Results: Canadians make a strong showing in U23 XCO world championships
Fincham top Canadian U23 finisher in Lenzerheide, Switzerland
Sean Fincham capped off a great year in the U23 Men’s XCO field with a 14th place at World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland on Friday.
Emily Unterberger and Laurie Arseneault led a strong Canadian contingent in U23 Women’s race, finishing 20th and 21st after six laps of racing.
Men’s U23 XCO : 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide, Switzerland
After being caught up early on the first lap when another rider crashed partway down a steep, narrow descent, the Squamish racer worked his way through the field over the opening two laps of a seven lap race. After setting the fastest time on Lap 2, Fincham climbed as high as 11th on course. His push brought him up to join a chase group behind American Christopher Blevins and South African Alan Hatherly. The Forward Racing-Norco rider would continue with that group for the rest of the race, eventually finishing 14th.
Marc-André Fortier was the next Canadian across the line in Lenzerheide. Starting further back in the field the Victoriaville, Que. rider worked his way forward steadily. The Pivot Cycles-OTE racer moved all the way up to 20th, after being 39th on Lap 2.
RELATED: U23 XCO Replay : 2018 UCI world championships
Quinton Disera followed in 27th, Raphael Auclair 32nd. Orillia, Ontario’s Gunnar Holmgren, in his first year as an U23, did an impressive job of working all the way up from 72nd after Lap 1, having started at the back of the field, to finish way up in 35th by the end of the race. It’s a fantastic result for Canada to have all five U23 Men’s riders finish on the lead lap and so far forward in the 97 rider field.
Hatherly would go on to win the race after attacking Blevins on the final lap. The young South African wins the country’s first cross country world championship since the late Burry Stander nearly a decade ago.
Women’s U23 XCO : 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide, Switzerland
Canada sent four riders to contest the U23 Women’s XCO race in Lenzerheide. Emily Unterberger was the top Canadian finisher, earning a 20th place in her first world championship appearance. The young Revelstoke, B.C. rider worked her way from the very back of the field all the way up to 20th by the end of the race. Just one spot behind, Canadian U23 national champion Laurie Arseneault raced to 21st in Lenzerheide.
A fierce battle played out at the front of the race between the two Swiss favourites: reigning U23 world champion Sina Frei and Alessandra Keller, who raced up a category all year to finish fourth place overall in the Elite Women’s World Cup standings. Wanting the win on home soil, the Swiss compatriots separated themselves from the field early in the first lap and never looked back. Their unrelenting pace, and the courses short laps, meant over half of the 51 rider field were pulled before the final lap.
RELATED: Canada’s Junior racers keep up Worlds momentum with more top-10 finishes
Mackenzie Myatt of Musquodoboit Harbour, N.S. was close to staying ahead of the storming Swiss and finished a strong 27th place in Lenzerheide. Juliette Tétreault of Val-des-Monts, Que. rounded out the Canadian crew with a 42nd place finish. A strong showing from a group of athletes that have been improving on the international scene all year.
Keller and Frei rode together for two laps, before the older rider separated herself from Frei on Lap 3. Once a gap opened, Keller continued to extend all race to win the Women’s U23 XCO world championship title in front of a supportive home crowd. Frei held on for second, with Italy’s Marika Tovo claiming bronze.
Women’s U23 XCO : UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide Switzerland by Matthew Pioro on Scribd
Men’s
Men’s U23 XCO : 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide, Switzerland by Matthew Pioro on Scribd
