Canadian riders ready to hit the dirt at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup, happening September 16

The UCI Cyclocross World Cup is coming up on September 16 in Las Vegas, and the roster of Canadian riders for the event has been chosen.

2015’s start list consists of the maximum of eight cyclists per division allowed under UCI rules, and as with the mountain bike world championships, happening in Vallnord, Andorra, Canada’s powerhouses in Vegas are a familiar set of riders to fans of off-road riding in general. However, the cyclocross world cup isn’t a national team competition. As stipulated by UCI regulations, cyclists will ride in their teams’ colours, not their country’s.

In the Elite women’s class, Maghalie Rochette, Natasha Eliot, Anna Schappert, Ashley Barson, Siden McGill, Siobhan Kelly, Mical Dyck, and Catharine Pendrel will be attacking the Vegas dirt. The Elite men’s class of cyclocross riders, too, features some recognizable names, with Geoff Kabush, Michael Van Den Ham, Aaron Schooler, Evan McNeely, Craig Ritchey, Jeremy Martin, Mark McConnell and Derek Zandstra starting.

Despite the familiarity of those names, though, start positions weren’t just handed out.

A high demand for a spot on the start list this year, the recently-instituted Cycling Canada Cyclo-Cross Working Group said, prompted the organization to develop an application process, through which applicants were then ranked and finally selected according to  a specific set of criteria. However, as that process moved forward, officials with the working group noticed that there were a few “shortcomings” involved. For one, the timeline for athletes to submit their candidacy was very tight, with a deadline of July 27. For another, that selection criteria, officials conceded, wasn’t communicated very effectively.

The vetting process for future world cups will address those issues, they said.