Canada’s Junior racers keep up Worlds momentum with more top-10 finishes
Théberge and Jones both find fast finishes in Thursday's Junior XCO racing
Canada’s Junior cross country racers added to teams momentum with two more top-10 finishes at UCI mountain bike world championships on Thursday.
Marianne Théberge was the top Canadian on a rain-soaked Day 2 of 2018 world championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Théberge cross the line eighth in the Junior Women’s XCO race.
Holden Jones was top Canadian in the Junior Men’s race, battling wet roots and a large field or racers to finish in 9th place. Jone’s was followed closely by Jr. national champion Carter Woods in 12th.
Women’s Junior XCO : 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide, Switzerland
Théberge’s excellent eighth place finish is one of Canada’s best recent results in the Junior Women’s category. Her race in Lenzerheide caps off an excellent season that saw the Quebec rider capture the Canada Cup Junior series overall title.
RELATED: Complete schedule: 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
Roxane Vermette, the Canadian XCO Jr. national champion, was the next across the line in 22nd. Mireille Larose-Gingras followed shortly after in 28th, and Eva Poidevin in 43rd.
The Women’s race was won by Austria’s Laura Stigger. Tereza Saskova of the Czech Republic was second and Great Britain’s Harriet Harnden third.
Men’s Junior XCO : 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide, Switzerland
Squamish’s Holden Jones came into Thursday’s race as one of the favourites, having won Canada’s first medal at 2017 world championships in Cairns, Australia. While Jones wasn’t able to repeat his podium performance from last year, he still landed an impressive ninth place in the deep men’s field in Lenzerheide.
Jones was followed closely by his season long rival and training partner Carter Woods. The two young West Coast racers were together at the front of the race early on before slipping back slightly in the standings. Woods, the Canadian national champion in his age category, rallied on the final lap to move up to 12th at the finish.
RELATED: Custom world championship XCO bikes from Lenzerheide
Charles Anoine St-Onge, winner of two Jr. Canada Cup rounds in 2018, was the next Canadian to cross the line in Lenzerheide. The Quebec rider landed in 25th at the end of the day. Tyler Clark followed in 56th, and Colton Woods 61st in a large Jr. field that saw 109 racers take to the start.
Alexandre Balmer earned Switzerland’s second gold medal at the 2018 world championships. Balmer won the Jr. Men’s XCO race ahead of Germany’s Leon Reinhard Kaiser. After leading for much of the race, France’s Mathis Azzaro faded in the races closing laps to finish third.
Women’s Junior XCO : 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide, Switzerland
Women’s Junior XCO : 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide, Switzerland by Matthew Pioro on Scribd
Men’s Junior XCO : 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide, Switzerland
Men’s Junior XCO : 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide, Switzerland by Matthew Pioro on Scribd
