Canadians prepare for MTB Worlds

Canada will have a large contingency of riders at the upcoming UCI World Mountain Bike Championships held in Austria in early September. Geoff Kabush and Catharine Pendrel headline the Elite men’s and women’s cross-country competitions.

Noticeably absent from the Elite men’s roster is national champion Max Plaxton, who crashed during the London Olympic Games in August. According to the Canadian Cycling Association he elected not to compete at worlds.

After placing eighth at the Olympics, Kabush is confident that he can pull off a top result at worlds. He will lead the men’s team that also includes Cameron Jette, Raphael Gagne and Derek Zandstra.

“I regrouped on Hornby Island to get ready for a busy September,” Kabush told Canadian Cycling Magazine. Next month he will compete at the World Championships, Crank the Shield, Cross Vegas and Trans Provence. “After that I’ll figure out how much cyclo-cross I feel like doing.”

Pendrel will start worlds as the defending champion. She will lead a stellar roster that includes Emily Batty, who crashed prior to the Olympics and broke her collarbone, Amanda Sin, Marie-Helene Premont and Sandra Walter.

The Canadian Cycling Association released the list of cross-country and downhill riders heading to worlds.
CANADIAN TEAM – 2012 UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE AND TRIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
XCO ELITE MEN
Raphael GAGNÉ (Québec, QC)
Cameron JETTE (Toronto, ON)
Geoff KABUSH (Courtenay, BC)
Derek ZANDSTRA (Trent, ON)

XCO ELITE WOMEN
Emily BATTY (Brooklyn, ON)
Catharine PENDREL (Kamloops, BC)
Marie-Hélène PRÉMONT (Chateau Richer, QC)
Amanda SIN (Collingwood, ON)
Sandra WALTER (Vancouver, BC)

XCO U23 MEN
Mitch BAILEY (Barrie, ON)
Léandre BOUCHARD (Alma, QC)
Antoine CARON (Stoneham, QC)
Evan GUTHRIE (Peachland, BC)
Jérémy MARTIN (Boischatel, QC)

XCO U23 WOMEN
Cayley BROOKS (New Lowell, ON)
Andréane LANTHIER-NADEAU (Québec, QC)
Andréanne PICHETTE (Québec, QC)
Haley SMITH (Uxbridge, ON)

XCO JUNIOR MEN
Peter DISERA (Barrie, ON)
Marc-Antoine NADON (Timmins, ON)
Alexander VIALLE (Prévost, QC)

XCO JUNIOR WOMEN
Frédérique LAROSE-GINGRAS (Lac Beauport, QC)
Rachel PAGEAU (Chicoutimi, QC)
Frédérique TRUDEL (Breakyville, QC)

DOWNHILL
ELITE MEN DH
Matt BEER (St. John’s, NL)
Remi GAUVIN (Nanoose Bay, BC)
Kyle SANGERS (Kingston, ON)
Steve SMITH (Cassidy, BC)

ELITE WOMEN DH
Casey BROWN (Revelstoke, BC)
Claire BUCHAR (Whistler, BC)
Micayla GATTO (North Vancouver, BC)
Miranda MILLER (Squamish, BC)
Lauren ROSSER (Squamish, BC)

JUNIOR MEN DH
Hugo LANGEVIN (Ste-Catherine, QC)
Philippe RICARD (Bromont, QC)
Forest RIESCO (Gibsons, BC)
McKay VEZINA (Newbury Park, CA)
Marc WALLACE (Duncan, BC)

JUNIOR WOMEN DH
Holly FENIAK (Sunshine Coast, BC)