Canadians race Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup

Nearly 100 Canadian mountain bikers will be racing the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup, in Quebec, Aug. 10 and 11. Mont-Sainte-Anne has been one of the longest standing events on the World Cup calendar and draws huge crowds of avid fans.

Emily Batty will race in her first World Cup as the Canadian champion. Batty sat out the Andorra World Cup due to illness and is excited to race again.

Also returning to the series is Catharine Pendrel. The 2011 world champion is coming back from a broken collarbone, having finished second at the final round of the U.S. Cup last week.

“My shoulder felt great, just the usual tight neck and back muscles from supporting a weak area, but nothing I could say that slowed me down,” wrote Pendrel on her blog. “This weekend of racing was perfect to help me build my confidence and sharpen my legs for next week’s World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Que.”

In the men’s race, Geoff Kabush, Max Plaxton and 2013 Canadian champion Derek Zandstra will all race.

The course for the 2013 Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup has changed from previous editions, including a new section through the village itself. Watch a preview of the course with Emily Batty.

The cross country races are scheduled for Aug. 10 and the downhill events will run the following day.