Canuck Christmas Cross 2023 recap: Part 1

While Canadians here at home relax and enjoy an especially mild holiday season, our country’s fastest cyclocross racers are wading knee-deep through the mud and intense competition of this year’s Christmas Cross period.

What is Christmas period racing? When the major European series – Exact Cross, X20 Trofee, Superprestige and World Cup – pile on a staggering eight races in 11 days between Dec. 22nd and January 1. Belgian and Dutch fans, all on holiday, show up in droves for a wild stretch of racing. There’s no shortage of events on either side of this stretch, either, if riders are looking to get more value out of their plane tickets across the Atlantic.

The Canadians are having a fantastic time so far, with performances from elite and junior women’s national champions, Ava Holmgren and Rafelle Carrier, standing out so far. On the men’s side, Ian Ackert is working is way up the standings every race, seeming to get stronger as the miles add up.

World Cup Hulst (Dec. 30)

Ava Holmgren added another big result, finishing 14th in the elite women’s race. Isabella Holmgren, also a first-year under-23 racer, was 25th in elite women. Quebec junior Rafaelle Carrier continued her impressive run in Europe with a 34th, all on the lead lap. Nico Knoll in 46th, Lily Rose Marois 52nd, Siobhan Kelly 56th, Christiane Bilodeau 58th, Aislin Hallahan 63rd and Madeline Pollock 64th round out the results.

On the elite men’s side, u23 Pan Am champ Ian Ackert finished 45th, 5:40 back of race winner Mathieu van der Poel. Cody Scott foloowed 64th.

Jayden McMullen had a big race in 11th in the junior men’s race. Graham Francis followed in 35th and Lucas Goertz 50th

Exact Cross Loenhout – Azencross (Dec. 29)

Exact cross, like many European races, only held an elite women’s category. 16-year-old Maude Ruelland finished 35th, on the same lap as winner Sanne Cant. Marie Fay St.-Onge finished a few spots back in 40th, also on the lead lap, with Mia de Martin in 58th.

In the elite men’s race, Fabian Merino led in 60th, Cameron Jette in 63rd and u23 racer Cody Scott in 64th.

Superprestige – Diegem (Dec. 28)

Ava Holmgren led the Canadian effort with an 11th in the combined elite women’s category, behind women’s winner Puck Pieterse. Junior racer Raphaelle Carrier finished an impressive 21st and on the lead lap. It was a good day for the junior women all around, with Lily Rose Marois (35th), Nico Knoll (37th) and Aislin Hallahan (46th) the next three Canadians across the line.

On the elite men’s side, Ian Ackert led the Canucks. The under-23 Pan Am champion finished 35th and on the same lap as race winner Mathieu van der Poel. Maxime St.-Onge followed in 69th and Fabian Merino 73rd.

In the junior racing, Jayden McMullen finished 49th, the only Canadian on the same lap as the leaders though Montgomery Rigby just missed “last not lapped” in 62nd.

Superprestige Heusden-Zolder (Dec. 27)

The women were combined into one category, again. Katelyn Walcroft in 72nd and Siobhan Kelly in 24th were the only Canadian entries.

Elite men’s racing saw u23 racer Cody Scott again just miss eluding winner Wout van Aert, finishing 51st as the first lapped rider.

Jeyden McMullen led the Canadian juniors in 39th. Graham Francis in 58th, Montgomery Rigby in 79th and Lucas Goertz in 81st all finished on the lead lap.

World Cup Gavere (Dec. 26)

Gavere was limited to just elite categories. Ava Holmgren was the closest to race winner Puck Pieterse. The under-23 racer, also elite Canadian national champion, finished 23rd. Junior national champion, Rafaelle Carrier, pulled off a big result to finish on the lead lap among the elite women in 31st. Two more juniors, Nico Knoll in 36th and Aislin Hallahan in 41st, weren’t too far off.

In the elite men’s race, it was under-23 racer Ian Ackert leading the Canadians, finishing 45th. Cody Scott followed in 61st.

World Cup Antwerp (Dec. 23)

Antwerp ran a full complement of categories (cyclocross does not yet have a separate under-23 women’s race at the World Cup level). Two Canadians finished on the lead lap in the u23 men’s race. Ian Ackert led in 29th with Cody Scott in 50th.

A trio of Canucks finished on the lead lap in the junior men’s race. Jayden McMullen led in 47th with first-year juniors Mongomery Rigby (53rd) and Graham Francis (55th) not far off.

Siobhan Kelly was the top Canadian in the elite women’s race in 49th.

Exact Cross Mol – Zilvermeercross (Dec. 22)

Only 10 of the 61 starters in the elite men’s race would escape a rampaging Mathieu van der Poel in Mol. Cameron Jette led the Canadians in 42nd with Maxime St.-Onge close behind in 44th. Fabian Merino was 51st and Liam Sargent 54th.

Marie Fay St.Onge was the lone Canadian chasing race winner Lucinda Brand. The Stimulus Orbea rider placed 43rd.

World Cup Namur (Dec. 17)

Before the Christmas period officially began, many Canucks made their way overseas for the iconic Namur World Cup. Sidney McGill led the Canadians in 16th in the elite women’s race. Ian Ackert was 28th in the under-23 men’s race with Cody Scott close behind in 35th.

Rafaelle Carrier kicked off her European campaign with an impressive eighth place in the junior women’s race. Nico Knoll followed two spots later in 10th. Lily Rose Marois added to that success in 18th. Aislin Hallahan (37th) and Maude Ruelland (43rd) rounded out the Canadian effort.

Lucas Goertz led the Canadians in the junior men’s race, finishing 51st. Jayden McMullen (55th) and Graham Francis (58th) also finished on the lead lap.