’s two World Cup races going on. The three-day weekend of racing started Friday with a UCI C1 night race and a Canadian on top of the podium.
Canadian juniors crush Friday Night Frights C1
Isabella Holmgren (Hardwood NextWave) edged out the U.S.’s Katharine Sarkisov (CXHairs Devo) in a close race to start her weekend with a win in the junior women’s race. Natasha Visnack (USAC Development) rounded out the podium in third. Kiara Lylyk (The Cyclery) and Ava Holmgren (Hardwood NextWave) added two more fast Canadian junior women’s results, finishing 11th and 12th.
Lylyk would move up to seventh in Saturday’s Helen 100 UCI junior women’s race, which was won by Sarkisov. The Holmgren’s did not start Saturday’s race.
Ian Ackert (Hardwood NextWave) added another podium for the Canuck crowd, finishing third in Friday’s junior men’s race. Jack Spranger (Bear National Team) and Frank O’Reilly (Fin Craft) took the top two podium spots for the home country. Alexander Woodford (Ride With Randall) was the next Canadian across the line in 17th, followed by Jerome Gauthier (Miller School) and Benjamin Sweet (Hardwood NextWave) in 24th and 25th.
Ackert doubled up with another third place on Saturday’s USCX / UCI C2 event. This time behind Spranger and Andrew August (Cannondale p/b cyclocrossworld). All the Canadian’s improved their results with Woodford moving up one spot to 16th, Sweet 18th and Gautier 23rd.
Van den Ham finds speed in the dark
Still-reigning Canadian cyclocross national champion Michael van den Ham (Easton Giant CX) has steadily found speed over the course of his early season campaign. Turning off the lights on Friday seemed to clear any remaining distractions, with MvdH storming to fifth in the elite men’s UCI C1 race. Belgium’s Vincent Baestaens led his compatriot Thijs Aerts (Baloise Trek) and the U.S.’s Eric Brunner (Blue Competition Cycles) on the podium.
Matt Leliveld (Hardwood NextWave) was the next Canadian across the line in 12th, followed by first year elite Lief Rodgers (Giant Canada Off Road Team) finishing on the lead lap in 16th, Mathieu Belanger-Barrette and Hugo Briesbois in 29th and 30th.
Sydney McGill (Pedalhead Race Room) led the Canadian women in 10th. Shirin van Androoij (Baloise Trek) won the women’s event ahead of French duo Helene Clauzel (AS Bike Cross Team) and Caroline Mani (Pactimo).
Nicole Bradbury (Team Hamilton) was the next fastest Canadian in 15th. Siobhan Kelly (Black Dog Racing) placed 23rd, Katelyn Walcroft (Hardwood NextWave) 26th, and Kelly Lawson (Hardwood NextWave) 32nd.
Jingle Cross weekend continues in Iowa City with USCX series racing on Saturday and the elite World Cup events on Sunday, Oct. 17.
