Gabe Neron and Ainhoa Ijurko corral wins at Kicking Horse Canada Cup

Canada Cup and Dunbar Summer Series racing stampeded into Kicking Horse Mountain Resort over the weekend, with Gabe Neron and Ainhoa Ijurko riding away with wins and Canada Cup leader’s jerseys.

In the open men’s race, Neron and Jack Pelland were the only two to break the four-minute mark on the long, physical track at KHMR. Patrick Laffey finished right on four minutes, with Adam Woodhouse and Wilson Thompson rounding out the podium.

Ainhoa Ijurko increased her lead in the women’s Canada Cup points race by taking the win in the elite women’s downhill. Eva Leikermoser followed in second place.

Gallery: 2023 Kicking Horse Canada Cup DH / Dunbar Summer Series

The pro/elite men's podium champagne podium focused squarely on Wilson Thompson

Four on one for the fifth-place finisher

Ijurko and Leikermoser on the women's podium

Brett Tippie keeping the Kicking Horse crowd entertained and informed with Ainhoa Ijurko

Junior men's Canada Cup podium

And the junior women's Canada Cup podium

Gabe Nero keeps his Canada Cup streak going after a win at Pano

Ainhoa Ijurko tops the women's podium.

Kiera Melnechuk set the fastest women's time

Ryder Wilson wins the u17 men's race

While Evan Charlish wins the U17 Sport Men's race

Sebastien Harrisson at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Photo: Sara Kempner

Caileigh Koppang stormed to a solid u15 women's win

Chris Canfield takes the Masters Men's 45-54 win in Kicking Horse

All photos: Sara Kempner

In the junior racing, Brock Hawes and Kiera Melnechuck corralled wins at Kicking Horse. Hawes pulled off another stellar race fun after a slower qualifying, just as he did in Fernie and Panorama, to beat Cory Fitchett by 2.43 seconds. Cody Wharton rounded out the junior podium in third. Finnegan Craig and Clem Loveless finish fourth and fifth.

In the junior women’s race, Ruby Dinn pushed Kiera Melnechuck to the line, finishing just 1.38 seconds back of the race winner. Jorja Macintosh earned the final podium spot to join in the junior’s ginger ale podium celebrations.

For the under-17s, Ryder Wilson edged out Anthony Shelly for the men’s win. Austin Makson takes the final podium spot for u17 men. In the women’s race, Tayte Proulx-Royds earned a solid win ahead of Cameron Bragg and Maggie Sutherland. In an impressive feat, Prould-Royds’ u17 winning time would hold strong as the fastest women’s time of the day, across all categories.

Canada Cup racing keeps right on riding into the final Dunbar Summer Series weekend. The series makes a long-awaited, much-anticipated return to Sun Peaks Resort outside Kamloops, B.C. for the Dunbar finals.

Full results for all categories at the 2023 Kicking Horse Canada Cup / Dunbar Summer Series.