A big day for XCO in Whistler as resort hosts Canada Cup / BC provincials
Busy day of racing doubles as BC Provincial XCO championships
It is a third straight weekend of racing for the Canada Cup XCO series and, after back-to-back weekends in Ontario, racing is headed west. Whistler, B.C. is known internationally as a mountain biking destination, and will host the sixth round in the national cross country series.
The penultimate Canada Cup round joins forces with Cycling BC’s Premier Series for B. C. provincial XCO championships so the left-most provinces best aspiring racers will have a chance to go up against some of the countries finest in their hunt for a provincial title. Whistler, B.C. provides a spectacular backdrop for this busy day of racing, and organizers say they’ve put together a new, improved version of the course seen in previous years. With Canada Cup honours, series points, and provincial titles all on the line, racing will be fast and fierce from the days first “Go.”
In the elite ranks, Felix Burke (Rocky Mountain Bicycles) and Jenn Jackson (AWI Racing) remain the series leaders going into the Whistler round. Both have worn the jersey since moving into the points lead after the second round in Baie-St-Paul in Quebec, and will be looking to extend their lead before the series jumps across the country to Kentville N.S. in August.
The winners of the last two rounds, Norco Factory Team’s Haley Smith for the women and Quinton Disera, also Norco Factory Team, and Rahpaël Gagné (Silverback OMX Pro Team) will likely be headed overseas to prepare for the Val di Sole World Cup in Italy instead of landing in Whistler, but an influx of racers from B.C.’s deep pool of talent will ensure racing remains fast.
The Men’s Junior series will see the return of Holden Jones (Pendrel Racing) and Carter Woods (DCC/Rocky Mountain/CyclingBC), who claimed the top two spots at each of the first three Canada Cup rounds. Jone’s currently has two wins to Woods single victory, but the two will both be at home on the technical B.C. singletrack and looking to claim the provincial title as well as earn series points. Winner of the last two rounds, Charles-Antoine St-Onge (Équipe du Québec : Dalbix Siboire), and series leader Tyler Clark (Homestead Racing) won’t be letting the two B.C. riders just walk away with the race, though, especially since the Whistler round could prove decisive in the Junior series best-four-of-seven format.
On the Junior Women’s side, there’s a three way battle between Quebec athletes that will likely play out on Whistler’s slopes. Marianne Théberge, Roxane Vermette (Mont-Sainte-Anne) and Merielle Larose-Gingras (Equipe du Quebec/Sigma) have all been at the sharp end of the Junior Women’s races throughout the season. Marianne Théberge (Equipe du Québec/Mathieu Performance) currently leads the points race, and Whistler could either push her well into the lead or be an opportunity for the others to close the gap.
The U-17 Category is a new addition for 2018, and has seen a number of different winners over the course of the season. After winning the opening round in Victoria, River City Cycles/Cyling BC’s Jake Yell’s will be looking to take advantage of returning home to more technical trails. Owen Clark (Homestead Racing) currently leads the Men, with Jérémy La Grenade (Skinouk-VDM) not far behind in second.
On the Women’s side, Emilly Johnston will also be hoping the home court advantage helps her repeat her first round win. Series leaders for the new category are currently Juliette Larose-Gingras (Velo Cartel) and Nicole Bradbury (NCCH p/b Frank Tempelton Investments) in second. Like the Junior series, each racers four best results from the seven rounds will make up their points total.
